[IC] DCS Solarized Dark - Starts 11/11 - Pricing is Live (for all vendors)

[Aiwanei]

DCS Solarized Dark

As someone who was a programmer for many years the IDE theme Solarized Dark has always been a favorite of mine and I am also a big fan of the feel and sound of DCS profile, so I set out to combine these two into the keyset DCS Solarized Dark.  While I know that there have been Solarized Dark themed keysets in other profiles (GMK, XA, DSS) previously, I have felt that none of them quite captured the IDE themes spirit completely for me.

The Backstory
Solarized Dark is an IDE theme variant of Solarized both created by Ethan Schoonover originally for VIM.  It has been ported to many IDE's over the years and features a teal base with grey text and a multitude of colors for syntax highlighting.  I really wanted to create a set that when I looked down at my keyboard, made me think immediately of the IDE theme. The biggest question I had was do I use custom colors or stock colors.  Now SP has a wide range of custom colors, that can get you very far, but could it get me far enough?  After sitting down, comparing the IDE to the SP sample chips, tweaking, and compiling the options, and talking to Ethan about what he thought of the colors, tweaking some more, getting more feedback, I feel that using stock colors would give a pretty fair representation of the IDE theme, while also creating the parameters of the project as "Solarized Dark in DCS profile using the SP Stock Colors as the Color Palette"


Group Buy Date: 11/11 to 12/12



Early Bird Bonus:
At ThocKeys (and potentially some of the other vendors), we will be offering a special early bird bonus.  Anyone who buys the base kit between November 11th and November 14th will get the VIM kit for free!  I feel VIM is a very important part of the identity of Solarized (Dark) since that is where it was born, so to celebrate this, and because 11/11 is my birthday, I figured I would give a gift to everyone who supports this set early.

Confirmed vendors taking part: ThocKeys(Nov 11 - Nov 14), Hand Engineering (Nov 11 - Nov 14), Rectangles (Nov 11 - Nov 14), BaseKeys (Nov 11 - Nov 14), Rebult (Nov 11 - Nov 14), AlphaKeys.ca (Nov 11 - Nov 14), Keygem (Nov 11 - Nov 14) please check with your regional vendor to see if they are taking part.

Updated Interest Check as of 10/19, please fill it out Here

Kitting:
:Base Kit

:Whitespace (Spacebars)

:Relegendables

:VIM Arrows

:Monocolor Mods

:Accents

:Kingsize Spacebar

:Ortho + Expanded40s

:International

Collabs:
SolDark Tactile Switch Manufactured by Gateron

Force Graph

Keybee Yin Yang Metal Keycap

Renders(by Pwade):
Iron 165 by Smith + Rune




Neue by Hand Engineering




W1-AT by Geon Works - Shown With 10u Space Bar and Relegendables




HBCP by Hiney - Shown with Accent Kit and Relegendables



Kitting Changes:
I have gone and made some changes to the kitting, most notably I have added some additional kits that I will detail below:
Base Kit - Changed Tab and Arrows to be left aligned.  Added a 1u colored Delete. Update - Added R3 PgUP R4 PgDn and Both 1u and 1.25u Code/#! Keys (so you can pick)
Whitespace (Spacebars) Kit - Added 2x1u, 2x3u, an additional 2u. Update - Removed 6u Spacebar due to uncommon stab placement in DCS 6u
Relegendables - Expanded this quite a bit, allows for you to fill out macro columns as well as the option to fill out the entire top row of an 1800 with relegendables.
Kingsize Spacebar NEW - 10u Alpha Colored Spacebar
Ortho+Expanded 40s NEW - Smaller kit with some additional 40s as well as ortho coverage
NorDe++ Kit NEW - Has full/partial compatibility support for multiple languages, why it isn't a perfect kit by any stretch, it was done to provide coverage for German, Swiss, Etc. As well as partial coverage for Spanish (LATAM).
Monocolor Mods NEW - This was the most economic way to do a monocolor legends kit, and I am very happy with how it came out, since I am basing this set off the IDE and not the GMK set, using teal for the legends instead of the grey didn't make sense (it also would have required 30+ additional keys would would have made it completely unaffordable).
Accent Kit NEW - This is a kit added due to demand of those who want to at least partially recreate the feel of the GMK set, even though it doesn't fit the IDE theme I can understand why people like it.
VIM Kit - Unchanged
Colors:
All Stock SP Colors:
BGK
BFN
GKH
BGM
BEY
RA
YG
OAV
RDX
VAV
REK
BBQ
Vendors:
US: ThocKeys.com
UK: HandEngineering
EU: Keygem
CA: AlphaKeys
OCE: SwitchKeys
JP: Basekeys
South America(Chile): Fancy Customs
Mexico:Rheset.mx
SEA(MY): Rebult Keyboards
IN: Rectangles.store
Feel free to contact me if you are interested in being a vendor
Other:
Thanks
I wanted to say thank you first of all to Ethan Schoonover for creating the Solarized Dark theme and his feedback, time and support that he gave me on this endeavor.
Pwade, thank you for not killing me when I came to you asking you to match 11 colors for the renders and being patient with me as we tried to get them right.
Fooblitzky for the awesome DCS models that made these renders possible.
Lewis Flude for your support and enthusiasm when I shared this project as well as for the Neue model to render the set on.
The members(both current and former) of the RC discord for their support and energy while I threw various ideas at them.
James from AKB for doing absolutely nothing in regards to this project.
Thank you Capsy, you know why.
OCM, Langelandia, Urbantheiii, Jae, Quakemz, Noxygen and so many others, thanks for being positive people and for bending an ear when I want to discuss ideas or projects.
Thank you Dededecline and NoPunIn10Did for kitting assistance (especially 40s and Norde)
Many others that I am too tired to think of right now.

Contact:
If you want to get in touch with me about this project, I am on discord as Aiwanei#0001 or you can email me tim@thockeys.com

Updates:
Regional vendors have been announced, if you would like to have a vendor in your area that isn't represented, have them get in touch with me.
Group buy date has been set, will run from November 11th thru December 12th (11/11-12/12)
Added updated kitting, new IC will be coming this weekend/early next week about the updated kitting.
Finalized Kitting, updated IC has been posted.

[yoniwolf1202]

This is amazing! Love it, Aiwaneeeeeyyyyy

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[cijanzen]

Thanks James

[Tyson]

Count me in, I really fell in love with DCS when I got Sleeper. Was waiting for more DCS sets to come out!

[Fredington]

Dis naise

[IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES]

Thanks for fixing!

This is a great design, can’t wait.

[Aiwanei]

Fix that relegendables typo (there’s a relegend joke in there somewhere)

This is a great design, can’t wait.

Thanks for letting me know about the typo, didn't notice it, I will fix when I am back on my computer in the morning. Appreciate the kind words.

[BlindAssassin111]

Looks amazing, as expected of Aiwanei.

[Neely_12]

Love to see some DCS. Please add f13. Good luck!

[jshufelt]

Left-aligned tab arrows just look cleaner, and if you make that change, then consistency would seem to demand left-aligned arrow keys as well.

Either way, this is awesome and I'm totally in.

[BlindAssassin111]

Love to see some DCS. Please add f13. Good luck!

It has F13 in the base (top row).

[Zetina]

The set looks nice but I personally think it would look better with Cherry font.

Also Left aligned Tab arrows/arrow keys look better in my opinion.

[hali]

hellll yeah - wyse legends are great

[syberghost]

You can keep talking, but I'm afraid I have to insist you take my money.

