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
The remaining 200 units are slated to finish production by Monday. A pick-up will be scheduled the moment the finished goods are available. While production is nearly complete, we understand that the wait time for this drop was abnormally long. If you prefer to not wait for your keyboard, please reach out to our community support team, and they will cancel your order for a full refund.
Expect an update from us by the end of the day Pacific Time on 9/25 or sooner if something comes up.
It's been 2 weeks since people requested that the keyboards be sent without the keycaps (which seem to be disappointingly fugly anyway). I don't understand why MD can't be more agile with their logistics, and don't understand why MD thinks it sufficient to say "It's taking a long time; the best we will do is offer you a refund."
But the handling of this drop has been rather a disappointment. I think that this was unsurprising given that this is the first time that such a run has been done and that the original 200 keyboard amount was exceeded due to greed on either MD, the vendor, or both's part. Furthermore, a great deal of anger and loss of faith in MD's ability to deliver products would have been alleviated with constant updates or compensation. Even now, the constant "ask us for a refund if you are unhappy" is getting quite annoying and repetitive. We basically gave you a interest free loan to kickstart a factory/project, and you guys don't have the professional courtesy to acknowledge the fact or thank your customers properly for sticking with you throughout this drop.
I know so many people have ranted about MD throughout this drop and everyone including me is probably getting tired of hearing it. But I want this to be on record: MD's brand has been hurt, at least to 500 customers, and faith in your company has decreased. Even now, I would have jumped on that KB87 bluetooth drop had I not had this KC60 experience. I am not even that upset by the delays, but am extremely disappointed in the continual bullshit and lack of support that followed the delays. Alex has done a great job trying to put out the fire, but the fire should not have been that big in the first place.
This might not be accurate, but I do not think MD has become a company with a stable source of profit. They seem to still be like a startup, trying to establish themselves. Messing with brand loyalty and making amateur PR mistakes is not something that you want to do at this point.
I would be fine with "ship me my keyboard without the keycaps, and we'll call it even"
You already have 700+ requests to rerun this drop.
If you do, make NO keycaps an option. And be prepared for a lot of people deciding they want to amend their order to have no key caps.
It sounds like this is a really cool keyboard, but most people will not want to wait 4 months to get key caps.
The fact that I've ordered 6 other items from MD and they've all shipped when they were supposed to is the only reason I didn't cancel my order.
MD can and will continue to get away with bad comms, bad item descriptions, and bad user support (in particular the excuse of having sent the only unit to a reviewer) as long as people throw money at it without knowing exactly what they are getting into.