04 Aug 2015

I have improved my organisation for this week and hopefully should have better coverage.

KC60 Update

For those who partook in the GB there was a small update. Nothing particularly interesting, other than the fact they are on target. Apart from the delays.

Planck Milled Bottoms Shipping

These are looking really nice and I think work very well with the aesthetic of the planck. These certainly do look excellent.

I also spotted an atomic PCB in the wild. Hopefully mine is on the way.

New Keyboard Forum KBDhub

It has not yet skyrocketed into popularity. However, the admins are some recognisable names from geekhack.

  • radio_killah
  • photekq
  • Meiosis

I have made an account but I find it hard to justify its existence. I would be more interested in seeing a nodebb forum which could bring a little more to the table. But I will reserve judgement until anything happens on this forum.

UK Keycaps Update

UK Keycaps seems to be shaping into a useful store for those in the UK. This latest stock update brings a few switch testers to the table.

SentrantPC O-ring Restock

For anyone interested in o-rings this seems like a good US source. It is also good to support the smaller stores.

Gateron Producing ISO Enter Keys

After having no ISO enters for the shadovved GB, Gateron is now producing them. We also seem to be seeing a rise in Gateron produced keycaps. With the possibility of a dyesub Gateron dyesub GB on the horizon.

Leandren Empire Expanding

Leandren is now offering Spirit 60% pcb’s with his universal 60% plate designed by JDcarpe. I thought this was awesome as this is a near perfect custom 60%. For anyone who doesn’t want a stock 60%, this is a great purchase. Orders aren’t quite up yet.

Ducky Shine 5 Release Pushed

Previously slated for release in August, now coming in September.

Techmattr Cables on 1upkeyboards

1upkeyboards which is known for high quality keyboard sleeves is now offering custom cables by techmattr. You are able to buy what is offered on the store as well as contacting /u/techmattr for your custom needs.

GMK Classic Beige

I try not to function as a groupbuy tracker but this one has been planned for a while. GMK is considered the height of doubleshot ABS quality and this is an excellent colourway. For those looking to upgrade their keysets I suggest this as a great starting point. Of course GMK comes with a bit of a higher price tag compared to other offerings.

This is also being run through precision buys which I remember seeing before but can’t quite place it.

Typed on HHKB Pro 2

01 Aug 2015

ClickClack

News has recently surfaced through geekhack user btctopre that clickclack has not been doing too well. Not only is clickclack in poor health, he recently had some clacks stolen and is now without a home.

There have been some different reactions within the community, but most people are still angry about the lack of communication and updates. This is understandable as a substantial amount of money was taken in for the last clackvent sale. The estimate was around $10,000. On the other hand, I would give clickclack the benefit of the doubt. He has more than proven himself as a reliable member of the community and has a notorious reputation. If the information is true, all that has happened is out of his control. The lack of updates are however troubling. This information was garnered through a PayPal dispute.

On the 31st user digi and some others do seem to be getting replies from “gnome 33”. This could indicate that the worst is over and production might be continuing.

XX7 GB Concluded

XX7 who is a maker known for their 3d printed artisans recently held a groupbuy for some designs to reduce the production cost. I think of XX7 as producing the better 3d printed keycaps available.

XX7 is also releasing the Topre MEGATRQN file which I believe uses XX7’s original stem design.

Retrochick

This is an interesting new maker with an interesting design. I am also impressed by the accompanying concept image. This is Goyle the goblin. From the available photos this appears to be very well sculpted. As of writing this nothing has been cast. Supplies are being collected and I am looking forward to seeing the outcome.

3K

Not to be confused with K3. 3K is a new maker who has been trying their hand at lead casting. I am interested in having a go at this myself and it is interesting to see different materials being used.

Brocaps MX Gamer Set

Bro teased another MX Gamer Set with little information. Not much to say on this but the quality continues to be incredible.

Lootkeys Project

Whizzard recently orchestrated the alpha giveaway of the Lootkeys Project. Read my spotlight for more information. To summarise, very impressive 10/10 would unpack again.

Adamski

This maker appeared just over a month ago and I would say has shown some continual improvement. My current favourite is the burning charcoal and melting ice, which I think shows improvement over the first iteration.

