new CODE keyboard from WASDkeyboards

[jterp7]

honestly I don't care about the ping, stabs should be pre-lubed and the leds white and even. I don't think that's asking too much considering the original price of this keyboard at $155.

[Lpwl]

I opened my CODE keyboard this evening and learned that there is only ONE SCREW holding the casing together (under the white "O.K. Do not remove" sticker). No need to look any further.

Prying apart the two halves of the keyboard and push the plastic clips can be tricky but overall, there is nothing really exciting to report ... except this :





It does not really bother me but all the same I think there is room for improvement, don't you think ?

EDIT : I'll try to fix the ping tomorrow. More pics incoming.

[xybre]

I opened my CODE keyboard this evening and learned that there is only ONE SCREW holding the casing together (under the white "O.K. Do not remove" sticker). No need to look any further.

Prying apart the two halves of the keyboard and push the plastic clips can be tricky but overall, there is nothing really exciting to report ... except this :

Show Image

Show Image

It does not really bother me but all the same I think there is room for improvement, don't you think ?

EDIT : I'll try to fix the ping tomorrow. More pics incoming.

Damn that looks sloppy as hell. Are those pins supposed to be soldered together like that? Considering the melted plastic next to it, I'm skeptical.
I want to take some rubbing alcohol and a soft bristle toothbrush to the rest, bleh.

[Lpwl]

"Luckily" these two pins soldered together are not doing any harm :

[taylordcraig]

PREFACE: The soldering in that Code looks atrocious. The melting was clearly unintentional. That is an embarrassing picture for WASD.

Thought I'd chime in about all this MassDrop hearsay.

I'm not sure how you haven't gotten a response. MD CS is insanely good, all the time.
If somehow their support desk is just ignoring you, you can directly contact any of those "active mods" and they'll respond really fast. You can even get Andy's cell number and talk to him directly.

I've spent thousands of dollars on items from MassDrop and only been disappointed by very few of them.
This isn't to say they are the be-all end-all of shopping. They occasionally do have buys for **** products or **** prices on good products.

I can't  say with 100% certainty because I don't actually work for MD, but I'm nearly positive they are not selling you refurbished units. This is an absolutely insane conclusion to reach.

[oscillik]

PREFACE: The soldering in that Code looks atrocious. The melting was clearly unintentional. That is an embarrassing picture for WASD.

Thought I'd chime in about all this MassDrop hearsay.

I'm not sure how you haven't gotten a response. MD CS is insanely good, all the time.
If somehow their support desk is just ignoring you, you can directly contact any of those "active mods" and they'll respond really fast. You can even get Andy's cell number and talk to him directly.

I've spent thousands of dollars on items from MassDrop and only been disappointed by very few of them.
This isn't to say they are the be-all end-all of shopping. They occasionally do have buys for **** products or **** prices on good products.

I can't  say with 100% certainty because I don't actually work for MD, but I'm nearly positive they are not selling you refurbished units. This is an absolutely insane conclusion to reach.

well someone had better make an official statement regarding why those who purchase via MassDrop are being referred by WASD Keyboards to liaise directly with MassDrop for issues with their keyboads...

because that sounds an awful lot like refurb / return units to me.

edit: and to elaborate a bit more here - hearsay is easily resolved by making things clear. so far it seems that neither WASD Keyboards, nor MassDrop have been very clear here.

[Den441]

Wow I thought MD was about saving people money by putting together large orders. Then they can take some off the top for themselves. Apparently, that model isn't sustainable or the order quantities are not high enough for them to be making money.

From what I'm seeing here, it looks like their solution may be to have some of their buys use refurb products or products that weren't up to QC standards. They can definitely make some money here as those products will cost them a lot less, and they can still charge their usual slightly under retail prices allowing them to take more off the top than usual. Even if not all their buys are like this and they allow returns, is it ethical?

[taylordcraig]

Wow I thought MD was about saving people money by putting together large orders. Then they can take some off the top for themselves. Apparently, that model isn't sustainable or the order quantities are not high enough for them to be making money.

From what I'm seeing here, it looks like their solution may be to have some of their buys use refurb products or products that weren't up to QC standards. They can definitely make some money here as those products will cost them a lot less, and they can still charge their usual slightly under retail prices allowing them to take more off the top than usual. Even if not all their buys are like this and they allow returns, is it ethical?

There is no proof there are doing this. You are all spreading hearsay.
As for returns: you always deal with MD, not the manufacturer. This isn't shiesty, it's how it works.

from the FAQ

What's the difference between a Manufacturer and Distributor
The two are closely related and on the entire Massdrop site we use the two terms interchangeably. Manufacturers make things then wholesale them whereas distributors are just wholesalers. Some manufacturers have exclusive agreements with distributors, so they can't sell product to us even if they wanted to. Other manufacturers allow us to buy directly from them or a distributor, and depending on pricing and inventory, we determine the most effective option.

