but why plum? their version of costar is terrible (I used to own a 75 and an 87), and the consistency of the sliders are bad as well. the stock 35g and 45g domes are too soft, unless you get (the almost always out of stock) 55g or 65g korean domes from ebay. then the sliders. the fit of caps on the sliders are very inconsistent (maybe could be replaced with other custom sliders?).
I have decided to suspend this project but I still disagree with your points.
I use Filco costar stabs and they are not bad at all.
What do you mean by slider consistency? The sliders are smooth after lubing imo.
The so-called Korean domes are actually produced by Plum. The original plan was to provide 55g and 65g domes only. Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, I decide to suspend this project mostly because the lack of 65g domes.
Maybe I'm the odd one out on this, but that's a silly reason to stop for a cool product such as this. Topre domes are very easy to replace, so any user could do so later. People already often use BKE domes instead.
I disagree that the stock Niz sliders are scratchy (at least after lubing), and I do not have issues with inconsistent fit on keycaps. I also have no issues with the Niz implementation of costar stabs, which are beautifully quiet and stable with minimal effort to lube them (as opposed to lubing and clipping and band-aid modding cherry-style stabs, which don't fit anyway). I have two Niz-made boards, one which I dome swapped and lubed with BKE Redux Heavies, and the other with the 65g Korean OEM domes and lubed sliders.
I think that you're missing the point about not having to harvest pieces from existing Topre products (rendering the original product non-functional/wasted cost). Also, BKE domes are a b*tch to align properly on Niz PCBs because they do not have the alignment pegs between the switches. Also realize that BKE Redux domes would have be sourced from a third party (Keyclack) who have proven to be unreliable in the past and would complicate logistics even further. I agree that while 55g OEM domes are passable, they are not ideal for the best feel with 65g being my preferred for a rounder tactile bump in contrast to the BKE Redux Heavies which have a pronounced/sharper tactile event.
Regardless, I can understand why Ramiel does not feel like the project can move forward at the moment, and it is his time and project to make the decision on. If people really want a high-end heavy CNC/anodized Niz TKL, the "Archon RE:AL Superior EX" can be sourced from Korea in standard TKL layout, and the case is based on a design by (the) Duck. I think top-mount was a nice ambition to have, but not necessary since the Nopre boards I own and have owned were all sandwich mount assemblies so the flex/bottoming out is not an issue.