🦄 TO KEEP TRACK OF THE COMMISSIONS & UNIVERSE VISIT THE LASER SHOPPO 🦄
https://mitormk.com/laser
👀 VERIFY HIGH RESOLUTION RENDERS AND READ MORE ABOUT THE KITS IN THE LINK BELOW 👀
https://mitormk.com/s00n
Welcome to the drop page, I hope you're excited for the Laser GMK project!
During the upcoming weeks we will be offering exclusive collaborations to celebrate the Laser culture. Exciting side drops will take place between some known community members and Massdrop. Other independent community creators/contributors will be expressing their creativity and passion for our project too, following their own terms.
We would like to thank every single one of you for the incredible support during the development phase, and we expect you all to have a very pleasant and unique experience with the Laser universe. We wanted to do justice to our keyset manufacturer capabilities, so everything we are presenting was conceived following top quality industry guidelines and state of the art technology, the best we can possibly offer so you can enjoy the purple hype.
Laser is filled with cultural references and it inspired me and JoTo to write together a cyberpunk short story dedicated to the project. Hands on Deck - The Laser GMK Short Story by MiTo and JoTo is debuting Nov. 3rd on my website. You'll have the chance to support independent artists and dive deep inside the universe we shaped. At the same time, I'm gonna be offering limited edition trinkets that I prepared myself here in Brazil and I hope you enjoy them. This is going to be the Laser Shoppo grand opening!
Outatime!
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FAQ:
> What kits I need to fill my keyboard?
In order to cover the vast majority of MX stem keyboards you'll most likely need the Cyberdeck kit at the very least, but lots of 60% and mini layouts can be covered with a combination of Gaijin/Kobe + Blocknet, and even more form factors can be covered with the addition of the Mitowaves. Depending on your specific layout, such as the Planck and Preonic, the Spacebars kit may be required so please double check before placing your order. Split keyboards can be covered with Gaijin/Kobe + Ergo and European layouts will be covered with the combination of Cyberdeck + Euro. The Mitowaves kit is entirely optional and if you are a Colemak/Dvorak user you already know you're covered.
> What happened to the arcade references from the novelties kit?
We decided to not offer those designs due to licensing restrictions, since they strongly resembled famous video game characters.
> Why *insert keycap* is missing from the Euro kit?
Because according to the data we collected during the past 4 years, the demand for European kits has been always underwhelming, in the grand scheme of things, representing a minority. They result in extra costs for everyone and offering complex international kits tend to result in logistic and fulfillment errors as they add a significant degree of complexity to the manufacturing and sorting process. As a result, only the most popular European layouts are covered, with the bare minimum number of keycaps to make it functional, following the most simplistic aesthetic theme present in the keyset.
> What's the *insert design* symbol present in the Mitowaves kit?
All of the designs are either '80s/retrowave/cyberpunk or short story references!
> What's the matter with the Blocknet kit?
Those came from Canvas XDA, we figured the community would enjoy a futuristic and aesthetically pleasing iconography to replace the modifiers. So we adapted the convention and ported some elements to the Cherry doubleshot profile. Below you can see a tiny example about how I arrived at the CONTROL design. If there's enough interest I can go ahead and provide a full breakdown.
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> Why are the Japanese kits designed the way they are?
For the Gaijin kit, the current manufacturing methods that exist do not permit triple shot plastic injection, as a result all legends are the same color. It celebrates the busy cyberpunk aesthetics. As for the Kobe kit, it exists to represent the beautiful Japanese minimalism.
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Thanks for checking this post, I hope it provides some guidance to this wave!
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MiToAnyway that you can let us see what's in the shop link? Currently its got the status offline picture but I'd like to see items and prices so I know how much I'm going to spend on Friday. Anyways, much thanks beautiful keycap set and the only ones ill ever need.
MiToHey MiTo. Great keyset! Is there any chance to have barred F and J included? I hate those scooped ones. Or at least regular F and J without the bar and scoop. Thanks!
MiToSorry, another question. Any chance on getting separate set of just regular alphas like gajin and kobe? That would make it easier to pull the trigger for 60% guys. I just want regular alphas and blocknet, I don't need the rest of 60 or something keycaps that will be left of cyberdeck set. Thanks again!
MiToFinally a proper drop page! My plan is to grab Cyberdeck + Gaijin + Blocknet + Mitowaves + Spacebar here. At MOQ, that's $374.95. At lowest price points for all kits, that's 245.95. OMG!!! WHY DO YOU WANT TO HURT MY WALLET SO BAD??? :D
EDIT: AND JOINED :D
killyouScooped and bar keycaps are already included in all alphanumerical kits. As for your request regarding splitting kits - it's cheaper for you to purchase the whole entire Cyberdeck kit, containing keycaps you won't use, than purchasing a separate alphas kit and then a modifiers kit. We quoted within the manufacturer and of course, the most affordable and better deals are what you see here.
Unfortunately not, the Blocknet kit is designed for 60% keyboards. I recommend you to complement your build with the Mitowave novelties, if you wanna fit a 65% keyboard. Hope you understand!
killyouThis is way past being able to change anything kit related at all. For GMK making separate kits like SP is always a bad idea, the base set is damn near perfect as is imo.
livingspeedbumpI was only asking because I don't like the default modifiers from GMK (I'm not too fond of the font they are using). I'll be getting Gaijin or Kobe + Blocknet (This is beyond awesome) to equip my Pok3r.
eapdangThe prices are ridiculous. 200$ for an base + ergodox kit? add VAT and potentially customs and you are potentially at 250 Euros.
GMK is way overpriced IMHO, even if it would be PBT it would be overpriced. I use colemak which would be even more expensive.
kohlermClearly you don't understand how GMK sets work. Yes they are expensive. Yes there is a reason though.
