deskthority

You need a proxy when using Japanese Amazon. I looked into it when first considering an HHKB. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's precisely how Smart Imports works, as I asked them about an HHKB carrying case, gave the Amazon link, and they were cool with it.

Unfortuneately I don''t have one to proxy for me, but is it really neccessary? I mean can't I just ask the seller to send it over to me?

You could also use Tenso which is free membership: http://www.tenso.com/en/

They give you a Japanese address to use and then you can just create an Amazon.co.jp account and enter the Tenso address as your own. That's what I do.

Is that somehow trustworthy?

Wow! I just checked their fees and you could get a HHKB Pro 2 delivered to Europe for ~200 EUR including VAT/customs!

Are we really paying THAT MUCH extra when we order stuff from EliteKeyboards, KeyboardCo and so on?

I've been registered since 2010 and used the service 13 times without incident

Dude... this is pure ripoff by those EK guys... man the HHKB S-Type is like double the price of a normal HHKB... PFU is selling them for like 7 or 9k yen more... that's not even close to EK pricing :/

002 wrote:I've been registered since 2010 and used the service 13 times without incident

Great to hear, this is definately a good way to get stuff from Japan! I will try this in case I like topre switches and want to buy one

HHKB Type-S shipped to Europe + VAT is around 310 EUR
EK would be around 405 with shipping and VAT

002 wrote:How do you get this figure?

When one tries to look at it from EU. American options look better.

I used that number more like a figure of speech and not a hard number but when I was looking at Leopold's Topre it was netting 130 euros on their Korean shop and other options were netting more than 200.

EDIT: tenso looks cool. I didn't know of it. I may eventually use it. Though I'm lately happy with my oiled MX browns so I may wait for another move. It's also strengthened by the fact I heard some owners of Topre still like properly lubricated MXes better than Topre (though rarely the stock MXes).

ne0phyte wrote:HHKB Type-S shipped to Europe + VAT is around 310 EUR
EK would be around 405 with shipping and VAT

Told ya, pure EK ripoff!

*want*

If you so in love with your HHKB, why don't you buy another one for the office so you don't have to carry that thing around?
Did you ever tryed a Realforce?

Nope not yet. I'm pretty much done with my apprenticeship and will only work here for around 1.5 months and continue to go to the Fachoberschule Informatik after that so I won't need a second one during the next year

Oh and I just bought keycaps and the carrying case for the HHKB and some other not keyboard related things. Gotta restrain myself for now :/

Hmm I heared thet the RF has a nicer typing feel becasue of the metal plate inside. But I am more and more tempting to buy a HHKB, and IF I do, i will use tenso and pray to god the custom office won't notice

cookie wrote:Hmm I heared thet the RF has a nicer typing feel becasue of the metal plate inside. But I am more and more tempting to buy a HHKB, and IF I do, i will use tenso and pray to god the custom office won't notice

Trust me they will. But it'll still be a much better deal than EK from what it looks.
Btw. my offer to meet and try my HHKB still stands

ne0phyte wrote:

cookie wrote:Hmm I heared thet the RF has a nicer typing feel becasue of the metal plate inside. But I am more and more tempting to buy a HHKB, and IF I do, i will use tenso and pray to god the custom office won't notice

Trust me they will. But it'll still be a much better deal than EK from what it looks.
Btw. my offer to meet and try my HHKB still stands

Jeah man, just send me a PM if you are near HH next time and we will have a couple cold ones

I recently bought a 24 inch IPS panel for 200 euros, which was even considered expensive but I was too impatient to get it from a local dealer it had it in stock.

So it's another argument to prevent me from giving more than 100 to 150 euros on a keyboard. The monitor is incredible and top quality, the materials used are exceptional and a huge chunk in size and a lowly keyboard needs 200 or more? No way.

So, those direct-from-Japan ideas seem better. It's more attractive looking at Leopold's Topre which might turn out less than 150 euros with those direct methods. Even though I personally go on a hiatus concerning keyboard purchases since this oiled MX brown seems quite good at the moment and hearing some Topre users preferring it, it's an extra argument.

I can't understand... Leopold's Topre has PBT caps, but is less expensive then the Type Heaven... they should really put some PBTs on it!

The FC660C is more expensive than the Type Heaven. EK has 'em at $189 whereas the Type Heaven will be anywhere from $150-180.

Whoops my fault, sorry, but they are pretty close to each other.

Ducky Nordic was at Computex, too. He's already Ducky's North European distributor, and had a word with Topre:

Ducky Nordic wrote:Yes. The HiPro. Had my eyes on it the day it was released. Had a meeting with Topre and...( more to come when things get confirmed ) ...yea yea, i know, im being a tease. Cant help it

So there could be good news coming on the European availability front! Phew.

That's pretty cool. I'm still trying to figure out the subtleties for Topre's distribution rule. I would have thought that Mr Ducky Nordic selling Topre would conflict with Verkkokauppa?

I hadn't heard of Verkkokauppa. Are they just importing like everyone else I've heard of here, or are they the real retail deal, like Elite Keyboards?

I think those just sell to 3 countries in the area. Not really EU distribution.

They have their own unique boards if that counts. Technically, EK is just an importer too. Most of their Topre keyboards are also sold by Leopold, with a few exceptions such as the EK edition 87U.

I dream of being able to buy a Topre (let alone a µTron) in Europe, with a warranty, and without being completely hosed if it needs returned. High ambitions!

Don't keyboardco sell to Scotland with warranty?

But they don't carry HHKB! Screw those guys…

Seriously though, yes they hopefully do. (One thing's for sure: Scotland gets the same treatment as England and Wales, as we're still technically the same country. For now…) I overlook them mostly because of the above, and their eye-gouging website design! Oh, and the old "yeah, we turned display inc. VAT prices off again for you, no need to thank us" trick. Ugh!

Besides their site, I hear they're good guys. If I wanted a RealForce instead of an HHKB (or HiPro, which they don't do either) then I'd badger them with warranty questions.

You can often use any warranty site you want, but the closest one might be at a ridiculous distance to care to go in the process.

I think the UK distributor and similarly but at a lesser extend the American one are selling them at a high premium.

I suspect they have to in order to make a profit since the Koreans and Japanese might require big orders in order to consider them wholesale and the market is too niche.

Didn't someone say that Leopold only considers dispatching for orders of 200 and above? That's a huge amount. I suspect the actual customers in the west aren't more than 2X or 3X than those you see online since the culture appears so tight.

It all boils down a lot to the lack of understanding by the general population that not only mice can be "good" but also keyboards. I personally admit that it took me way too many years to figure it out while I knew of quality mice for more than 10 years before that.

It's all very logical though to understand so I think there is a huge market opportunity here: To present keyboards to the 'nerds' and 'gamers' and convince them that not all of them are the same. It shouldn't be hard given the right information.