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
That in mind, a year ago, a custom cap could have ranged up to 250-500 bucks each on ebay.
People rarely want to pay what things are worth, automatic watches are a great example of this, they just don't understand the cost to manufacture. Now add to that the fact that it's a luxury item, a limited run, and artistic in nature. I have watches and keycaps that could be sold for more than double what I paid for them due to demand and scarcity, and the fact that an individual can't easily replicate them.
$20 for one keycap could be expensive, but I didn't think it was outrageous. So, I was curious and I took a look at his comment history and, well, 95% of it is just pointless comments bashing on the price of various hobbies. He has some bashing on audiophiles, and lots bashing on anything artisan.
I do like how psiclone keeps writing in his comments, "time is money", yet uses a ton of his time writing about how expensive artisan keycaps (or anything else particularly rare in a hobby) are.
Look, you're welcome to disagree, but personally insulting people isn't OK...not to mention how hypocritical you're being considering this: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/mini-iceland-wood-resin-artisan-keycaps/talk/1932351 <--- see?...easy to take things out of context and make people out to be villains.
The difference between me and you is I don't say things like this: Person X "is a troll" and Person X "just goes around complaining about the price and inciting arguments" Your need to go that far means you're personally offended by my comment that lowering the price on a product would likely sell more shows you may be in need of some personal growth. Your plan to insult me here does what for you, exactly?
I guess you just gloss over the good feedback I've also provided to artisan keycap manufacturers.
Answer me this, where in any of those threads or even this one did I personally insult anyone or bash the product? There's lots of room to disagree politely about the price of a product or the subjective quality of it.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/bubble-keys-resin-humpback-whale-artisan-keycap/talk/2016111
You also seem to be missing one rather large point. Artisans typically perform their art because they like it. The idea of someone enjoying the fruits of their labor is a reward all it's own. Once again, I have several sculpts my friends have made purely so I can support their art and help them keep doing something they love.
The question is simple, why does it bother you so much?
"I see 19 sold at $20 each. That's $380, and it may make the artist money, but honestly you'll make much more at a much lower price point. I'm not saying don't value your own work, but $19 per keycap is still...well... "
Let's look at something like Holt Blades & Grimsmo Knives in comparison. They could drop their standards, remove customization elements, spend all day and night working to produce 200 good knives at a lower price... or they could keep their high prices, allow their customers to customize the product the way they want it, provide a higher quality control, and produce 50 excellent knives. People buy their knives because they are exceptional. To give anything less than exceptional quality would be unacceptable in their eyes.
This is the divide between mass production and artisan quality. So unless your doing their finances, I suggest you leave their financial decisions to them.
Let me offer this. Recent artisan keycaps here on Massdrop have gotten sent with some quality control issues to customers who paid the asking price. You're point is that reducing the price lowers the quality. That's not apparently true if what I just pointed out exists, and there are quite a few threads that have noted this problem.
For what it's worth, I hope that you find what you're looking for at a reasonable price and at good quality.
I'm guessing it's probably maybe $5 or $6 in materials, and a couple of hours per cap. Again, how does that affect you? What is the root of your grievance?
All that happens here is a bunch of people who are excited about something cool see these threads. To some it sounds like you're crapping on the artisan market as a whole, in the same camp as the people who cry because caps are too expensive. I want to be clear, I'm not saying you're doing that, I am saying the existence of those people plays into the perception that you are.
EDIT: It seems Gen.S is a one-person shop. Most of their products are available exclusively through small boutique keycap shops, in very low quantity.
Oh look! This is interesting: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/mecarmy-ek28-damascus-edc-knife/talk/2063341
But I bet you thought it was a keycap huh? :P Also I stand by the comment you referenced 100%.
Alternatively, you can run a market experiment and test your hypothesis yourself, possibly through auctions or through the sale of enough units that you feel confident in you best guess for the customers’ varying reservation prices.
Guess who has access to such data? Not you.
Before you go around touting hypoth ses as facts, take a marketing course on pricing, otherwise you’re just adding to the noise.
Oh. I just looked through your forum post history... Complaining about price is pretty much all you do.
I don't even know what you just said. But my riddle was straight fire.
There isn't much to be done either way since he hasn't taken it far enough to warrant a response from MD staff; despite the lengthy history of doing exactly this throughout the mechanical keyboard category.
For all I know, this may all be a language barrier issue. Having dealt with people from Finland, for example, there are certain English sentence concepts that aren't as understood, regardless of an individuals capacity to knowledge of the language itself; often resulting in sentence that come across as insulting. Although something tells me I've mentioned this before.
However, it seems clear you have nothing but "feedback" for just about everything posted in the mechanical keyboard community, and none of it is constructive nor helpful to anyone.