[ZongZiWang]

Would love left aligned tab and arrows (maybe have an interest check form with some questions you want to collect feedback on?)

Also if I need the top row with relegendables on TKL, I will need to buy two relegendables kits (or 3 kits for F13 TKL)? Wonder if there is a better kitting for this purpose? And will we get some render with relegendables?

[Beegstation]

I quite like this, even though I am not a huge fan of the Gordon font. Would you be willing to make a separate kit for mono colored modifiers? Thanks in advance.

[Senpai_deezy]

looks very nice, dcs 

[damagepoint]

Me in

[dededecline]

I'm in! Would it be possible to get 3u bars added to the spacebar kit?

[_rubik]

I can only hope color matching doesn't end up like GMK solarized 

If the renders are accurate, it looks great!

[HungHingDaiLo]

sol dark so lit. One of my first keycap sets.

[himo]

 

[NovaRMK]

very nais 

[Mecxs]

Set looks really great. I love a bit of DCS.

1. 2x3u spacebars in the spacebar kit would be great.

2. Higher resolution renders would be nice. Especially in the base kit. It's hard to get a good look at the legends currently.

3. A proper IC form is really important for gathering feedback as some people want to give it anonymously.

4. I personally find the left-justified arrows on tab preferable.

5. I personally am ambivalent about arrow justification on arrow keys. I think the centered legends look nice, but would happily accept left-sided too.

6. Spacing between the enter icon+text makes the key look very cramped. I know some of SP's molds have a bit more of a gap (eg DCS Midnight).

[sirieous]

Pretty yum, very interested.

[zea]

YES

[azack]

definitely in for all kits!

[piit79]

Although I just got DSS Sol Dark, I'd love a DCS version too.

Any chance for an Ortho kit?

Also agree with the Tab legend. Left-aligned arrows would look better, and also if they were closer together vertically. However, I'm aware of the limitations in double-shot sets.

[Jampot_298]

Left aligned arrows and Tab arrows left aligned pls Awesome stuff, excited about this project!

[NoPunIn10Did]

Which 6u is that bar? Centered or off-center?  I think SP can make both, but I don’t know for sure.

[growler]

Is DCS ABS I'm guessing?

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[Beni986]

This looks great   

Personally, I do prefer left aligned tab and centered arrows. Also a big fan of the homing bumps
There's just something about the gorton font on DCS that appeals to me so much.

[mgsickler]

I'm in.

[Scottw]

One more request for dual 3u spacebars.

[neon_tom]

I had no interest in the GMK version but this is a definite buy for me. Also, Canadian vendor would be appreciated.

[borlopjim]

I'm definitely down for this!

I like left aligned arrows and left aligned tab

[Mecxs]

Is DCS ABS I'm guessing?

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

Yes, double shot ABS.

[growler]

Cheers. As much as I want to, I'd ruin this set in no time I reckon!

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[darthcapn]

Solarized dark is love. Pure love.

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[Friendship]

looks very cool!

[robotictomato]

This looks great - I love the Solarized Dark colorway, it is my favorite IDE theme and keyset theme!

I agree with others that have mentioned left-justified arrows would look better.

I also would prefer convex short spacebars (2u, 2.25u, 2.75u) rather than concave. Adding 3u bars would be good for compatibility, though I don't use them.

Is there any chance SP has these colors in PBT? I prefer the feel and sound of PBT over ABS, but if the color matching wouldn't work that is understandable.

[growler]

This looks great - I love the Solarized Dark colorway, it is my favorite IDE theme and keyset theme!

I agree with others that have mentioned left-justified arrows would look better.

I also would prefer convex short spacebars (2u, 2.25u, 2.75u) rather than concave. Adding 3u bars would be good for compatibility, though I don't use them.

Is there any chance SP has these colors in PBT? I prefer the feel and sound of PBT over ABS, but if the color matching wouldn't work that is understandable.

^ what he said

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[Macmutant]

This looks fantastic, my dude. In for sure! I wouldn't say no to 1.5u #! keys, to support MacOS HHKB and WKL layouts.

[Ensaum]

Oh my god, yes. Although I'm curious why you changed the placement of the colored mods from the gmk version?



Also, please consider a teal mod legend kit.

[catamscott]

hell yeah, this rocks. kitting looks solid and can't go wrong with solarized

[treeleaf64]

Hello Mr Aiwanei When the gat spits, some badwords get blown off the atlas
Another irrelevant comment by Me, Solarized dark .  Please remove my internet access of the literal child

Is there an interest check form

[rpiguy9907]

Please add a 1.75u enter!

[Neely_12]

It has F13 in the base (top row).
[/quote]

Ah I see. I’m dumb 

[KneeDeep]

You hooked me on DCS with Nightfall, I am very in for this. I think I like the left aligned arrows from that set, gives it a little unique character. GL with the rest of the IC!

[darthcapn]

I bought gmk solarized dark just sometime back, but I will happily get this too! Glwgb.

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[castorph]

+1 for ortho support

[Aiwanei]

This looks great - I love the Solarized Dark colorway, it is my favorite IDE theme and keyset theme!

I agree with others that have mentioned left-justified arrows would look better.

I also would prefer convex short spacebars (2u, 2.25u, 2.75u) rather than concave. Adding 3u bars would be good for compatibility, though I don't use them.

Is there any chance SP has these colors in PBT? I prefer the feel and sound of PBT over ABS, but if the color matching wouldn't work that is understandable.

Sadly SP does not have the molds for those sizes in dcs bars that are convex, only concave. I could do dsa versions of those specific bars, though I'm unsure about that, I'll need to get some dsa bars in that size to try with dcs and see how it looks/feels.

The stock color options for pbt from Signature Plastics is a lot more limited, it would require a number of compromises of most likely to use custom colors to get close to the ide colors imo.

[Aiwanei]

I'm in! Would it be possible to get 3u bars added to the spacebar kit?

Request has been noted, and I will be adding these to the spacebars kit as well as expanding the relendgeables kit a bit as well. Until I could gauge the interest of the set, I was being pretty conservative with my child kits kitting in order to keep costs down.

[zea]

please consider doing a kit with the monochrome mods that the original gmk run had.

also please do the teal accents along with the vim accents

[fog]

If you don't know me (It's been a while since I logged in to GH... that's what happens when you achieve endgame), I'm the guy behind the Solarized colorscheme.

I just wanted to pop into this thread and say that Thockeys has really nailed this, IMO. Solarized was always intended to work in various formats (which is why the L*a*b colors are canonical) and to work in situations where the perfect L*a*b match isn't available (i.e. every situation including RGB). Thockeys has done a great job matching with the available signature plastics and I think this will be the best Solarized Dark matched keycap set to date.

Very excited to see this set happen!

[ArashiNishi]

+1 for the left aligned arrow and tab's arrows.

please consider doing a kit with the monochrome mods that the original gmk run had.

also please do the teal accents along with the vim accents

It would be great if it's added the teal accents and monochrome mods.
For SP Stock Colors it seems that BBQ is close to the TU2 used on the GMK version, but would be better to compare them in person.

[_rubik]

+1 for the left aligned arrow and tab's arrows.

please consider doing a kit with the monochrome mods that the original gmk run had.

It would be great if it's added the teal accents and monochrome mods.
For SP Stock Colors it seems that BBQ is close to the TU2 used on the GMK version, but would be better to compare them in person.

