Mech board hobbyist trends that piss you off

[noisyturtle]

*puts on new keycap set on factory default board - "Hey everyone, look at my custom board."

flipped spacebars

stickerbombed anything

aftermarket artisan prices

GMK circlejerking

[sony]

The trend of threads that complain about trends.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[Tally810]

*puts on new keycap set on factory default board - "Hey everyone, look at my custom board."

flipped spacebars

stickerbombed anything

aftermarket artisan prices

GMK circlejerking

+1 on the flipped spacebar.  I know some people actually do like it but it tilts me. 
  What annoys me is when people buy a grab bag from SP, break it down into smaller bags of similar keys and sell for 50 a piece for trash. 

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[Joey Quinn]

SA hype, putting 10 unmatched artisans on a board, most backlighting

[zslane]

1. Posting images of Model M/F/SSKs. Seriously, folks, you don't need to add to the thousands of virtually identical photos already polluting the Internet. Believe me, there is nothing special about Model M/F/SSKs in general, and nothing special about your Model M/F/SSK either.

2. Marginalizing Topre as "just another rubber dome". That's like saying the Mercedes F1 W08 is "just another hybrid". You can say that, but you look really stupid doing so.

3. Complaining that custom keycap sets don't support your favorite alternate layout (or don't do so cheaply enough). You don't like standards? No problem. Just don't expect to enjoy the (often tangential) benefits of the standard(s) you are rejecting. And yes, a de facto standard is still a standard.

4. Butchering the Dolch aesthetic. Taking medium gray alphas and dark gray mods, throwing in other bizarre colors, especially for the legends, and slapping the name Something Dolch on it is a crime against good taste and dishonors the original colorway. Which segues to...

5. Horrific keycap color combinations. That pretty much describes 90% of the ICs proposed. 'Nuff said.

[nmur]

layouts smaller than 60% (severe key accessibility trade off for the slightly smaller form factor is not worth it)

like above ^, putting your entire artisan collection on a board

the popularity of flat/spherical/high profile caps (yeah they look great for photos, but cmon there are more optimised profiles these days)

split keyboards without layout staggering and/or tenting (why go ergo if you're not going full ergo)

wooden/metal keycaps

[Findecanor]

Custom ortholinear keyboards treated as some kind of new and cool "ergonomic" keyboards.

Underglow / sideglow.

[RELLIK]

drama _-_
Flipped spacebars
SA
DSA
The half-ass'd hate for 'gaming' peripherals period (EG: BMing somebody who likes their Corsair/Razer then buying a MOBA set for price of said board)
Making EVERYTHING pink, enough magenta mods already.
All the blue sets/any obscure color being too 'niche' or 'riske' until there are at least 3 other sets in the palette coming out or IC's.
Glitter artisans

[mason]

aftermarket artisan prices

$30 artisan put up for $400

"omg great price!"

[dgneo]

SA/DSA/GMK
Split Keyboards

[Waateva]

SA sets
Artisan/keyset vomit
Grab bags
Small (sub 60%) and OLKBs

[noisyturtle]

Small (sub 60%) and OLKBs

Oh yes, that's a good one. Who needs functionality when you have a tiny form factor, right?!?

[HouseofSuffering]

[nickheller]

Don't like that almost everything needs a R2 now...

[ygor]

[nickheller]

I also don't like that people get mad when I use "keeb".


K
E
E
B

[jbondeson]

standard format (i.e. non-split or "winged") ortholinear layouts.

I also don't like that people get mad when I use "keeb".


K
E
E
B

only weebs use keeb nickseller 

[Badwrench]

Aritisan prices (even new prices).
Lack of respect for SP DCS.
Too many damn Group Buys!  We don't need 50 sets of nearly identical shades crapping up the lead time!  Honestly, you are going to go back to some basic shade (beige, dolch, grey) anyways.  Pick one bright set and put it on a display board, they suck to type on ytsince all the contrast is ****. 

[chuckdee]

When people get mad about other people's choices and the fact that they're 'wrong' when it's a personal choice.

[zslane]

When it's a dubious personal choice that only affects one person, it's not a problem. But when a dubious personal choice becomes a trend that starts to infect the larger marketplace, then one must take a stand! 

[chuckdee]

When it's a dubious personal choice that only affects one person, it's not a problem. But when a dubious personal choice becomes a trend that starts to infect the larger marketplace, then one must take a stand! 

If it becomes a trend, then a lot more people like it than dislike it 

[Auk]

Not exclusive to mech community, more a general issue with tech/gadget forums:

NewThing^TM is so amazing, it's so much better than [what you're using] everybody needs to buy NewThing^TM now! Six months later: NewThing^TM is ****, has design flaws x, y and z, quality is not so good, there's no firmware updates anymore, and anyway NextNewThing^TM is going to be so much better, everybody needs to preorder NextNewThing^TM immediately. Rinse, lather, repeat...

[shadowku]

GMK circlejerking

Are you referring to the amount that GMK sets get traded?
I feel that the high rate of GBs happening for GMK sets is causing this. People get one they like, then an ew one comes out and they're trading/selling to get the next one.
I'm quite guilty of this one. I have GMK Dolch and Plum, but now I want to trade/sell one of them for Nautilus. **** me right?