You should read how something works more carefully before signing up, agreeing to use it, and throwing money at it.

Anways, let's stop talking about how terrible MD is in this Code Keyboard thread, okay?

[jterp7]

PREFACE: The soldering in that Code looks atrocious. The melting was clearly unintentional. That is an embarrassing picture for WASD.

Thought I'd chime in about all this MassDrop hearsay.

I'm not sure how you haven't gotten a response. MD CS is insanely good, all the time.
If somehow their support desk is just ignoring you, you can directly contact any of those "active mods" and they'll respond really fast. You can even get Andy's cell number and talk to him directly.

I've spent thousands of dollars on items from MassDrop and only been disappointed by very few of them.
This isn't to say they are the be-all end-all of shopping. They occasionally do have buys for **** products or **** prices on good products.

I can't  say with 100% certainty because I don't actually work for MD, but I'm nearly positive they are not selling you refurbished units. This is an absolutely insane conclusion to reach.

I've stated previously about their lack of response both on the website and through email. At this point I will let amex deal with it, and guess what, as soon as my dispute was submitted boom instant reply from massdrop. That is pathetic CS to me. WASD hasn't really impressed me given a few others geekhackers complaints about getting simple things fixed, though that seems to be the case with cm storm and a few others as well.

I personally will never purchase from MD again, but as always you and others are free to vote with your wallet.

I've dealt with quite a few of these speciality small businesses in the past and almost all have been quick to respond and practically bend over backwards to get something fixed. It will be a week soon at this point, and I feel the correct solution would've been to immediately send out a replacement and a slip to send the defective unit back, but both wasd and massdrop want to brush me off and hope that I will just live with the defective unit.

[xybre]

Wow I thought MD was about saving people money by putting together large orders. Then they can take some off the top for themselves. Apparently, that model isn't sustainable or the order quantities are not high enough for them to be making money.

From what I'm seeing here, it looks like their solution may be to have some of their buys use refurb products or products that weren't up to QC standards. They can definitely make some money here as those products will cost them a lot less, and they can still charge their usual slightly under retail prices allowing them to take more off the top than usual. Even if not all their buys are like this and they allow returns, is it ethical?

Hmm. Interesting. I thought MD was just an intermediary that set up GBs, but it looks like they do indeed decide the purchases and make them as well.

https://www.massdrop.com/how-it-works

ANYWAY

Back on topic, I still have a desire for a CODE, because I still like full size keyboards, but I'm going to hold off on it for now until I get me Eagle and then I'll see how I feel about the MX Clears before I pick one up.

[oscillik]

Wow I thought MD was about saving people money by putting together large orders. Then they can take some off the top for themselves. Apparently, that model isn't sustainable or the order quantities are not high enough for them to be making money.

From what I'm seeing here, it looks like their solution may be to have some of their buys use refurb products or products that weren't up to QC standards. They can definitely make some money here as those products will cost them a lot less, and they can still charge their usual slightly under retail prices allowing them to take more off the top than usual. Even if not all their buys are like this and they allow returns, is it ethical?

There is no proof there are doing this. You are all spreading hearsay.
As for returns: you always deal with MD, not the manufacturer. This isn't shiesty, it's how it works.

from the FAQ

What's the difference between a Manufacturer and Distributor
The two are closely related and on the entire Massdrop site we use the two terms interchangeably. Manufacturers make things then wholesale them whereas distributors are just wholesalers. Some manufacturers have exclusive agreements with distributors, so they can't sell product to us even if they wanted to. Other manufacturers allow us to buy directly from them or a distributor, and depending on pricing and inventory, we determine the most effective option.

You should read how something works more carefully before signing up, agreeing to use it, and throwing money at it.

Anways, let's stop talking about how terrible MD is in this Code Keyboard thread, okay?

clearly it's a bone of contention, so it's pertinent to talk about it here.

your quote from the FAQ doesn't explain why people who buy from MassDrop have to deal with MassDrop when items manufactured by companies who are not MassDrop go wrong.

Usually, normal procedure is to contact the manufacturer of the product if there is a defect or warranty claim. from what we're seeing here, WASD Keyboards are being less than forthcoming.

but it's cool, lets not talk about the possibility of MassDrop selling return / refurb units.

* oscillik sweeps under the carpet

[jterp7]

Wow I thought MD was about saving people money by putting together large orders. Then they can take some off the top for themselves. Apparently, that model isn't sustainable or the order quantities are not high enough for them to be making money.

From what I'm seeing here, it looks like their solution may be to have some of their buys use refurb products or products that weren't up to QC standards. They can definitely make some money here as those products will cost them a lot less, and they can still charge their usual slightly under retail prices allowing them to take more off the top than usual. Even if not all their buys are like this and they allow returns, is it ethical?