PBT > ABS either. Many people in the community prefer ABS over PBT, or POM over both. Cap material, when good quality, is all preference.
This set just clearly isn't for you, but it is a killer deal for what is provided and a set that many people have been waiting for a long time.
kohlermHonestly, that is about as good as it gets for a custom set on a non-standard layout. Also note that the price will definitely drop to the lowest levels, just as the other recent GMK sets have. Far too many have been waiting for this day to come.
jrjr2You just gave me a reason to buy another board to match the GMK Laser! Gone are the days of buying keycap sets to match a board; now its the other way around!?!?!
MiToMiTo please add the hot pink ISO enter to the base set or the Mitowaves set!! It doesn't need to go into the euro set for compatibility, but not having it in either the base set or Mitowaves is going to put a load of UK buyers off. Same alternative colour Esc and ISO Enter should be standard on the this kit!!!! Please!!!
Duke73Dont need to buy eurokit? You do realize UK buyers always get their compatability in the set. I doubt that UK buyers is a large part of the community buying base-sets. Welcome to what every other euro country has to do except UK on every drop.
Duke73These kits are locked. Adding or removing keys at this stage, especially the notoriously expensive ISO Enter, would changes prices for EVERYONE. That's not cool. You had a YEAR to make requests. It's too late.
jrjr2i'm just saying, having the pink ISO enter in the base kit would mean more people from the UK would buy it, and if you needed the euro kit it would be in the base kit anyway so makes no difference to you. i'd prefer to have the pink ISO enter swapped out with the blue one in the base kit to be honest, then guys in the states wouldn't even have to pay for the extra key...
Duke73Well Nautilus did the exactly opposite. They had loud enter in base-kit and normal enter in euro kit.
Mito did the opposite.
Many like the loud enter, many like the normal. I prefer the normal, so im happy with the way Mito is doing it.
No matter what, half of people will be happy/unhappy either way.
jrjr2Yeah i missed out on the nautilus, by simply not knowing enough about GMK keys and why they're so good. i still think it would make sense to put the loud enter in the novelties kit though
MiToGreat looking set MiTo!
But once again, we have missing 1.5u command/meta equivalents! its great that there is colemak/Dvorak and ergodox sets, but do you think that there are more colemak/Dvorak users than OS X users?
you’ll still sell thousands of sets no doubt, but please consider it for next time.
WarmCatThank you for the enthusiasm and interest my friend! I'm also a Mac user, but offering Command, etc. keys is simply not worth it - they perform the same function as ALT and CONTROL, so no reason to keep adding different legends that in the end objectively perform the same function. I know many will disagree with this but from a daily basis perspective the user can simply abstract and interpret the legends as Command, etc. It's function over form in this case, while some would like to have perfect legends at the end of the day there are simply way too many keyboards out there. We execute these kits based on what's popular out there, on average.
VloshkoMD do the updates mate as far as I'm aware, and if previous drops are anything to go by than we won't see any updates on weekends. Guessing it'll be updated Monday/Tuesday.
MiToHi MiTo. I just realised that the Kobe set isn't compatible with ISO layouts. You got the extra key for R4 (next to shift), but there isn't anything for the extra key on R3 (next to ISO enter), so we'd have to but something else there, which would looks totally out of place. Do you have any plans to change this? I would hate for this to happen.
Ozymandias99No, this would result in me having to invent something random for the couterpart Gaijin kit and they are twin kits. The ISO/ITL layout is restrict to it's very basic form, due to lack of demand and steep costs. Hope you understand!
MiToHey, quick question about Blocknet.
if " • • " is the control symbol, and " >__ " is the super symbol, then why is the r3 control key using the super symbol? It wasn't like this in canvas.
It also seems a little strange to have a stepped control key included, but not stepped caps lock.
tent> ">__" is the super symbol
Yes, this is actually the SYSTEM (WIN/CODE) symbol and the double dot is indeed CONTROL. We don't have a R3 CONTROL keycap on Blocknet kit, only CAPS LOCK, FN, FN and ENTER, respectively.
tentOn Laser GMK they do because >* (like Canvas, > and a tiny star) would require a new mold and since the icons are about the same (>_ and >*) I thought the user could simply use his imagination.
DustyMeatsObjectively you can simply pretend >_ is CONTROL, a line must be drawn somewhere, since the symbols are kind of abstract, and there are far too many layouts out there, a compromise or two must be made in order to deliver a reasonably priced product. I hope you understand! For example it took me a while to understand if your reply was even wrote in english because never before in my life I had heard of vi/tmux. I thought the following sentence was foreign, haha! I'm not a native speaker (BR here) so sorry about that.
Pity... many vi/tmux
MiToYeah, no hard feels. The Win-key can definitely act as a substitute in this scenario. I still think it's gorgeous either way. I operate as minimally as possible on a 60%, and I'm looking forward to Kobe and Blocknet. I was a little bummed there was no alternative Enter key included with Blocknet, so I also picked up the spacebar kit so I can add a splash of pink.
Sorry about the vi/tmux reference. If you prefer the aesthetic of a terminal, you may find Vim or tmux very interesting (assuming you're operating on a Mac/Linux machine).
MiToNot that it really matters, but I am curious as to why FN was chosen over CONTROL. To the best of my knowledge, CONTROL is the more popular mapping.