Two things that annoy me:
- Most backlighting
- Keyboards that stick the switches on upside down (for the sake of backlighting)
- People hating on rubber dome keyboards because they have rubber domes in them.

The last one triggers me the most, because rubber domes aren't inherently bad, it's just that the cheapest keyboards available use them, and they're bad because they're made to be cheap; hence poorly built. I've tried better quality rubber domes before and they're not too bad.

[Sifo]

topre

still garbage

[Auk]

Are you referring to the amount that GMK sets get traded?

Circle jerk in context of GMK would mean the people saying how it's the best, everyone else agreeing and that anyone who thinks GMK is the best is particularly discerning etc.

[shadowku]

Circle jerk in context of GMK would mean the people saying how it's the best, everyone else agreeing and that anyone who thinks GMK is the best is particularly discerning etc.

LOL, okay I don't think I'm guilty of that. I do see what you mean. These comments routinely come up on MD comments for GMK sets.

[shadowku]

topre

still garbage

=P Forever drinking haterade

[Auk]

...a dubious personal choice becomes a trend that starts to infect the larger marketplace...

interest piqued, what dubious things have caught on that didn't deserve to?

[antquinonez]

Model M haters. Who's your daddy?

[zslane]

...a dubious personal choice becomes a trend that starts to infect the larger marketplace...

interest piqued, what dubious things have caught on that didn't deserve to?

RGB backlighting for one.

Ultimately it depends on how you define "caught on", and so there will likely never be consensus simply due to a disagreement over definitions.

[Halverson]

Potatoes, am I right? Get real, big kid

[noisyturtle]

Potatoes, am I right? Get real, big kid

Actually yeah. People who drop $400 on a sick ass custom board, then take pictures with potatoes smeared in vaseline. I understand priorities, keyboards over cameras, but sometimes it's pretty bad.

[fanpeople]

Mech Keyboards


.... mic drop

[chuckdee]

Potatoes, am I right? Get real, big kid

I don't have a real camera.  My wife does, but I don't see the point of getting her to take pics.

* chuckdee shrugs

[Halverson]

Oh, I forgot potatoes was a term for bad pics.

I was just being an ass and saying random ****.



I'm really just upset at the trend of being stuck in his hobby and not just bailing after making clack bank

[kmba]

Miami

[Photekq]

people thinking they know ****

[Auk]

RGB backlighting for one.

Fair enough, I'd put that one down to gamer product marketing. I don't use it, but if support for lighting means more success for the widening range of small projects then it serves a useful purpose.

I thought you were going to point at some bizarre instance, say where one person decided to drill their keycaps for ventilation, then a bunch of others follow suit, and before you know it there is a keyset GB with holes where the legends are supposed to be.

[SpAmRaY]

I thought you were going to point at some bizarre instance, say where one person decided to drill their keycaps for ventilation, then a bunch of others follow suit, and before you know it there is a keyset GB with holes where the legends are supposed to be.

Whoa, that's a great idea. Put a couple exhaust fans in the keyboard to pull the air through all the holes.

Or reverse them to allow air to cool your hands.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[chuckdee]

RGB backlighting for one.

Fair enough, I'd put that one down to gamer product marketing. I don't use it, but if support for lighting means more success for the widening range of small projects then it serves a useful purpose.

I thought you were going to point at some bizarre instance, say where one person decided to drill their keycaps for ventilation, then a bunch of others follow suit, and before you know it there is a keyset GB with holes where the legends are supposed to be.

I don't get the point of backlighting, but for the most part, I'm pretty meh about the trend.  However, I do love underlighting.  I know some people are meh about that.

[tp4tissue]

I thought you were going to point at some bizarre instance, say where one person decided to drill their keycaps for ventilation, then a bunch of others follow suit, and before you know it there is a keyset GB with holes where the legends are supposed to be.

Whoa, that's a great idea. Put a couple exhaust fans in the keyboard to pull the air through all the holes.

Or reverse them to allow air to cool your hands.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

you can do that,  but because of how small these holes are,  there's a large chance it'd end up making a higher pitch air noise.



It'd be easier just to put one of those portable fans on your desk.


BUHH.....  I've heard overall this might give you arthritis as it's taking too much heat away from your joints..

[chyros]

More and more stuff getting released that I can't just buy but have to get from somewhere I can't get it from. Really annoying.

[SpriteMite]

Butchering perfectly good and working vintage keyboards (like Leading Edge boards with Blue Alps) for custom boards.

[billnye]

What I really hate is when people don't send their Secret Santa gifts

[Cotay]

The recent over use of GMK TU2.

Even I have several keysets that use TU2, but it's getting ridiculous. I mean Cyan, Soware, Sky Dolch, Skeletor, Ocean Dolch, Miami, Hyperfuse, Hyperfuse Redux, Dolch Reborn, 80s Kid, Mint Chocolate, Solarized Dark, Aero, Nautilus, Laser...

It's starting to feel like 90's automobiles all over again with the Teal!

[pr0ximity]

Group Buys run by companies.

What do you think a vendor is?