There is no proof there are doing this. You are all spreading hearsay.
As for returns: you always deal with MD, not the manufacturer. This isn't shiesty, it's how it works.

from the FAQ

What's the difference between a Manufacturer and Distributor
The two are closely related and on the entire Massdrop site we use the two terms interchangeably. Manufacturers make things then wholesale them whereas distributors are just wholesalers. Some manufacturers have exclusive agreements with distributors, so they can't sell product to us even if they wanted to. Other manufacturers allow us to buy directly from them or a distributor, and depending on pricing and inventory, we determine the most effective option.

You should read how something works more carefully before signing up, agreeing to use it, and throwing money at it.

Anways, let's stop talking about how terrible MD is in this Code Keyboard thread, okay?

the issue is that quality isn't guaranteed and with MD not allowing returns or refunds and then not responding to emails, you are out whatever you paid with no resolution except to complain to the manufacturer. On the mfg side, at least with my experience so far and from other geekhackers here, you get better support if you bought through them directly---a good example is apple products for example. This is akin to the guy who pays msrp for a car and receives good service vs the guy who got a deal and has to scream at the service manager everytime warranty service is involved.

[jterp7]

Wow I thought MD was about saving people money by putting together large orders. Then they can take some off the top for themselves. Apparently, that model isn't sustainable or the order quantities are not high enough for them to be making money.

From what I'm seeing here, it looks like their solution may be to have some of their buys use refurb products or products that weren't up to QC standards. They can definitely make some money here as those products will cost them a lot less, and they can still charge their usual slightly under retail prices allowing them to take more off the top than usual. Even if not all their buys are like this and they allow returns, is it ethical?

There is no proof there are doing this. You are all spreading hearsay.
As for returns: you always deal with MD, not the manufacturer. This isn't shiesty, it's how it works.

from the FAQ

What's the difference between a Manufacturer and Distributor
The two are closely related and on the entire Massdrop site we use the two terms interchangeably. Manufacturers make things then wholesale them whereas distributors are just wholesalers. Some manufacturers have exclusive agreements with distributors, so they can't sell product to us even if they wanted to. Other manufacturers allow us to buy directly from them or a distributor, and depending on pricing and inventory, we determine the most effective option.

You should read how something works more carefully before signing up, agreeing to use it, and throwing money at it.

Anways, let's stop talking about how terrible MD is in this Code Keyboard thread, okay?

clearly it's a bone of contention, so it's pertinent to talk about it here.

your quote from the FAQ doesn't explain why people who buy from MassDrop have to deal with MassDrop when items manufactured by companies who are not MassDrop go wrong.

Usually, normal procedure is to contact the manufacturer of the product if there is a defect or warranty claim. from what we're seeing here, WASD Keyboards are being less than forthcoming.

but it's cool, lets not talk about the possibility of MassDrop selling return / refurb units.

* oscillik sweeps under the carpet

I'll admit its an unsubstantiated guess, but we can at least admit to the possibility that the MD units were not QC'd with the same standards as their direct to customer products. The lack of immediate response from MD and willingness to help from MD speak volumes to me.

[taylordcraig]

I'll admit its an unsubstantiated guess, but we can at least admit to the possibility that the MD units were not QC'd with the same standards as their direct to customer products. The lack of immediate response from MD and willingness to help from MD speak volumes to me.

I'll concede that this statement is accurate.

I'm not saying it can't happen. I'm saying that in my own, and thousands of other's experience, CS is immediate and extremely helpful.
I've personally had units replaced and have heard of people talking to staff directly on their personal phones to resolve the issues.
In this case where they remained silent, who knows what the issue was.
Did you only send 1 email? Was it definitely received?
Are you 100% positive someone didn't just open it and never replied?
Human error exists everywhere.
I'm not saying that the possibility of little to no QC happening on MD units is non existent,
I'm saying you're raving like MD is as lot of scammers out to take all your money and **** you over.
Something I feel has been greatly overstated.

edit: it's not like MD opens every keyboard and looks at the soldering, isn't it possible they had no idea of low quality units?
everyone is assuming their "silence" in this case is evidence enough.

[oscillik]

I'll admit its an unsubstantiated guess, but we can at least admit to the possibility that the MD units were not QC'd with the same standards as their direct to customer products. The lack of immediate response from MD and willingness to help from MD speak volumes to me.

I'll concede that this statement is accurate.

I'm not saying it can't happen. I'm saying that in my own, and thousands of other's experience, CS is immediate and extremely helpful.
I've personally had units replaced and have heard of people talking to staff directly on their personal phones to resolve the issues.
In this case where they remained silent, who knows what the issue was.
Did you only send 1 email? Was it definitely received?
Are you 100% positive someone didn't just open it and never replied?
Human error exists everywhere.
I'm not saying that the possibility of little to no QC happening on MD units is non existent,
I'm saying you're raving like MD is as lot of scammers out to take all your money and **** you over.
Something I feel has been greatly overstated.

edit: it's not like MD opens every keyboard and looks at the soldering, isn't it possible they had no idea of low quality units?
everyone is assuming their "silence" in this case is evidence enough.

