RAMA CNC Aluminium Keycap - SHIPPED!

[KingRama]

UPDATE! KEYCAPS PACKAGED!
UPDATE! DISCOUNT RATE TABLE BELOW :3
ORDER HERE:http://www.rama.works/store/
Shipping to the United States is a flat-rate of $10 USD using AusPost Registered Post international https://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/calculate-postage-delivery-times/#/option/international/AU/US
Free shipping with orders of $70(or 2 caps) or over with the coupon FREESHIP

ORDERS WILL NOT BE FULFILLED UNTIL MANUFACTURING COSTS ARE MET BY THE 1^ST OF MARCH. AS SOON AS MANUFACTURING COSTS ARE MET, THE CAP WILL BE PRODUCED THEN SENT OUT. IF SUFFICIENT ORDERS ARE NOT MET BY THE 1^ST OF MARCH, FULL REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED. MONEY WILL STAY IN MY STRIPE ACCOUNT FOR EASY REFUNDS. THANKYOU!

You can order as follows:

Red (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping


Orange (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping


Green (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping


Blue (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping


Yellow (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping


Black (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping


Raw $35 USD + Shipping



After expressed interest in editions that match existing sets... now introducing...
MIAMI+HYPERFUSE EDITION (THANKS BUNNYLAKE!!!)MIAMI (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping


MIAMI 2 (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping


HYPERFUSE (Edition of 15) $39 USD + Shipping




DISCOUNTS:

AMOUNT OF CAPS	CODE	DISCOUNT
2	2CAPS	8.00%
3	3CAPS	12.00%
4	4CAPS	16.00%
5	5CAPS	20.00%
10+	10CAPS	24.00%

NOTE: If orders are not met by the 1st of March, refunds will be issued in full!

Hey guys, long time lurker here!

After a few weeks of prototyping and testing, I'm ready to release my first CNC Machined keycap!

It's machined from a billet of aluminium then coated with a matte paint. The top surface is ribbed for your fingers pleasure and is cold to the touch and nicely weighted.

Here are some pics:
Attached to a keyboard:



Hallmarking on the base of the key



Front of the cap


*THUMP* Seriously, this thing makes a nice sound


Here's a video of how it sounds in comparison to an ABS key (on a MX Blue). NOTE: this is a prototype version of the keycap! There have been changes made to it since the video ^__^

Packaging
NOTE: This is the prototype packaging!!




Pricing
$45 USD + Shipping

What's next?
Aluminium keycap mould for resin casting! Funds from this special edition will be used to prototype and test a resin cast I'm designing, which I will sell if it works as expected! Hallmarking/custom designs will exist with this solution!



Want to see more?

Click here: http://www.renanramadan.work/#/rama-aluminium-wave-key-cap-r-01/

Review! (Thanks Glenmael)
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=79224.0

Thanks for reading!


UPDATE! 15/02
The design has been adjusted to fit inside a Topre/MX Slider as per requested by Qazeqaz!

[Steezus]

Looks pretty cool but the price is way off imo. For $180 I can't see anybody really buying it, especially when there is more detailed titanium caps having an interest check for about $70. Not to mention the caps that feng sells on his website which is anodized. http://www.geekkeys.com/holyoops/

Seeing a price like that makes me think that you are only profit focused and that really isn't what the community is tbh.

[KingRama]

Looks pretty cool but the price is way off imo. For $180 I can't see anybody really buying it, especially when there is more detailed titanium caps having an interest check for about $70. Not to mention the caps that feng sells on his website which is anodized. http://www.geekkeys.com/holyoops/

Seeing a price like that makes me think that you are only profit focused and that really isn't what the community is tbh.

Hey Steezus, thanks for replying. I understand that it's really expensive And phwoah those feng caps are really cool, at this stage it's impossible for me to produce at that price, I'd be losing heaps of money D: I think I'll have to do a bit more research in trying to reduce the cost, it will most likely be through producing a higher quantity.

[Binge]

I feel like anyone seriously interested in progressing their hobby of casting/creating keycaps is going to focus this kind of money on basic tools.  You may not be able to CNC this keycap yourself for such a low cost, but maybe look into running a GB, outsourcing to a competent manufacturer, and save your potential fans money.