[tp4tissue]

Group Buys run by companies.

What do you think a vendor is?

well.. it doesn't actually make a difference ,  if anything it could only be better,  there's ONE LESS middleman to rip you off..

[Cotay]

Group Buys run by companies.

What do you think a vendor is?

GBs by companies leverage economies of scale and bring us more product variety more often. The only concern I have is that as GBs take on a more corporate origin, the tendency will be to standardize keysets to maximize profits. The days of the IC thread are numbered or are at the very least going to be relegated to the periphery. You are damned if you do and damned if you don't really.

[afrokobe]

Phelicia Keycaps and gradient keysets

[Tally810]

+1 for ortholinear

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[Leslieann]

Actually yeah. People who drop $400 on a sick ass custom board, then take pictures with potatoes smeared in vaseline. I understand priorities, keyboards over cameras, but sometimes it's pretty bad.

It's almost like some people buy/build custom keyboards to use them, not to win some e-peen contest.

[Centropyge loriculus]

Actually yeah. People who drop $400 on a sick ass custom board, then take pictures with potatoes smeared in vaseline. I understand priorities, keyboards over cameras, but sometimes it's pretty bad.

It's almost like some people buy/build custom keyboards to use them, not to win some e-peen contest.

Almost

[kmba]

What's the point of buying a nice keyboard if you don't take pictures of it and post it online? It's kinda like why I only write my novel at Starbucks. What's the point of writing if there's no one to see me doing it??

[ghostjuggernaut]

Massdrop and the term 'keebs'

[chuckdee]

People who are down on massdrop for some emotional rather than practical reason.

[romevi]

What's the point of buying a nice keyboard if you don't take pictures of it and post it online? It's kinda like why I only write my novel at Starbucks. What's the point of writing if there's no one to see me doing it??

lol

[cicada]

.

[romevi]

haha

[noisyturtle]

What I really hate is when people don't send their Secret Santa gifts

[antquinonez]

When the words goat, next level, endgame are used. Quit it.

[cicada]

When the words goat, next level, endgame are used. Quit it.

keebstars also use the word "litiest"

[noisyturtle]

When the words goat, next level, endgame are used. Quit it.

keebstars also use the word "litiest"

Show Image

as in 'the most lit?'

that is so incredibly ****ing lame, holy ****! that's a conversation-ender right there.

[dante]

I have no hate left in me.

[cicada]

.

[ygor]

This thread is lit af tbqhwu fam.

[tristinDLC]

I don't get the point of backlighting, but for the most part, I'm pretty meh about the trend.  However, I do love underlighting.  I know some people are meh about that.

It's a hard feature to justify on a lot of boards because most people don't run appropriate keys, but I like backlighting to help type in dark areas. Many times I work in dimly lit areas where a lamp may disturb others, so backlighting and translucent legends help me see the keys. Unfortunately, I'm not 100% at touch-typing yet, so occasionally I still need to see which key is which... especially when pressing hotkey combos or something.

Agreed that if you're running solid caps it probably doesn't do much, but like most "features" on boards, most are aesthetic and personal preference.

[mike52787]

Artisans, Flat keycap profiles, ****ty overpriced mx clones, people who shill a certain brand or keyboard relentlessly, RGB backlighting, prebuilt modern "gaming" boards and low profile cases. can't stand em.

[yuppie]

*puts on new keycap set on factory default board - "Hey everyone, look at my custom board."

flipped spacebars

stickerbombed anything

aftermarket artisan prices

GMK circlejerking

Yeah, stickers **** me, as do aftermarket artisan prices. You paid $50, so it's now worth $500? I understand it's rare but...

*puts on new keycap set on factory default board - "Hey everyone, look at my custom board."

flipped spacebars

stickerbombed anything

aftermarket artisan prices

GMK circlejerking

+1 on the flipped spacebar.  I know some people actually do like it but it tilts me. 
  What annoys me is when people buy a grab bag from SP, break it down into smaller bags of similar keys and sell for 50 a piece for trash. 

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

Well, I flip my spacebar along with the right side of my bottom row. After a full day of hitting space/alt/fn with your thumb, flipped just feels better.

drama _-_
Flipped spacebars
SA
DSA
The half-ass'd hate for 'gaming' peripherals period (EG: BMing somebody who likes their Corsair/Razer then buying a MOBA set for price of said board)
Making EVERYTHING pink, enough magenta mods already.
All the blue sets/any obscure color being too 'niche' or 'riske' until there are at least 3 other sets in the palette coming out or IC's.
Glitter artisans

Whats wrong with DSA?

[killyou]

*puts on new keycap set on factory default board - "Hey everyone, look at my custom board."

flipped spacebars

stickerbombed anything

aftermarket artisan prices

GMK circlejerking

+1

Also:

- OMG MY WALLET CRIES !!!111oneone
- ISO and nordic whining on keycap groupbuys - "If you would have that ISO nordic for my modded ergodox/ortho/random fruity layout you would have thousands of additional sales!!!!"
- stupid expressions or words like keeb, litest etc
- manufacturers focused on underglow/sandwitch cases and slim keyboards

[Data]

Lot of triggered keyboard hipsters in this thread.   

