[GB] DCS Reaper - In Production

[Aiwanei]

DCS Reaper

Death Comes For Us All
DCS Reaper is a set inspired by Death AKA The Grim Reaper.  The Grim Reaper has had many representations in pop culture and literature, but one thing is clear, when Death comes for you, it means your time on this Earthly plane has run out.  I tried to capture the feeling of how Death is often portrayed, coming from the shadows, cloaked in a black cowl, only thing visible are his hands and face, carrying a scythe, knowing he has come to reap the souls.  To capture this feeling I have gone with a dark grey on black monocolored set but with a few bone white novelties (created by OneCreativeMind) that are a stark contrast to the black.  The set is once again in my personal favorite DCS profile and manufactured by Signature Plastics using their double shot abs molds.

I really am excited to share this with everyone now that it is finally in a place where I am happy with the colors and the kitting.  It uses 3 stock colors only, NN for the black, GTA for the grey and WCK for the bone white. 
Manufactured by Signature Plastics in Washington State using Doubleshot ABS in the DCS Profile with the Classic Modified Gorton Legends.
Kits(Renders by YoniWolf):
Base Kit

Actuary (Numpad) Kit

Novelties Kit

Extension Kit

Femur (Big Bar)

Finger Bones (Small Bars)

Expanded 40s + Ortho Kit

Soulless (Relegendables) Kit

NorDE Kit

Alps Base

Alps Soulless (Relegendables) Kit

Pricing(Missing Items Will Be Updated When Available):

Renders(Renders by YoniWolf):
Propeller by YoniWolf



Ocho Quatro by Daji Keyboards



Petrichor by AKB



Rikia by Caffeinated Studios


Social Media:

Instagram
Discord
Collaborations:
Deskmats:
Ossuary by Sour:


Return (To The Source) by Sour:

Carrion by OCM:

Cat Reaper by Kumaoso:

Artisans:
WinKeys - Already Happened
DreadKeys
Mr Maw
And More
Others:
Artisan Labs Wrist Rest - Coming Soon Will Add Link Once Live
LeonardoDaMouse Custom Mouse - Coming Soon to US, UK and EU Vendors
Hibi

Keybee - 1u PVD Silver

Keybee - 2.25u Anodized Black

Vendors:
US ThocKeys - Live
UK ProtoTypist - Live
EU KeyGem - Live
CA ApexKeyboards - Live
IN Rectangles - Live
JP BaseKeys - Live
AU Switchkeys -Live
SEA Rebult - Live
MX Rheset - Live
CN zFrontier - Live
Group Buy Dates:
March 12th to April 12th

Expected Delivery:
Q4 2022


Special Promotion:
ThocKeys: For the first 72 hours buy either MX or Alps base kit, and receive 10% off the Reaper Deskmats.
KEYGEM: For the first 72 hours, Reaper Deskmats are €20 instead of €22

[Aiwanei]

Reserved

[white_rabbit]

Right on time!

[Blastoise]

Been looking forward to this Good luck with the group buy Aiwanei -rawr

[Rpmorrison10]

love it. Now I just need some other DCS sets to coming in so I know how hard I'm going in on this

[Shunx]

I'm definitely in for this. Waiting for black sets like gmk dark for long enough.

[dRnRcRr]

So nice

Sent from my SM-S908W using Tapatalk

[AeternusCo]

Those novelties are so good. OCM never misses.

[finalarcadia]

In

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[Sifo]

my favourite geekhack moderator

[Aiwanei]

ArtisanLabs Wrist Rest Collaboration is now live at Artisan Labs Website: https://www.artisanlabsmk.com/product-page/gb-dcs-reaper-wristrest

[Shunx]

Anyways, could anyone tell what big bar for? Which keyboard use that?

[finalarcadia]

Anyways, could anyone tell what big bar for? Which keyboard use that?

Any board that supports WKL layout could use it, if you want to let go of the 2 mods beside space bar

It's the go-to choice if you have something to compensate for.

[Aiwanei]

Anyways, could anyone tell what big bar for? Which keyboard use that?