I've set up a poll to see which one is more common. It should prove interesting provided it gets enough votes. www.strawpoll.me/14329938
tentThe history has proven to me (a little over 3 years and over 10 keycap set projects) that people tend to request more often than not a 1.75u FN keycap, and almost never (I can only recall Sci-Fi, if I'm not mistaken) a Control. Vocal people tend to be Poker users - entry level keyboard with an easy remapping system. More experienced users tend to use fancier layouts that require an easy Fn access, since they map things to several layers. Mapping Control to 1.75u Fn is virtually useless since the left Ctrl can be accessed with your left pinky instantly, whilst Caps Lock can be triggered via Fn + Tab. Using me as an example, I use a 60% HHKB-esque layout and I have a fully functional F-Row from 1 to 12, Numpad and arrow cluster, both accessible with one hand, thanks to my 2 Fn's (stepped and 1u to the far right).
tent Doesn't it come with both? An Fn and a Control to replace caps? Looks like it does in the cyberdeck image to me. (sorry if I'm out of the loop on the discussion)
MiToI suppose it all depends on how people use their boards. I personally use ctrl + bksp all the time in order to quickly delete words, so it's almost crucial for me to have control very close to the home row.
Regardless, it's really not a big deal to have a slightly different icon.
Laser looks excellent and I really appreciate your prompt and informative responses. I plan on buying all the sets aside from Euro and Colevrak. Thanks again!
KatakainOh, of course, thanks for letting me know. I just kind of blindly joined blocknet without thinking about that; I'll still get it and just deal with a different icon for control, but yeah, if there is any way there could be a control key included as well I would appreciate it greatly! When you're going all out on a keyset you don't want any mislabeled keys, but it's not like it's a big deal to just have a different icon.
MiTo@MiTo any chance you could add some way to get more purple 7u spacebars OR pink icon enter/esc. I don’t care which. I use nothing but 7u and it’s gonna really suck to buy multiple kits and only be able to use 1-2 cause I’m out of spacebars.
I know there a pink 7u, but that doesn’t really match blocknet at all.
tentThis is interesting to me, because I can see myself replacing Caps with either Fn or Ctrl depending on the type of keyboard. For example: 60% keyboard, I need an efficient way to access the function layer for arrow/navigation/F keys, so I'd replace Caps with Fn. On a TKL or full size keyboard, I'd already have dedicated arrow/nav/F keys so I'd likely replace Caps with Ctrl to easily use shortcuts like ctrl+a, copy/paste, save, browser shortcuts, etc. It would be interesting to see what people remap their Caps key to based on keyboard size. Just my two cents.
_quickbrownfoxGood point. I remap my Caps to FN on a 60% board and this is the only board I'm using. I have yet to try 40% but 60% is where I'm comfortable at with hand movement and layers.
MiToNow that's some contrast. :) Might have to look into the spacebar set to get a pink one for the keycool.
My excitement for this set is palpable. Looking through the sets I have selected (Cyberdeck, Gaijin and Mitowaves) I think I can actually fill up Both my RK104 and my keycool 84 completely with pretty minimal compromises on improper legends... This is gonna be too good.
KatakainThat's what I thought originally, but looking at *all* the extra's in cyberdeck, I think I could make it work. Lots of extra mods in cyberdeck and mitowaves has a few too. Might not be 100% accurate on row's / legends but i think it'd be good enough to run either way lol.
MiToThe reason lots of people ask for R3 FN and not R3 control is that almost always the sets already have R3 Control. It is BY FAR the more common layout because of the HHKB.
Not gonna stop my purchases, but I think you made the wrong call on that one. I bet if you ran a poll Control would beat FN 2:1.
Amnesia1187Fn is the better option because it acts as both Control, since Control is a function that a keyboard executes, and Fn itself.
Control only acts as control.
The interpretation of the legend label by the user is the most important thing, and from an aesthetic and logical standpoint Fn is the better choice since it acts as both.
Doesn’t make sense to have another Control keycap on the keyboard, the bottom row already contains two.
It’s not about making polls, by your logic 33% of the customers would be disappointed. It’s about making the most logical and aesthetic call since this is a visual product that must please the majority of users, on average.
MiToIf you have blockers the bottom row contains 0 controls. If you have a split right shift you have FN to the right of that.
With the current scheme you end up with 0 control legends and then a FN legend on 2 different rows. This is bad aesthetics. Think of keyboards like the Duck Viper or anything with a similar layout.
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Also, why is the stepped key a FN key?
I also use the control on all my boards that have tsangan mods for consistency. I will probably just use the capslock key since it will clash the least with the look, but its just unfortunate.
Of the gmk sets I own, the following have R3 ctrl:
Yuri
Electric Bluegaloo Mods
Magenta Dolch Mods
Hyperfuse Redux
Skeletor
True Olivetti
Ocean Dolch
Iris
Hydro
Coniferous
Pink Originative Accent Kit
Cyan Originative Accent Kit
Purple Originative Accent Kit
Sky Dolch
Red Honey
Demonic
Dolch Reborn Icon Mods
Miami Nights
The following have R3 fn:
Do you see the trend?
I totally understand where you are coming from, but you are removing what is essentially a standard key to add one that no other set has. The reason people are seen to be asking for R3 FN more than R3 Control, is no one usually has to ask for R3 Control. Like I said before, you made the wrong call here.
Amnesia1187R3 Control is already included in the base kit. Symbols with no actual wording can be interpreted however you like.
And if you want to get technical, at this point 40% users are more common than people with Duck Vipers or similar HHKB formats that are able to use MX keycaps.
Amnesia1187Based on the HHKB being Topre and few examples of niche HHKB layout offerings from other customs. Where there are already sub-60% layouts (staggered or ortho) being supported.
Also once again, R3 Control is already included in the base kit. Child kits are only extensions of main kit coverage in GMK kits.
CyphreExcept it’s not an extension. It’s for the Japanese alphas.
What layout is it you think this is even helping? For any 40% I can think of it would need a 1.5u or 1.25u fn key.
I dont use 40%. i use 60/65%. the point of using caps lock control is not because of the blockers, it’s because once you get used to caps lock control, you have a very hard time using anything else.
