fake clack discussion

[baldgye]

I was pretty concerned finding these on ebay... I am sure they are not legit.  What do you guys think of this and have you seen it before?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/161710374150?item=161710374150&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&rmvSB=true

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Painted-Topre-Artisan-Keycap-cherry-mx-hhkb-click-clack-brocap-3d-key/161710371956?_trksid=p2054897.c100204.m3164&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140407115239%26meid%3Dc27fe41be6254be0800b7af8a7fcf09b%26pid%3D100204%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D27%26sd%3D161710374150

This makes me very wary of any ebay keys from now on... especially from fresh accounts or unknown or untrusted members.  I know I can tell the difference from a real and a knockoff but this was really depressing to find.

Lmao and here was me thinking those ****ty knock-off's couldn't look any worse hahah

[Synjin]

I was pretty concerned finding these on ebay... I am sure they are not legit.  What do you guys think of this and have you seen it before?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/161710374150?item=161710374150&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&rmvSB=true

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Painted-Topre-Artisan-Keycap-cherry-mx-hhkb-click-clack-brocap-3d-key/161710371956?_trksid=p2054897.c100204.m3164&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140407115239%26meid%3Dc27fe41be6254be0800b7af8a7fcf09b%26pid%3D100204%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D27%26sd%3D161710374150

This makes me very wary of any ebay keys from now on... especially from fresh accounts or unknown or untrusted members.  I know I can tell the difference from a real and a knockoff but this was really depressing to find.

Lmao and here was me thinking those ****ty knock-off's couldn't look any worse hahah

It obviously was a professionally done paint job. I mean the bottom alone looks so fkn amazing that I can't stop thinking about it. Perhaps he will attempt a miami knockoff one too  That I'd like to see.

[Ngt]

I was pretty concerned finding these on ebay... I am sure they are not legit.  What do you guys think of this and have you seen it before?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/161710374150?item=161710374150&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&rmvSB=true

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Painted-Topre-Artisan-Keycap-cherry-m-hhkb-click-clack-brocap-3d-key/161710371956?_trksid=p2054897.c100204.m3164&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140407115239%26meid%3Dc27fe41be6254be0800b7af8a7fcf09b%26pid%3D100204%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D27%26sd%3D161710374150

This makes me very wary of any ebay keys from now on... especially from fresh accounts or unknown or untrusted members.  I know I can tell the difference from a real and a knockoff but this was really depressing to find.

Damn that's some ****ty stuff! I didn't have the motivation to read through the 76 pages, sorry ... Can someone tell how CC did fight this false clack, if he did?

[KeypressGraphics]

Hey everyone,

I'd like to introduce myself as the chap selling those painted artisan keycaps on ebay you've been discussing.

I bought those two about a month ago from the K3KC website, they are not Click Clack and Brocap originals - unfortunately the resolution on my crappy point & shoot camera isn't great so you may have trouble picking out the "K3" logo on the underside of each cap, but if you look at the shots closely it is hard to miss when you know what to look for.
I've just updated the text of my ads to make it absolutely clear they are K3KC caps. It was definitely not my intention to pass them off as originals and I apologize for any confusion.

My main interest lies in painting rather than the caps themselves. I've spent years painting miniatures and on returning to Geekhack after a long absence I noticed how many new designs of artisan keycaps were in circulation and how much interest had sprung up around them. I hadn't physically painted anything in a very long time (Photoshop's my tool of choice now) but knew right away how much better matt plastic always looks when painted and so decided it was worth trying.

I've since tried to get my hands on all the artisans I can find to paint, but getting hold of them can be tricky unless you happen to have a very leaky wallet or artisan caps of your own to trade. Having neither I've instead bought what I can find on ebay, shapeways and those two from K3KC.
Speaking of those two I'd hate for people to get the impression by painting & selling them I'm endorsing intellectual property theft, because I am not. However the designs themselves are unique and I was very keen to see how they'd turn out when painted but don't have access to the originals. Their ebay minimum prices reflect what I paid for them and whatever I make will be spent on other caps to paint.