+1 to a consistent mod color, teal or otherwise

[davewongillies]

Oh yisss. As someone who owns GMK Solarized Dark and always wished I had another set, I'm so in for this

[Fraaaan]

Consider replacing UK ISO with basic terminal ISO.  It reduces the amount of caps used for ISO support from 8 to 4 and you're still covering the layout fine.

I don't really see the point of UK ISO when a very small portion of ISO users (which are already a minority) will make actual use of the regional caps.

[nvh2092]

Consider replacing UK ISO with basic terminal ISO.  It reduces the amount of caps used for ISO support from 8 to 4 and you're still covering the layout fine.

I don't really see the point of UK ISO when a very small portion of ISO users (which are already a minority) will make actual use of the regional caps.

Second this, there are more than 1 ISO layouts, terminal ISO is the cheapest for all of us ISO users.

[paulgali]

Very very nicely done, fellow DCS enjoyer 

[Pontus]

I love DSC

[Tree_]

 

[autocast]

Awesome!

+1 Mono mods, would love the option or as the default

[KeebOnMe]

I told myself that I wouldn't get anymore keycap sets, but I'll have to break my rule for this!

Left-justified arrows on tab please!

[whirlwind]

Definitely interested

[rainb1ood]

interested in a set! anything solarized dark

[HappyB0T]

Interested - would love to get my hands on this!

[salgiza]

I love the look of this set. I don’t have an opinion about the tab key, but I like how the arrow keys look now (centered), and I would vote for them.

What’s the MOQ for DCS kits? I’m really tempted just as it is, but as an ES user I would be really grateful if you could add a South kit or an International kit (Norde+ES, such as this).

[NoPunIn10Did]

This looks great - I love the Solarized Dark colorway, it is my favorite IDE theme and keyset theme!

I agree with others that have mentioned left-justified arrows would look better.

I also would prefer convex short spacebars (2u, 2.25u, 2.75u) rather than concave. Adding 3u bars would be good for compatibility, though I don't use them.

Is there any chance SP has these colors in PBT? I prefer the feel and sound of PBT over ABS, but if the color matching wouldn't work that is understandable.

Sadly SP does not have the molds for those sizes in dcs bars that are convex, only concave. I could do dsa versions of those specific bars, though I'm unsure about that, I'll need to get some dsa bars in that size to try with dcs and see how it looks/feels.

The stock color options for pbt from Signature Plastics is a lot more limited, it would require a number of compromises of most likely to use custom colors to get close to the ide colors imo.

From experience, I wouldn't mix DSA and DCS.  The only cap where that's happened in the past was ISO Enter, but that was just a matter of SP not having the DSA mould for that yet.

[Aiwanei]

I love the look of this set. I don’t have an opinion about the tab key, but I like how the arrow keys look now (centered), and I would vote for them.

What’s the MOQ for DCS kits? I’m really tempted just as it is, but as an ES user I would be really grateful if you could add a South kit or an International kit (Norde+ES, such as this).

MOQ for kits with dcs are pretty flexible, jist depends how affordable you want to make them. I'll look into doing an international kit potentially. I'm going to be expanding a couple of the kits and adding an ic form to get feedback about some additional kitting possibilities.

[Sup]

Ortho support? PepeHands

[Aiwanei]

Ortho support? PepeHands

Would ortho support being added similar to how DCS Alps Pingmaster is doing it, with relendgeables be acceptable?

[k4jtek]

I really like this colourway, glad to see you included 3 key 40s' support.

GLWIC!

[RoyalOak88]

What’s the MOQ for DCS kits? I’m really tempted just as it is, but as an ES user I would be really grateful if you could add a South kit or an International kit (Norde+ES, such as this).

This!
I just wished more sets used this type of international kit. It's a good compromise to support more international layouts.

[Kinesiologist]

Appreciate adding the F13 into base kit. Everything looks good to me

[HungerMechanic]

Wowww. This is what I like to see.

Use of ABS colours and DCS fonts. Would be perfect for my Majestouch.

I already have GMK Solarized Dark, but this is seriously tempting. We need more dark DCS sets.

[dallman5]

Interested! 

+1 left aligned tab & mono mods (a la the GMK base kit)

[Aiwanei]

Based on the feedback I have received in this IC so far, I have put together a small IC form(found on the initial post).  I really appreciate all the support so far.  I had kitted this initial to be very conservative for the child kits, due to unknown interest, but I think I feel comfortable with the idea of expanding them a bit and maybe adding some other kits as well.

[tunb]

So interesting

[kabocha]

great job aiwanei

[Sup]

Ortho support? PepeHands

Would ortho support being added similar to how DCS Alps Pingmaster is doing it, with relendgeables be acceptable?

Not sure what other people think but, I think actual legends would be nice.

[hark]

I think I'm in love with the look of DCS profile - its very cute : )

[Dave_Lister]

This is absolutely gorgeous. Praise be for UK ISO in the base kit. Definitely in on this one. Will be my first DCS kit.

[wonilcho]

+1 for mono mods with teal legends (like the GMK version) rather than the gray legends mentioned in the IC form.

[atlantiasekai]

Amazing! Can't wait

[k4jtek]

Are you considering placing the numpad in separate set? The interest is quite high so MOQ would be probably fulfilled anyway.

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Taptalak

[lewisflude]

The mods in the IC are more true to the spirit of the actual colour scheme. While mono mods could be a nice option, they shouldn't replace what is already in this IC. Additionally, the colour matching of the GMK set didn't quite line up with the very specific colours of Solarized Dark, so I would expect this to follow the actual colour scheme more closely than the GMK set of the same name. More info on the Solarized website.

[Bonsa]

love the colors!
I have a DCS blanks set on a board and I would really like to give it a few legended keys. This looks very dope. As for the bar problem, I think you can go with DSA bars? I would actually like the numpad in base for my ortho/ergo boards and big boards

[Aiwanei]

The mods in the IC are more true to the spirit of the actual colour scheme. While mono mods could be a nice option, they shouldn't replace what is already in this IC. Additionally, the colour matching of the GMK set didn't quite line up with the very specific colours of Solarized Dark, so I would expect this to follow the actual colour scheme more closely than the GMK set of the same name. More info on the Solarized website.

Just a brief update to all the kitting requests and a short statement about my thoughts on the mono mods/accents (quoting Lewis since he kindly pointed out a lot of the goals of this colorway, as well as linked to the Solarized website which is a great reference for the color palette of the theme)

Any mono mods kit will be in addition as the base kit will definitely stay inline with the IDE theme and not try to mimic the GMK set.  I do understand why people want BBQ/Teal mods and accents since that is closest to what GMK Solarized Dark had and it looked wonderful even though that color is not present in the IDE theme (I feel that the blue and cyan colors of solarized are not a great match for TU2 which was used in GMK Solarized Dark), and teal mono mod legends doesn't even fit the limited palette modes that the solarized theme provides for. 

That all said I am adding a mono mods set, but it will be using the grey legends (this means there are a few less keys that have to be added to the kit, and is a better fit for solarized's 16⁄5 palette modes, which would actually suggest using the orange or grey as the legend color if we were going to an extremely limited palette of solarized dark) and due to popular demand I will be adding a teal (BBQ) accent kit (unclear let if I combine the mono mods and teal accent kits, or run them as two separate kits).  I know these decisions won't make everyone happy, but I had set out with the goal to make a version of solarized dark that was more faithful to the color scheme that Ethan came up with and not to just do GMK Solarized Dark but in DCS.