[Soo8]

Metal cases that cost over $150, artisan sculpted caps on an actual keyboard, overwhelming dominance of cherry mx style switches and everything that comes with that.

[shadowku]

...overwhelming dominance of cherry mx style switches and everything that comes with that.

What's wrong with cherry mx style switches being so popular?

[dgneo]

Novatouch/MX Sliders on Topre.

Please **** off and die

[Waateva]

Novatouch/MX Sliders on Topre.

Please **** off and die

pls calm

[avid]

Novatouch/MX Sliders on Topre.

Please **** off and die

What is it you dislike? Feeling? Use of other keycaps? Looks?

[HouseofSuffering]

People in the community that rip other people off for either Items or Money. **** those people!

That is all.

[Soo8]

...overwhelming dominance of cherry mx style switches and everything that comes with that.

What's wrong with cherry mx style switches being so popular?

Their linear switches are nice, and that's because MX switches were first engineered to be linear. While MX switches have a simple design and thus are quite robust because of that, the tactility and sound the switches produce are quite sub par compared to other switch designs. But these other options are so expensive and sometimes not even available that you have to be really into the hobby to get a keyboard populated with them. How many modern mechanical switch designs are there that aren't using the MX design? Not enough to make a difference even in the enthusiast market which has the widest spectrum of diversity in the whole scheme of things. Aftermarket is so greatly reduced for the "other" switches that there isn't really much to choose from to customize your keyboard. And if there is something you like it probably costs a boat load of money. I'm just tired of seeing the same Cherry MX slider design redone with a bigger bump, less travel. It's time to redo the whole switch and make it better for users that are eagerly waiting for a Cherry with proper tactile feedback.

[romevi]

Edgelord weebs who continually rant and annoy people.

[RELLIK]

drama _-_
Flipped spacebars
SA
DSA
The half-ass'd hate for 'gaming' peripherals period (EG: BMing somebody who likes their Corsair/Razer then buying a MOBA set for price of said board)
Making EVERYTHING pink, enough magenta mods already.
All the blue sets/any obscure color being too 'niche' or 'riske' until there are at least 3 other sets in the palette coming out or IC's.
Glitter artisans

Whats wrong with DSA?

Whats right with DSA?  Nothing. Wholly inferior to G20's 

[Tally810]

Novatouch/MX Sliders on Topre.

Please **** off and die

All I heard you say was endgame

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[jcoffin1981]

topre

still garbage

=P Forever drinking haterade

topre

still garbage

=P Forever drinking haterade

Haters gonna hate

[jcoffin1981]

When the words goat, next level, endgame are used. Quit it.

keebstars also use the word "litiest"

Show Image

Just curious, is "grail" as opposed to "endgame" used in the community.

[jcoffin1981]

I have to say Massdrop.  I just don't get it.  I like to get something and receive it in 2-4 days.  After paying shipping, most items on the drop save like 5 to 10 percent- and you have to wait like 6 weeks.  I like to browse and see what they have and read the discussions, but I have yet to actually buy something.

[kmba]

Massdrop gets us the best deals on gmk and sp sets due to high volume. Also good deals on hard to source Realforce boards. For most things though, there are better methods.

[chuckdee]

Massdrop gets us the best deals on gmk and sp sets due to high volume. Also good deals on hard to source Realforce boards. For most things though, there are better methods.

Some things, but not most, I find.  Also they work with the community for custom items.  And this thing about better methods is definitely not true in many other communities IMO.

[Findecanor]

People who are down on massdrop for some emotional rather than practical reason.

Some people are down on Massdrop because of bad past experiences!

[chuckdee]

People who are down on massdrop for some emotional rather than practical reason.

Some people are down on Massdrop because of bad past experiences!

Some. But not most.  And for many of them it's others' bad experiences.  And many of those could have easily been resolved.

[Gouty]

I don't think anything pisses me off.

I dislike 95% of artisans, and their prices.  I also dislike some of the over the top rhetoric when it comes to other peoples personal preferences (in terms of feels and aesthetics).

[Petch]

99% of artisans. I'm convinced at this point people are tricking themselves into thinking they look good, it's the only explanation as to why they'd ruin the aesthetic of a keyboard with some gaudy lump of resin.

Anything less than 60% (even those annoy slightly me since an extra row and column and you've got a 75%). Unless you've got some tablet you use on the go a lot and need to carry as little as possible, what's the point?

[Centropyge loriculus]

I'm new to mechanical keyboards, and I understand that makes 90% of my opinions bull**** in the eyes of people who own 10 different boards. My rant focuses on the complaints and hate directed at Razer products, particularly their keyboards. I see so many folks **** on these products and the people who own them and enjoy them. It's a matter of opinion, maybe it's an uninformed opinion, but so what? Did they **** on your waffles?

I wish more folks, particularly in this hobby backed up their bull**** opinions with more than just "...well they suck" and "I owned a Blackwidow and it doesn't compare to my board whose keycaps cost more than the Blackwidow." What seems to be a little known fact outside of this particular forum, is that backing up your claim with facts and evidence and a smile works better than the ****storm half these hipster wannabe ****s who think they are the keyboard Guru bring to newcomers and people who value their own opinions.