[Blackehart]

*pours a double of whiskey*

*busts out the popcorn*

*waits patiently*

[nubbinator]

[heedpantsnow]

Hmmm, just when you thought the world couldn't get any weirder...

[Belfong]

I think it's great that you have the talent to paint so well.
It's fine to paint any caps you have if you like it.
But then to resell it back in eBay, that's kinda weird to me. I am not sure what to make of it.

[nubbinator]

I think it's great that you have the talent to paint so well.
It's fine to paint any caps you have if you like it.
But then to resell it back in eBay, that's kinda weird to me. I am not sure what to make of it.

To buy a counterfeit to paint and resell is shady no matter what.  Either buy the originals or don't buy at all.

[rowdy]

I think it's great that you have the talent to paint so well.
It's fine to paint any caps you have if you like it.
But then to resell it back in eBay, that's kinda weird to me. I am not sure what to make of it.

To buy a counterfeit to paint and resell is shady no matter what.  Either buy the originals or don't buy at all.

But then you wouldn't want to paint the originals!

[KeypressGraphics]

I think it's great that you have the talent to paint so well.
It's fine to paint any caps you have if you like it.
But then to resell it back in eBay, that's kinda weird to me. I am not sure what to make of it.

I should've clarified my intentions in my earlier post Belfong.

Artisan keycaps look can look great but there's no doubt in my mind most will look much better painted. When I saw earlier in the year nobody's doing it (at least to my knowledge) it surprised me so I decided to pick up the brush about a month ago and get cracking.
I'd like to offer an artisan keycap painting service (possibly with full keyboards to follow down the track) but I need examples of my work and to brush up on my painting skills which are quite rusty. So I've been buying & painting what artisans I can find & afford to put together a portfolio so to speak, but as my financial situation isn't as flash as I'd like the end products are being sold to finance new artisans even though some I'd prefer to keep.

Hopefully that clears things up a little. I'll certainly avoid buying K3KC caps in future as I've no wish to damage the community or give offense to the legitimate creators of those designs.



For those curious here are most of the MX caps I've painted so far.

[Evo_Spec]

Have you seen the "war of betrayal" caps? Those are painted caps, as well as bunnylake's hypno caps.

The problem isn't really about you painting caps and selling them as much as it's you financially supporting K3 by buying those caps. There's tons of other artisan caps you could have bought other than K3's ripoff caps.

[Evo_Spec]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

[noisyturtle]

I'm torn. One the one hand you supported k3 by buying his crap, but on the other hand you improved upon them with some original thought.

As for painting a real BB or CC I don't know why people would be upset about that. It's your cap, who's to say what you do with your own property. If someone bought a Lamborghini and decided to paint it glittery purple that's their prerogative and their property and no one should be able to tell them otherwise.

Come to think of it I'd be less upset over a painted original than a painted knockoff, but that probably wouldn't stop the GH witch hunt brigade from gathering their torches and pitchforks.

[baldgye]

Hey everyone,

I'd like to introduce myself as the chap selling those painted artisan keycaps on ebay you've been discussing.

I bought those two about a month ago from the K3KC website, they are not Click Clack and Brocap originals - unfortunately the resolution on my crappy point & shoot camera isn't great so you may have trouble picking out the "K3" logo on the underside of each cap, but if you look at the shots closely it is hard to miss when you know what to look for.
I've just updated the text of my ads to make it absolutely clear they are K3KC caps. It was definitely not my intention to pass them off as originals and I apologize for any confusion.

My main interest lies in painting rather than the caps themselves. I've spent years painting miniatures and on returning to Geekhack after a long absence I noticed how many new designs of artisan keycaps were in circulation and how much interest had sprung up around them. I hadn't physically painted anything in a very long time (Photoshop's my tool of choice now) but knew right away how much better matt plastic always looks when painted and so decided it was worth trying.