[Steezus]

Looks pretty cool but the price is way off imo. For $180 I can't see anybody really buying it, especially when there is more detailed titanium caps having an interest check for about $70. Not to mention the caps that feng sells on his website which is anodized. http://www.geekkeys.com/holyoops/

Seeing a price like that makes me think that you are only profit focused and that really isn't what the community is tbh.

Hey Steezus, thanks for replying. I understand that it's really expensive And phwoah those feng caps are really cool, at this stage it's impossible for me to produce at that price, I'd be losing heaps of money D: I think I'll have to do a bit more research in trying to reduce the cost, it will most likely be through producing a higher quantity.

It's just very hard for me to justify that price, the only artisans that have even gone for around that price are clacks.

May I ask how many you're making in order to have to sell for that high of price? Even other users such as wangbwhz are coming out with some crazy detailed caps for about a 1/3rd of the cost. https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=77830.0

[KingRama]

I feel like anyone seriously interested in progressing their hobby of casting/creating keycaps is going to focus this kind of money on basic tools.  You may not be able to CNC this keycap yourself for such a low cost, but maybe look into running a GB, outsourcing to a competent manufacturer, and save your potential fans money.

Hey Binge, yeah I think you're right, am looking into doing a GroupBuy to reduce the cost substantially. The cap as it stands is very expensive to produce at such a low quantity

It's just very hard for me to justify that price, the only artisans that have even gone for around that price are clacks.

May I ask how many you're making in order to have to sell for that high of price? Even other users such as wangbwhz are coming out with some crazy detailed caps for about a 1/3rd of the cost. https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=77830.0

For that quantity, I was making 15. At 100 units it would be a multitude cheaper to produce, am thinking a GroupBuy is the way to go

[rowdy]

Oh look, an Australian keycap maker!

Remember that those prices are AUD$ and the corresponding US$ price would be somewhat lower.

[Photekq]

I think this is disgustingly overpriced. I am well aware that low quantity CNC manufacturing is very high-cost, but these prices are just extortionate. You can get a full CNC aluminium keyboard kit for just over twice that price.

[bocahgundul]

Wow that is a really detailed keycaps! Plan on making some topre  stem?

[Zapheo]

I agree with everyone else here. A group buy would be your best bet.

[KingRama]

Oh look, an Australian keycap maker!

Remember that those prices are AUD$ and the corresponding US$ price would be somewhat lower.

Straight outta' Melbourne!

Yes, prices are in AUD, but it's still super expensive :S

I think this is disgustingly overpriced. I am well aware that low quantity CNC manufacturing is very high-cost, but these prices are just extortionate. You can get a full CNC aluminium keyboard kit for just over twice that price.

I think that's a little bit unfair, I realise that these caps are expensive (and I wasn't hiding the fact that there is an extra small margin for funding future projects) but those aluminium cases are machined at high quantities in China, we're talking in the hundreds (maybe even thousands). Once you've jigged up, bulk purchased stock billets, then batch post-process, creating that many is marginally cheaper. These caps are small, very small, and require a lot of machine time to get the small details and the fine radii. Then they have to be finished by hand then painted. For the 15 I'm making, that's expensive. When I move to higher quantities it will be much much cheaper.

Wow that is a really detailed keycaps! Plan on making some topre  stem?

Yes of course! My HHKB is feeling lonely, won't be hard at all to make a Topre step!

I agree with everyone else here. A group buy would be your best bet.

Yep I agree, going to make a GeekHack special edition of 100 or so units (and conduct and interest check to see if there is any), I will have to calculate the cost but it'll hopefully be sub $60 USD (hopefully much much less)!

[Steezus]

Oh look, an Australian keycap maker!

Remember that those prices are AUD$ and the corresponding US$ price would be somewhat lower.

Straight outta' Melbourne!

Yes, prices are in AUD, but it's still super expensive :S

I think this is disgustingly overpriced. I am well aware that low quantity CNC manufacturing is very high-cost, but these prices are just extortionate. You can get a full CNC aluminium keyboard kit for just over twice that price.