End rant, and I apologize if I am a bit off-topic with this.

[avid]

Not sure if it's a trend but i find the secondary market outrageous. People selling used boards for like $5-10 off.
Same with used keysets markups.

[Marutks]

LEDs, underglow, acrylic spacers/cases
inverted switches

[Gouty]

I think the Razer hate is overdone, but ultimately justified.  For the same price you can have other boards that do not have the gaudy branding and font, have a better overall build quality and switches with thicker plastic, better tolerances and less wobble.  Oh and that do not try and install their proprietary synapse bloat on your computer.

And yes, I have owned a Blackwidow Tournament which I purchased just to see what the fuss was about and so I could make my own objective conclusions (and because it was dirt cheap).

[Findecanor]

My gripe with Razer is not so much about the quality of their products but about their attitude. They are spouting bull**** and deliberately deceiving customers.

[avid]

I think razer does the same thing to mech entusiast that Beats headphones does to headphone guys, it's basically an introduction to the hobby.
Since both are quite expensive, they get "used" to the high cost of quality stuff and realize you can have much better stuff for less.

[MperorM]

for the first time ever, I am feeling tempted to buy a Razer product.

I tried the Razor Ornata yesterday, and I can't get the feeling out of my mind. I am a big fan of topre, but Razer Ornata just felt like topre on speed. It was honestly so satisfying to press, definitely my favourite switch feel so far.

However, it's fullsize, iso layout (can't easily get it in ansi in Denmark), overpriced (it's a rubberdome for christ sake), ugly, requires razer synapse etc. There's so many things I hate about the board, yet I want to buy it just for the switches.

[antquinonez]

ABS. Get that sheet out of here. You should be ashamed.

[zslane]

It's a matter of opinion, maybe it's an uninformed opinion, but so what?

Well, uninformed opinions a waste of bandwidth. By definition they are of highly dubious merit, and I'm not sure why anyone would want to read/listen to one, much less give one fair consideration.

Personal preferences are a slightly different matter, however. You can't really refute a personal preference, but you can certainly pass judgment on one. Anyone who aggressively drops personal preference bombs must be prepared to have them aggressively judged by those caught in the blast radius.

"The Internet is a wonderful, fabulous place for the public discussion and debate of ideas - even with all of its problems, it is still the best communications medium humanity has ever invented. It is not a kind and gentle fairyland where everyone's ideas are supported and nurtured and allowed to pass, no matter how bizarre, because they represent the special uniqueness of each individual."
-- Mark Hughes

[Niomosy]

People who are down on massdrop for some emotional rather than practical reason.

Some people are down on Massdrop because of bad past experiences!

For anything you can buy elsewhere, MassDrop is often not that good.  The prices are frequently about the same price you can find elsewhere and the estimated arrival times are abysmal.  The mech keyboard world does well since they've got the special run stuff like the artisan caps, specialty keysets, specialty keyboards, etc.  With other stuff, I see frequent discussions along the lines of, "but I can get this off Amazon for about the same price and skip the 3 month wait."

[kurplop]

For anything you can buy elsewhere, MassDrop is often not that good.  The prices are frequently about the same price you can find elsewhere and the estimated arrival times are abysmal.  The mech keyboard world does well since they've got the special run stuff like the artisan caps, specialty keysets, specialty keyboards, etc.  With other stuff, I see frequent discussions along the lines of, "but I can get this off Amazon for about the same price and skip the 3 month wait."

My thoughts exactly. Mass drop has provided a valuable service to the keyboard community. Beginning with the ErgoDox, they have been able to put together projects that would otherwise have been stall by missing links and lack of organization by the inexperienced.

That has been their greatest asset.

[Niomosy]

For anything you can buy elsewhere, MassDrop is often not that good.  The prices are frequently about the same price you can find elsewhere and the estimated arrival times are abysmal.  The mech keyboard world does well since they've got the special run stuff like the artisan caps, specialty keysets, specialty keyboards, etc.  With other stuff, I see frequent discussions along the lines of, "but I can get this off Amazon for about the same price and skip the 3 month wait."

My thoughts exactly. Mass drop has provided a valuable service to the keyboard community. Beginning with the ErgoDox, they have been able to put together projects that would otherwise have been stall by missing links and lack of organization by the inexperienced.

That has been their greatest asset.

Yeah MassDrop is hit and miss.  Their exclusives are where they shine.  MD still has work to do.  They desperately need warehouses in Europe and Asia to handle all the international buys better.  Shipping everything through New Jerseys isn't ideal.  Especially if it's coming from Europe or Asia already.

They also need to move out of California so they can stop charging me sales tax, dammit! 

[chuckdee]

For anything you can buy elsewhere, MassDrop is often not that good.  The prices are frequently about the same price you can find elsewhere and the estimated arrival times are abysmal.  The mech keyboard world does well since they've got the special run stuff like the artisan caps, specialty keysets, specialty keyboards, etc.  With other stuff, I see frequent discussions along the lines of, "but I can get this off Amazon for about the same price and skip the 3 month wait."

