Mechanical Keyboard Sound Isn't That Simple
Figure 1: I couldn't think of a more literal way to represent this article if I tried... Looking back just a few years ago, there’s no doubt that the huge influx of people that joined the hobby at the peak of the COVID pandemic were drawn to keyboards by way of YouTube, TikTok, and other audio-visual content platforms. Even as the output from these content creators has waned in recent months, their collective impact and legacy on the keyboard hobby is rather firmly etched in the history books. As a result of all of their sound tests, build logs, and opinion videos, the message is clear to any new person joining the hobby: mechanical keyboards are all about the sound. Thock this, clack that. Whether it’s keyboards, keycaps, or even singular switches, seemingly everyone new to the hobby meticulously pores over each component of their keyboard not in an attempt to figure out how it will feel in hand, but how it will sound as they’re furiously grinding their way out from...
Mar 27, 2024
We appreciate all of your feedback and love to hear everyone’s thoughts. If you have any other comments, concerns, or anything else feel free to let us know. Thanks,
Edit: looks like they have improved qc testing for alt. http://dro.ps/alt-production-update
In spite of the overwhelming commentary on the colour difference, you seem content to be disingenuous about it. It's not a slight variation, it's a completely different and far more opinionated colour scheme. If you can't see that, you shouldn't be in charge of approving it. You should have let everybody know before you shipped the keyboard out. Instead, you chose to stay silent, and are doubling down on the evasiveness now. I already paid customs on the keyboard, so I'm basically stuck with it at this point, but I won't be stupid enough to trust anybody involved to be transparent or helpful in the future.
@typhdotcom in fairness, they posted the sample of the final product 2 months ago (scroll down in this discussion thread). You could have cancelled after having seen that post.
Lastly, my CTRL had two bad edge/case LEDs, and Massdrop is sending me a replacement. I appreciate not having to send this one back FIRST, makes swapping out the keyboards much easier. All in all, with the return window and the option to replace keyboards that have defective LEDs, it looks like Massdrop is providing good customer service, and I'm happy to see it.
1. I'll say what everyone else is saying: the initial renders are misleading. Changes were made that are not subtle. As @typhdotcom said, "If you can't see that, you shouldn't be in charge of approving it." I don't mean that in a disrespectful way, you've just got to see how there are no excuses here. Yes, we saw prototypes, but at no point were we told directly in plain letters that the keyboard we were to receive would not match the renders we were shown when we bought in. There wouldn't be such a hassle had you told us, upfront, that the colors would be different. Nobody would have a right to complain and you wouldn't have to deal with anyone sending back their keyboards. It's win-win.
2. We were told you weren't on track to meet the initial shipping date despite telling everyone you were at the beginning of July. You missed the shipping date, which is understandable, but it seems awfully clear that you then rushed production resulting in a sizable number of keyboards with incorrect keycaps, broken/incorrectly soldered LEDs, and other issues. I think everyone would have preferred adequate QC and a slightly longer wait time.
Overall this is a nice board, I can't lie. I don't really mind the issues and this will be my daily keyboard for a while. However, the way you handled this drop was incredibly unprofessional. You've caused undue problems for both you and your customers that you could have easily avoided by simply communicating. I hope this changes in the future, it benefits everyone in the long run! Thanks for taking the time to read this @YanboWu
Having just received my keyboard, as others have said, this is no 'slight' variance. I'm unsure whether the option that no- one cared the finish was so markedly different to what was marketed to us is worse than no-one in Massdrop even noticed. Either way, it shows a complete indifference to the community. Personally, I can't see any way of trusting any drop that is not already a finished/3rd party product from now on. Just to be clear, this is not a commentary on whether the actual keyboard is nice or not, simply how it reflects what was marketed.
For those of us in Australia, are Massdrop covering the return postage (it's unclear from your post)? It's been a bridge too far in my dealings with Massdrop to date over the years.
For those yet to receive their keyboard, for comparison it's pictured next to a Space Grey MBP, the base of a Dell U2718Q monitor and a Varmilo VB87M keyboard.
I'm still a little shocked at the differences in color and finish; the original renders showed a dark grey almost-matte surface, while the final product has a silvery, metallic surface. Is the color from the renders simply impossible to achieve with anodized aluminum? Or, was a design decision made at some point in the design/manufacturing process to go with a different surface (whether for financial, artistic, or efficiency reasons)? Or, was it just never the intent to create a case with the dark grey surface?
If it's possible to produce a case in the same color scheme as was originally promised, is there any chance that Massdrop would sell such a case in the future? If I can eventually get a case in my desired color, I might keep my CTRL (even if I have to wait a while for the case to be produced). If there are no plans to make such a case - or if there's no comment on this subject from Massdrop, which seems like the most probable scenario - I will have to strongly consider returning my CTRL.
At any rate, I don't see how I can - from this point forward - trust the renders for any upcoming Massdrop-produced products, since it appears that what is sold and what is actually delivered can be so drastically different from each other. I know, I know, a product like this doesn't exist yet when the drop initially runs, so they can't show me actual photos of the thing - but precisely BECAUSE the product doesn't exist yet, I can't base my purchasing decision on reviews of it, so the renders play a huge role in selling me on it. $200 is quite a bit of money, and I would expect Massdrop to try their absolute best to match what they initially promised. And, if they can't, for some reason? I would expect them to send an update that very explicitly says "Hey turns out we ***CAN'T deliver the product as promised***, here are the specific changes/compromises we had to make, see if you still want the item". The photos of the production sample that they sent out some time ago aren't really enough; I thought the case looked lighter, but I assumed it was because it was under a bright light for the photos.