I am working on an expanded relegendables kit (R1 is wavering between 12-13 or 20 1u keys, for coverage of a TKL vs FullSize/1800. There will also be macro column relegendable keys in R2,R3 and R4), an expanded spacebar kit, and a supplemental 40s+ortho kit (3 key 40s support will stay in base) though some of the added keys to the spacebar kit may end up in the 40s+ortho kit instead.

I want to add an international kit, though I need to determine the existence of molds for many of the keys, since if a lot of those keys don't exist, the price of that kit may get unreasonable for the MOQ it would likely have to be priced at.

I have also tweaked the base kit slightly, adding in terminal ISO support (in addition to UK ISO currently), a 1.5u R2 Delete (in addition to the backspace) and a R1 1u delete that has colored legends, for ISO boards that have split backspace.  I may drop the Bash winkey for Super instead, but that is undecided, as well as the possibility of a Mac/Command kit being undecided currently.

[ylothar]

About international kit: it would be nice to have in addition to the usual nordic set also a south set (italy, spain, ...) 

[actress]

Great idea! GMK Sol Dark is too expensive nowadays and also those mods look much better than the monochrome imo.
Would love to see NorDE kit and also some more relegendables. Maybe enough to be able to cover the full R1 row on a 60% w/ split bs f. e?
Can't wait to see the deskmat too. GL!!

[salgiza]

I want to add an international kit, though I need to determine the existence of molds for many of the keys, since if a lot of those keys don't exist, the price of that kit may get unreasonable for the MOQ it would likely have to be priced at.

Arg! Totally understandable, and fingers crossed, then.
It still blows my mind that some manufacturers might be missing molds for "international" sets :O

[HungerMechanic]

Yeah, it's good to have DCS options for sets that are too expensive nowadays. I bought mine from a store at aftermarket price [not MechMarket price though] and it was still too high.

This will look different enough from GMK Solarized Dark that I'm seriously considering it, even though I have Solarized Dark.

[Aiwanei]

I got quotes from Signature Plastics for updated kitting, going to work on getting updated renders and pricing everything as well as finalizing proxies, have a number on board already. Will do another round of feedback based on the updated kits and then set a date unless any drastic changes are required.

[Puddsy]

my wallet is ready

[_rubik]

my wallet is ready

Wyse or bust

[Puddsy]

my wallet is ready

Wyse or bust

wyse AND bust, you mean

[_rubik]

my wallet is ready

Wyse or bust

wyse AND bust, you mean

[konstantin]

Love it, and especially love the Gorton. Please add R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn to base for 65% support, and you've got yourself a buyer.

Do you know if SP has DCS molds for 3c and 1c spacekeys? Cause those would be a nice addition to the spacebars kit.


Edit: Somehow I missed the whole second page of this thread.

Consider replacing UK ISO with basic terminal ISO.  It reduces the amount of caps used for ISO support from 8 to 4 and you're still covering the layout fine.

I don't really see the point of UK ISO when a very small portion of ISO users (which are already a minority) will make actual use of the regional caps.

Second this, there are more than 1 ISO layouts, terminal ISO is the cheapest for all of us ISO users.

+1 to this. But even if ISO-UK stays, that's totally fine too — UK users get to have their keys, and it's probably not going to affect the price of the kit by much. However...

I have also tweaked the base kit slightly, adding in terminal ISO support (in addition to UK ISO currently), a 1.5u R2 Delete (in addition to the backspace) and a R1 1u delete that has colored legends, for ISO boards that have split backspace.

... This is not so fine. These changes are pretty much unnecessary. You don't need both ISO-UK and terminal ISO — it's either one or the other; having both is redundant.
As for R2 1.5u Delete, does anyone even use that (unless they're forced to)? I don't think so, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's a thing with this colorway? My GMK set has it, and I hate it.
Anyway, what I am sure is that a vanishingly small number of people use split Backspace together with ISO Enter. However, R1 1u Delete with a colored legend has another use case, which is HHKB layouts with Delete above 1.5u Backspace, so for that reason, you should actually keep that key.

In summary, if I were you, I would do the following:

• Drop either ISO-UK or terminal ISO keys — you definitely don't need both.
• Drop the R2 1.5u Delete key.
• If you want to add some extra keys to base, make it be some useful ones, and add R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn and, optionally (and only if you're not going to run a separate Mac kit), 1.5u Supers and a second 1u Alt.
• Please keep the shebang keys, at least the 1u ones: for me, those are a key part of what makes SolDark keysets — SolDark keysets. As for the 1.25u ones, they do look kinda odd, so maybe replace those with Super.

Edit 2: wording, a few extra clarifications

[Puddsy]

i don't believe they have 3u molds in DCS at all, and i know that they don't have 1u convex.

[Aiwanei]

i don't believe they have 3u molds in DCS at all, and i know that they don't have 1u convex.

They do have 3u concave, basically any key under 6u is concave. You can find what molds they have here https://pimpmykeyboard.com/template/images/DCSFamily.pdf

[Aiwanei]

Love it, and especially love the Gorton. Please add R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn to base for 65% support, and you've got yourself a buyer.

Do you know if SP has DCS molds for 3c and 1c spacekeys? Cause those would be a nice addition to the spacebars kit.


Edit: Somehow I missed the whole second page of this thread.

Consider replacing UK ISO with basic terminal ISO.  It reduces the amount of caps used for ISO support from 8 to 4 and you're still covering the layout fine.

I don't really see the point of UK ISO when a very small portion of ISO users (which are already a minority) will make actual use of the regional caps.

Second this, there are more than 1 ISO layouts, terminal ISO is the cheapest for all of us ISO users.

+1 to this. But even if ISO-UK stays, that's totally fine too — UK users get to have their keys, and it's probably not going to affect the price of the kit by much. However...

I have also tweaked the base kit slightly, adding in terminal ISO support (in addition to UK ISO currently), a 1.5u R2 Delete (in addition to the backspace) and a R1 1u delete that has colored legends, for ISO boards that have split backspace.

... This is not so fine. These changes are pretty much unnecessary. You don't need both ISO-UK and terminal ISO — it's either one or the other; having both is redundant.
As for R2 1.5u Delete, does anyone even use that (unless they're forced to)? I don't think so, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's a thing with this colorway? My GMK set has it, and I hate it.
Anyway, what I am sure is that a vanishingly small number of people use split Backspace together with ISO Enter. However, R1 1u Delete with a colored legend has another use case, which is HHKB layouts with Delete above 1.5u Backspace, so for that reason, you should actually keep that key.

In summary, if I were you, I would do the following:

• Drop either ISO-UK or terminal ISO keys — you definitely don't need both.
• Drop the R2 1.5u Delete key.
• If you want to add some extra keys to base, make it be some useful ones, and add R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn and, optionally (and only if you're not going to run a separate Mac kit), 1.5u Supers and a second 1u Alt.
• Please keep the shebang keys, at least the 1u ones: for me, those are a key part of what makes SolDark keysets — SolDark keysets. As for the 1.25u ones, they do look kinda odd, so maybe replace those with Super.

Edit 2: wording, a few extra clarifications

Thanks for the feedback, I actually have moved terminal iso back out of base and into an NorDe kit.

I'll take your other suggestions under consideration.

[pr0ximity]

I'm interested

[ylothar]

I'm in, for sure 

[konstantin]

Thanks for the feedback, I actually have moved terminal iso back out of base and into an NorDe kit.