I've since tried to get my hands on all the artisans I can find to paint, but getting hold of them can be tricky unless you happen to have a very leaky wallet or artisan caps of your own to trade. Having neither I've instead bought what I can find on ebay, shapeways and those two from K3KC.
Speaking of those two I'd hate for people to get the impression by painting & selling them I'm endorsing intellectual property theft, because I am not. However the designs themselves are unique and I was very keen to see how they'd turn out when painted but don't have access to the originals. Their ebay minimum prices reflect what I paid for them and whatever I make will be spent on other caps to paint.

By buying counterfeits, I'm not supporting counterfeiting, I just don't want to pay for a real one.
Logic.

[KeypressGraphics]

Have you seen the "war of betrayal" caps? Those are painted caps, as well as bunnylake's hypno caps.

The problem isn't really about you painting caps and selling them as much as it's you financially supporting K3 by buying those caps. There's tons of other artisan caps you could have bought other than K3's ripoff caps.

Actually I have seen those War of Betrayal caps Evo_Spec. The images I've seen show a really cool grungy/industrial aesthetic and I like the way he's tied the different caps together with a theme. The hypno caps on the other hand I'd place in a different category, they're very impressive artistically and I know from experience painting freehand on plastic is much harder than it looks.

In hindsight buying K3KC's caps wasn't the wisest thing to do. As I said earlier I really don't want to be seen as supporting IP theft, because that's absolutely not what I'm about and wasn't on my mind when I bought them. I can't really afford to wear the loss but am happy to offload them for what I originally paid.

[Karura]

Artisan keycaps look can look great but there's no doubt in my mind most will look much better painted. When I saw earlier in the year nobody's doing it (at least to my knowledge) it surprised me so I decided to pick up the brush about a month ago and get cracking.

One reason you might not find many fans of painted caps is simply because keyboards are just as much about tactile feel, as they are about aesthetics, seeing as they are essential input tools that we use day in and day out with our computers.

I'm happy to see that you've taken the initiative to create something new, and try to offer enthusiasts more options; that said, there is a lot of drama surrounding these counterfeits, some confrontations leading to the departure of certain members of our community, so it might be wise to find other caps in the future to work on

[SpAmRaY]

Have you seen the "war of betrayal" caps? Those are painted caps, as well as bunnylake's hypno caps.

The problem isn't really about you painting caps and selling them as much as it's you financially supporting K3 by buying those caps. There's tons of other artisan caps you could have bought other than K3's ripoff caps.

Just an FYI do_Og@n did HyPnoCaPs https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=49377.0

Back in the day bunny did do some nail polish caps (and he has done a few other variants along the way) which were some of my first caps purchased and how I made a friend. https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=42698.0

Ok back to the regularly scheduled programming.

[Xowie]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

[Evo_Spec]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Welp! Looks like that clacks no good, I'll let you send it to me for disposal.

[Fire Brand]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

The shade of teal that bro cap is now is very nice looks like a pond to me

[baldgye]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

that V2 looks awesome, the clack tho, not so much lol... what colour was it before the dye?

[Joey Quinn]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Teal Unicorn!!! I need it!

[Signature]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Am I the only one that thinks that the clack looks bad-ass? 

[Halverson]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Am I the only one that thinks that the k3c looks bad-ass? 

FTFY. And if you like it, just buy and don't tell anyone for fear of being hunted by the purists

WHOA, was thinking of the K3C painted on ebay. NVM ME

[naasfu]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Am I the only one that thinks that the clack looks bad-ass? 

I think Xowie had a Hardcore White, so that must be it.  At least I like it better than that other white skull with the scribbled in red eyes from awhile ago.

[Signature]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Am I the only one that thinks that the k3c looks bad-ass? 

