The original idea of this being Ink housing with UHMWPE stems was so much more interesting IMHO.
Ink black housing with UHMWPE stem is one of my favorite switches, and I was pretty hyped to test some new UHMWPE stems.
Even with a higher price point, it had something different from other switch ICs.
GLWIC tho.
I would disagree with this sentiment. Having a housing that's already been done before, with stems that are already available, is something that's not really new or exciting. Granted I was also hyped to try some UHMWPE stems, but the fact they're deciding to use POM housing, progressive springs, new molds, and looking for a cheaper price all speaks like something that's interesting to me. They're trying to do something that actually hasn't been done before, they're not some ink recolor, or some stem swap, it's a whole new thing which is very exciting to me, but I can see where you're coming from.
To OP, I am very excited to see where how these switches progress, and I'll probably end up trying them as something new. GLWIC!
Thanks for the feedback from both of you! It is great to hear the opinions on the changes we have made so far. I appreciate the note you made in regards to being unique as this is a very important core value of the switch. The Gateron Ink v2 housings sounded like a great idea on paper, but at the end of the day there were three main problems with it.
First, they were stupid pricey solely on the fact that they were "Ink v2" housings. If they sold them to us at a fair price based on material costs, we could have easily undercut the current 75 cent Ink pricing. Gateron needs to sell them at a high markup so that we can't do this and the vendors who carry Ink v2 switches aren't undercut.
Secondly, the Ink v2 material looks great, but doesn't perform necessarily well. While talking with some experts who know way too much about switches (and much more than we do), we realized that the material used in Ink v2 switches will create a spring ping noise that would be undesirable with a friction higher than alternative materials. To put it simply, we want to create a good value for those who put their trust in us. If we can make something at half the price without the fancy "Ink v2" name, it's still a better value even if it's not as exciting.
Third and lastly, using the Gateron Ink v2 housing with UHMWPE stems and progressive springs would be cool. Again, it sound great on paper, but at the end of the day there is so much marketing in the sentence I have just written. Marketing is important in something like and IC, but truth be told there are relatively unknown brands that can get us better quality switches at a lower price. We want to create a great value for those who support this project. This doesn't mean we won't fight for the best switch materials we can and aim for a great switch of course.
A switch recolor or selling a frankenswitch (Ink + PE stem) direct to customers isn't our goal here. We want something that's unique to our brand and aligns with our values and I believe the final product will reflect this. Hope this clears things up for anyone wondering why this decision was made. Of course, feel free to reach out if either of your have any questions!
