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Darthjaeger
Adding/Including Memories
I lost my dad last year (2023) and have been finding ways to include keepsakes/memories in my workstation. I've dabbled here and there with doing small woodworking projects and attempted a wrist rest from a piece of oak I picked up with him from my great uncles wood shop. I milled it to fit a 60% keyboard as I hadn't decided what keyboard I would be using it on and thought that's where most of my wrist would be in contact even typing on a full keyboard. I gave it a torched/burn appearance as I really was lost in what to do. I found an old shell casing from going hunting with my dad in my hunting pack and decided to imbed it into the end of the wrist rest so it would just have a little difference and a small story behind it as well. I have other things around my workstation from family and friends, but it just feels a little more special having worked on it and adding something small that has a memory for me to it. (Purple was my grandmothers favorite color and I have kinda now...
Apr 8, 2024
vlad.the.impale.ale.r
Stylish Modern Device Holder
It's a bit pricey, but the wood is nice and the geometric angles are modern and stylish. Dig it.
Jan 1, 2024
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I can also assure you that the ability to pay this much money is the farthest thing from the truth in my case.
To use your phrasing...I find it odd and somewhat bothersome that people claim to understand people's motivations or their understanding of their depth of knowledge without even knowing who they are. It's this type of lack of critical thinking that allows companies and politicians to take advantage of people. It's what makes some "enthusiasts" targets for unscrupulous merchants who profit over an obsession as opposed to the use of good judgement. Generally they will defend their purchase decisions to the bitter end because to do otherwise would be to admit they didn't exercise good judgement or refuse to.
I really don't care if anyone purchases this at this price. If you really like the product feel free. I refuse to since while I'm willing to pay a premium for a product, especially a new product which might have higher initial production costs, I'm not willing to pay an extravagantly high initial price for a product that uses low cost materials and where similar and better products can be found elsewhere for less. I would love to have this product but only if the price is reasonable ...well and if it had glass, not plastic, as I'm not going to buy something that will scratch and ruin the whole main purpose of the thing which is to nicely display your EDC stuff.
If Massdrop lowered the price and used glass, not plastic, I would buy in a minute.
Part of the problem is that this type of product has no existing market of known manufacturers where the price would have some relevance (i.e. WE/Kizer/Reate Knives, SP/GMK keycaps, Sennheiser/HiFiMAN/Fostex Headphones, etc). No one bats an eye for $100-$150 MDxFF knives, $400-$500 Foxtex cans, or those crazy expensive fountain pens because we know where they came from, how they're made, and the quality of materials used.
On the other hand, if this product here came in at $200, but it was all leather and glass on the outside, you'd see far fewer complaints. Instead, comments would be more along the lines of "Its nice but just can't afford it at the moment." because at least it would be bringing something better to the table than the current Amazon alternatives at $30. Especially with all the custom leather products that have been sold here by Allegory and LM.
And maybe in the future, they'll release a better version with the materials suggested in other comments, but this current offering just doesn't do it for many of us.
I said I think a lot of people are confusing overpriced and what they are willing to pay. A budget can be self-imposed, and what one is willing to pay may not be the same as what one can afford. Poor diction. My mistake.
However, I am not implying that the overpriced notion is the result of an inability to afford the product or a dislike of it. I am implying that it's the result of not understanding manufacturing processes. People, you included, seem to be fixated on what materials are used, but that is far from the only factor that affects cost. I believe people know this, but they may not know - or don't seem to consider - what those other factors are. For one, design complexity drives up costs significantly, regardless of materials used. Different materials are different to work with as well. It's rarely as simple as replacing "low-cost material A" with "premium material B" and bumping the price by the difference in material cost. Using a different material can change the entire process. Perhaps it's not as dramatic here compared to other types of products, but the point stands. Requesting construction out of different materials is reasonable. I, too, would love to see this in leather with a glass lid. Again, there is a difference between overpriced and what people want to pay or think it should cost given the materials used. Buy it or don't buy it based upon its features and what you are willing to pay for them, but calling it overpriced because it costs more than what you think it should cost is what is ridiculous. Maybe what people really mean is that they find the product to be too expensive. Is this product expensive? Yes, I think so. Is it overpriced? I do not think so. I suppose I'm just arguing semantics here.
Finally, I concede that you may be right. MD might be trying to take advantage of us by charging exorbitant prices. But taking a look around here and seeing the products in different categories aimed at different enthusiast groups of which I am also a part of, makes me doubt it.
Definitely being "unwilling to pay x amount" could be a result of a variety of factors. Budget being one. In my case (and I think a lot of others) it's because of the feeling of being ripped off, frankly. Like I said I'm willing to pay a premium for a premium product but not an unreasonable one that seems to prey more on many here being passionate enthusiasts who are willing to pay anything for something "unique" and "new".
Hopefully that clarifies my position :) We disagree on whether or not it's overpriced, specifically.
That said I hope I am wrong because I've bought a lot of stuff from Massdrop and want to continue to do so but Massdrop is growing and changing, not necessarily for the better. Assuming this box was priced lower, for example (and assuming there was plenty of margin to do so) I think they'd see considerably more volume. Just look at things like the Sennheiser HD65x headphones, for example. Those were a clearly great value and they sold many thousands (I haven't looked at the actual number) and I bought a pair without hesitation. Same with their new Kiritsuke knife. Compared to the market it's also priced very well assuming it's as good as claimed.
This box...not so much.
I think many people do not realize that having a well-designed product, from an end user's perspective, is just the beginning. It's often not designed for manufacturing (DFM). If the end use design and/or look is what is ultimately desired (i.e. not accepting DFM changes to the product), then making process changes or developing new processes to make the product manufacturable at acceptable yields incurs a lot of cost.
I don't think the HD6XX is a great comparison because it wasn't a brand new product designed from the ground up. It was an existing one that got a makeover. This looks to be a brand new product. @Cyphre touched on a good point in that this market is as of yet, not well defined. The collaborative products, I imagine, are relatively easy because the manufacturing and manufacturers are known quantities. It's just a variation of what they are used to making. I imagine a purpose built box like this meant to store knives, watches, pens, flashlights, wallet(s), and/or phone(s), etc. is more difficult/expensive to get manufactured from the ground up.
Anyway, I'm rambling. I understand your position and I still think a lot of the complaints are perhaps a bit misguided, but not malicious. I hope this product does well enough for MD to produce a second version that appeals to the people who decide to defer this time.