FTFY. And if you like it, just buy and don't tell anyone for fear of being hunted by the purists

This ain't the k3kc I'm talking about, but the dye-clack

[Halverson]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Am I the only one that thinks that the k3c looks bad-ass? 

FTFY. And if you like it, just buy and don't tell anyone for fear of being hunted by the purists

This ain't the k3kc I'm talking about, but the dye-clack

Yea, edited my post. My bad! Now to actually check out this dyed clack!

[Signature]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Am I the only one that thinks that the clack looks bad-ass? 

I think Xowie had a Hardcore White, so that must be it.  At least I like it better than that other white skull with the scribbled in red eyes from awhile ago.

loool yeah I remember that...

[iamtootallforthis]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

I'm gonna need that Bro!

[demik]

Artisan keycaps look can look great but there's no doubt in my mind most will look much better painted. When I saw earlier in the year nobody's doing it (at least to my knowledge) it surprised me so I decided to pick up the brush about a month ago and get cracking.

One reason you might not find many fans of painted caps is simply because keyboards are just as much about tactile feel, as they are about aesthetics, seeing as they are essential input tools that we use day in and day out with our computers.

I'm happy to see that you've taken the initiative to create something new, and try to offer enthusiasts more options; that said, there is a lot of drama surrounding these counterfeits, some confrontations leading to the departure of certain members of our community, so it might be wise to find other caps in the future to work on

Not on gh. This place is all about appearance.

[Xowie]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

Am I the only one that thinks that the clack looks bad-ass? 

I think Xowie had a Hardcore White, so that must be it.  At least I like it better than that other white skull with the scribbled in red eyes from awhile ago.

Yea RIP Hardcore White.

[Belfong]

I think 3Love bought that white one with scribbled eyes, didn’t he?

[asdfjkl36]

Mind you it's pretty much a sin to paint a real CC or BroBot so I get it but it's still not right to give your money to K3

A bro and a clack from a dye experiment. The clack really soaked up the dye very quickly, and the bro was about the shade I was going for.

(Attachment Link)

That BroBot

[KeypressGraphics]

One reason you might not find many fans of painted caps is simply because keyboards are just as much about tactile feel, as they are about aesthetics, seeing as they are essential input tools that we use day in and day out with our computers.

I'm happy to see that you've taken the initiative to create something new, and try to offer enthusiasts more options; that said, there is a lot of drama surrounding these counterfeits, some confrontations leading to the departure of certain members of our community, so it might be wise to find other caps in the future to work on

Certainly Karura I can understand many people may prefer the look & feel of unpainted artisans . Particularly when they've never been shown how they can look painted.

Caps do feel slightly different painted. Similar to a pair of speakers, one with a sanded natural wood finish the other with a vinyl veneer. The veneer is softer & more yielding, only the difference with keycaps is much smaller as my technique involves applying thinned coats of paint with a consistency similar to milk. The difference in feel is more pronounced on metal caps that would otherwise be cold to the touch.
I protect my paintjobs with a layer of varnish followed by several layers of Testors Dullcote lacquer. It does a good job preventing paint being affected by fingertips, but the coating can still be scratched which is why I wouldn't recommend them for ladies with long fingernails.

Rest assured I've learned my lesson and won't be buying any more K3 caps in future.

[ander]

I may be way out in left field here—it certainly wouldn't be the first time—but if there really is this much angst over the possibility of buying a fake Clack (or clack) rather than a genuine one, maybe one alternative would be to take a step back from it all and ask yourself, "Why exactly am I so intent on replacing my Esc key with a little skull face? Is it mostly because a bunch of other people did it?" I mean, couldn't it just as easily have been a little recycling truck, or a candy cane, or Mr. Moneybags from Monopoly™?

I'm just saying, maybe it wasn't all that crucial in the first place. Of course there may be serious factors I'm overlooking here. I'm entirely willing to be wrong when it comes to things like this.

