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
This is Robert(Polysculpture) from Clackeys.com. I am posting to gauge interest in a Big Willie Artisan run. He would fit onto the Big Switch by Novel Keys. I was able to reach out to an awesome manufacturer that I have worked with in the past and they would be able to produce something like this for us for a fairly competitive price. This would be a resin cast, so it can come in some different colors and possibly even painted!
Below are some prototype pictures that I took of my One Eyed Willie. Keep in mind this is a prototype and a 4x scale up of the original design that was never intended to be larger. I would actually be re-working this design a little to have more details at this large scale. It would also be printed on an even better printer so things would look about 2x as detailed and be cleaner.
So a couple things I am curious about is what color(s) would you guys want the cast to be? Big White Willie, Big Black Willie, Big Grey Willie, Big Clear Willie, ect. Also, would you want a hand painted option for an additional $30-$50?
Rough quote for getting your fingers on a Big Willie is in the range of $25-$40 for standard resin cast and +$35-$50 to that for it to be hand painted. Each Willie would also come with quality packaging. The last thing we need is a bunch of damaged Willies.
-Robert