For example:
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i was planning to buy multiple blocknet sets to cover all the Japanese sets I want, I would either have to use a wrong legend, or I guess I could do as you say and use the control from base, except then it would look like trash and I would only be able to use either the base or Japanese set at a time. I really don’t wanna have to swap keys.
Amnesia1187By extension, I'm referring to 'not needed' since the base kit covers other formats. Only exceptions would be International kits and space bars. Call it an add-on or whatever you like.
Congrats on your preference to using Control instead of Caps Lock in that space. One is included in the base kit just for you. Novelties like alternate mods aren't really there to cater to that same need. At the end of the day, there are no 'wrong legends' with complete new, custom symbol legends anyway. Your personal preference was not the guiding light in the creation of these kits.
CyphreOk, I'm going to be as clear as I can because you just don't get it. I have many keyboards lined up for laser. I was planning to buy multiples of basically EVERY SET. I would like to be able to use Laser on ALL of my boards at once if I want to, not just one or two that I decide to use the CTRL key with.
That means if I buy for example buy 3 base kits and 2 of each japanese kit and 4 blocknet kits, I would have no option but to either use the wrong legend, OR buy 4 EXTRA base kits just for ctrl keys that DONT MATCH. OR I could only use my 7 keyboards worth of kits to cover 3 keyboards. I shouldn't have to spend $110 per control key just to use Gaijin/Kobe with the legends correctly aligned.
You have also ignored my question. What 40% does this help? There are 3 GMK sets I am aware of (Terminal, LedZep and Coniferous) that happen to contain R3 FN keys at all, and NONE of them are 1.75u keys. All are 1.25 or 1.5u as that is what 40% boards use. I'm not actually aware of a single GMK kit that has ever included a 1.75u FN key. I'm sure there is one though. So what is your argument? It should use a 1.75u R3 FN key so you can use it on R4 of a 40%? That's insane.
Also @MiTo to your earlier point. Many of us who use R3 Ctrl keys are used to having 3 of them on our boards without blockers. It looks unusual for these keys to not have matching legends. Plus, unless I'm missing something, for any board using the R3 Fn you will always have 3 of the same legend on board anyway as you will have both win keys and the fn key. And IMO, this is far worse than 3 ctrl keys, as at least with 3 ctrl keys they are actually all 3 control keys. With the FN key you have the R3 fn, the R4 win key and the R4 fn key all sharing the same legend. Unless I'm missing something the ONLY alternative there would be to also add novelties to replace the win keys.
I'm not trying to force you to do anything, I love the set either way, but you are WRONG. There are 2 different alternate caps lock keys, ctrl and fn. Ctrl is FAR more common, so why does the set use FN? To be honest, my suspicion is that YOU use FN there, because nothing else really makes sense to me. And if that's the case, tbh I'm fine with that. Like I said, I can deal with just using capslock. But don't act like it is the better choice because there will be 3 of the same legend, that happen regardless since FN and Win already share legends.
The one change I DO think you should make is convert the stepped key to a caps lock. Stepped keys for functional caps don't really make sense. I don't think stepped ctrl would make sense either.
Amnesia1187In other words, you want more Control keys without having to buy more base kits. Unfortunately add-on kits don't include that key, or you can just get over it and use the given R3 key that has a grouping of modern, simplistic symbols, which it sounds like you are opposed to.
The comment on 40% has nothing to do with usage, and everything to do with 'niche layouts are niche layouts' but I guess that was missed in how I worded it. Point is the base kit has you covered, and novelty add-ons aren't there to satisfy your particular niche layout other than adapter kits specifically (International, Spacebars, etc).
Unfortunately when it comes to drops at this stage, kits are also final.
Amnesia1187@MiTo one more vote on the BlockNet stepped key should be Caps Lock.
The way it is now, full layout will look wrong with redundant pictograms on the bottom row.
CTRL vs FN, I lean toward CTRL, but could see it go either way.
Cyphrewas unfortunate I think blocknet wasn't shown until a day or 2 before the drop went live afaik, when people could find the page by searching. I could be wrong
CyphreCept for all the times when kits have been changed mid drop...
Changing from 1 key to another in the same profile doesn't effect pricing cause they just change the legend plate in the mold before they make the keys. If anything the 1.75u fn key would cost more since I'm not actually sure if GMK currently HAVE a R3 1.75u legend plate.
I'd rather NOT pay for 1.75u FN keys that no one will use. If I have to use the caps lock key I will, but the FN key is worthless to almost everyone.
The icon mods CAN BE USED as an extension for the base kit, but in this instance, that is not their intended purpose, they were added specifically for the japanese modifiers:
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"if Hirigana turns out to be the actual option there will be icon modifiers to complete a minimal look".
The reason the kit includes all the keys it does is so you can use it on a 60% with the japanese kits without the base kit. Why else do you think they japanese kits include a spacebar that are also in the base kit? Doesn't make any sense for an extension.
Regardless, the base kit DOES NOT have me covered as I don't want English on my hiragana boards. I also don't want incorrectly duplicated legends. On boards with blockers I can use novelties in place of win keys / fn keys and then just use the "fn key" as a ctrl key. But with any normal 60/65%, I'm forced to choose which legends I want to have wrong.
If there was a reason for this, that would be fine, but the reason being the set includes a 1.75u fn key that like 4 ppl will actually use just doesn't make sense to me. If anything neither fn or ctrl should be included and it should just be assumed that the caps lock icon is whatever you want it to be. What I don't understand is paying for a key almost no one wants when there is a much more useful key that could take its place.
Had the icon mods been presented during the interest check, I'm sure this discussion would have already happened.