I think that's a little bit unfair, I realise that these caps are expensive (and I wasn't hiding the fact that there is an extra small margin for funding future projects) but those aluminium cases are machined at high quantities in China, we're talking in the hundreds (maybe even thousands). Once you've jigged up, bulk purchased stock billets, then batch post-process, creating that many is marginally cheaper. These caps are small, very small, and require a lot of machine time to get the small details and the fine radii. Then they have to be finished by hand then painted. For the 15 I'm making, that's expensive. When I move to higher quantities it will be much much cheaper.

Actually that's not the case, for instance the TGR-Jane had 20 boards made and I paid $420 for the full aluminum case which even had a custom engraved brass plate + PCB + plate and it was not made in China.

[Photekq]

I think that's a little bit unfair, I realise that these caps are expensive (and I wasn't hiding the fact that there is an extra small margin for funding future projects) but those aluminium cases are machined at high quantities in China, we're talking in the hundreds (maybe even thousands). Once you've jigged up, bulk purchased stock billets, then batch post-process, creating that many is marginally cheaper. These caps are small, very small, and require a lot of machine time to get the small details and the fine radii. Then they have to be finished by hand then painted. For the 15 I'm making, that's expensive. When I move to higher quantities it will be much much cheaper.

I must amend my post due to one thing : I thought the prices were in USD rather than AUD.

I think this is very overpriced. I am well aware that low quantity CNC manufacturing is very high-cost, but these prices are just extortionate. You can get a full CNC aluminium keyboard kit for just over three times that price.

I'm not talking about CNC cases made in China in 100+ quantities, I'm talking about some Korean ones made in much lower quantities (50 and lower). They even come with a PCB and laser cut plate too.

Even at a quantity of 15 I'm shocked to hear that your margins are small. Perhaps you could get some quotes from other machine shops, because I don't think those prices are competitive.

[KingRama]

Actually that's not the case, for instance the TGR-Jane had 20 boards made and I paid $420 for the full aluminum case which even had a custom engraved brass plate + PCB + plate and it was not made in China.

Oh wow okay, maybe I'm getting reamed from my current manufacturer, I will have to investigate :S

I'm not talking about CNC cases made in China in 100+ quantities, I'm talking about some Korean ones made in much lower quantities (50 and lower). They even come with a PCB and laser cut plate too.

Even at a quantity of 15 I'm shocked to hear that your margins are small. Perhaps you could get some quotes from other machine shops, because I don't think those prices are competitive.

I think you're right, I've just stuck with a manufacturer I've used many times before :/ maybe it's time for a change, thanks for the insight Steevus + Photekq

[Glenmael]

Sweet dude! love the cap as well as the effort you are putting in! really hitting the ground running!

I'm also in Melbourne so if you need a hand with anything drop me a PM I'd be happy to contribute in any way.

 

[KingRama]

Sweet dude! love the cap as well as the effort you are putting in! really hitting the ground running!

I'm also in Melbourne so if you need a hand with anything drop me a PM I'd be happy to contribute in any way.

 

Awww thanks dude! Thinking I'm going to removing the cap from the store then restart as a GroupBuy to get the cost down :S

Oh awesome, where about in Melbourne are you??

[Glenmael]

Sweet dude! love the cap as well as the effort you are putting in! really hitting the ground running!

I'm also in Melbourne so if you need a hand with anything drop me a PM I'd be happy to contribute in any way.

 

Awww thanks dude! Thinking I'm going to removing the cap from the store then restart as a GroupBuy to get the cost down :S

Oh awesome, where about in Melbourne are you??

PM'd 

[x9Memoriez]

Anything back from the manufacturer? i would go ballistic if i was spending within margins of 180 AUD for a keycap that wasnt a Low-Mid end clack.

Im sure if you could get something like that red one down to 50? ish USD there would be an amount of interest, but not at this point.

You're taking the constructive feedback very humbly btw, i respect that

- Another Aussie being reamed by conversions and shipping

[retrochick]

No amount of fancy packaging or silly extra hipstery moleskine notebook fluff can justify that price. You should concentrate on the product itself and not the things around it.

