What is SpaceFN and why you should give it a try
The SpaceFN concept - setting up your space key as a layer switch when held - is probably one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby. Let me explain how it works. My SpaceFN article on kbd.news made some rounds recently - quite surprisingly given the age of this concept. This piece you're reading is a condensed version of the full post. If you're left with unanswered questions, you'll most likely find the info you're looking for in the original write-up. On my imaginary top list of the most useful keyboard features, tweaks and hacks, SpaceFN would deserve a podium finish for sure. But what makes it so special? In short: SpaceFN is easy to implement, easy to learn, costs nothing, can be used with any keyboard, and can improve your productivity instantly. I will list its benefits below, but can state right at this point that the SpaceFN concept, setting up your space key as a layer switch when held, is clearly one of the most useful tweaks in the keyboard hobby....
Apr 30, 2024
There are a million decisions that must be made when designing any keycap set, many you've probably never considered.
Secondly, this is a GMK set. GMK doesn't do PBT, they only do double shot ABS set, but they are of the highest quality. Again, profile, material, legend style, manufacturer, are all choices that must be decided on during the design of a set, and any single choice will severely limit other choices. It is very give and take.
Thirdly, there is nothing lazy about this. The designer has made some of the most complete sets out there. This set was originally designed for a specific keybaord, which happened to be a 60% board. Due to constant complaining/asking for this set to be made separate from that drop (mainly for people that already have the Infinity or similar keybaords) this set has gotten its own separate drop. It was only designed to be for 60% boards, and adding on full size, ISO, etc sets is not something that can be done very quickly. Talks with the manufacturer need to take place, pricing and MOQ need to be laid out, then pricing here must be decided, etc, etc.
What this is is just another case of the designer trying to please everyone, and unfortunately that just never happens. People will always complain.
I think this set is a definite success of design, but it isn't a triumph of the human spirit... it's keycaps.
And I just wish someone would make these extremely well designed and aesthetically superior sets in PBT... preferably with TKL or 100% options.
"Pair colors that have visual appeal and contrast well with a good font and material with a pleasant tactile quality" - I have zero idea what you mean by tactile quality in that sentence?
Right now nobody makes doubleshot PBT Cherry Profile caps that I am aware of. A few other people do dye sub Cherry Profile PBT (so the legends are less crisp looking) and SP will do PBT but not in this profile.
If you add TKL people will complain and want full size. If you add full size, people will complain and want winkeyless. If you add winkeyless people will complain and want HHKB. If you add HHKB people will want 65/75 coverage. If you add the previous sets people will complain and want ISO. If you add ISO people will complain and want further international kits. There is always a set to add essentially, and people will always complain about wanting "________" set for their specific needs.
GMK bought Cherry's ABS tooling while BSP bought the PBT tooling. EasyPBT does cherry profile sets but they only do dyesub afaik. And while Vortex, TaiHao, and a few others have made huge strides with doubleshot PBT over the last few years, I've never seem them do anything but Filco/OEM profile (never mind doing customs).
As for the "completeness" of this set, the main reason GMK sets of late have "gone big" is that being inclusive (ISO, 1800, WKL, 65%) pulled in more people and making those MOQs more attainable. This set obviously went the other way, intentionally focusing on an ANSI 60% crowd. While my wallet currently thanks that decision, the combination of the current GMK fatigue and splitting the target audience means that a future full version of this set could very well *not* hit the higher/cheaper MOQs. That's a bummer all around.
That said, I have nothing but respect for MiTo. Count me in for GMK Laser right now. I'd love to get those yellow mods and I'm bummed that won't happen soon, but I certainly hope a later re-run will make that happen.
i've the deepest respect for you, your patience, dedication and knowledge ... .
This is just a possible part of the excistence of this drop for me: "Due to constant complaining/asking for this set to be made separate from that drop (mainly for people that already have the Infinity or similar keybaords) this set has gotten its own separate drop."
Let's have a look, Infinity x GMK 3Run 60% Keyboard Kit had been ordered 165 times by now, not bad, but not even close to be spectacular. Being optimistic, let's say 100 people went the GMK way/option, meaning 100 people left to reach MOQ of 200. MiTo repeated several times the keycaps are going to happen, no matter what. But someone has to buy and pay the MOQ of 200 sets, unless GMK would make an exception of the rule, which never should getting public if this would be the way, following demands of others would happen for sure to get threated that way, too. Businesswise it's only smart by MD to make this separate drop possible and having this plan in the back of their mind from the very beginning to keep a possible loss as low as possible, nothing wrong with that.
This ain't charity or goodwill for the community only, MD is business.
Maybe the truth is somewhere in between of our opinions/thoughts.
Cheers
I can chime in for this part, given how much time there's left and how many people already joined both this and the other drop, the MOQ is safe.
All I was getting at is there is a lot more that goes on in the background that people often dont consider or know about, that is all.