Norbauer demands up to 8,000 US dollars for a keyboard. But despite the price, the keyboard is constantly sold out and has long delivery times.
The manufacturer “Norbauer and Co” specializes in keyboards and compatible accessories. As of the current date (09/17/2025), the manufacturer has only one keyboard in its range, but the offering is significant: The prices for the keyboard named Seneca start at 3,600 US dollars and, according to the manufacturer, rise to 8,090 US dollars. This is equivalent to about 6,800 euros. Even a gaming keyboard for 750 euros seems relatively cheap.
Yet despite the high prices, demand appears to be strong, as the manufacturer maintains a waiting list for the expensive keyboard: According to the provider’s website, the waiting time is between 6 and 9 months. This makes the delivery times comparable to those when purchasing a new car (via Carwow.de).
Handcrafted keyboard, but testers miss features
Why is the keyboard so expensive? The Norbauer Seneca is so expensive because it is made up of over 680 individually crafted parts and is hand-built, using specially developed capacitive switches and high-quality stabilizers that are said to make the typing experience unique.
How good is the keyboard? The expensive keyboard is said to offer a very high-quality typing experience: Almost all reviews highlight the exceptionally smooth, tactile, and comparatively quiet typing sound, which is regarded as unique even among enthusiasts.
Nonetheless, testers simultaneously criticize that the keyboard lacks many standard features: The Seneca does not offer a hardware remapping function, no Bluetooth, no wireless operation, no lighting, no knobs, and also no swappable switch system.
For example, testers from the English-language magazine TheVerge critically assess the value of the keyboard: In everyday use, the keyboard, apart from typing experience and build quality, does not offer additional functions compared to much cheaper models, making the price seem excessively high.
Users on Reddit also criticize that the keyboard relies on a fixed cable and does not support QMK/VIA. QMK/VIA is an open-source configuration software for mechanical keyboards that can be opened as a web app in the browser, making it very flexible.
For 30 years, the keyboard has remained almost unchanged under Windows. After a change in the 1990s, something is changing again. Microsoft added a new key that is already found on new devices: After 30 years, the keyboard received a new key for the first time in 2024, and many are already using it