[KingRama]

Anything back from the manufacturer? i would go ballistic if i was spending within margins of 180 AUD for a keycap that wasnt a Low-Mid end clack.

Im sure if you could get something like that red one down to 50? ish USD there would be an amount of interest, but not at this point.

You're taking the constructive feedback very humbly btw, i respect that

- Another Aussie being reamed by conversions and shipping

Hey dude, yeah I've contacted my manufacturer, awaiting a response - going for quantity this time! I've removed everything from my store from the feedback I've received, I really don't want people to feel like I'm ripping them off or anything, just want something which is accessible to more people. SO QUANTITY IT IS!

Yep yep! Aiming for that ~50ish USD price point! Will be conducting an interest check in the following days once I receive word back from my manufacturer!

The keyboard community is one I respect a lot - people are really friendly and extremely helpful here and I need to respect their opinions and feedback! And the feedback I've received has honestly been very helpful, you know, I think it was wrong of me to sort of release something without doing more research into trying to bring the costs down and I feel bad about that. So, now I'm taking steps to reduce the cost to something which can be a lot more attainable for more people!

And oh my good lord dude, have you seen what the exchange is at now? 69 CENTS. WAT.

No amount of fancy packaging or silly extra hipstery moleskine notebook fluff can justify that price. You should concentrate on the product itself and not the things around it.

Hey Retrochick, yeah I can understand that, I just wanted to package it really nicely ^__^ Don't worry though! I am rethinking the packaging and like you said, focusing more on the product itself. Thankyou !

[hwood34]

No amount of fancy packaging or silly extra hipstery moleskine notebook fluff can justify that price. You should concentrate on the product itself and not the things around it.

Doesn't seem like he's really trying to put tons of money into the packaging, pretty simple boxes and vacuum bags, still makes the presentation much nicer. At this point it's really about getting the lower price points for higher quantity runs

[KingRama]

Doesn't seem like he's really trying to put tons of money into the packaging, pretty simple boxes and vacuum bags, still makes the presentation much nicer. At this point it's really about getting the lower price points for higher quantity runs

Correct! Already bulk ordered a bunch of packaging things I'm going to test using and the cost is next to nothing like a couple cents per unit I think. And absolutely, I'm now thinking 100 units at a minimum to get it more affordable

[Ramage]

After it comes out of the machine does the shop do finishing work for you or do you sand it yourself by hand?

I would definitely find out how they're doing their pricing because the numbers don't make sense to me. Even if they charge the upper shop rate of $100/hour this is at the most a 30 minute part on the machine and the stock for a single cap would be about $5 or less. Three hours for set up and programming is more than fair so that makes an additional $300 bucks to start.  If the shop throws the parts in a tumbler for 8 hours they'd charge at most $30/part which makes 15 caps $1575 or $105/cap.

[KingRama]

After it comes out of the machine does the shop do finishing work for you or do you sand it yourself by hand?

I would definitely find out how they're doing their pricing because the numbers don't make sense to me. Even if they charge the upper shop rate of $100/hour this is at the most a 30 minute part on the machine and the stock for a single cap would be about $5 or less. Three hours for set up and programming is more than fair so that makes an additional $300 bucks to start.  If the shop throws the parts in a tumbler for 8 hours they'd charge at most $30/part which makes 15 caps $1575 or $105/cap.

I have them do the finishing and painting to my spec - I'll see if I can get a breakdown of the costs. Moving to quantity now though, so I think the pricing is going to change dramatically

It's perhaps more the fact that they're a prototyping company (they deal with more 1-off type deals, so high initial setup costs) I've contacted some other shops that's more geared up for batch production to see what they'd charge. Fingers crossed

Edit: notable that these Aussie shops are pretty pricey X___X

[Ramage]

After it comes out of the machine does the shop do finishing work for you or do you sand it yourself by hand?