I'll take your other suggestions under consideration.

Sounds good, ty for your consideration

[actress]

Does anyone have experience with DCS? Is it closer to GMK or JTK in terms of sound?

[Rob27shred]

Does anyone have experience with DCS? Is it closer to GMK or JTK in terms of sound?

Neither TBH. DCS is much thinner than either GMK or JTK caps & makes for a higher pitched, poppier sound IMO. Don't let them being thin fool you though, they are very nice caps that can really compliment certain builds & switches nicely IME.

[Ensaum]

Does anyone have experience with DCS? Is it closer to GMK or JTK in terms of sound?

Neither TBH. DCS is much thinner than either GMK or JTK caps & makes for a higher pitched, poppier sound IMO. Don't let them being thin fool you though, they are very nice caps that can really compliment certain builds & switches nicely IME.

What switches would you say pair well with DCS? I'd imagine clicky switches, naturally, but I'd think maybe creams or alpacas too?

[HungerMechanic]

What switches would you say pair well with DCS? I'd imagine clicky switches, naturally, but I'd think maybe creams or alpacas too?

Light tactiles and light linears.

In particular, I use it with worn-in pre-tooled MX Browns. DCS produces a deeper, more 'clackier,' more Korean sound that GMK with MX Brown.

I don't know if it's the plastic or the hollow-spaces inside the keycaps, but they are definitely lower-pitched.

Modern DCS is thin, but that's what I'm using presently. There's even super-thick classic WYSE DCS if you can get it. It's even lower-pitched and way better than GMK in terms of sound.

Modern thin DCS allows you to feel the switch more than heavier keycaps allow you to. This makes a difference on the lightest tactiles like MX Brown. I also have some DCS on a custom keyboard with Everglide Jade. They are about Zealio V1 in tactility, and DCS works okay with them - they do feel a little more resistant than with GMK keycaps.

I have also read accounts of people preferring DCS with light linears. They're definitely something to use if you want to 'feel' your switches.

[Rob27shred]

What switches would you say pair well with DCS? I'd imagine clicky switches, naturally, but I'd think maybe creams or alpacas too?

Light tactiles and light linears.

In particular, I use it with worn-in pre-tooled MX Browns. DCS produces a deeper, more 'clackier,' more Korean sound that GMK with MX Brown.

I don't know if it's the plastic or the hollow-spaces inside the keycaps, but they are definitely lower-pitched.

Modern DCS is thin, but that's what I'm using presently. There's even super-thick classic WYSE DCS if you can get it. It's even lower-pitched and way better than GMK in terms of sound.

Modern thin DCS allows you to feel the switch more than heavier keycaps allow you to. This makes a difference on the lightest tactiles like MX Brown. I also have some DCS on a custom keyboard with Everglide Jade. They are about Zealio V1 in tactility, and DCS works okay with them - they do feel a little more resistant than with GMK keycaps.

I have also read accounts of people preferring DCS with light linears. They're definitely something to use if you want to 'feel' your switches.

I agree with everything said by HungerMechanic here, light linears would be my fav with DCS but it does allow you to feel light/med tactile switches much better than thick caps IME as well. Also of course clickys, they tend to make even some of the most obnoxious click jacket design switches sound better.

[Puddsy]

Does anyone have experience with DCS? Is it closer to GMK or JTK in terms of sound?

Neither TBH. DCS is much thinner than either GMK or JTK caps & makes for a higher pitched, poppier sound IMO. Don't let them being thin fool you though, they are very nice caps that can really compliment certain builds & switches nicely IME.

What switches would you say pair well with DCS? I'd imagine clicky switches, naturally, but I'd think maybe creams or alpacas too?

i haven't found a switch i don't like with DCS yet

[Ensaum]

Interesting. I'm going in on pingmaster and I'm excited to try those on some nice blue alps I just got in recently. I have some ideas I want to try out with this set and dcs honeywell now too though, haha.

[Puddsy]

Interesting. I'm going in on pingmaster and I'm excited to try those on some nice blue alps I just got in recently. I have some ideas I want to try out with this set and dcs honeywell now too though, haha.

this set is MX DCS not ALPS (or at least it hasn't been indicated that this will be an ALPS set)

[Ensaum]

Interesting. I'm going in on pingmaster and I'm excited to try those on some nice blue alps I just got in recently. I have some ideas I want to try out with this set and dcs honeywell now too though, haha.

this set is MX DCS not ALPS (or at least it hasn't been indicated that this will be an ALPS set)

DCS Pingmaster is alps though, which is what I would be using with my blue alps.

[Puddsy]

Interesting. I'm going in on pingmaster and I'm excited to try those on some nice blue alps I just got in recently. I have some ideas I want to try out with this set and dcs honeywell now too though, haha.

this set is MX DCS not ALPS (or at least it hasn't been indicated that this will be an ALPS set)

DCS Pingmaster is alps though, which is what I would be using with my blue alps.

ah i misread your message

[actress]

What switches would you say pair well with DCS? I'd imagine clicky switches, naturally, but I'd think maybe creams or alpacas too?

Light tactiles and light linears.

In particular, I use it with worn-in pre-tooled MX Browns. DCS produces a deeper, more 'clackier,' more Korean sound that GMK with MX Brown.

I don't know if it's the plastic or the hollow-spaces inside the keycaps, but they are definitely lower-pitched.

Modern DCS is thin, but that's what I'm using presently. There's even super-thick classic WYSE DCS if you can get it. It's even lower-pitched and way better than GMK in terms of sound.

Modern thin DCS allows you to feel the switch more than heavier keycaps allow you to. This makes a difference on the lightest tactiles like MX Brown. I also have some DCS on a custom keyboard with Everglide Jade. They are about Zealio V1 in tactility, and DCS works okay with them - they do feel a little more resistant than with GMK keycaps.

I have also read accounts of people preferring DCS with light linears. They're definitely something to use if you want to 'feel' your switches.

Thanks for the input. Good thing I've got some 55g vintage browns ready for a build

[norm]

Definitely interested but is it bad that I just want the space bars since Break wouldn't provide us with a lazurite colored 2.75u/2.25u with GMK Birch?

[paperassgasket]

Definitely interested but is it bad that I just want the space bars since Break wouldn't provide us with a lazurite colored 2.75u/2.25u with GMK Birch?

Don't get me started. There's not even a 3u to be found.
I don't think that these spacebars will be an excellent match, bit it's certainly better than nothing.

[tunb]

So good

[norm]

Definitely interested but is it bad that I just want the space bars since Break wouldn't provide us with a lazurite colored 2.75u/2.25u with GMK Birch?

Don't get me started. There's not even a 3u to be found.
I don't think that these spacebars will be an excellent match, bit it's certainly better than nothing.

I was just impressed that Signature Plastics had a stock color that was close to it! I'll take what I can get.

[Jefff]

Very interested, hope this reaches GB!

[clayclws]

Just got DCS Nightfall from Thockeys, and am incredibly excited for this as I have scoured as much as I can for GMK Solarized Dark but to no avail (just got into the hobby mid this year). Hope this goes into GB/pre-order/etc soon. If there are 2 bases (one with coloured mods, and another without), I would definitely buy both. If there is only 1 base, and additional mods, I hope there are some sort of alphas with sub-legends being offered.

Had been lurking in geekhack for a while but found no reason to join...but since Thockeys do not have a discord, I decided to join geekhack just to keep tabs on this.

[HungerMechanic]

Thanks for the input. Good thing I've got some 55g vintage browns ready for a build

This is an ideal combination.