Any board that supports WKL layout could use it, if you want to let go of the 2 mods beside space bar

It's the go-to choice if you have something to compensate for.

Yeah any Tsangan bottom row board is supported.

[CNYH]

May I know what are the sizes of the shifts in the base kit? Its kinda hard to tell just by the image

[Mecxs]

May I know what are the sizes of the shifts in the base kit? Its kinda hard to tell just by the image

1.25u x 1
1.75u x 1
2.25u x 2
2.75u x 1

[Shunx]

Anyways, could anyone tell what big bar for? Which keyboard use that?

Any board that supports WKL layout could use it, if you want to let go of the 2 mods beside space bar

It's the go-to choice if you have something to compensate for.

Ah clear enough. Thanks.

[Sup]

Bought a set seems like this one is gonna be a classic one. One base set, novelty and a 10u Chad spacebar 

[XiXora]

Where is the white ISO key in the extension kit or the base?!

[dvorcol]

[howGoodAreKeyboards]

Bump bump, we gotta pump those numbers up!!

[Aiwanei]

Bump bump, we gotta pump those numbers up!!

Hopefully will see a bump at vendors update on Friday, that chart is missing a lot of the vendors numbers, only about 1/3 have reported numbers so far.

[dvorcol]

Bump bump, we gotta pump those numbers up!!

Hopefully will see a bump at vendors update on Friday, that chart is missing a lot of the vendors numbers, only about 1/3 have reported numbers so far.

I'd say Base reaching just over 30% of MOQ on day 3 with only 1/3 of vendors reporting is a really good sign.

[Shunx]

Where is the white ISO key in the extension kit or the base?!

I didn't see any white iso in base or novelty. Not an issue for for me.

[Sup]

Bump bump, we gotta pump those numbers up!!

Hopefully will see a bump at vendors update on Friday, that chart is missing a lot of the vendors numbers, only about 1/3 have reported numbers so far.

I'd say Base reaching just over 30% of MOQ on day 3 with only 1/3 of vendors reporting is a really good sign.

Well seeing how poorly DSS Light cycle did and still got saved by vendors. Vendors will probably buy out the rest with this set as well. I hope at least since, this set is clean and love the novelties.

[menuhin]

Show Image

It surprises me that only 12 people are getting the Alps base. It's a quite complete base set for Alps that I haven't seen in years indeed.

[Ghostinn]

Just bought my sets, this is probably the most excited I will ever be for anything keyboard related!

[ConfuseBill]

Hello.

For the Alphabet font size, are they going to be the same size like DCS Sleeper? Or, will they go larger?

And for the spacebar, is it going to have holes for 10u stabz like Geon W1-AT?

[Aiwanei]

Hello.

For the Alphabet font size, are they going to be the same size like DCS Sleeper? Or, will they go larger?

And for the spacebar, is it going to have holes for 10u stabz like Geon W1-AT?

DCS Sleeper uses a Cherry lbased font, this set uses the Gorton font that is traditional to DCS so the font on the renders is what it will look like.

The 10u uses 7u stabs, so technically you can use it on the W1-AT since that supports 7u stabs but the bars and wire that come with the W1-AT that are 10u use 8u stab positioning. By using the 10u bar with 7u stabs, this will support any board with a Tsangan bottom row.

[milkham]

Does anyone know how well the dcs profile matches up with the gmk cherry? I'm considering getting the spacebars and novelties for use with my gmk WoB

[dvorcol]

[Aiwanei]

Dread Keys Collab Raffle is live!

https://dreadkeys.com/dcs-reaper/

[menuhin]

Show Image

What will happen for those kits that do not meet their MOQ for SP?
And if that is not going to be produced, how long does it usually take for the refund for us from vendors?

[dvorcol]

Show Image

What will happen for those kits that do not meet their MOQ for SP?
And if that is not going to be produced, how long does it usually take for the refund for us from vendors?

I’d say numbers are good, seeing as this group buy is not even half way thru.

[menuhin]

Show Image

What will happen for those kits that do not meet their MOQ for SP?
And if that is not going to be produced, how long does it usually take for the refund for us from vendors?