Amnesia1187Lots of people actually use a R3 1.75u Fn, you’re being vocal as if it were a useless keycap. The Cyberdeck kit contains Fn, Caps Lock and Control so everyone is covered. The Blocknet kit contains Caps Lock and Fn because like I said Fn can act as both Fn and Control while Control only acts as Control. You have enough pictograms on the Blocknet kit to make your keyboard covered. 1.5u ALT and 1u Controls for the bottom row, Fn for the 1.75u Shift and then a 1.75u Fn or Caps Lock. You can interpret the pictograma the way you want, that’s the beauty of the design.
@OracleKev - The Blocknet kit wasn’t designed for full sizes or even TKLs, that’s why they only cover 60% layouts!
I just realized I will actually end up with 4 of the same key on my board for 3 different things as I use split right shift and that would be another >__ key, on a 3rd row no less.
I think the thing you are ignoring is that I have Tsangan mods, not blockers. I can't use 1u controls with 1.5u controls, that would look awful. Only 2 of the 3 keys are offered in 1.5u, so there is no alternative.
So the ONLY option I have is to use 1.5u ctrl, 1u win/fn 1.5alt 7u 1.u alt 1u win/fn 1.5u ctrl. On the row above I will have another win/fn for my split shift and then I can either use caps lock, which while functional doesn't really make sense for me, or add a 4th fn key. For the boards with blockers, you are correct, there are alternatives, but there's not really any options at all if you use 7u on a standard 60%.
Hopefully the novelties make it to the lowest price so I can just buy 1 per board, that way I can at least use suns for win/fn keys and then fn and control won't match anything else. But it still doesn't make sense.
You also still didn't answer, why is the stepped key a FN key and not a capslock? That one makes no sense to me at all.
Either way, I'm done arguing. Why you want to go with the lesser used an completely non standard (for a gmk set) fn key over the control key (offered with just about every gmk set) is beyond me, but its your set to design. I do think you are ignoring some of the limitations of the compromises you made, but not much I can do.
To be honest what I really don't get is why you were so frugal with the sets, and number of kits, it would have been so easy to add a few keys or make 1 more kit and it all still would have hit moq. You are omitting odd things for no reason given the level of moqs your drops are hitting. Why I can't buy more purple spacebars is beyond me. Spacebars shine earlier than other keys, and this is a custom color so it's not like I can just go buy more of them. Spacebar kits never struggle to hit moq, especially not on MD, you could have just done a purple and a pink spacebar kit, and it woulda gone fine. Could've even omitted the non-standard spacebars from the base to drop the price there for people who only need 6.25u.
I am kinda tempted to hit up GMK and see what would be involved with running an extension pack in the same colors. Maybe bring back Caps Loco, do a pink icon enter, 7u purple spacebar, maybe the alternate 6u spacebar, do a blocknet iso enter (or both colors), the missing keys for full jis, 1 more r4 novelty for 65%, and I still wanna do a Cruise Control key lol. Probably not all of them, but I bet it wouldn't be that hard to sell some extensions and add the odd bunch of keys that are missing, i guess if nothing else I could probably do 1 key at a time out of pocket.
Anyway, I'm done. I'm very happy you got this set made, and I still plan to spend a bunch on it. I'm just disappointed what could have been a perfect set is not, and it's not for any particular reason, there is just stuff that is missing. Maybe red samurai will add the missing molds and then a complete set could be done in R2.
Amnesia1187I think the crux of the matter is - you want everything done perfectly to suit you, and that's not how group buys work.
Buy as many spacebars and other kits as you want or need, and sell the extra keys. Or, you know, don't.
MiToI was going to use Blocknet on TKL with OG legends in the editing cluster--how I'm using Yuri Icon Mods. Weird, huh?
Anyway, I see your point. Not a big deal. I could live with non-stepped Caps Lock.
Amnesia1187> So you are advocating this layout?
Actually not, in that case I am advocating the layout below:
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If you have a Tsangan bottom row you still would be covered by the Blocknet kit, only thing you have to do is either use the Caps Lock pictogram or Fn pictogram for the 1.75u R3 keycap. If your are okay with having 3 CONTROL binds in your keyboard I of course do respect that, but don't expect such a niche product to cover your particular case. Lots of people who have a Tsangan bottom row (and not blockers) tend to bind the 1.75u R3 to either Fn or sometimes even Caps Lock. In the example above you can sort of see that (except the render features a 6.25u SPACEBAR and long right SHIFT). This of course will vary but since calls must be made I went with overall the more aesthetically pleasing one.
I understand your slightly frustrated tone overall, and lots of assumptions were made. But stay cool my friend this is just a hobby and a novelty product. Although some of your points are valid, because you are purchasing a high end product, I think you should take it easy and relax a little. Try to understand we are trying to please people on average.
> You are omitting odd things for no reason given the level of moqs your drops are hitting. Why I can't buy more purple spacebars is beyond me. Spacebars shine earlier than other keys [...]
From this paragraph I think you are getting a little anxious, assuming things again. Be sure that I know the situation regarding spacebars, we've done quite a bunch of projects already at this point. We are less than one week into this drop and it was mentioned countless times that we have complimentary drops consisting of special things incoming. While they may not feature exactly what you want, very nice and appealing options will be made available. Just be patient and enjoy the ride!
An extension like you suggest would cause more trouble than good, the manufacturer is focused on delivering things that are far more important than snowflake-y additions. Additions that would only increase the logistics complexity and overall price points of the drop - for a small upside in comparison, which is making a 100% perfect product for a small audience. We felt that the options made available are already near perfection and that the price tags were on point. This is why we chose to offer what you see.