The only time a manufacturer refuses to honour warranty is if the warranty is void. This is a fact.

The only logical reasons for WASD Keyboards to not honour the warranty on a CODE Keyboard bought via MassDrop would be:

1. The keyboards are refurb / return items, which would be exempt from warranty directly with WASD Keyboards.

2. The keyboards are not actually manufactured by WASD Keyboards, in which case they are not CODE Keyboards at all, and that's a whole 'nother ball game of legalities.

[jterp7]

taylor i never said massdrop is a glorified cowboom or woot, but 1 week, multiple emails and nothing in the way of, "sure we'll exchange it for you" makes me feel like yes they took my money and ran.

haha oscillike I just saw your reply as I was posting this...and I really hope your guesses are why they are both so mum about the issue here.

[saturnotaku]

On the mfg side, at least with my experience so far and from other geekhackers here, you get better support if you bought through them directly---a good example is apple products for example.

That's not a good example at all. My last several Apple purchases (iPhone 4S, iPhone 5S, iPod Touch, and 2 MacBook Pros) were all made at a discount from places other than directly from the company. In the rare instances where I've needed service, I was able to take them to an Apple retail store where the issues were handled promptly, professionally, and with no questions asked other than them seeing the problems and validating the warranty.

This is far more than I could say for my wife's old HP and Toshiba laptops where trying to get them fixed was an exercise in frustration and failure.

@osc - Even if the keyboards were refurbished in some way, they should still carry some kind of guarantee against defects, even if it's just for 30-60 days.

Everything posted regarding WASD's and MD's motivations for responding (or not) the way they have in this situation is still pure speculation. Still, something seems very rotten.

[oscillik]

@osc - Even if the keyboards were refurbished in some way, they should still carry some kind of guarantee against defects, even if it's just for 30-60 days.

that would be a warranty covered by the place where the item was sold, and not honoured by the manufacturer.

which is exactly what this seems to be.

[jterp7]

On the mfg side, at least with my experience so far and from other geekhackers here, you get better support if you bought through them directly---a good example is apple products for example.

That's not a good example at all. My last several Apple purchases (iPhone 4S, iPhone 5S, iPod Touch, and 2 MacBook Pros) were all made at a discount from places other than directly from the company. In the rare instances where I've needed service, I was able to take them to an Apple retail store where the issues were handled promptly, professionally, and with no questions asked other than them seeing the problems and validating the warranty.

This is far more than I could say for my wife's old HP and Toshiba laptops where trying to get them fixed was an exercise in frustration and failure.

@osc - Even if the keyboards were refurbished in some way, they should still carry some kind of guarantee against defects, even if it's just for 30-60 days.

Everything posted regarding WASD's and MD's motivations for responding (or not) the way they have in this situation is still pure speculation. Still, something seems very rotten.

Don't want to get too far off topic, but everytime I bring a product to my local apple store the first question is: Where was the item purchased? And if the answer is bestbuy, then deal with them first. I dunno..but everytime they were able to pull the purchase off their computers the service was quicker and better. This may just be that my local store is awful though from the sounds of it.

[taylordcraig]

@osc - Even if the keyboards were refurbished in some way, they should still carry some kind of guarantee against defects, even if it's just for 30-60 days.

that would be a warranty covered by the place where the item was sold, and not honoured by the manufacturer.

which is exactly what this seems to be.

Where are you getting this information from?
Is there a US law that dictates this?
At this point I'm only advocating the devil, and trying to discern speculation and hearsay from the truth.

I'll admit its an unsubstantiated guess, but we can at least admit to the possibility that the MD units were not QC'd with the same standards as their direct to customer products. The lack of immediate response from MD and willingness to help from MD speak volumes to me.

I'll concede that this statement is accurate.

I'm not saying it can't happen. I'm saying that in my own, and thousands of other's experience, CS is immediate and extremely helpful.
I've personally had units replaced and have heard of people talking to staff directly on their personal phones to resolve the issues.
In this case where they remained silent, who knows what the issue was.
Did you only send 1 email? Was it definitely received?
Are you 100% positive someone didn't just open it and never replied?
Human error exists everywhere.
I'm not saying that the possibility of little to no QC happening on MD units is non existent,
I'm saying you're raving like MD is as lot of scammers out to take all your money and **** you over.
Something I feel has been greatly overstated.

edit: it's not like MD opens every keyboard and looks at the soldering, isn't it possible they had no idea of low quality units?
everyone is assuming their "silence" in this case is evidence enough.

The only time a manufacturer refuses to honour warranty is if the warranty is void. This is a fact.