My thoughts exactly. Mass drop has provided a valuable service to the keyboard community. Beginning with the ErgoDox, they have been able to put together projects that would otherwise have been stall by missing links and lack of organization by the inexperienced.

That has been their greatest asset.

Yeah MassDrop is hit and miss.  Their exclusives are where they shine.  MD still has work to do.  They desperately need warehouses in Europe and Asia to handle all the international buys better.  Shipping everything through New Jerseys isn't ideal.  Especially if it's coming from Europe or Asia already.

They also need to move out of California so they can stop charging me sales tax, dammit!

That takes money that they probably don't have.  And the logistics and financials of setting up in a different country are not exactly trivial.  But it's always like just do it.  I'm sure if they had unlimited funds and a workforce ready to go, they'd do something.  But they don't.

The other part about logistics and shipping things from one location is that they're buying in bulk, which is one of the reasons they get the breaks.  Increasing the shipping locations isn't necessarily possible and in many cases would increase the prices.  Just because something is manufactured somewhere, doesn't mean that they're going to be willing to break the large order into multiples to ship to different places.

[chuckdee]

My gripe with Razer is not so much about the quality of their products but about their attitude. They are spouting bull**** and deliberately deceiving customers.

Exactly this.  They set themselves up for failure, by putting themselves above everyone else, when they really aren't.

[Niomosy]

For anything you can buy elsewhere, MassDrop is often not that good.  The prices are frequently about the same price you can find elsewhere and the estimated arrival times are abysmal.  The mech keyboard world does well since they've got the special run stuff like the artisan caps, specialty keysets, specialty keyboards, etc.  With other stuff, I see frequent discussions along the lines of, "but I can get this off Amazon for about the same price and skip the 3 month wait."

My thoughts exactly. Mass drop has provided a valuable service to the keyboard community. Beginning with the ErgoDox, they have been able to put together projects that would otherwise have been stall by missing links and lack of organization by the inexperienced.

That has been their greatest asset.

Yeah MassDrop is hit and miss.  Their exclusives are where they shine.  MD still has work to do.  They desperately need warehouses in Europe and Asia to handle all the international buys better.  Shipping everything through New Jerseys isn't ideal.  Especially if it's coming from Europe or Asia already.

They also need to move out of California so they can stop charging me sales tax, dammit!

That takes money that they probably don't have.  And the logistics and financials of setting up in a different country are not exactly trivial.  But it's always like just do it.  I'm sure if they had unlimited funds and a workforce ready to go, they'd do something.  But they don't.

The other part about logistics and shipping things from one location is that they're buying in bulk, which is one of the reasons they get the breaks.  Increasing the shipping locations isn't necessarily possible and in many cases would increase the prices.  Just because something is manufactured somewhere, doesn't mean that they're going to be willing to break the large order into multiples to ship to different places.

I understand the logistics.  It's not a problem for me as I'm in the US.  It is something MD will need to think about for the future.

[noisyturtle]

For anything you can buy elsewhere, MassDrop is often not that good.  The prices are frequently about the same price you can find elsewhere and the estimated arrival times are abysmal.  The mech keyboard world does well since they've got the special run stuff like the artisan caps, specialty keysets, specialty keyboards, etc.  With other stuff, I see frequent discussions along the lines of, "but I can get this off Amazon for about the same price and skip the 3 month wait."

My thoughts exactly. Mass drop has provided a valuable service to the keyboard community. Beginning with the ErgoDox, they have been able to put together projects that would otherwise have been stall by missing links and lack of organization by the inexperienced.

That has been their greatest asset.

Agreed, for whatever faults they have with intl shipping and manufacturing times, they provide a good service with pretty good customer service. It pisses me off they stopped doing smoking accessories drops for some seriously stupid reasons, I realize they like to gauge their customer base but taking one of the largest draws to your site for some loudmouth SJW ****holes looking to get offended is just bad business.

... what was my point again? Oh yeah, MD provides a needed service of middlemen for neiche items. It would be worse w/o them around.

[chyros]

<fullsize
ANSI

[pr0ximity]

tbqh my endgame grail is lit af also ur mam

[chyros]

tbqh my endgame grail is lit af also ur mam

me wot m8

[Petch]

My gripe with Razer is not so much about the quality of their products but about their attitude. They are spouting bull**** and deliberately deceiving customers.

They're not the only ones guilty. I saw a video ad, I think for Logitech's Romer G keyboard, that said almost all keyboards have "zero key rollover" and theirs had 26.

Pretty sure if you had 0kro your keyboard wouldn't work 

Then there's the whole "military aircraft grade metal" they all seem to be pushing as of late. Do people really buy into that?

[dante]

.

[tp4tissue]

My gripe with Razer is not so much about the quality of their products but about their attitude. They are spouting bull**** and deliberately deceiving customers.

They're not the only ones guilty. I saw a video ad, I think for Logitech's Romer G keyboard, that said almost all keyboards have "zero key rollover" and theirs had 26.

Pretty sure if you had 0kro your keyboard wouldn't work 

Then there's the whole "military aircraft grade metal" they all seem to be pushing as of late. Do people really buy into that?

But they're not lying..