In conclusion, have in mind that we need your support to deliver an awesome product and all feedback your provided was taken into consideration and was very much appreciated. But if you stress too much you'll only harm your mood, I hope you understand and of course thanks a lot for the support!
sevenseacatWhat I want is it done perfectly to suit as many people as possible, even if that doesn’t include me and what I want. Please dont put words in my mouth. You act as if the 15 kits I named have caps lock control keys and not fn keys for no reason. It didn’t happen by accident. If you want to argue my thinking please go right ahead, but please don’t attack my character. Most of the things I mentioned are not things I want nor care about. I have no iso boards and no 6u boards. They are things that I support because others in the community do care about them.
MiToJust to be clear. I’m not emotional in the slightest. I’m not mad or upset. Merely disappointed. I just by my nature like to make my opinion clear as I for whatever reason don’t like being misinterpreted. It’s a quirk, but I assure you while I may be verbose I am not at all upset with you. I’m a bit irked at sevenseacat as I don’t think his attack was necessary.
Regardless, my issue is just thay you are omitting things, not because people wouldn’t buy them, because they would, but because they might be expensive or fail. A failed GB costs nothing. And maybe with some luck enough people would buy them to keep the prices reasonable. What is the worst outcome? Some random extra extension doesn’t hit moq? So what, no harm no foul. Not every kit needs to hit moq every time.
This IS a niche product. Is it really so wrong if it is a bit expensive from time to time. I just don’t think things should be omitted just because some people might complain they are expensive. No one would be forced to buy anything. And as I said before, the worst thay happens as they miss moq. oh no :P
Amnesia1187If you are not stressed than I actually feel pretty relieved. Because I don't recall previous interactions with you (lots of people come and go, hopefully you'll understand) I wasn't aware that's just the way you voice your opinions, so thanks for letting me know. I normally can relate nicknames and avatars to the actual people so we can have a better interaction, and understand each other points more rapidly.
In retrospect, perhaps we should have gone with an even more aggressive strategy, making more molds, adding more colors, more novelties, etc. But to be honest I think we are already pioneering quite a lot of things and the overall complexity of the project is already sky high.
MiTo> "...the manufacturer is focused on delivering things that are far more important than snowflake-y additions"
I might argue that the BlockNet kit is snowflake-y itself, since it lacks the flexibility that standard modifiers from GMK usually include, e.g.: the Row3 Control key. I think this is the point that @Amnesia1187 is trying to make.
I will agree that they are just abstract pictograms, but you have done such a stellar job, that their meanings are intuitive and clear at a glance (once the end-user grasps the patterns utilized). Therefore, I'd also argue that substituting one pictogram for another lessens the simplistic beauty of the design. It's like swapping two sentences in a haiku... it may still read fine, but it's wrong and we all know it. Personally, it's going to create an "itch" for me, like the awful alignment of the legends on the angle brackets in Godspeed.
DustyMeatsExactly, the great thing about most GMK kits is how much coverage/versatility you get. This feels much more like kits that would be used for SP, but without any extra kits for the coverage like SP would have. It's something like 8 keys from having substantially better coverage for many kits.
If iso makes the blocknet set too big and expensive for example, make a blocknet extension, worst case it doesn't hit moq or is expensive. I can still achieve a look that works, just not one that is perfect.
Amnesia1187I just wanted to add that a possible solution is to add the additional key(s?) on the condition that a new drop point is hit, then just not lowering the price as much as initially planned.
This way you can change the set without ever actually increasing the price, while gaining the funding needed for the extra caps.
I feel like this is just beating a dead horse at this point, but @MiTo, I hope you'll consider it. Blocknet is sorely missing R3 CONTROL and ISO ENTER.
Amnesia1187 It's comnmon that designers of keycaps don't care much about 60% HHKB layout users and 40% ortholinear layout users. That's why I don't buy kits like these no matter how beautiful they are. I have to spend much money but only I can get imperfect sets even they are small extension kits. I can understand beacuse we are still minorities maybe.
DustyMeatsI didn't mention "60% users", I did mention "60% HHKB layout users." But you're right, I think Amnesia1187's argument is more convincing. It's not easy for designers to consider all 60% layouts. They have to consider many possible combinations of keycaps and GMK keycaps make work more complicated because they have different heights. But HHKB layout is kinda famous though, that's why I wrote, they don't care "much", it doesn't mean care "nothing". No offense, I respect designers like Mito, and he did a great job.
MiToJust got a chance to read the short story and I must say I really enjoyed it! Reading it gave a sense of nostalgia, like of some of the shows I've watched "back when". Looking forward to a, continuation? Perhaps film adaptation? A VIDEO GAME?! KKKEEEEYYYYY CCAAAAAPPPPPSSS??? In short, Def worth the $upport to the creators :D
Posters are pretty neat-o too :) Super excited to get those printed out, def putting some up in muh workplace, fer sher.
MiToGod DAMN is it hard to build planck set out of these. Here's my best try:
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As you can see, I had to use keys on their incorrect profiles, use arrow keys for different purposes, etc. because there aren't enough keys for rows 2 and 3 and I had to improvise. Is there any way I can get the modifier keys from the bottom of the Cyberdeck image? I'd just buy cyberdeck but I don't want the plain roman legends and I'd prefer Gaijin. I just want the proper keys for backspace, ctrl, shift, alt, etc.. I'd love to use blocknet instead but there're no 1u enter, 1u row 2 backspace, 1u shift, etc.
MiToI was pointing out how difficult it is to build a planck set and was wondering if it's possible to get the extra modifiers from the cyberdeck set. Also just advice for future drops for this set if you do it again or in a different profile, it'd be nice to have more planck-friendly kits.
MiToIs there any way to order 2 "child sets" without adding a second order?
I want to get the base cyberdeck, mitowaves, and the spacebars.