The only logical reasons for WASD Keyboards to not honour the warranty on a CODE Keyboard bought via MassDrop would be:

1. The keyboards are refurb / return items, which would be exempt from warranty directly with WASD Keyboards.

2. The keyboards are not actually manufactured by WASD Keyboards, in which case they are not CODE Keyboards at all, and that's a whole 'nother ball game of legalities.

[D01]

PREFACE: The soldering in that Code looks atrocious. The melting was clearly unintentional. That is an embarrassing picture for WASD.

Thought I'd chime in about all this MassDrop hearsay.

I'm not sure how you haven't gotten a response. MD CS is insanely good, all the time.
If somehow their support desk is just ignoring you, you can directly contact any of those "active mods" and they'll respond really fast. You can even get Andy's cell number and talk to him directly.

I've spent thousands of dollars on items from MassDrop and only been disappointed by very few of them.
This isn't to say they are the be-all end-all of shopping. They occasionally do have buys for **** products or **** prices on good products.

I can't  say with 100% certainty because I don't actually work for MD, but I'm nearly positive they are not selling you refurbished units. This is an absolutely insane conclusion to reach.

I've stated previously about their lack of response both on the website and through email. At this point I will let amex deal with it, and guess what, as soon as my dispute was submitted boom instant reply from massdrop. That is pathetic CS to me. WASD hasn't really impressed me given a few others geekhackers complaints about getting simple things fixed, though that seems to be the case with cm storm and a few others as well.

I personally will never purchase from MD again, but as always you and others are free to vote with your wallet.

I've dealt with quite a few of these speciality small businesses in the past and almost all have been quick to respond and practically bend over backwards to get something fixed. It will be a week soon at this point, and I feel the correct solution would've been to immediately send out a replacement and a slip to send the defective unit back, but both wasd and massdrop want to brush me off and hope that I will just live with the defective unit.

From the day you said you received the keyboard to the day that you said you got a response from mass drop was two days.  Just saying, that's not pathetic customer service by any means.

[oscillik]

@osc - Even if the keyboards were refurbished in some way, they should still carry some kind of guarantee against defects, even if it's just for 30-60 days.

that would be a warranty covered by the place where the item was sold, and not honoured by the manufacturer.

which is exactly what this seems to be.

Where are you getting this information from?
Is there a US law that dictates this?
At this point I'm only advocating the devil, and trying to discern speculation and hearsay from the truth.

I'll admit its an unsubstantiated guess, but we can at least admit to the possibility that the MD units were not QC'd with the same standards as their direct to customer products. The lack of immediate response from MD and willingness to help from MD speak volumes to me.

I'll concede that this statement is accurate.

I'm not saying it can't happen. I'm saying that in my own, and thousands of other's experience, CS is immediate and extremely helpful.
I've personally had units replaced and have heard of people talking to staff directly on their personal phones to resolve the issues.
In this case where they remained silent, who knows what the issue was.
Did you only send 1 email? Was it definitely received?
Are you 100% positive someone didn't just open it and never replied?
Human error exists everywhere.
I'm not saying that the possibility of little to no QC happening on MD units is non existent,
I'm saying you're raving like MD is as lot of scammers out to take all your money and **** you over.
Something I feel has been greatly overstated.

edit: it's not like MD opens every keyboard and looks at the soldering, isn't it possible they had no idea of low quality units?
everyone is assuming their "silence" in this case is evidence enough.

The only time a manufacturer refuses to honour warranty is if the warranty is void. This is a fact.

The only logical reasons for WASD Keyboards to not honour the warranty on a CODE Keyboard bought via MassDrop would be:

1. The keyboards are refurb / return items, which would be exempt from warranty directly with WASD Keyboards.

2. The keyboards are not actually manufactured by WASD Keyboards, in which case they are not CODE Keyboards at all, and that's a whole 'nother ball game of legalities.

I"m getting this from my experiences as a consumer.

[taylordcraig]

Okay so no offense, but you're making up rules about how manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers conduct business, and claiming it as fact.
This is exactly what I was trying to point out.

[saturnotaku]

From the day you said you received the keyboard to the day that you said you got a response from mass drop was two days.  Just saying, that's not pathetic customer service by any means.

Read what he said again. He sent emails to MD over the course of a week, only to receive a response after he got his credit card company involved.

[wasdkeyboards]

It seems like there's a lot of speculation here and I wanted to shed some light on some of these issues:

1. We would first like to apologize that you received a defective unit. All keyboards sold through our website and authorized resellers (including Massdrop) are all covered by our 2-year warranty. However, within the initial 30 days of purchase, any warranty issues are typically handled by the reseller as they would just replace your unit with a new one they have on hand. (This may vary depending on the place you purchase the keyboard from).

