Now this is the kind of kitting feedback I like. You noticed the absence of the 2u spacebar.
So let me ask: which non-40% layout actually requires a 2u spacebar? The few 7u split spacebar layouts I've seen use a 3–1–3 split (rather than 2.25u + 2u + 2.75u), and every 60–65% Alice board I've come across over the years supports 2.25u and 2.75u.
I use a Keebio FoldKB. It is a split ortholinear keyboard that uses a standard keycap set. It has a 2u spacebar on the left side and a 2.75u spacebar on the right side.
I currently have DSS Honeywell on a FoldKB, and it included DSA profile split spacebars, which are useless to me. (They are concave and dig into the side of my thumb.) Fortunately, I was able to find white G20 keycaps that match the white alphas almost exactly.
If MTNU Honeywell does not include a 2u spacebar in the Extension Kit, then it is a nonstarter for me.
So let me ask: which non-40% layout actually requires a 2u spacebar? The few 7u split spacebar layouts I've seen use a 3–1–3 split (rather than 2.25u + 2u + 2.75u), and every 60–65% Alice board I've come across over the years supports 2.25u and 2.75u.
Does Preonic count? Apparently there might be another version in the works?
Sure, there are some extremely niche boards that support a 2u spacebar. But considering the design philosophy behind this set, does it really make sense to include it when some arguably more important keys are being left out? I don't think so.
There are already plenty of other sets that support it, so I don't really see it as a first-world problem.
That said, I'll keep it in mind and decide whether it's worth including based on the IC form responses (so please fill it out if you'd like to increase the chances of it happening).
The BoW Modifier Kit is an extremely interesting idea. Given that the BoW colorway is the best selling keycaps of all time, and the lack of MTNU BoW, i believe there will be lots of people actually buying both base and BoW mod kit. Especially if you eliminate even more keys in base kit to make it such that buying both kits could result in being even cheaper than if GMK itself suddenly release a BoW.
The new Agar Micro uses a 2U with a 2.25U. Agar Mini uses two 3Us. The 40s route is a giant scope creep that is incompatible with your stated goal of low prices. Even the SA A History of Violets, the most compatible kit for SA, become less compatible in their MTNU IC.
As a newbie with 0 MTNU sets, the $30 to $50 difference will tempt me more, but not an instant buy. A $50 to $70 difference though, would be an instant buy. A great example will be the recent GMK British Racing Green (BRG) Round 3 selling for USD$79. It has even lesser keys in base kit than yours, and i bought it instantly.
$79 will be close to impossible, for a few reasons:
- As you said, the kitting here is a bit more inclusive than British Racing Green R3, and I'm not going to reduce it any further. In my opinion, it wouldn't make much sense to remove non-accent keys, modifier-colored Pipe and Tilde, R2-Up, or the 65%/75% column.
- MTNU is more expensive for GMK to produce than CYL.
- This set also introduces two new legend molds, which have to be factored into the kit price.
- An important factor that people often overlook is the starting MOQ. That's one of the reasons Geon (and some other vendors) can drastically reduce prices. We don't know what the starting MOQ will be for this set yet.
BoW (Black on White) is definitely not the best-selling set of all time. At most, I'd say it's third or fourth, with WoB (White on Black), Beige, and possibly Dolch ahead of it. That's essentially why we haven't seen a vendor, or GMK themselves, propose an MTNU BoW yet.
The Agar Micro and some other 40% boards do support a 2u spacebar, but as I said, if I'm not going to add support for other 40% legend-accurate keys (and the Micro is even more complicated since it also uses a 2u Left Shift and a 1.5u R3 Tab), then adding just the 2u spacebar doesn't make much sense.
Thank you guys for commenting
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