I’d say numbers are good, seeing as this group buy is not even half way thru.

I hope so. I am ust eyeing on the Alps base set

[Aiwanei]

Archetype Artisan Raffle will be tonight at 6PM EST/3PM PST. Very excited for these. Check out their IG for more info https://www.instagram.com/archetype_mk/

Preview of available caps:

[dvorcol]

[TjarleN]

not looking good for the Alps kit...

Anyone in EU wanna split the novelties with me? I am only interested in the iso enter key. Feel free to dm me if you are interested in the other ones.

[Aiwanei]

The artisan collaboration with MFC is now live.  Enter here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMgvmNzxu6Qre3kG1mfJrMbdFN7HH0zEJ7V4-yJlR5vFqzIg/viewform

[Aiwanei]

not looking good for the Alps kit...

Anyone in EU wanna split the novelties with me? I am only interested in the iso enter key. Feel free to dm me if you are interested in the other ones.

I am going to do everything I can to make sure the Alps kit is made, even if it doesn't hit MOQ before extras (buying it out personally, working with the other vendors, etc.)  Have hope for the alps kit!

[menuhin]

not looking good for the Alps kit...

Anyone in EU wanna split the novelties with me? I am only interested in the iso enter key. Feel free to dm me if you are interested in the other ones.

I am going to do everything I can to make sure the Alps kit is made, even if it doesn't hit MOQ before extras (buying it out personally, working with the other vendors, etc.)  Have hope for the alps kit!

Good to hear that.

Are you located in EU? Because I am and I don't want to pay for the outside EU shipping if I don't have to.

I am up for splitting kits for those who are in EU.

[Tulesto]

I'm a little worried about the scythe artisan

[TjarleN]

Are you located in EU? Because I am and I don't want to pay for the outside EU shipping if I don't have to.

I am up for splitting kits for those who are in EU.

I am from Germany so shipping should not be an issue. Sent you a message with my discord.

[cgbuen]

Buy Alps base pls, I bought two

[dvorcol]

More

<-- original scale

4/22: revised to final scale
4/11: Updated numbers

[IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES]

Last call

Thanks for running this. Awesome set.

[Ghostinn]

Did novelties hit MOQ? I know that some vendors didn't have updated info and extras aren't included

[Aiwanei]

Did novelties hit MOQ? I know that some vendors didn't have updated info and extras aren't included

Yes, all kits except the Alps Base kit hit MOQ naturally or were within just a few kits of MOQ so will be bought out.  We don't have all the numbers in for all vendors still or extras, but I can confidently say that the Alps Base kit will also be made through vendor extras.  The only thing I'm not 100% sure about yet is the Hibi, but without all group buy sales and extras in yet, I can't be sure, and if MOQ is not reached I will reach out to Hibi to see if there is anything that can be done to lower the MOQ.

Edit: based on where numbers are with extras in so far, and some vendors still not in, I can confidently say all kits will be made.

[Akele]

Did novelties hit MOQ? I know that some vendors didn't have updated info and extras aren't included

Yes, all kits except the Alps Base kit hit MOQ naturally or were within just a few kits of MOQ so will be bought out.  We don't have all the numbers in for all vendors still or extras, but I can confidently say that the Alps Base kit will also be made through vendor extras.  The only thing I'm not 100% sure about yet is the Hibi, but without all group buy sales and extras in yet, I can't be sure, and if MOQ is not reached I will reach out to Hibi to see if there is anything that can be done to lower the MOQ.

Edit: based on where numbers are with extras in so far, and some vendors still not in, I can confidently say all kits will be made.

Great to hear all kits will be made. Excellent news.

[dvorcol]

More

<-- without extras

[FatefulStranger]

Any update on this? Is it still on track for Q4 delivery?

[lakeboredom]

Any idea which vendor has extras? I regret not getting an alps kit.

[Fraaaan]

Any idea which vendor has extras? I regret not getting an alps kit.

Most, if not all, vendors who ran the set during GB are going to have extras.

[treeleaf64]

I have no idea what to put this on and I will still buy extras

[Aiwanei]

This set is currently in production and still scheduled to ship to vendors this month.