[Altain]

When I first joined the hobby I always craved for a Solarized Dark set but it was already so rare to get by then. Had to give up one of my dreams as a beginner.
Now it's back on the menu again and I must say Let's gooooooooo

[hk21022]

hmm another ABS darn. I would prefer PBT even if the legends are less crispy.

[_rubik]

hmm another ABS darn. I would prefer PBT even if the legends are less crispy.

When DCS / MW / ePBT etc etc are trying to compete with GMK, things like "crispy legends" are pretty important. Anything less and they'll still be the "lesser manufacturers".

I suppose you could make the argument that ABS is the lesser material, though :shrug:

[Puddsy]

hmm another ABS darn. I would prefer PBT even if the legends are less crispy.

When DCS / MW / ePBT etc etc are trying to compete with GMK, things like "crispy legends" are pretty important. Anything less and they'll still be the "lesser manufacturers".

I suppose you could make the argument that ABS is the lesser material, though :shrug:

DCS dyesub is actually quite good, i have a bunch of old ones that are really nice. i don't think SP can do the reverse dyesub that would be required for this set though.

on ABS v PBT, i don't think one is better or worse than the other, just different. i use shiny ABS caps pretty much every day because i like them. i've used dyesubs in the past that i've liked a lot too. just preference.

i do think that a lot of the "my keycaps are shiny and feel weird" issues can be resolved with a rinse in warm soapy water. that gets a lot of the gunk and oil off the caps and reduces the greasy weird feeling that some people dislike about it. i wash my keycaps every 3-4 months (regardless of material) for this reason.

[_rubik]

hmm another ABS darn. I would prefer PBT even if the legends are less crispy.

When DCS / MW / ePBT etc etc are trying to compete with GMK, things like "crispy legends" are pretty important. Anything less and they'll still be the "lesser manufacturers".

I suppose you could make the argument that ABS is the lesser material, though :shrug:

DCS dyesub is actually quite good, i have a bunch of old ones that are really nice. i don't think SP can do the reverse dyesub that would be required for this set though.

That's good to hear and helpful context

Which manus support reverse? IIRC Infinikey, keyreactive, and momoka; does epbt? Hard to hunt down info on them.

[zea]

hmm another ABS darn. I would prefer PBT even if the legends are less crispy.

When DCS / MW / ePBT etc etc are trying to compete with GMK, things like "crispy legends" are pretty important. Anything less and they'll still be the "lesser manufacturers".

I suppose you could make the argument that ABS is the lesser material, though :shrug:

DCS dyesub is actually quite good, i have a bunch of old ones that are really nice. i don't think SP can do the reverse dyesub that would be required for this set though.

That's good to hear and helpful context

Which manus support reverse? IIRC Infinikey, keyreactive, and momoka; does epbt? Hard to hunt down info on them.

milkyway. epbt supposedly does but they're reworking their molds or something like that

[proelio]

nice set, happy to see dcs getting some more custom designs! will buy when in GB.

[Puddsy]

milkyway. epbt supposedly does but they're reworking their molds or something like that

they bought new dyesub machines that will hopefully be better, but dyesub is more than just buying a better machine so we'll see

[sublyme]

Id likely be down to grab a set depending on the options. I would suggest some kind of poll or something to get the most accurate results

[Aiwanei]

Group Buy Date and Vendors have been announced, will post updated kitting once renders are complete.

[Puddsy]

Group Buy Date and Vendors have been announced, will post updated kitting once renders are complete.

pog

[_rubik]

Group Buy Date and Vendors have been announced, will post updated kitting once renders are complete.

My wallet is ready

[clayclws]

Group Buy Date and Vendors have been announced, will post updated kitting once renders are complete.

No SEA vendors? Monokei or iLumkb? Since you are working with Hand Engineering, maybe Lewis can introduce you to Beaming of Monokei?
Rebult just came in to save the day!

[yqqdrasil]

I would love a dedicated 40s kit, but I understand if there isn't enough interest, 3 key in base is already a blessing.

[Jefff]

Definitely will be getting in on this!

[Chenson]

Maybe a collab with HIBI MX?

[tngpq]

Love the set and definitely copping but is there any chance of adding R1-R4 relegendables?

[Aiwanei]

Love the set and definitely copping but is there any chance of adding R1-R4 relegendables?

The relegendables kit ideas being expanded with the updated kitting.

[Aiwanei]

I have updated the kitting images as well as provided some notes on the changes.  I would love to get feedback, and I will also be posting a new IC form in the next few days about these kits.

[Ensaum]

New kitting looks great as far as I can tell. Only suggestion I have is to maybe throw a couple widowed keys into the :whitespace kit.

[euphxenos]

Please consider adding R3 PgUp and R4 PgDn.

[HappyB0T]

DCS Incognito was canceled - I have some extra money to spend on DCS - I'm down.

[clayclws]

Suggestion: icons only mod maybe? Like DCS paperwork

[Aiwanei]

Suggestion: icons only mod maybe? Like DCS paperwork

Since this is based on an IDE theme I felt that having text or text+icon fit better (and I personally prefer text+icon over just text), but I do understand that draw of Icon only, maybe got a future set I'll do that.

[clayclws]

Since this is based on an IDE theme I felt that having text or text+icon fit better (and I personally prefer text+icon over just text), but I do understand that draw of Icon only, maybe got a future set I'll do that.

Alright. Understood. I have the nightfall and i just thought that the Enter + arrow, and the Shift + arrow looks odd compared to GMK’s as the Enter’s arrow do not flush with the Enter’s wording. And the Shift’s arrow is a bit condensed.

Glad the tab arrows have been shifted though!

[Capsy]

That is a great relegendables kit. Thank you !!

[ahpeace112]

Yes

[Starston3]

Any possibility that two 1.5u #! would be added for those that use mac/*nix and tsagan bottom row?

[Ensaum]

i haven't found a switch i don't like with DCS yet

So, I picked up a set of DCS wob from pmk and.. it's not for me

I really gave it a chance across 3 very different setups, but I just couldn't get into it. Way to harsh and metallic sounding and I don't like the texture. I'm extremely disappointed because I really wanted to like this profile with all the sets coming out, but oh well. Glad I tried it out first I guess.

[konstantin]

I have updated the kitting images as well as provided some notes on the changes.  I would love to get feedback, and I will also be posting a new IC form in the next few days about these kits.

I have some feedback on the new kits. Since the new IC form isn't up yet, I'll post my thoughts here.

:Base Kit

Show Image

First off, I'm glad to see that R2 1.5u Delete is gone and that you've kept some of the #! keys. 😄

Your base kit still seems to be missing R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn keys for 65% boards, though. This is bad, because 65% is a popular layout, and R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn are statistically among the most popular keys for that layout (see this breakdown).
In theory, there are a lot more users who need these 2 keys than there are users who need the 6 keys for ISO-UK, which you chose to include after all. Details:

More

According to the results of the last MK Megasurvey (conducted in March 2020), some 489 out of 1899 participants, or 25.75%, said that 65% was their preferred layout. Combining this with the right column stats from QMK gives us a number of around 12.4% of all users who use R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn. Compare this to only 2.6% for ISO-UK.
Obviously, these stats aren't exact, and user preferences will have changed since March 2020, but I would argue that 65% layouts could only have grown in popularity since then due to so many new 65% boards being released during that time (both entry-level as well as high-end).