Hahahahaha military aircraft grade metal..


they use a whole bunch of different aluminum alloys in aircrafts..     because an aircraft is complicated, and require slightly different aluminums to fill different roles..    Some areas need high corrosion resistence,  some areas need high strength to weight,  etc..


But that's the same as saying..  we use America grade people..   That could be anything,  you could get a black guy, a white guy, brown guy, yellow guy.

[shadowku]

My thoughts exactly. Mass drop has provided a valuable service to the keyboard community. Beginning with the ErgoDox, they have been able to put together projects that would otherwise have been stall by missing links and lack of organization by the inexperienced.

That has been their greatest asset.

I'm starting to wonder where it's going with this though. The WhiteFox, which had a strong debut on MassDrop, had it's departure from MassDrop, and is now on KickStarter.. Matt3o's explanation for this was a bit less than flattering (For MassDrop).

[davkol]

Speaking of ErgoDox on Massdrop, let's not forget that they messed up very often too. For example, the early aluminium cases were a disaster quality-wise, some of the next drops had ridiculous delays (even over half a year).

[Niomosy]

My thoughts exactly. Mass drop has provided a valuable service to the keyboard community. Beginning with the ErgoDox, they have been able to put together projects that would otherwise have been stall by missing links and lack of organization by the inexperienced.

That has been their greatest asset.

I'm starting to wonder where it's going with this though. The WhiteFox, which had a strong debut on MassDrop, had it's departure from MassDrop, and is now on KickStarter.. Matt3o's explanation for this was a bit less than flattering (For MassDrop).

Well let's be honest.  We have stories like Dasher/Dancer, among others, falling into a pit of unknown until MD finally chimed in on a December release hint before finally confirming it later.  Submissions often seem to just be lost and MD communication is erratic at best.  They're still a work in progress.  They're not bad in many ways but many still do find problems with them.  Hopefully they can continue to improve.

[chuckdee]

My thoughts exactly. Mass drop has provided a valuable service to the keyboard community. Beginning with the ErgoDox, they have been able to put together projects that would otherwise have been stall by missing links and lack of organization by the inexperienced.

That has been their greatest asset.

I'm starting to wonder where it's going with this though. The WhiteFox, which had a strong debut on MassDrop, had it's departure from MassDrop, and is now on KickStarter.. Matt3o's explanation for this was a bit less than flattering (For MassDrop).

It wasn't less than flattering to me.  The realities of it were that Massdrop is a company, and when profit vs the design come into play, they will of course go towards profitability.  I:C and Matt3o are both enthusiasts, and would release it for free if they could.

From matt3o on DT:

It's just a matter of priorities. I:C and I are enthusiasts first, entrepreneurs last. We love what we do and we love our product. Massdrop have different dynamics. I'm not putting the blame on anyone. They have employees, deadlines, investors. I personally would do it for free. Money, Quality, Time. You can only have two.

But everyone wants to look at it as being negatively focused on MD, no matter what the actual people involved say.

[amnesia0287]

My gripe with Razer is not so much about the quality of their products but about their attitude. They are spouting bull**** and deliberately deceiving customers.

They're not the only ones guilty. I saw a video ad, I think for Logitech's Romer G keyboard, that said almost all keyboards have "zero key rollover" and theirs had 26.

Pretty sure if you had 0kro your keyboard wouldn't work 

Then there's the whole "military aircraft grade metal" they all seem to be pushing as of late. Do people really buy into that?

But they're not lying..

Hahahahaha military aircraft grade metal..


they use a whole bunch of different aluminum alloys in aircrafts..     because an aircraft is complicated, and require slightly different aluminums to fill different roles..    Some areas need high corrosion resistence,  some areas need high strength to weight,  etc..


But that's the same as saying..  we use America grade people..   That could be anything,  you could get a black guy, a white guy, brown guy, yellow guy.

Don't forget about those awful orange people :O

[ɔiɈɘʜɈƨ∍∀]

putting artisans on a board that they really should not be on

[ander]

The trend of threads that complain about trends.

 

The trend of people who complain about threads that complain about trends.

Marginalizing Topre as "just another rubber dome". That's like saying the Mercedes F1 W08 is "just another hybrid". You can say that, but you look really stupid doing so.

It's usually just jealousy.

layouts smaller than 60% (severe key accessibility trade off for the slightly smaller form factor is not worth it)

Aww, but they're so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!!  :?P

RGB backlighting for one.

I don't get the point of backlighting, but for the most part, I'm pretty meh about the trend.  However, I do love underlighting.  I know some people are meh about that.

It's a gimmick. Completely. It's like putting LEDs on your car's steering wheel. Stop playing with toys while you're driving and keep your flippin' eyes on the road, huh?

Model M haters. Who's your daddy?

It's usually just jealousy.

I also don't like that people get mad when I use "keeb".

Then stop using it! Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest.

Show Image

LOL, great—except they're not caps, they're buttons. Caps are the upper halves of IBM-style two-piece buttons. (The lower half is the stem.) IBM created the term for that purpose. Then when the MK revival happened, someone misused it and everyone copied them. The good news: Just because you like mechanical things doesn't mean you have to be a mechanical sheep.