Attached are two sample photos I received.

[Skok]

def gonna need to hop in on extras, looks great

[joeyhokusai]

Any updates for this set?

[ZavaZ86]

So... Knowing that SP haven't been doing too great lately with 9009 and sol dark I decided to check my stuff that I received today and what a ****show it is. Went through at best 1/3 of the basekit and took pictures of the worst offenders. How is SP allowing this dog qc...

[ankit]

1, 3, and 5 look like something you should talk to your vendor about. SP is usually good about replacing defective caps. 1st one looks like it would come off with some water.
3 is normal with DCS, literally every key has sprue marks.
4 is the wrong mold being used.

All the issues with 9009 and sol dark were resolved by SP
There were no reported issues with DCS alchemy and DCS blue moon which were the last 2 sets to ship before reaper

[ZavaZ86]

Im not paying my ass out for SP to make a product that they "qc" in which i have to qc and inspect myself once again because they are doing a bad job. Secondly it doesn't come off with some water. Thirdly, while they might resolve the issue which is good it still calls into question the general quality and qc that they provide which is equal to cheap china sets when looking at these things. But yea screw me for not wanting to manually check every single key because SP can't do a proper job

[ankit]

If you are actually expecting absolutely 100% perfect QC for all 525 base kits from a tiny manufacturer like SP and then comparing it with chinese alternatives then there's nothing much more to be said here
I honestly don't see the issue here if they are willing to replace defective keys, it's not like scratches from shipping are unheard of


edit: This is what SP looks like and this is what manufacturing looks like at SP. Hopefully this provides more context for my take above.

[ZavaZ86]

I own multiple new GMK sets so just pack up already

In no way in any form or way am I saying Im expecting 100% perfect QC

While SP is a smaller manufacturer it does not give them the pass to do such a bad job but that does not seem to matter much with you unless it's another company making them. But then again your opinion aren't coloured...

Every manu will have some sort of smaller issue which is seen across all but the general qc can also get too low. Of course you won't expect the same qc from xmi compared to gmk or sp.

The issue is not them willing to replace defective keys. It's the amount of defective keys in general. Not just with this but in general over the last 3 sets.

[Akele]

Sadly I agree with ZavaZ86 - the quality of DCS Reaper is just poor. This is my first DCS set, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'd thought they'd at least be in the same league as the GMK, PBTFans and Drop sets I currently own. Unfortunately, the finish on DCS Reaper is just all over the place, with some caps looking mottled and a few appearing melted.

I've tried to take some photos to show what I'm talking about. The mottled, inconsistent finish is most apparent on the spacebar (and modifier keys) as shown in the first photo. The second, third and fourth photos show the DCS Reaper spacebar compared to PBTFans WoB and GMK Arch (GMK shown on top, PBTFans in the middle and DCS on the bottom). The last photo shows two of the DCS Fingerbone keys with very different surface finishes. One feels very smooth to the touch as if it's a bit melted and the other is rougher. This is the most extreme example of the difference in finish between the keys in the set, but even on the alphas, some feel noticeably smoother in parts to others (the corned of my Esc key looks like it has actually been slightly melted).

Overall I'm really disappointed in the quality of DCS Reaper compared with my other keysets. If I'd paid £40-50 for them then perhaps I wouldn't have cause for complaint, but they cost me £145 (Base Kit + Extensions + Finger Bones), which is more than it costs for an equivalent set from PBTFans that's miles ahead in quality. I understand that SP is a small manufacturer, but as ZavaZ86 says, that doesn't give them a pass to do a bad job. It's as if my DCS Reaper set was made by the work experience kid at 4pm on a Friday afternoon or something.

[GMK83]

Maybe I’m not picky but I don’t see a huge issue with the majority of the pictures for my tastes.

[Akele]

Maybe I’m not picky but I don’t see a huge issue with the majority of the pictures for my tastes.

If you don't mind spending your money on scuffed keycaps then all power to you, but I don't think it's picky to expect a set of £145 keycaps to be decent quality. I'll try take some better pictures tomorrow when it's a bit brighter, but the inconsistent finish is quite noticeable in real life.