That being said, even if you keep the UK keys (which is totally cool and would be appreciated by UK buyers), it would still be great to see R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn included.
An alternative option would be to add R3 Prev, R4 Next, which are more generic alternatives that cover a few other use cases in addition to 65%. However, I'm not sure if SP has the molds for those in DCS; only SA is confirmed.

Regarding R2 1.75u Backspace, R3 1.25u Tab, R3 1.5u Enter (aka. 3-key 40s support):
The consensus in the 40% community is that including this kind of support in the base kit only makes sense for GMK sets, due to how GMK's pricing structure works. The idea is that if you include these 3 keys in base, you don't need to run a separate 40% kit (which is unlikely to meet MOQ with GMK pricing). However, with other profiles/manus, there are no benefits to having these keys in base vs the 40% kit. Therefore, you are advised to move these keys to the 40% kit.

:Whitespace (Spacebars)

Show Image

You don't need a second copy of 1u and 2u space in this kit. Those keys can be removed, keeping only one instance of each.

Generally speaking, spacekeys for 40% layouts and spacekeys for larger layouts should not be combined/mixed. It's almost always a bad idea to force 40% users to also have to buy a spacebars kit. Just put the spaces needed for 40% boards in the 40% kit. There are no drawbacks to doing this, especially with SP's pricing structure.

:Ortho + Expanded40s

Show Image

As previously mentioned, R2 1.75u Backspace, R3 1.25u Tab, R3 1.5u Enter should be moved from base to this kit, and the following spacekeys should be added: 2× 1u, 2× 2u, 2.25u, 2.75u.

The R3 1.25u Code key should be changed to the same grayish legend color as the other R3 keys.
Additionally, a R3 1u Code key should be added to the kit, because a lot of 40% users prefer to put something other than Tab on the left side of R3 (the aforementioned 1.25u Code is included in the kit for the same reason).
One more consideration regarding these two multipurpose keys is that you may want to use something other than Code as their legend, because you're already using Code for the OS keys in the base kit. Meta or Super could work.

:NorDe++

Show Image

This kit is missing a R3 \| key for US ISO and generic ISO support.

I also find it odd that you named this kit “NorDe+++” and included keys for Estonian, as well as Ñ (which on its own is pretty useless for covering Spanish layouts), but didn't include keys for Icelandic and Faroese, which are “truer” NorDe layouts.

:Accents

Show Image

This is a very minor thing, but the Esc and ISO Enter keys should be moved to the correct rows in the kit render: ISO Enter spans R2–R3, not R1–R3 as is currently shown.

:VIM Arrows

Show Image

Another labeling detail. These should be R3, not R1.


I think that just about covers everything that caught my eye with the new kitting. Happy to hear your thoughts!


Edit: additional notes/suggestions

[DrHigsby]

Hey there, great lookin set!

I wanted to offer a comment about your inclusion of R2 1.75u Backspace, R3 1.25u Tab, and R3 1.5u Enter (3-key 40s support). This solution is intended to be a base kit solution only.

The purpose of the 3-key solution is to increase support for 40% keyboards in the base kit without needing or requiring a child kit purchase. The 3-key solution is also a compromise, first and foremost. It's the answer to the question, "What are the least number of keys 40s users would need for physical coverage that covers the largest swath of 40s boards possible." This solution affords 40s users physical compatibility for 12u, 13u, and 12.75u wide keyboards (Such as Prime_e, Daisy, Oceaongrapher, etc).

However, since you are offering a 40s child kit, those three aforementioned keys belong in the 40s kit and not the base kit, in my opinion.

GLWIC!

[Aiwanei]

I have updated the kitting images as well as provided some notes on the changes.  I would love to get feedback, and I will also be posting a new IC form in the next few days about these kits.

I have some feedback on the new kits. Since the new IC form isn't up yet, I'll post my thoughts here.

:Base Kit

Show Image

First off, I'm glad to see that R2 1.5u Delete is gone and that you've kept some of the #! keys. 😄

Your base kit still seems to be missing R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn keys for 65% boards, though. This is bad, because 65% is a popular layout, and R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn are statistically among the most popular keys for that layout (see this breakdown).
In theory, there are a lot more users who need these 2 keys than there are users who need the 6 keys for ISO-UK, which you chose to include after all. Details:

More

According to the results of the last MK Megasurvey (conducted in March 2020), some 489 out of 1899 participants, or 25.75%, said that 65% was their preferred layout. Combining this with the right column stats from QMK gives us a number of around 12.4% of all users who use R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn. Compare this to only 2.6% for ISO-UK.
Obviously, these stats aren't exact, and user preferences will have changed since March 2020, but I would argue that 65% layouts could only have grown in popularity since then due to so many new 65% boards being released during that time (both entry-level as well as high-end).

That being said, even if you keep the UK keys (which is totally cool and would be appreciated by UK buyers), it would still be great to see R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn included.
An alternative option would be to add R3 Prev, R4 Next, which are more generic alternatives that cover a few other use cases in addition to 65%. However, I'm not sure if SP has the molds for those in DCS; only SA is confirmed.

Regarding R2 1.75u Backspace, R3 1.25u Tab, R3 1.5u Enter (aka. 3-key 40s support):
The consensus in the 40% community is that including this kind of support in the base kit only makes sense for GMK sets, due to how GMK's pricing structure works. The idea is that if you include these 3 keys in base, you don't need to run a separate 40% kit (which is unlikely to meet MOQ with GMK pricing). However, with other profiles/manus, there are no benefits to having these keys in base vs the 40% kit. Therefore, you are advised to move these keys to the 40% kit.

:Whitespace (Spacebars)

Show Image

You don't need a second copy of 1u and 2u space in this kit. Those keys can be removed, keeping only one instance of each.

Generally speaking, spacekeys for 40% layouts and spacekeys for larger layouts should not be combined/mixed. It's almost always a bad idea to force 40% users to also have to buy a spacebars kit. Just put the spaces needed for 40% boards in the 40% kit. There are no drawbacks to doing this, especially with SP's pricing structure.

:Ortho + Expanded40s

Show Image

As previously mentioned, R2 1.75u Backspace, R3 1.25u Tab, R3 1.5u Enter should be moved from base to this kit, and the following spacekeys should be added: 2× 1u, 2× 2u, 2.25u, 2.75u.

The R3 1.25u Code key should be changed to the same grayish legend color as the other R3 keys.
Additionally, a R3 1u Code key should be added to the kit, because a lot of 40% users prefer to put something other than Tab on the left side of R3 (the aforementioned 1.25u Code is included in the kit for the same reason).
One more consideration regarding these two multipurpose keys is that you may want to use something other than Code as their legend, because you're already using Code for the OS keys in the base kit. Meta or Super could work.

:NorDe++

Show Image

This kit is missing a R3 \| key for US ISO and generic ISO support.

I also find it odd that you named this kit “NorDe+++” and included keys for Estonian, as well as Ñ (which on its own is pretty useless for covering Spanish layouts), but didn't include keys for Icelandic and Faroese, which are “truer” NorDe layouts.

:Accents

Show Image

This is a very minor thing, but the Esc and ISO Enter keys should be moved to the correct rows in the kit render: ISO Enter spans R2–R3, not R1–R3 as is currently shown.

:VIM Arrows

Show Image

Another labeling detail. These should be R3, not R1.


I think that just about covers everything that caught my eye with the new kitting. Happy to hear your thoughts!


