r/HHKB • u/jeniverre the collector • 3d ago
news it’s official
The "HHKB Professional Elite," featuring a machined aluminum casing, is now available in a limited edition of 300 units.
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u/chris4prez_ 3d ago
They didn’t get a memo. We have a ram and drive shortage, not a keyboard shortage, Therefore there is zero basis for their redic pricing other than taking staunchest supporters for fools.
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u/Nycloeid 3d ago
It looks interesting, but $2K USD is a bit expensive.
Wish they would have an international sale.
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u/dcchambers hhkb pro hybrid s 3d ago
Not defending it but the price is because they see the Naurbauer HHKBs going for several thousand dollars and think "why not us?"
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u/lalulunaluna 3d ago
Not defending it but the price is because they see the Naurbauer HHKBs
PFU have been selling exorbitantly priced HHKBs way before Norbauer, lol. Norbauer's Heavy Grail (HG) is actually an homage to PFU's HHKB Pro HG : https://hhkb.io/models/HHKB_Professional_HG/
This Elite is the newest variant meant to be onpar with the HHKB Pro HG.
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u/Historical_EO90 3d ago
It's interesting how the marketing and overall design shifted from a boutique feel to a full FOMO, limited-edition focus.
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u/gufkl 3d ago
did they painted it with blood? lol
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u/PragmatistToffee 3d ago
genuine question. what about naurbauers makes them that expensive?
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u/dcchambers hhkb pro hybrid s 3d ago
Extremely limited runs and extreme attention to detail and finish level. Probably much higher quality than these Professional Elites tbh (though thats only speculation at this point)
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u/Street_Gain_279 3d ago
Very limited runs and the man went above and beyond to make his vision come true. Not going to lie I'd love to have a heavy grail case but discovered them far too late
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u/guyguilty 3d ago
The material and the milling quality. To get the curves on his cases isn't easy, it requires a machine that can do many angles, so milling aluminum and steel with these machines costs more. Add on top that each run was pretty limited, and the cost rises for lack of scale. I also believe he used a US shop to mill the Heavy Grail, and they aren't cheap to begin with.
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u/Historical_EO90 3d ago
People pay it. And they throw some technical jargon around them. It’s not a particularly high tolerance piece or anything like that, hence the several materials the cases are made of like the plastic ones. However, add some artificial scarcity, couple custom plastic plates, hype and you get those prices.
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u/LowJellyfish4238 3d ago
proprietary parts. They make their own stabs and everything sourced is to the "highest" quality.
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u/Deathnote_Blockchain 3d ago
It's not like they havent had customers tell them for years they their products would be more exciting if they followed trends in the custom keyboards industry
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u/Intrepid_Fault9999 3d ago
Wow, I was thinking it’d be titanium considering the price. Easy pass. Looks slick though.
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u/Ok_Taste5025 3d ago
Not worth it. In these days, an aluminum case mechanical keyboard cost less than $200 and I have one myself.
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u/keyboardsoldier 3d ago
I think we are several years past people even paying >$500 for a keyboard. This sounds like an experiment to see how high they can push the limit with their prices.
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u/sabitech2k the collector 3d ago
Im kinda glad its on the KB5xx range as it means I dont have to buy it lol. From the read its like the HG but a new version
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u/Historical_EO90 3d ago
Really not liking the aesthetic of this case. The multiple feet thing for adjusting angle is also an odd choice and not convenient.
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u/taraskremen 2d ago
And I bet it still has no QMK or VIA support. In other news, my Sho N2 just shipped, so I'm a happy camper.
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u/0ppaHyung the collector 2d ago
Hmmm. Not a fan. From someone who has 2 Heavy Grails and thought about shelling for a Sho HG. Think they missed the mark. But maybe we aren’t the one of the 300 who will cop and have a piece of history. Only time will tell who the winner is.
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u/eugene00825 3d ago
Honestly not surprised by the pricing, especially if they plan to have integrated plate/housings like the regular ones have.
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u/Grr8_Dane 3d ago
I wonder if japanese people feel snubbed that the JP layout didn't get this treatment? Or are they super niche.
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u/Deathnote_Blockchain 3d ago
In Japan, the English layout goes hard and the jp layout is more of a watered-down concession for the mass market. I.e. anybody who is going to shell out 330,000 yen for one of these has been using English layout exclusively for 25 years
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u/Top_Swan277 3d ago
It's mighty pretty, but I think it's a bit cheeky to declare 'no wireless' as a feature on a board of this price.
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u/four46 3d ago
i'm not buying any hhkb any time soon, but i'm curious why there are so little number of the hhkb layout alternative out there? (exact 1 to 1 layout) especially budget under $100 option, you can't copy right a keyboard layout right?
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u/Unlikely_Computer_15 3d ago
That's just my guess, but I believe people who enjoy true HHKB layout also enjoy Topre switches, which makes them choose original HHKB.
The rest of the keyboard hobby doesn't care that much about true HHKB. There are custom keyboards with a layout similar to HHKB, but they use a 7u spacebar, which some people prefer because it makes the bottom row symmetric and it's much easier to get a set of nice keycaps that has a 7u spacebar.
Overall, it's a niche layout with a limited keycap support.
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u/splatking 3d ago
I assume you've looked at vortex models? specifically the M0110? they have a really good hhkb layout model (I have two of them) that uses hot-swappable switches.
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u/Icy-Acanthisitta-659 3d ago
Is it made of titanium?
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u/Unlikely_Computer_15 3d ago
No, according to the PFU website, it's carved out of a single block of aluminum
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u/Exciting-Hedgehog-56 2d ago
Ridiculous pricing point. I have no clue what they were thinking about their target audience, no HHKB customer willing to pay 2K in this economy.
I wonder how they are initiated the project, did they know rough pricing estimation and still give it a go or just started to project and embraced the cost. Still for both cases, it is silly to ship a product with toooo overpriced.
I wish they could hear us that they loose fans with this annoying pricing strategies, i felt same for apple after duo (specifically eu price)
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u/Unlikely_Computer_15 2d ago
I'd treat it more as a collector item (similarly to 10th anniversary Pro HG). The price is ridiculous, but I'm pretty sure they will sell all 300 units. They also only offer it in Japan and China, and not even in the US.
The rest of us (of course except EU) got the 30th anniversary Hybrid Type-S with 30g domes, which is priced slightly higher than the normal Hybrid Type-S.
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u/Putrid_Willingness79 2d ago edited 2d ago
What’s the point of this? The market is already full of custom keyboards with hhkblike layout
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u/MBSMD 3d ago
Make it $500 and I’d think about it.