[strict]

I may be way out in left field here�it certainly wouldn't be the first time�but if there really is this much angst over the possibility of buying a fake Clack (or clack) rather than a genuine one, maybe one alternative would be to take a step back from it all and ask yourself, "Why exactly am I so intent on replacing my Esc key with a little skull face? Is it mostly because a bunch of other people did it?" I mean, couldn't it just as easily have been a little recycling truck, or a candy cane, or Mr. Moneybags from Monopoly�?

I'm just saying, maybe it wasn't all that crucial in the first place. Of course there may be serious factors I'm overlooking here. I'm entirely willing to be wrong when it comes to things like this.

I think its a lot like when wal-mart started selling spinner hub cabs for cars. In the very early days people were seeing all these decked out, expensive cars with proper spinner rims and just started making the mental connection between these cool cars and the very unique wheels. Obviously most people could never afford (or justify) thousands of dollars for a set to put on their rusted out Plymouth K-cars but they could at least imitate the "cool kids" by heading down to wal-mart and dropping $60 on a set of cheap, plastic hub caps.

People have been seeing all these incredible keyboards around here from people Photek, naasfu, etc. and a good number of them are usually rocking a clack or two. Eventually people started making the mental link between the two and since its hard/expensive/time consuming to get clack they are turning to a clearly inferior product just to get the style.

[ander]

Well, people are into all kinds of things. And the only true measure of how "valuable" a thing is, is how many people want it, and how much they're willing to pay for it. Beyond that, you can't really make judgments about carved plastic key buttons or anything else.

I think it's great that people get so much pleasure out of stuff like this, or any collectable stuff, even though it may baffle people who don't care about it. (Hey, most people couldn't care less about mechanical keyboards in general—and don't you feel sorry for them?)

That said, if something like this is causing people more stress than pleasure, I'm just suggesting it might be a good idea to step back from it and decide how important it really is. Cheers, A.

[Puddsy]

I think 3Love bought that white one with scribbled eyes, didn’t he?

bought it and sold it

i remember seeing it in his thread

[strict]

I think 3Love bought that white one with scribbled eyes, didn’t he?

bought it and sold it

i remember seeing it in his thread

What was it colored with, do we know? Always kind of looked like sharpie ink to me.

[nubbinator]

I think 3Love bought that white one with scribbled eyes, didn’t he?

bought it and sold it

i remember seeing it in his thread

What was it colored with, do we know? Always kind of looked like sharpie ink to me.

All I know is that it looked like **** and the person selling it still wanted an obscene price even though it was ****ed up.

[Belfong]

The person who sold it had lots of keyboards for sale as well and was not truthful about the condition. I remember the drama on the RealForce 10AE.

[Synjin]

The person who sold it had lots of keyboards for sale as well and was not truthful about the condition. I remember the drama on the RealForce 10AE.

dct nct or something? I thought he resolved those issues but I guess not.

[Belfong]

Yeah, that was the guy with that CC which was painted!

[HoffmanMyster]

The person who sold it had lots of keyboards for sale as well and was not truthful about the condition. I remember the drama on the RealForce 10AE.

dct nct or something? I thought he resolved those issues but I guess not.

Not exactly the cleanest resolution. 

[Huxley2500]

He's back!

http://www.k3kc.com/product-category/keycap/

[nubbinator]

Yup, and rippy roo is back to pimping him. 

And I still think that this "Clack" was a K3 or other fake.

[baldgye]

It's funny. You'd think he would have some creativity (like some people suggest he makes his own caps) but no... Those colours are hideous and or just copies of other colours schemes.... Is he colour blind?

[beehatch]

It's funny. You'd think he would have some creativity (like some people suggest he makes his own caps) but no... Those colours are hideous and or just copies of other colours schemes.... Is he colour blind?

he tried his own caps, and they were terrifyingly bad.

[tp4tissue]

Every novelty keycap sold for more than $5 should go in the dumb-purchases thread..