Edit: additional notes/suggestions

Fixing kitting so iso keys can be properly labeled(noticed it was incorrect in monomods kit as well). I'm also.adding in r3 pgup r4 pgdn.

Norde kit is being renamed to International, it was a hold over name from when I first started working on it and and international is more reflective of it's current status. I also was talking to members of the Mexican keyboard community and this partial support (the kit as it stands has 11 keys that are used by LATAM ISO with non-tertiary legends), goes a long way for many of them. This kit ended up being more expensive than expected, so while I wanted to extend support, I had to be a little bit creative that while not perfect, it is something.

I've been mulling it over for a while and I'm keeping 3 key 40s in base for a specific reason, and that is to provide some.basic 40s support to those who only want a base kit, the 40s/ortho kit is there to extend support, but the attempt is to be able to kit it a 40s in the base kit for those trying to save a bit. Is it the right move? Only time will tell.

I understand why you suggest moving the spacebar keys into the 40s but I don't plan on doing so, though I appreciate the suggestion.

[novelflyer]

This looks great and feels good to have a Mexican vendor 

[GrumioThaSpoonGod]

buying for the 10u

[Aiwanei]

I have posted an updated interest check form, it has updated KLEs for the mostly final kitting (small changes may still happen), renders are being made of the updated kitting.  It also has information about a couple collaborations including a tactile switch from gateron and a metal novelty in the DCS profile.

Check out the new IC

[HappyB0T]

Excited for DCS + 10u

[robotictomato]

Is there any chance of an Alps base kit for this set, similar to the recently closed DCS 9009 set?

I'm not sure what the MOQ would need to be to support that, but I would be very interested.

[Aiwanei]

I have updated the kitting renders, these should be the final kitting renders (pending any last minute mistakes found).  I also have some updates about the Gateron SolDark Switch, including prototype switch images as well as some force graphs:

[HungerMechanic]

I have updated the kitting renders, these should be the final kitting renders (pending any last minute mistakes found).  I also have some updates about the Gateron SolDark Switch, including prototype switch images as well as some force graphs:

It's a tactile! I'm not good at reading those graphs, but it looks like a snappy, top-mounted Ergo Clear?

I'd say it's like Durock Medium Tactile, in-between Ergo Clear and T1, but it's beating T1 at the start. What Gateron stem is this? Zealio?

EDIT: It seems to be a modern heavy tactile, like T1 or Zealio V2. Top-mounted bump, probably more intense than Ergo Clear, high activation weight [55 - 60 G]. Short travel, so it may be long-stem for thock.

[Aiwanei]

I have updated the kitting renders, these should be the final kitting renders (pending any last minute mistakes found).  I also have some updates about the Gateron SolDark Switch, including prototype switch images as well as some force graphs:

It's a tactile! I'm not good at reading those graphs, but it looks like a snappy, top-mounted Ergo Clear?

I'd say it's like Durock Medium Tactile, in-between Ergo Clear and T1, but it's beating T1 at the start. What Gateron stem is this? Zealio?

EDIT: It seems to be a modern heavy tactile, like T1 or Zealio V2. Top-mounted bump, probably more intense than Ergo Clear, high activation weight [55 - 60 G]. Short travel, so it may be long-stem for thock.

So it uses the same stem as the Gateron Silver Blizzard, which has a long pole (so shortened travel) and it has a good sized rounded bump with little to no pretravel.  I opted for a lighter spring weight than the Silver Blizzard, to compensate for the higher tactile feeling.

[ephemeral25]

I would love to see my Pipe R3.
I love my big left shift with ISO enter.

Pretty lit will proly buy anyway, we need more DCS ! 

Love the 10U and the VIM makes a lot of sense to me

[Alessio]

i know gb has already been announced, but pls add an alps kit. I think there would be a lot of demand for it given how DCS 9009 went. This set would be sick with alps

[CosminOance]

Loving this, great colour combo.

[7empest]

i know gb has already been announced, but pls add an alps kit. I think there would be a lot of demand for it given how DCS 9009 went. This set would be sick with alps

I agree - this would make for an amazing Alps set!

[Phractals]

Most likely in on Base+International and possibly Accents. This would be my first set of DCS. Really excited to try it out, especially with the colors of this theme.
Hoping International will make MOQ as well! I’m probably a little late to the party, but I’d also be interested in a deskmat to go with this.

[Aiwanei]

I have updated the thread with the pricing, but I have also announced that at ThocKeys (and some of the regional vendors) if you buy the base kit you will get the VIM kit for free if purchased during the early bird window (this window may vary between vendors that participate, for ThocKeys it is 11/11-11/14). 

As a side note, I am looking into a last minute kit addition that would give physical support for Mac OS (2x 1.5u #! keys) but will see if we get the quote to add that in time.

Edit: Looked into a separate kit for the Mac OS keys, even though it is just two keys, the price was higher than the VIM kit and 10u spacebar kit at similar MOQ and would have had to be priced higher than I would have liked.

[azzipa]

this is fire but def bummer that macos/hhkb support was ignored. was first mentioned as early as aug 12 but ignored each time. makes for an auto-boycott from me but you’ll hit #’s so no big deal. glwgb 

As a side note, I am looking into a last minute kit addition that would give physical support for Mac OS (2x 1.5u #! keys) but will see if we get the quote to add that in time.

Edit: Looked into a separate kit for the Mac OS keys, even though it is just two keys, the price was higher than the VIM kit and 10u spacebar kit at similar MOQ and would have had to be priced higher than I would have liked.

[Aiwanei]

this is fire but def bummer that macos/hhkb support was ignored. was first mentioned as early as aug 12 but ignored each time. makes for an auto-boycott from me but you’ll hit #’s so no big deal. glwgb 

As a side note, I am looking into a last minute kit addition that would give physical support for Mac OS (2x 1.5u #! keys) but will see if we get the quote to add that in time.

Edit: Looked into a separate kit for the Mac OS keys, even though it is just two keys, the price was higher than the VIM kit and 10u spacebar kit at similar MOQ and would have had to be priced higher than I would have liked.

I actually looked into having the two 1.5u #! (or code) keys added as a separate kit, but the pricing for those was more quite a bit more expensive than the VIM kit or 10u spacebar kit at the same MOQs, so it seemed cost prohibitive(kit would have been had to be sold at $8-10 for just those two keys).  Though if the base kit exceeds expected sales by a wide enough margin, I may look into adding those two keys into base as a gift, but please don't buy the set on the "hope" that those get added.

[Fooblitzky]

Point/counter point:
There are two 1.25u #! in the base kit now. Swap them out for 1.5u #! since most people (me) are using WKL nowadays anyways.
Problem solved (in my favor).

[azzipa]

I actually looked into having the two 1.5u #! (or code) keys added as a separate kit, but the pricing for those was more quite a bit more expensive than the VIM kit or 10u spacebar kit at the same MOQs, so it seemed cost prohibitive(kit would have been had to be sold at $8-10 for just those two keys). 

dude, i get it and it’s ok. just know, as a macos user i'm numb to the "apple tax" imposed on us unthinking fanbois. you could charge $25 for two R4 1.5u Super, another 1u Alt, and R3 keys for Control and Function and i'd buy it. pretty sure i'm not alone, but this is just chit chat at this point since gb launches tomorrow. you're gonna crush it, which is awesome, because this set looks really good. 

[syberghost]

Copped

[Gondolindrim]

There, you have my money.

Now give me my 10u spacebar.

[dvorcol]

GROUP BUY THREAD IS LIVE!