[Kokaloo]

pepe profile pic users arguing on a decade old forum is the true proof that this hobby is in shambles

[Akele]

OK, I've taken a few more photos today of my DCS Reaper set to try and show that the set is actually scuffed and I'm not just trolling for the lolz.

The first photo shows the different in texture between some of the keys in the set. Notice how the PgUp key looks a lot more speckled and rough in texture than the |\ key.


The second pic shows the DCS Reaper keys (top) compared to PBTFans WoB (middle) compared to GMK Arch (bottom). Notice how blotchy the colour of the DCS keys are compared to the PBTFans and GMK keys, which are a consistent colour.


The third pic shows a bunch of spare DCS Reaper keys in a PBTFans tray, and the fourth pic shows a bunch of spare PBTFans WoB keys in a tray. Again, the DCS Reaper keys are have an inconsistent texture finish and some keys, such as Backspace, Enter and Shift, look very blotchy. It looks like some of the DCS keys are dirty, but that's just how they are. I tried cleaning a few and it makes absolutely no difference.


The fifth, six, seventh and eight pics show the DCS Reaper keys on my Mode Sonnet compared to the PBTFans WoB keys on my QK65. I've tried to take the photos ofrom the same angle and with the same camera settings in order to provide a like for like comparison between the DCS and PBTFans keycaps. The lines you can see down the middle of some of the DCS caps are not shadows, they're marks on the keys themselves. You can the lines on both the horizontal pics and vertical pics, where the shadows are in different directions. You can also see the difference in textures between the F11 key, which is smooth, and the F12 key, which is rough.


While the pics have been taken in bright light and at a high zoom, the worst of the marks are noticeable in dull light, particularly on the modifier keys. It's as if the DCS Reaper keys just look dirty / sweat stained, even though they're actually clean. I've also uploaded the pics to Imgur here: https://imgur.com/a/aizAObp

TLDR: I'm not pleased with the DCS Reaper keyset as I don't think the quality is on par with other sets that are a similar price. If you don't mind keycaps that look blotchy and have inconsistent textures then you may well be very happy with DCS Reaper (the keys look great from a distance), but I'm disappointed with them. I'll probably end up throwing them in the bin or selling them cheaply on eBay using these pics so that any buyers know what they're getting. I'd honestly feel bad to sell these keycaps for anything more than £40.

[less_blank]

oof with how many scuffed sets i've seen recently from several different manufacturers it just doesn't make much sense to join GBs anymore, better off just waiting for extras for the ones that turn out. guess i'll be picking up a cherry charcoal set during the next nk sale instead.

[Ranker2]

Has anyone received their orders from ThocKeys yet?

[Aiwanei]

Has anyone received their orders from ThocKeys yet?

The package with most of the child kits got stuck in transit and didn't arrive until late last week. With the issues being reported by the sets other vendors shipped, we are gathering data and plan on going back to the manufacturer to see if we can figure out a solution before shipping.

[Puddsy]

So... Knowing that SP haven't been doing too great lately with 9009 and sol dark I decided to check my stuff that I received today and what a ****show it is. Went through at best 1/3 of the basekit and took pictures of the worst offenders. How is SP allowing this dog qc...

2 is a sprue mark and exists on basically every injection molded product you have ever bought. people complain about them less on GMK sets because they're on the back instead of the front and sides.

4 is an incorrect mold

rest of these look like pretty standard injection molding wear and tear

if 1 doesn't rub out with your finger, i'd contact the vendor about it but these are otherwise nothing to be peeved by

-snip-

same here, this all looks pretty normal to me. i have recent GMK sets with wild differences in texture like this. it's normal with the wear and tear on the injection mold and a little more common with thin parts like DCS keycaps, and more visible on dark colors. the texture will even out with use, since these are ABS.

i would be pretty surprised if SP does anything major other than remake the keys with incorrect legends.

[Akele]

same here, this all looks pretty normal to me. i have recent GMK sets with wild differences in texture like this. it's normal with the wear and tear on the injection mold and a little more common with thin parts like DCS keycaps, and more visible on dark colors. the texture will even out with use, since these are ABS.

i would be pretty surprised if SP does anything major other than remake the keys with incorrect legends.