More and more stuff getting released that I can't just buy but have to get from somewhere I can't get it from. Really annoying.

Huh? I just assumed that, as the Keyboard Buddha, you could wave your hands—or a wooden shoe, or a bag of drop or something—and any board you desired would magically appear. Dude... Ik ben vrij ontnugterd.
 

I'm new to mechanical keyboards, and I understand that makes 90% of my opinions bull**** in the eyes of people who own 10 different boards. My rant focuses on the complaints and hate directed at Razer products, particularly their keyboards. I see so many folks **** on these products and the people who own them and enjoy them. It's a matter of opinion, maybe it's an uninformed opinion, but so what? Did they **** on your waffles?

I'm afraid they're just not very good compared to boards that rely less on Star-Wars-y gimcrackery. When that much of your budget goes into superficial design elements, there's less of it left for, you know, the keyboard part. It's just economics.

- OMG MY WALLET CRIES !!!111oneone
 

Yes!! Enough with the "hurting wallet" thing already—it's cringe-inducingly corny.





(He actually meant "keeb"... That shows you how out-of-it he is, see.)

I don't get the point of backlighting, but for the most part, I'm pretty meh about the trend.  However, I do love underlighting...

It's a gimmick. Completely. It's like putting LEDs on your car's steering wheel. Stop playing with toys while you're driving and keep your flippin' eyes on the road, huh?

[shadowku]

It wasn't less than flattering to me.  The realities of it were that Massdrop is a company, and when profit vs the design come into play, they will of course go towards profitability.  I:C and Matt3o are both enthusiasts, and would release it for free if they could.

From matt3o on DT:

It's just a matter of priorities. I:C and I are enthusiasts first, entrepreneurs last. We love what we do and we love our product. Massdrop have different dynamics. I'm not putting the blame on anyone. They have employees, deadlines, investors. I personally would do it for free. Money, Quality, Time. You can only have two.

But everyone wants to look at it as being negatively focused on MD, no matter what the actual people involved say.

I meant that it's less than flattering based on what he was trying to convey. Matt3o and IC had little control over the production and quality of the boards, hence taking the product out of their hands. Allowing Matt3o and IC to achieve what they want would cut into profitability.. but I don't think there's a middle ground where everyone is happy. I don't think anyone blames MD, but we may start to see less new enthusiast developed products.

I'll still look to MD for cool GMK/SP keycaps, but I don't expect as many new keyboards. More MD-made boards like the K-Type would be neat though.

[chuckdee]

It wasn't less than flattering to me.  The realities of it were that Massdrop is a company, and when profit vs the design come into play, they will of course go towards profitability.  I:C and Matt3o are both enthusiasts, and would release it for free if they could.

From matt3o on DT:

It's just a matter of priorities. I:C and I are enthusiasts first, entrepreneurs last. We love what we do and we love our product. Massdrop have different dynamics. I'm not putting the blame on anyone. They have employees, deadlines, investors. I personally would do it for free. Money, Quality, Time. You can only have two.

But everyone wants to look at it as being negatively focused on MD, no matter what the actual people involved say.

I meant that it's less than flattering based on what he was trying to convey. Matt3o and IC had little control over the production and quality of the boards, hence taking the product out of their hands. Allowing Matt3o and IC to achieve what they want would cut into profitability.. but I don't think there's a middle ground where everyone is happy. I don't think anyone blames MD, but we may start to see less new enthusiast developed products.

I'll still look to MD for cool GMK/SP keycaps, but I don't expect as many new keyboards. More MD-made boards like the K-Type would be neat though.

That's the exact opposite of what I've seen.  It just seems that they get other collaborations to fill the void.  The new Clueboard is an example of that, and launched very conspicuously at the same time as the new whitefox.  It's just business from what I've seen, and they have their ups and downs just like anything else.

[shadowku]

That's the exact opposite of what I've seen.  It just seems that they get other collaborations to fill the void.  The new Clueboard is an example of that, and launched very conspicuously at the same time as the new whitefox.  It's just business from what I've seen, and they have their ups and downs just like anything else.

Hmm, true. The WhiteFox is probably a one-off thing. I liked the clueboard, but I'm not a fan of the layout. I'm thinking of selling off my FC660C actually. I need a 75% board.

[chuckdee]

That's the exact opposite of what I've seen.  It just seems that they get other collaborations to fill the void.  The new Clueboard is an example of that, and launched very conspicuously at the same time as the new whitefox.  It's just business from what I've seen, and they have their ups and downs just like anything else.

Hmm, true. The WhiteFox is probably a one-off thing. I liked the clueboard, but I'm not a fan of the layout. I'm thinking of selling off my FC660C actually. I need a 75% board.

With the success of the kickstarter, I wouldn't doubt that they'll try that way again for the Kira.  Not sure about the next run of the Infinity 60% and Ergodox, but they've been taking a while to turn the next drop around, so who knows.

[zslane]

Model M haters. Who's your daddy?

It's usually just jealousy.

Jealousy of what? (And I think you mean envy, BTW)

I mean, it's not like cheap Model M's aren't abundant in the used market. Anyone could easily get their hands on one, though I don't know why anyone would bother except to perform the public service of destroying it.