I would definitely find out how they're doing their pricing because the numbers don't make sense to me. Even if they charge the upper shop rate of $100/hour this is at the most a 30 minute part on the machine and the stock for a single cap would be about $5 or less. Three hours for set up and programming is more than fair so that makes an additional $300 bucks to start.  If the shop throws the parts in a tumbler for 8 hours they'd charge at most $30/part which makes 15 caps $1575 or $105/cap.

I have them do the finishing and painting to my spec - I'll see if I can get a breakdown of the costs. Moving to quantity now though, so I think the pricing is going to change dramatically

It's perhaps more the fact that they're a prototyping company (they deal with more 1-off type deals, so high initial setup costs) I've contacted some other shops that's more geared up for batch production to see what they'd charge. Fingers crossed

It's most definitely that. Those shops always have really high prices because they don't deal in quantities. The good news is you have your part locked in so you just have to push that out for quotes.  Good luck man!

[KingRama]

It's most definitely that. Those shops always have really high prices because they don't deal in quantities. The good news is you have your part locked in so you just have to push that out for quotes.  Good luck man!

Yeah, thanks Ramage! I've sent out to a couple shops geared for quantities, we'll see what comes out - from previous experience it's gonna be a hella'ov'alot cheaper 

[KingRama]

Hey everyone, I really appreciate the support + feedback I've received through the community - after contacting my manufacturer and going for quantity I have now achieved a price of $45 USD + Shipping for the keycap. If you believe this to be an appropriate price and wish to express your interest you can do so through this link here: http://www.renanramadan.work/ic-rama-wave-aluminium-cap-01

Once again, thank you for the help and comments! 

[Steezus]

Hey everyone, I really appreciate the support + feedback I've received through the community - after contacting my manufacturer and going for quantity I have now achieved a price of $45 USD + Shipping for the keycap. If you believe this to be an appropriate price and wish to express your interest you can do so through this link here: http://www.renanramadan.work/ic-rama-wave-aluminium-cap-01

Once again, thank you for the help and comments! 

Now that's a much better price, glad to see you could get it worked out KingRama.

[KingRama]

Now that's a much better price, glad to see you could get it worked out KingRama.

Great, thank's so much Steezus! Honestly, I needed the push in the right direction and you where a huge help! 

[romevi]

Hey everyone, I really appreciate the support + feedback I've received through the community - after contacting my manufacturer and going for quantity I have now achieved a price of $45 USD + Shipping for the keycap. If you believe this to be an appropriate price and wish to express your interest you can do so through this link here: http://www.renanramadan.work/ic-rama-wave-aluminium-cap-01

Once again, thank you for the help and comments! 

Now that's a much better price, glad to see you could get it worked out KingRama.

Hey there, that's a price I can swallow.

[hwood34]

Hey everyone, I really appreciate the support + feedback I've received through the community - after contacting my manufacturer and going for quantity I have now achieved a price of $45 USD + Shipping for the keycap. If you believe this to be an appropriate price and wish to express your interest you can do so through this link here: http://www.renanramadan.work/ic-rama-wave-aluminium-cap-01

Once again, thank you for the help and comments! 

Now that's a very reasonable price

[KingRama]

Hey there, that's a price I can swallow.

Now that's a very reasonable price

Awesome, thanks guys, glad it was all sorted out

[Photekq]

That's more like it. Good stuff. Thanks for taking my admittedly stark words on board rather than taking offense at them.

[KingRama]

That's more like it. Good stuff. Thanks for taking my admittedly stark words on board rather than taking offense at them.

Ah of course! I respect your opinion and honestly, I wouldn't have gotten to this stage without it. It was very helpful and I think critiques and questioning like that are beneficial and makes communities like this amazing. Everyone helps each other. So thank you Photekq!! 

EDIT: Don't worry about the stark response, I understood the reaction, and the way you put it kinda put things in perspective for me, like WOAH for this price I could get something much better etc; Helped push me in the right direction of getting the price right which is appealing to the community, I always wanted to do smaller run type things, but at this stage I realised that it's too damned expensive, I think I just wanted to do more manageable quantities. But I know I have the facilities and capabilities of doing more scale, so all is good!

[x9Memoriez]

Glad that manufacturer got their head out of their arse!