2. Massdrop is providing support for all the CODE keyboards sold through them and prefers to service their customers directly. Therefore, if we are contacted first and we feel a replacement unit is needed, we will direct you back to Massdrop.

3. Units sold through Massdrop is from the same stock that we sell and are NOT refurbished units. We would never produce a batch of sub-par units to save on costs and never sell any refurbished that is not clearly labeled as such. That said, manufacturing defects can and will happen. Although our factory does it best to check for these things, it's not unreasonable that something slips by from time to time. We're all human and mistakes happen. When something like this does happen, we'll make sure the customer is serviced as quickly as possible.

4. I can't speak for Massdrop as to what may have caused a lack of response to this specific case. Like others have said, their customer is very quick to respond to any issues. We'll be in touch with them to see what the issue is.

[saturnotaku]

It seems like there's a lot of speculation here and I wanted to shed some light on some of these issues:

1. We would first like to apologize that you received a defective unit. All keyboards sold through our website and authorized resellers (including Massdrop) are all covered by our 2-year warranty. However, within the initial 30 days of purchase, any warranty issues are typically handled by the reseller as they would just replace your unit with a new one they have on hand. (This may vary depending on the place you purchase the keyboard from).

2. Massdrop is providing support for all the CODE keyboards sold through them and prefers to service their customers directly. Therefore, if we are contacted first and we feel a replacement unit is needed, we will direct you back to Massdrop.

First of all, thank you for posting and shedding some light on the issues being discussed here.

From what I understand about Massdrop, and correct me if I'm wrong, they seem to operate under a model of supplying products in accordance with the exact number of orders they receive. So if 100 people commit to an item, they obtain and ship 100 units. As such, they wouldn't have any extras "on hand" to be able to deal with issues such as this. The only way I can see them handling this is to obtain a replacement from their sources as the need arises, which doesn't seem like the most efficient way of going about things, especially since they have to deal with global order fulfillment.

As an aside, perhaps both WASD and Massdrop could put notes in their FAQ sections detailing what was just posted above, that any issues with boards purchased from Massdrop should be handed by the distributor within the first 30 days. This could potentially save some trouble.

[SpAmRaY]

It seems like there's a lot of speculation here and I wanted to shed some light on some of these issues:

1. We would first like to apologize that you received a defective unit. All keyboards sold through our website and authorized resellers (including Massdrop) are all covered by our 2-year warranty. However, within the initial 30 days of purchase, any warranty issues are typically handled by the reseller as they would just replace your unit with a new one they have on hand. (This may vary depending on the place you purchase the keyboard from).

2. Massdrop is providing support for all the CODE keyboards sold through them and prefers to service their customers directly. Therefore, if we are contacted first and we feel a replacement unit is needed, we will direct you back to Massdrop.

3. Units sold through Massdrop is from the same stock that we sell and are NOT refurbished units. We would never produce a batch of sub-par units to save on costs and never sell any refurbished that is not clearly labeled as such. That said, manufacturing defects can and will happen. Although our factory does it best to check for these things, it's not unreasonable that something slips by from time to time. We're all human and mistakes happen. When something like this does happen, we'll make sure the customer is serviced as quickly as possible.

4. I can't speak for Massdrop as to what may have caused a lack of response to this specific case. Like others have said, their customer is very quick to respond to any issues. We'll be in touch with them to see what the issue is.

Good to hear this response, I'm curious did you happen to see the photos of the soldering posted above (quoted below)? I'm assuming this shouldn't be typical correct?

I opened my CODE keyboard this evening and learned that there is only ONE SCREW holding the casing together (under the white "O.K. Do not remove" sticker). No need to look any further.

Prying apart the two halves of the keyboard and push the plastic clips can be tricky but overall, there is nothing really exciting to report ... except this :

Show Image

Show Image

It does not really bother me but all the same I think there is room for improvement, don't you think ?

EDIT : I'll try to fix the ping tomorrow. More pics incoming.

[jterp7]

Recalling the poker 2 drop they set aside extras for rma and such. I don't recall that being mentioned in the CODE thread though.

Still awaiting a response from MD about getting the exchange. WASD may be correct in referring me to MD, but if they didn't receive any extras isn't it WASD's responsibility for warranty work?

In other words customers are between a rock and a hard place as they are at the mercy of both companies' responsiveness.

[D01]

From the day you said you received the keyboard to the day that you said you got a response from mass drop was two days.  Just saying, that's not pathetic customer service by any means.

Read what he said again. He sent emails to MD over the course of a week, only to receive a response after he got his credit card company involved.

I'm just going off dudes posts.  Aug 13 posted got my code from mass drop, morning of the 16th posted that they responded.  If that's in error than I apologize.

[taylordcraig]

Recalling the poker 2 drop they set aside extras for rma and such. I don't recall that being mentioned in the CODE thread though.

Still awaiting a response from MD about getting the exchange. WASD may be correct in referring me to MD, but if they didn't receive any extras isn't it WASD's responsibility for warranty work?

