A few years ago I installed a number of MX-850's and in fact have one here myself, though it has only ever served as a demo and it's in pristine condition. I still use it for testing/debugging every now and then.

Back when the product was announced URC made some news of the button coating and the fact the markings were created with a laser. Does anyone have any reports on the longevity of the buttons on their (installed) remotes? I'm curious if anyone has seen any rub-off or wear of the button finish and graphics in particular.

These things have been in use long enough that any such problems should be visible by now. A lot of remotes (that shall remain nameless) wear out in less than a year. :)

I may have a hundred of those or so in the field and have only seen a couple with some minor wear on the most commonly used buttons.

It's still a solid remote. In many systems it does all that's needed and, except for the longer download time, isn't a bad piece.

I've seen some photos of used 850's on ebay that suggests to me that they wear pretty easily. I prefer the gemstone type buttons from the older 500/600/700/800 series.

JDH.

Thanks for the info.

Of every remote I've ever used (100's ranging in price from $1 to $1500), to me, the MX-850 has by far the best feeling button texture. It just feels nice under the thumb - satiny. In contrast, I've always disliked the glossy gemstone finish used on their older models as they've felt too smooth. I'm also not a fan of the look, but I do agree that they seem to last a long time. The glossy coating is applied over top of the button graphics as I recall.

I'm going to search for some images of older remotes to try and get a look at the wear, thanks also for the eBay suggestion in this regard.

The older gemstone buttons are definitely more durable, but they are not indestructable. So far the style used on the MX-850/MX-900 does hold up fairly well, but it tends to gradually starting thinning on the most used keys (typically only noticable in a dark room with the backlight on - especially with the LED backlit MX-900).

The one annoyance I've noticed is it's possible to chip/scratch the finish, which means little bright pinpoints when the backlight's on.

I have the MX-700 and the MX-200 (Sidekick). The sidekick has been used everyday since Aug. 2002 and it doesn't show any wear on any of the buttons. Each button has a press function and a macro so the 9 main buttons (excludes on, off and light) get used a lot. The sidekick also has the gemstone buttons.

It is beginning to show its age though because the buttons aren't as "bouncy" as they once were. The MX-700 is used when playing DVD's or playing with the A/V receiver.