45$ USD is a very reasonable price. If you could get it about 55$ shipped internationally your groupbuy would be a pretty decent success..

Now im wondering how small of a margin you're getting  (Hopefully about 4/5$ apiece. You deserve it  )

I'd love a Royal Blue colour! Or maybe even Finished Alu/Royal blue? Two tones would be great.

Good Luck! you kept at it and it paid off.   

(Website looks beautiful btw, Very professional. I actually love the small plastic box and vacuum sealed bag..)

[KingRama]

Glad that manufacturer got their head out of their arse!

45$ USD is a very reasonable price. If you could get it about 55$ shipped internationally your groupbuy would be a pretty decent success..

Now im wondering how small of a margin you're getting  (Hopefully about 4/5$ apiece. You deserve it  )

I'd love a Royal Blue colour! Or maybe even Finished Alu/Royal blue? Two tones would be great.

Good Lucky! you kept at it and it paid off.   

HAH! Yeah, seems like increasing the quantity 10-fold did the trick! I am looking into my shipping options now!

I'm more interested in getting these out there more than turning a huge profit, original plan was to fund this other keycap project I'm working on, but I think I'll just fund it slowly over time then sort-of all at once :E

I think if and when I get these ordered, I'll get a few more in different colours, separate from the Special Edition. I'll let you know closer to the date and I'll sort it out for you! Assuming it's not going to cost extra to paint a different colour once it's all machined, I will find out! O_o

Thanks for the kind words x9Memoriez:D

[KingRama]

Code: [Select]

How do i delete this post ohgod

[Steezus]

Code: [Select]

How do i delete this post ohgod

Can't delete your own posts unless you're a mod.

It's all good though, we all end up making that double post here and there.

[KingRama]

Can't delete your own posts unless you're a mod.

It's all good though, we all end up making that double post here and there.

Oh damn dude, I feel silly now ><

IT WILL BE THE ONE AND ONLY I SWEAR 

[Glenmael]

Good stuff mate, now we need some colour options and maybe some Topre love 

[KingRama]

Good stuff mate, now we need some colour options and maybe some Topre love 

Cheers bro! Colour options will be looked into

And ohhhhh you bet Topre will be getting some love, my main drive is the HHKB!!

[Glenmael]

Good stuff mate, now we need some colour options and maybe some Topre love 

Cheers bro! Colour options will be looked into

And ohhhhh you bet Topre will be getting some love, my main drive is the HHKB!!

Shweet =)

[KingRama]

Shweet =)

hehe I estimate Mar-April ^___^

[Waateva]

Really glad you got the price down, I would probably be interested in snagging one of these especially if there are going to be different color options.

[KingRama]

Really glad you got the price down, I would probably be interested in snagging one of these especially if there are going to be different color options.

Yeah trust me, me to dude, me toooo 

Hmmm what colour would you be interested in Waateva? I could perhaps split the run of 100 into 4 different colours?

[Waateva]

Really glad you got the price down, I would probably be interested in snagging one of these especially if there are going to be different color options.

Yeah trust me, me to dude, me toooo 

Hmmm what colour would you be interested in Waateva? I could perhaps split the run of 100 into 4 different colours?

Personally, I would probably like to see orange or red, but an unpainted option would be cool too!

[KingRama]

Personally, I would probably like to see orange or red, but an unpainted option would be cool too!

HMMM, that gives me a good idea actually! I could have an amount of the GroupBuy a certain colour (for the limited edition) ie: 15 units as originally planned. Then have have other options that will be recurring stock, such as the unpainted cap!

Thanks Waateva

[Waateva]

Personally, I would probably like to see orange or red, but an unpainted option would be cool too!

HMMM, that gives me a good idea actually! I could have an amount of the GroupBuy a certain colour (for the limited edition) ie: 15 units as originally planned. Then have have other options that will be recurring stock, such as the unpainted cap!

Thanks Waateva

That's what we're here for!

[KingRama]

That's what we're here for!

Biggest help, all of you! Absolutely amazing community

[romevi]

That's what we're here for!

Biggest help, all of you! Absolutely amazing community

Right? This is the longest and most active I've stayed on a single forum.