Well this really went off the rails quick and that's unfortunate. I will try to quickly address all posts since the last update.
Regarding assumptions stated as facts...It's a shame this has to be said, but all the speculation is so far off base I don't even know where to start.
Regarding price...We wish we could come in lower and still have it make sense but that just isn't the case. We're a US-based business with one of us already full-time. A lot goes into running a business beyond the cost of machining the metal. Our prices affected by the unprecedented shortages, inflation, raw materials increasing, tax increases, shipping increases, etc. It really sucks. Unfortunately we don't have any control over it. The best we can do is increase our quantities to try and lower our costs, but this only goes so far.
If you've followed us since the beginning you'll notice how consistent our pricing has been. One of the things we decided when we started Smith + Rune was that we wouldn't be a company that raced to the bottom if it compromised our products. We think of it a bit more simply. We work with suppliers we trust and those that have shown a track record of professionalism and very high standards. Our main goal is to deliver a high-end, premium keyboard.
Yes, we're a business (a very small one) and yes we strive to earn a profit. Again no excuses or apologies for that. I feel privileged and honored to be able to support my family creating something I'm so passionate about.
We've never talked about our supply chain publicly or our costs. I wish we got the pricing some of you have mentioned here. If that was possible and we could still maintain our quality standards we'd be able to produce a lot more keyboards for far, far less and offer much better pricing.
To keep it simple, we charge what we think is a fair price for what goes into our boards. If anyone feels differently that's okay. There are many great designers in this community that make boards at every level.
Regarding r/mm pricing...If the only metric you value is r/mm flip price then we are probably not the company for you. We couldn't care less about flip prices. We're here to serve those who are passionate about the keyboards, not about money. One of the biggest driving factors for us to scale up was getting boards in the hands of those that truly wanted one and missed out and couldn't afford to spend thousands on the aftermarket.
Regarding other boards...We're not comparing ourselves to others or trying to be anything but ourselves. Back to simplicity, we make what we make and charge what we need to charge for it to make sense for us. We hope that also makes sense for our supporters.
It's wonderful to see so much choice in the hobby now. There has never been a better time to join.
Regarding design...It is true not much has changed with the IRON series since we first ran the 165. We made a conscious choice to go for a series of keyboards rather than a bunch of different designs from the beginning. It's never been our goal to make change for the sake of change, especially in design language, but each and every IRON has seen some amount of change along the way mostly to provide a better typing experience based largely on feedback from users.
I get not everyone agrees with this approach or appreciates our design vision and that's okay. There are more options than ever in this community.
That said, we have been working on a few new and different designs that might make an appearance later on in the year.
Regarding blockers...I'm not sure what more can be said here. We made a very unpopular choice. We've listened and made changes. You can see the result for yourselves in the many actual photos of the IRON160 prototypes and in the video. Once again those aren't renders, they are actual boards.
For those that reached out and had an honest conversation with us about blockers or those we've met in person and talked with I want to thank you for letting us know how you feel. It's something we're not happy about either. It doesn't feel good to know you've created something people are disappointed in.
That said we won't be engaging any further publicly about it. We've tried in the past to only have our words taken out of context. It accomplishes nothing.
Regarding toxicity...It's really a shame and it's bad for the community and it's unnecessary. Please just stop. Beyond this post, we won't engage.
Regarding feedback...For those looking for answers or to provide honest feedback on the 160 or any of our previous boards and find this thread to be a bit too noisy you're more than welcome to join our Discord. We have a great community with tons of knowledgeable people there to help out and provide answers. Luke and I are also available to talk throughout the day. Luckily we're still small enough to be able to connect directly so don't be shy.
Join Smith + Rune DiscordMoving forward...We're still a new company and we are still learning everyday. We will continue to grow and create and follow our passions. We will strive to listen more. We will strive to be better not only as a company, but as people.