In other words customers are between a rock and a hard place as they are at the mercy of both companies' responsiveness.

You are right, they have left you at their mercy. Unfortunately this is MD policy.
Their lack of responsiveness, however, is not at all characteristic of MD.
It seems the system has failed you, I'm sorry.
I hope you have better luck in the future.
[one of my first GB went under and I had to charge-back; sometimes keyboards are a dark and scary place.
It's terribly unfortunate that MD may be getting shady too.]

[Lpwl]

I should mention that I bought mine directly from WASD (last april) and the reason I'm opening it is to stuff my keyboard with some foam to prevent echoing / pinging noises.

I was also curious to see what was in it (with my own eyes) and take a look at the build quality.

I'm abit disappointed but I guess there is nothing that can't be fixed.

[saturnotaku]

Recalling the poker 2 drop they set aside extras for rma and such. I don't recall that being mentioned in the CODE thread though.

Still awaiting a response from MD about getting the exchange. WASD may be correct in referring me to MD, but if they didn't receive any extras isn't it WASD's responsibility for warranty work?

In other words customers are between a rock and a hard place as they are at the mercy of both companies' responsiveness.

Now that I think about it, MD did send an email advertising a clearance sale with items that were in stock immediately for shipping. Maybe they do indeed order extras, hold on to them for 30 days in case people have warranty issues, then sell the leftovers at an even greater discount once that period of time has elapsed.

While I doubt it's going to happen, it would be really nice if a representative from MD were to post in this thread to shed further light on the issues here and provide more clarity about their policies.

I'm abit disappointed but I guess there is nothing that can't be fixed.

The thing is, the CODE is advertised as a premium product and priced accordingly. Heck, their website even specifically mentions "modify[ing] this keyboard yourself." They have to know that the market is enthusiasts who are more likely to open it up and see how it ticks. This lack of attention to detail is like buying a Lexus ES 350 over a Toyota Camry and discovering a dashboard rattle. You're paying for an upscale product, and it should be backed with top-level quality and customer service.

[taylordcraig]

on a side note
saturnOtaku used a car reference
go figure 
[all jokes!]

[Lpwl]

Stuffing the keyboard with foam was not as easy as I thought !

The casing is mainly held by twelve plastic clips (and one screw) so you can't really put too much stress on them when re-assembling the keyboard. I had to cut the foam in smaller pieces to be able to close the casing properly.

The result looks ok - let's give it a try for a few days.

More pictures here.

[SpAmRaY]

Stuffing the keyboard with foam was not as easy as I thought !

The casing is mainly held by twelve plastic clips (and one screw) so you can't really put too much stress on them when re-assembling the keyboard. I had to cut the foam in smaller pieces to be able to close the casing properly.

The result looks ok - let's give it a try for a few days.

More pictures here.

Let us know if it helps with the ping. I was told a possible solution was to disassemble and reassemble the switches.

[SpecTP]

Stuffing the keyboard with foam was not as easy as I thought !

The casing is mainly held by twelve plastic clips (and one screw) so you can't really put too much stress on them when re-assembling the keyboard. I had to cut the foam in smaller pieces to be able to close the casing properly.

The result looks ok - let's give it a try for a few days.

More pictures here.

I'm not sure putting foam in that location would help mitigate the spring noise.

[wasdkeyboards]

It seems like there's a lot of speculation here and I wanted to shed some light on some of these issues:

1. We would first like to apologize that you received a defective unit. All keyboards sold through our website and authorized resellers (including Massdrop) are all covered by our 2-year warranty. However, within the initial 30 days of purchase, any warranty issues are typically handled by the reseller as they would just replace your unit with a new one they have on hand. (This may vary depending on the place you purchase the keyboard from).

2. Massdrop is providing support for all the CODE keyboards sold through them and prefers to service their customers directly. Therefore, if we are contacted first and we feel a replacement unit is needed, we will direct you back to Massdrop.

3. Units sold through Massdrop is from the same stock that we sell and are NOT refurbished units. We would never produce a batch of sub-par units to save on costs and never sell any refurbished that is not clearly labeled as such. That said, manufacturing defects can and will happen. Although our factory does it best to check for these things, it's not unreasonable that something slips by from time to time. We're all human and mistakes happen. When something like this does happen, we'll make sure the customer is serviced as quickly as possible.

4. I can't speak for Massdrop as to what may have caused a lack of response to this specific case. Like others have said, their customer is very quick to respond to any issues. We'll be in touch with them to see what the issue is.

Good to hear this response, I'm curious did you happen to see the photos of the soldering posted above (quoted below)? I'm assuming this shouldn't be typical correct?

I opened my CODE keyboard this evening and learned that there is only ONE SCREW holding the casing together (under the white "O.K. Do not remove" sticker). No need to look any further.