I hope for the sake of everyone that joined your DCS Dark Sky GB Purdsy that SP do a better job of manufacturing those caps than they DCS Reaper.

I only have 3 GMK keycaps sets, 5 PBTFans sets, 2 Drop sets and 2 DCS sets, but I can unequivocally say that DCS Reaper is the most scuffed set I own. My DCS Blue Moon set isn't nearly as bad in terms of inconsistent textures and blotchy marks.

[Poesjuh]

Recieved my Reaper set last week, and while I can say it's not as bad as other sets posted here it's also definitely the worst DCS set of the ones I have. (For those wondering, 9009 Cherry and Wyse, Alchemy, Delftware and Sleeper.)

[elongatedmusk]

Recieved my Reaper set last week, and while I can say it's not as bad as other sets posted here it's also definitely the worst DCS set of the ones I have. (For those wondering, 9009 Cherry and Wyse, Alchemy, Delftware and Sleeper.)

Curious why this is the worst one you have, may I know why?

This will be my first DCS though, so is it bad in terms of QC/final product compared to the previous sets, aesthetics coming out not what it's supposed to be, or any other reasoning?

[Poesjuh]

I’d say it’s mostly due to the fact that it’s black any texture difference is way more visible than on lighter sets. Solarized dark is relatively dark as well but I can’t really find texture difference there.

Having said that, the capslock on my GMK Arch set looks pre-shined compared to the other mods, so gmk is far from perfect either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mecxs]

Got mine.

There's definitely weird banding in the plastic on some of the mods. But only when I look at it up close with lots of light. On closer inspection, my Sol Dark has the same thing - I would never have noticed it if this post hadn't pointed it out.

The speckliness is just SP. My DSS Shale has the same thing. Ditto DCS WoB.

My keys don't look anything like those posted by Akele. Although I am also not looking at them in the same light. Still, those photos look extreme, so maybe Akele just got a bad batch?

The 1.5u backspace is definitely borked though. I assume it will be replaced, but haven't contacted my vendor yet.

I'm happy with the set overall - though I only bought the basekit, so can't speak to the quality of things like the novelties.

[Poesjuh]

Picture of my set (base only) on a 60%.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES]

Did ThocKeys ship anything yet? Changed my address a month ago.

[Ranker2]

Waiting for ThocKeys as well.  What's going on with the vendor?

[elongatedmusk]

Was about to ask about Thockeys orders lol

The last time I emailed them, which is around 2 weeks ago, they said that they skipped the week prior due to local holidays or something, but haven't heard any follow-up ever since

[ankit]

[ZavaZ86]

Dcs reaper response: "they will not remake the set only send us missing keys."

Rest in piss, you won't be missed dcs.

[Aiwanei]

Dcs reaper response: "they will not remake the set only send us missing keys."

Rest in piss, you won't be missed dcs.

That wasn't the response. If there are issues with the rippling,  they will send replacements, but it's not every key and it's not every copy of every key. When you are talking about 200 different 1u keys between all MX kits, asking them to remake every key from every set when many of the keys are fine for nanny people is kind of a unreasonable ask. They did say they would send replacements to vendors if the keys had the issues that a small number of users have reported about, but it would be on a per request basis.

Also 1.5u backspace is being remade with correct legend

[Puddsy]

Dcs reaper response: "they will not remake the set only send us missing keys."

Rest in piss, you won't be missed dcs.

That wasn't the response. If there are issues with the rippling,  they will send replacements, but it's not every key and it's not every copy of every key. When you are talking about 200 different 1u keys between all MX kits, asking them to remake every key from every set when many of the keys are fine for nanny people is kind of a unreasonable ask. They did say they would send replacements to vendors if the keys had the issues that a small number of users have reported about, but it would be on a per request basis.

Also 1.5u backspace is being remade with correct legend

you mean that the geekhack ****posters are making unreasonable asks that are well beyond good business practice and reasonable accommodation? say it aint so!