I have a order for the cyberdeck and mitowave, but when i try to edit the transaction on my account, there is only one drop down menu for the "child set"
MiToSo are they going to charge me shipping twice if I try to get a spacebar set? Cause if I try to add another order, they add shipping fee to that order too. I guess I will just do it and see.
Nov 15, 2017
zzzaacchh
Nov 15, 2017
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Iris3Are you adding it in your transactions? or on the drop page?
MiToIn addition to my suggestion for adding planck support (or simply more row 2 and 3 1u keys), you should add some novelty keys for various hacker operating systems to mitowaves next time, like row 4 kali linux and arch linux keys that can be used as your OS key.
WidaboKinda hard to justify adding novelty keys for an OS that didn't even exist until the 90s into an 80s keyset. I do like the idea, but they definitely don't fit in this set. :)
elFickThere are plenty of references in the mitowaves pack that aren't from the 80's. To name a few:
-011 (El's tattoo in Stranger Things)
-Trueno (the type of car in Initial D)
-Bitcoin
WidaboWell, the 011 is a meta reference, the show being set in the 80s.
I didn't even notice the Trueno, had to look up the reference though as I'm completely unfamiliar with it. Is it set in the 80s? Yah, I definitely don't get the bitcoin reference though, got me on that one. :)
elFickInitial D was made and set in the 90's. Bitcoin isn't really a reference to anything other than Bitcoin itself, which is a cryptocurrency used in the real world and it praised for its anonymity, decentralization, and convenience. It wasn't created until 2009, and didn't get big until a few years ago.
WidaboI wouldn’t characterize my statement as “allowed” or not, as that’s only for Mito to say. I was just pointing out that it was an 80s themed key set and that I didn’t see that they really fit. I checked the IC and Bitcoin wasn’t originally included so I’d guess it was a last minute add to make up for some that got dropped. Trueno was there though. Only Mito could say why.
elFickI don't think of this keyset as necessarily being an "80's keyset" and more as being a cyberpunk keyset. Now, since cyberpunk was founded and had the height of its life in the 80's, the two kinda blend together but I think that something that's cyberpunk and wasn't in the 80's would still fit.
WidaboThe entire keyset is designed after the 80s and cyberpunk aesthetics. Observing the novelties, if you don’t understand a reference that’s because you’re either unfamiliar with 80s/cyberpunk or it’s from the short story.
TheodooooreEither that or base-kit. Both will sell on mm without ISO enter.
Euro kit will be a harder sell though. Even without ISO enter, base kit for 180 shouldnt be any problems.
sevenseacatoh how i wish. then i wouldn't even mind the lack of a purple spacebar kit (well im still annoyed just cause i'd love replacements since spacebars wear fastest) but i'm gonna guess no like everything else lol.
Yes, more things are coming. I was aiming for something today but it will be postponed to next week. There’s another drop incoming too, and other nice stuff to follow!
MiToDon't think i've watched any shows/movies in the last 2 years with as much anticipation and suspense as I have this freaking drop page for the last like 3 weeks. Tired of this slow part of the drop, wanna see some numbers move!
MiToHmm. Do I add on Mitowaves just for the Ramen Cup and the extra green text accents or do I get Blocknet so along with the base and Gaijin I have two sets. Decisions.
eapdangBased on the T-34 minute spreadsheet's numbers, Massdrop grossed $452,009.10 on this drop. MD would have grossed $864,941.10 without price drops (using each kit's max price). So one could say members saved $412,932.00 thanks to price drops!
MiToCongratulations with the (successful, i should say) drop end and thank you for creating this one!
Can't wait for them to try out all the combinations i planned with it (i guess i will need much more boards than i have now).
And also, please promise me, that if you will ever going to make this in other profile, you will consider that new Matt3o's /dev/tty profile! I would love to see your masterpieces together (otaku-Kobe layout with large centered legends on spherical profile... ohh... sign me up any day of the week!) :)
Thanks again!
MiToWow order form for the artisan closed already. Is there any way we can be alerted for when the other shoppe items comes out? I was thinking they would be out at Massdrop and not at Geekhack. :-(
rowieIt sold out fast. Less than an hour. I got the email, popped into geekhack and it was gone already.
Dec 2, 2017
LevelSteam
Dec 2, 2017
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yanfaliSame here. I would have liked to get my hands on a cybercore agent 88, but what are you gonna do? With any luck we'll see other Laser themed artisans available in time (a Laser Arc Reactor would be awesome).
MiToHammer said something about a Laser themed Spinner Keycap... Any illumination to be offered as to when/where/if/how/maybe even why? I'd really like to get a Laser themed one that's not actually "Miami"themed... Not wanting to get Legacy'd here with the spinner keycap that I kinda want out now, only to find out the one I really want is just around the corner by the time it's too late... D:
MiToHMMMMM A CONSPIRACY...
Whelp, maybe we'll both be pleasantly surprised "s00n" with a curveball Laser spinner Keycap from out of nowhere. Just couldn't do the Bubblegum.. Too much pink, going to start overtaking the purple.
Dec 6, 2017
LevelSteam
Dec 6, 2017
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KM1337I don't know...I feel like a fidget spinner keycap has no cohesive place in an 80s cyberpunk themed set.
LevelSteamI respect your opinion, and raise you my own: I don't think the fidget spinner keycap has any cohesive place in ANY keycap set, themed or not. Therefore, it won't fit in any worse with Laser :)
LevelSteamMy main attraction to this keycap is not neccisarily that its a spinner, but that its an interactive keycap with a solid build. Not only that, but hammer confirmed he'd be releasing opensource 3d models (teased with interlocking gears) for people to make their own tops (and is even including a spare bearing for such) But because of it's modular nature.. Who says it has to be a top?