Prying apart the two halves of the keyboard and push the plastic clips can be tricky but overall, there is nothing really exciting to report ... except this :

Show Image

Show Image

It does not really bother me but all the same I think there is room for improvement, don't you think ?

EDIT : I'll try to fix the ping tomorrow. More pics incoming.

The soldering issue is definitely not typical. Again, it looks like it was missed during QC, but all keyboards are fully tested for functionality before they are shipped to us. While that incident definitely isn't very pretty, it doesn't actually affect the function of the keyboard. All of the keyboards I've happened to have opened throughout the years have all had excellent soldering quality.

Recalling the poker 2 drop they set aside extras for rma and such. I don't recall that being mentioned in the CODE thread though.

Still awaiting a response from MD about getting the exchange. WASD may be correct in referring me to MD, but if they didn't receive any extras isn't it WASD's responsibility for warranty work?

In other words customers are between a rock and a hard place as they are at the mercy of both companies' responsiveness.

If, for whatever reason, you don't have a solution from them today, just reply to the email we sent you and we'll just take care of this for you. It was never our intention to make you feel "stuck" in the middle, as we were simply respecting Massdrop's request to service their own customers directly.

[jterp7]

Keyboard is on its way back to MD. Per henry, the replacement will be shipped in the next 48hrs. It took 2 days (including origination) so friday or monday.

I hate that it had to come to this for what is just a defect exchange. Hopefully the replacement is good.

[jterp7]

so the replacement is only slightly better. The contrast between the "good" keys and the green ones depending on the severity of the greenness and brightness varies here. I wish I had the original to compare, but the q for whatever reason has the same half green gray that my first did. The right alt is perfect white vs the < and > above which appear 3 shades darker. My new theory is that its the keycaps, otherwise why would they occur on the same keys, like the q, [], <>  the same issue across the two boards.

[Phillip_J_Fry]

So should I risk and buy code with clears from MD?  )
Or some issues present?

[Phillip_J_Fry]

So should I risk and buy code with clears from MD?  )
Or some issues present?

Guys! I really need an advice!

[Belfong]

I am not sure about Massdrop but CODE Clear is my favourite Cherry keyboard!! I have tried Blues, Browns, Blacks and Clears are the best. And the Code is super functional - the volume control on the Page Up and Page Down made a lot of sense. There is a gamer mode by pressing Scroll Lock and then the Windows button will not work - prevent automatically pressing Windows while in the heat of gaming. GO GET IT!

[IPT]

i can attest, i have a slight pinging in my code but its very solid

i don't remember if I posted my pics of my code disassembled, but i didn't see that soldering issue on my code.
Mine actually looked pretty clean

Here's my disassemble album again:
http://imgur.com/a/ODUjN

and my code now

[Lpwl]

i can attest, i have a slight pinging in my code but its very solid

i don't remember if I posted my pics of my code disassembled, but i didn't see that soldering issue on my code.
Mine actually looked pretty clean

Here's my disassemble album again:
http://imgur.com/a/ODUjN

and my code now

Show Image

I've used your album to help me disassembling mine (gallery : http://imgur.com/a/D2HQI).

Thanks again IPT ;D

[shifted]

Anyone buy one of these recently from mechanicalkeyboards.com(full size version)?  The site lists they have 5+ in stock but it appears they get drop shipped from WASD keyboards rather than from mechanicalkeyboards in TN.  Is this typical for the code?  I only ask because it adds 2 days to the shipping time, lol, which bums me out since I thought it was coming from TN.  Only reason I knew it was even shipped was because I have UPS Mychoice...

[KHAANNN]

i can attest, i have a slight pinging in my code but its very solid

i don't remember if I posted my pics of my code disassembled, but i didn't see that soldering issue on my code.
Mine actually looked pretty clean

Here's my disassemble album again:
http://imgur.com/a/ODUjN

and my code now

Show Image

I've used your album to help me disassembling mine (gallery : http://imgur.com/a/D2HQI).

Thanks again IPT ;D

I'm meaning to mod my WASD V2, similar to what you did, our sound sponges might even be same too, did it work? (The pinging was more of a feature for me, but lately it made the board feel weak, especially after removing the o-rings and increasing the bottom out force/sound by doing so)

Also, do you guys think it's worth replacing slightly weak green's with new ones, some of the switches don't click as well as the others, I've already replaced a very weak one, not sure about the in-between's, especially F and J are pretty weak on my board, I'm even suspecting whether it's by design (not)

I researched for alternative boards, before my DSA set arrives, yet the best set I could find are still WASD's, as I started loving the Costar stabilisers and the green switches are mostly only on KUL's and WASD's, I decided to mod / improve / calibrate my current WASD V2 instead, which makes a lot of sense, no need to overflow myself with boards (I might get a green CODE tho, I loved those backlighted non transparent keyset photos)