GON NS NerD Crystal TKL on MassDrop

[azhdar]

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/gon-ns-nerd-crystal-tkl?mode=guest_open

[radio_killah]

Lol this is why GON went MIA. I respect it though. Good on him. Although not sure if I agree with them saying he is an "active" member

[asdfjkl36]

Yea, it all makes sense now.

I think it would be better said that he's and active member of the mechanical keyboard community, but I guess close enough.

Very tempted to jump in on this

[Flyersfan1]

Anyone on the fence should just check out Lastpilot's build log of his to see how nice this kit is!   

[nmur]

It needs 100 buys just to hit the lowest drop point. That's a lot of GONs, and potentially a buttload of switches that would need to be tuned.

unfortunately it doesn't look like that number will be hit any time soon.

[ttzhou]

slightly bummed about this. my order status hasn't budged from payment received in over a month and this is probably going to extend that wait.

happy for GON though, hope he makes some good cash off this. but it would have made more sense for him to take this after he had finished his straggled individual orders.

[radio_killah]

In my opinion though, good on GON but anyone who jumps on this is stupid. GON's keyboards are works of art... I know I have one. Why pay for a piece of art that is being mass produced? Having the keyboard made and tuned by GON or even by yourself by ordering custom parts makes it one of a kind and special. I don't understand stand why anyone would want a piece of mass produced art that isn't even going to be close to a masterpiece. Why spend all that money on a cheap version? Just save up like a normal person and get the real thing. Plus we all know that because it's GON and Massdrop this thing is not going to be delivered anywhere near the estimated ship date lol

[greath]

In my opinion though, good on GON but anyone who jumps on this is stupid. GON's keyboards are works of art... I know I have one. Why pay for a piece of art that is being mass produced? Having the keyboard made and tuned by GON or even by yourself by ordering custom parts makes it one of a kind and special. I don't understand stand why anyone would want a piece of mass produced art that isn't even going to be close to a masterpiece. Why spend all that money on a cheap version? Just save up like a normal person and get the real thing. Plus we all know that because it's GON and Massdrop this thing is not going to be delivered anywhere near the estimated ship date lol

Just curious, how does this differ from what GON offers on his site?

[Hellcatz]

Thus begins the year long wait for anyone who bought a gon. Still waiting on mine from the last gb

[sethk_]

In my opinion though, good on GON but anyone who jumps on this is stupid. GON's keyboards are works of art... I know I have one. Why pay for a piece of art that is being mass produced? Having the keyboard made and tuned by GON or even by yourself by ordering custom parts makes it one of a kind and special. I don't understand stand why anyone would want a piece of mass produced art that isn't even going to be close to a masterpiece. Why spend all that money on a cheap version? Just save up like a normal person and get the real thing. Plus we all know that because it's GON and Massdrop this thing is not going to be delivered anywhere near the estimated ship date lol

Just curious, how does this differ from what GON offers on his site?

It doesn't, but if 100 people order this, 100 of the same GON will be in existence, but if you go through him and choose what you want, yours will be unique because of the options you can choose

[calvinhousecat]

 


Any guesses on how much this drop will get?

[Freebird]

Pretty tempted to drop the bass and get on this. For me its an end game mech.

[ttzhou]

Pretty tempted to drop the bass and get on this. For me its an end game mech.

I would read GLITCH3D's review if you can find it. I was originally set on the Crystal but the "lightness" of its thin frame is what changed my mind to go for the acrylic.

[Lastpilot]

Anyone on the fence should just check out Lastpilot's build log of his to see how nice this kit is!   

I would read GLITCH3D's review if you can find it. I was originally set on the Crystal but the "lightness" of its thin frame is what changed my mind to go for the acrylic.

I appreciate the shoutout, and I do love my board. However, I just want people to know that this is by no means a "perfect board," and may not be for everybody. Here is a mini overview comparing the regular versus crystal GON boards:

Normal GON Pros:
Nice weight
No bending
The nice refreshing cold feel of aluminum
Very solid "finished" build feeling

Normal GON Cons:
Plate can easily be scratched, anodizing seems thin
Typical alu plate feel with slight ping and very_slight_ switch-bottom-out-feel inconsistency (much more consistent than my LZ for example)
Kaliet (22kbd.com) provides cheaper (and more timely) alternatives

Crystal GON Pros:
Lighting options
Unique "light and chirpy" sound
Most consistent bottom-out feel of any board I've typed on (PCB mount, alu plate, poker plate, LZ plate)
One-of-a-kind all polycarb board

Crystal GON Cons:
Overpriced
Can bend if using the stock feet supplied
Time consuming assembly
SMD LED not easily swapped out or repaired (access to top-facing LED requires desoldering of all switches)
Very lightweight - almost flimsy

As I've said in the Massdrop comments: You have to be in it for the looks or the lack of ping sound for the crystal to be worth it. You also have to realize that this board is best used _flat_ without the aluminum feet, but instead use some kind of glass table bumpers that you can find at a local store. The board bends under even just a little weight.

[Coconut]

eww
like, dont get a crystal gon
its soooo ugly
aluminum kbd 4 lyfeplzkay

[ttzhou]

eww
like, dont get a crystal gon
its soooo ugly
aluminum kbd 4 lyfeplzkay

They're quite pretty to some. There's an "unpopular keyboard opinions" thread if you want to troll there  The acrylic is also gorgeous with good choice of LED colours.

[Lastpilot]

eww
like, dont get a crystal gon
its soooo ugly
aluminum kbd 4 lyfeplzkay

10/10 review would read again

[ceflame]

The part that buggged me the most was this



Like.. does GON really think he can produce and ship 200+ orders in like a month and a half IF it hits the MOQ?
People wait for NON-ASSEMBLED orders for MONTHS, and the there are assembled orders that are still being waited on for 6+ months.
He promises such a quick turnaround when it's probably that GON will take over a year to fulfill.

As I know, the CTRL[ALT] 60 buy has also been stagnating because GON is taking so long to ship them PCBs...

[Azumia]

As I know, the CTRL[ALT] 60 buy has also been stagnating because GON is taking so long to ship them PCBs...

Wait, seriously? I thought he was totally done with that group buy.

Ugh, I waited forever for my NerD TKL and that was tedious and frustrating enough. What was I thinking ordering parts for a NerD 60? I was hoping the lack of assembly would speed things up, but apparently not.

[geniekid]

eww
like, dont get a crystal gon
its soooo ugly
aluminum kbd 4 lyfeplzkay

10/10 review would read again

Very convincing arguments being made here.

[Frizer]

2 ordered, 8 committed. It's not exactly setting the world on fire.

[katushkin]

I think it's a bit ****ty for him to do this with so many people waiting on his orders.

And I think it's not the way you want to be going if you are making custom boards... No offence =/

[ttzhou]

I think it's a bit ****ty for him to do this with so many people waiting on his orders.

And I think it's not the way you want to be going if you are making custom boards... No offence =/

What I'm thinking is that GON basically had a crapload of Crystal stuff left over, so there was no ordering process from manufacturer as the case is for alu and acrylic. The month and a half shipping date is probaby just him giving himself some time to work on catching up to his backlog.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But yea, I can definitely see how some would view this as a bit of cheap move. There's probably a good explanation though.