This is it! This is finally a solid mechanical keyboard with a touch stick. The layout is almost the same as the one on a modern Thinkpab X1, same size too (11" across). Having keyboard switches for mouse buttons works better than I was expecting. The long travel trips me off a little bit, but that can be fixed with o-rings. The trackpoint stick feels excellent, actually better then on my X1 Gen 7. It's very responsive and easy to control. The default mapping needs some tuning, like the middle mouse button not pasting by default, but that is really easy to solve with the companion website that allows you to customize everything about the keymap. The keyboard becomes a USB drive in programming mode. You just upload the keymap file there and you're done!

If you are a fan of Thinkpad keyboards, you will love the Tex Shinobi.

Bought this direct from Tex when it came out, brought my own switches, first kb project I soldered together myself. Almost 2 years as daily driver, really love it. Lettering on WASD keys started to show wear sooner than expected. Heavy, great packaging, great build quality,

Only con on aesthetics is the keycaps-- they're bespoke bc of the trackpoint, but would love PBT and a better match to the OG thinkpad font.

A great keyboard that fits in your lap WITH seven rows of keys AND a Trackpoint!

You can also buy it with MX Clear switches, which I appreciate a lot.

My config: Cherry Red Switches, no BLE module.

My 1st keyboard came defective - when plugged into my computer, it would intermittently hard freeze and not register any key presses until I hard rebooted the computer, even though other external keyboards I plugged in did not exhibit this issue. Believe me I tried everything, from trying different operating systems, different USB-C cables, different USB ports, and so forth. Like Nicholas Taylor mentioned, the stock keycaps get worn really quickly and the white lettering especially gets dirty fast. On a whim, I put double-shot Cherry PBT keycaps on, and the board felt a lot better. The stock stabilizers on the spacebar also could use some work.

Problems such as the ones I mentioned above are a bit unfortunate considering the high price tag ($185 USD). I'm also an international buyer, so I got dinged by FedEx with their import fee crap. I had to return my 1st board and re-buy it too, so I had to pay the fee twice. Nonetheless, having the classic 7-row layout and being able to use the trackpoint on a mechanical keyboard is just exceptional, and considering the exorbitant prices of the SK-8855 on eBay nowadays, this Tex Shinobi is comparatively acceptable value for money. Overall this is not a perfect board, but its target niche will nonetheless appreciate this board's existence and probably be satisfied by what this keyboard offers.

Trackpoint drift out of the box, wasd keys are worn in the first 100 hours.

Switches and aesthetic and construction amazing. The achelles of keyboards.

Got it with the blue switched. Underwhelming. The design is nice, but some of the switches feel sticky on the way back. I had one key not bounce back out.
The mouse buttons don't feel good. They would have worked better with shorter travel switches instead of just putting reds.
Trackpoint experience got better once I figured it that I can control the sensitivity with function keys and not have to share the windows settings with my regular mouse.
As for the shopping experience: international buyers be careful. FedEx slapped $55 of customs fees. I paid nearly a third of the cost of the item in shipping.

This is a fantastic keyboard, I have been using it for only a short time but it was exactly what I was looking for.
Some things to mention for anyone buying this:
- Some reviews indicate that the Track Point Nubs that come with the unit are both the "Soft Dome" and the "Classic Dome". This is either no longer the case or specific to Mechanical Keyboards dot com. This ships with three "Soft Dome" nubs.
- When Tex says this keyboard is programmable they mean it, there is a website configuration tool, creates a file and you put in on the keyboards internal memory. Very useful and interesting.
- Bought silent red switches to not annoy people around me and they are fantastic.

- NOTE: This is the one thing I can find fault in, keeping in mind its been a very short time with the keyboard. They provide a key cap removal tool which has two flaws. The first is that it can/will create dull marks on the sides of your keys if pushed down direction on the key. The second is that then over the key, I found that the width of the key is large enough to hold the tool open, meaning the part which is meant to grab onto the under side of the key so you can lift cannot get a grip.

TL;DR - Be careful with the key cap removal tool to not scratch your keys, it also does not grip too well. Otherwise fantastic keyboard!

Feels fantastic and the layout is just like a classic Thinkpad. I would pay $1000 for this.

I purchased Shinobi as soon as MK restocked it. The keyboard is very awesome and I almost don't use my mouse. It was my happy day if UPS didn't deliver to a wrong address and I had to wait one more day to use it. Thank MK for your support.

I love scrolling with the middle button and trackpoint. No longer need a mouse or trackball most of the time when sitting on the couch. I got the Clears. They are more tactile then to browns, but I think I still prefer browns or blacks. Sometime the my finger get tired with the Clears especially the pinkies.

The build quality is excellent. You can feel the laser etched keys almost like Braille. I also got the bluetooth module, so I can use it from couch with not table.

I've got this with silent red switches, and I absolutely love it. Heavy, sturdy, pretty.
There are a few things I have to note though:
1. Key stabilizers quality is mediocre, they wobble it their metal plate spaces a tiny bit, bars aren't perfectly balanced - hence the rattle with spacebar, enter and shift keys out of the box. One does need an evening off to apply cling film dampeners and silicon lube - keyboard becomes a true pleasure to use after that.
2. Firmware update tool is Windows-only.
3. During this first week of active usage with a bluetooth connection, I've twice had an issue with trackpoint failing (cursor not moving). Both times problem vanished with keyboard power-cycle, which is exremely easy thanks to a killswitch on a BLE module. This happened with latest firmware so far (keyboard v2.02, BLE module v15). This issue didn't happen with wired connection. Still, wireless experience is awesome, infinitely better than logitech unify. Having ability to switch between three devices is a nice bonus.

All in all, this is one of the best keyboards on the market, worth every penny.

Truly fantastic keyboard, a work of art. The trackpoint is great as others have said, but what I think is the best part are the three mouse buttons underneath the spacebar, I never have to reach for my mouse anymore! Can just keep my hands comfortable typing. It types so nicely and just looks amazing (I only wish it had a backlight, but that is a tall order with bluetooth boards). I got the browns, and got a bluetooth module from the creator's website. Battery hasn't died yet and I've been using it for about a month. Phenomenal, can't think of a better board.

Fantastic keyboard, I have been waiting a long time for a good mechanical keyboard with trackpoint. The width is exactly the same as the thinkpad 7 row keyboard, so it can feel a little narrow at first, but did not take long for me to get used to. Quality and fit and finish are fantastic, I would highly recommend.

Ordered this with the green key switches. I absolutely LOVE this board. Not only does it feel great to type on, it looks incredible as well. The build quality is absolutely outstanding. For those of you that love classic ThinkPad trackpoints (think ThinkPad T500 and older), the trackpoint on this is actually BETTER than those! Bottom line: This keyboard rocks. If you're on the fence about getting one, do it. You won't be disappointed!

One week in and I really like this keyboard. I ordered with blue switches. The layout is very nice and I feel like I get to type on a mechanical version of my T400 all day. I feel like the ADA keycaps are helping my accuracy, just wish I could source blanks The touchpoint is very nice, but I need to learn to reach for it again instead of my mouse. Overall recommended to old school Lenovo/IBM fans.

Amazing keyboard totally worth the wait. Only issue is that my 'enter' key is a bit noisy not sure if it's the stabilizer or what, the noise becomes more obnoxious when I use the blue replacement enter key cap. Not sure what gives.