KeyKollectiv

This is kudos from meowcaps with a beta sale of CMYKeys. These are CMY coloured keycaps for HHKB and realforce. These were sold in a small sale on 19th of July. But I think the sale took place quite late, as I entered the next day.

With the quality from meowcaps I expect them to be high quality. But this is still a beta sale so there may not be perfect.

Update

I forgot to include two more people.

Katzenkinder

I am very happy to see more Katzenkinder keycaps. I am a huge fan and I am really liking the current colourways. Katz also said that this will be the last axol v1’s before the relaunch.
There seems to be a lot of Topre in this round. Alongside a lot of axols. I am looking forward to this next sale.

Binge

Binge shared a photo of some upcoming ‘50 shades of green’ keycaps. With whatever Binge does I am always impressed with the sculpt quality.

Typed on Moto G

30 Jul 2015

I managed to get into the Alpha sale for the Lootkeys Project. This is a keycap project by Whizzard. There were a couple of different designs available, and I opted for the Ice Cube and an Abductor but I only managed to win an ice cube. These turned out to be the more popular designs available in the sale and were also available in larger numbers

What I received was much more exciting than I had anticipated. The packaging this single keycap came in was grandeur. Like no other keycap I have ever received. The first thing you will notice is the customised packaging. My box was labelled with my very own name. This is one of the things that set’s Lootkeys apart.

The next thing that will be abundant when you open the box is the unusual packing material. I’m not sure if Whizzard went to the trouble to make this himself but I wouldn’t say it is standard.

Buried in the center of the black and gold, I then found the box which contained my keycap. Alongside this I found my Lootkeys Keycard. This details the keycap and my Lootscore. Which I believe will be used in the future as a loyalty scheme or reward scheme of some sorts. However, at this point it is undecided. I also like that the card comes with the keycaps inception date.
The Lootkeys sticker on the front is a casual reminder of what you are doing. This is not a regular unpacking experience, this is a Lootkeys experience.

Inside the box was a bag. Yet another thing to open. I hope I am conveying that this was fun to open and I was quite excited throughout the unboxing. I found myself smiling all the way through.

Inside the burlap type bag was a plastic bag containing a box which housed my single keycap.

The Keycap

The keycap itself is something I was looking forward to before I was distracted by the packaging. From the photos on Whizzards design thread I expected a very nice keycap. I found his designs to be interesting and a little different. In some cases ambitious. My particular favourite was the camp fire.
The thickness of it is fine. Much thicker than your average stock keycap this is a good thing. The underside is also infilled which gives it a little extra weight and the stem additional support. Having the underside infilled also gives a nice aesthetic when you look at it from the outside, contributing to the ice cube like nature as it appears to be air caught in the ice.

I have trouble getting any close up photos that are in focus enough to show off the texture. The texture is fine and feels nice in whatever resin that has been used.
There are no makers marks or signature marking the keycap, which I can’t say is in any detrimental to the keycap. But, I am a big fan of marks and symbols.

There is some roughness on the back side where I think some imperfections have been removed. Overall this has just become part of the keycaps finish. The colour is great and does look like ice. I can’t quite tell whether it is all translucent blue or is part colourless resin.

The fit is perfect and I have had no trouble. I was actually surprised at how similar it fit to a stock keycap.

The keycap is very well made with a very nice design. Although it may appear to be a simple blank, it does have a very nice look. This is obviously one of Whizzard’s simpler designs but they don’t make themselves and a clear amount of work has been put into each keycap.
It seems what Whizzard is trying to do with this, is create an experience. Which is why I think Lootkeys Project is an apt name. There is a whole idea going with these keycaps. You can tell by the effort that has gone into the packaging. This is something than be thought of as trivial, but it truly does make a difference. All of this is contributing to the whole, making it a project. I like this keycap and am looking forward to what else Whizzard makes.

The future of the Lootkeys Project

I was trepidatious about showing the incredible packaging as I was not sure whether this would be kept up and set a high bar for the future. However, I was assured this is a core concept of Whizzards, and packaging and presentation will not be something he neglects. Whizzard is continuing to make keycaps but seems very meticulous in what is sold.

Typed on HHKB Pro 2