A rotating sign for Phos noodles would be p legit imho
Dec 6, 2017
LevelSteam
Dec 6, 2017
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KM1337I love the noodle sign idea! I don't have the experience or resources to design something like that, but if I did, I would.
I actually just turned our spare bathroom into a makeshift painting booth to seal up my stickerbombed board lol.
LevelSteamI find myself more and more saying "If I had only invested in a 3d printer..." - I've tried my hand at casting keycaps, but I too lack the time/resources to commit to these projects to achieve the level of perfection I have in my head.
Interested to see how the board turns out!
Dec 6, 2017
LevelSteam
Dec 6, 2017
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KM1337I'll post something when it's done-done, but that won't be for a bit since I'm waiting on an amazing artisan from ProjectKey
MiToHow long do you think before we start getting updates from GMK? Like pics of more samples and so forth? Really excited to see what non-rendered Laser looks like.
KM1337That won't be happening for a while I'd wager. The group buy just wrapped up on this so we'll have to be patient for a few more weeks before we see any production samples coming out.
LevelSteamWith that being said, we already were shown some samples as mentioned, so I am hoping that since those passed few months, additional samples were produced, or at least were planned to be produced. Sure the GB just wrapped up, but Laser's been 'in the works' for a LONG time.
KM1337I think Nautilus got extra sample caps about 6-8 weeks in and a picture of a full tray about 4 months in. I could be wrong. Been a while since I checked since I'm not part of that drop.
Dec 7, 2017
LevelSteam
Dec 7, 2017
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KM1337It's true that Laser has been in the works for a long time, but other than some color samples GMK isn't going to start really producing stuff until after the group buy concluded. I think @TanvirK175 has a reasonable estimation for the timeline, but all we can do is keep watching Mito's site along with the thread here and on Geekhack.
I'm pretty eager to see how Kobe looks myself so I'm just as anxious for this as everyone else :)
LevelSteamI added in Cyberdeck and Spacebars in the last few days, just in case. No need to regret it later on. My credit card statement isn't looking very pretty though.
killyouI think this is a good lesson for next drop, if you're undecisive about something, it's always better to overbuy.
If you dont want it when it arrives, you can sell it for 150% but if you was in opposite spot, youd pay the same premium.
jrjr2Yeah I wanted to buy both but I don't like wasting time getting rid of things I don't need. On the other side I'll be angry so this is a loss-loss situation haha.
supermunnyI’ll be shopping for these for sure. The drop was bad timing for me, but I’m looking for the base set, mitowaves, & spacebar.
Msg me on reddit if you want to set something up /u/nzox
KM1337We have had samples since the interest check, there are pictures on my Instagram and they also were sent to several partners for the commissions!
We went through over 20 different keycap colors, lots of testing and experimentation in order to nail the tones.
One color is still pending, the alphas base. We gonna confirm it very soon, there’s a big batch coming. Production for kits that do not have this color already started and it’s going strong and looking good!
MiToI kinda suspected this might be the case based on what little I know about how the keys are manufactured, but I wanted to avoid any unnecessary mind blowing. @rymac , you may now proceed with having your mind blown. :D
👀 VERIFY HIGH RESOLUTION RENDERS AND READ MORE ABOUT THE KITS IN THE LINK BELOW 👀 https://mitormk.com/s00n
Welcome to the drop page, I hope you're excited for the Laser GMK project!
During the upcoming weeks we will be offering exclusive collaborations to celebrate the Laser culture. Exciting side drops will take place between some known community members and Massdrop. Other independent community creators/contributors will be expressing their creativity and passion for our project too, following their own terms.
We would like to thank every single one of you for the incredible support during the development phase, and we expect you all to have a very pleasant and unique experience with the Laser universe. We wanted to do justice to our keyset manufacturer capabilities, so everything we are presenting was conceived following top quality industry guidelines and state of the art technology, the best we can possibly offer so you can enjoy the purple hype.
Laser is filled with cultural references and it inspired me and JoTo to write together a cyberpunk short story dedicated to the project. Hands on Deck - The Laser GMK Short Story by MiTo and JoTo is debuting Nov. 3rd on my website. You'll have the chance to support independent artists and dive deep inside the universe we shaped. At the same time, I'm gonna be offering limited edition trinkets that I prepared myself here in Brazil and I hope you enjoy them. This is going to be the Laser Shoppo grand opening!
Outatime! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ:
> What kits I need to fill my keyboard?
In order to cover the vast majority of MX stem keyboards you'll most likely need the Cyberdeck kit at the very least, but lots of 60% and mini layouts can be covered with a combination of Gaijin/Kobe + Blocknet, and even more form factors can be covered with the addition of the Mitowaves. Depending on your specific layout, such as the Planck and Preonic, the Spacebars kit may be required so please double check before placing your order. Split keyboards can be covered with Gaijin/Kobe + Ergo and European layouts will be covered with the combination of Cyberdeck + Euro. The Mitowaves kit is entirely optional and if you are a Colemak/Dvorak user you already know you're covered.
> What happened to the arcade references from the novelties kit?
We decided to not offer those designs due to licensing restrictions, since they strongly resembled famous video game characters.
> Why *insert keycap* is missing from the Euro kit?
Because according to the data we collected during the past 4 years, the demand for European kits has been always underwhelming, in the grand scheme of things, representing a minority. They result in extra costs for everyone and offering complex international kits tend to result in logistic and fulfillment errors as they add a significant degree of complexity to the manufacturing and sorting process. As a result, only the most popular European layouts are covered, with the bare minimum number of keycaps to make it functional, following the most simplistic aesthetic theme present in the keyset.
> What's the *insert design* symbol present in the Mitowaves kit?
All of the designs are either '80s/retrowave/cyberpunk or short story references!
> What's the matter with the Blocknet kit?
Those came from Canvas XDA, we figured the community would enjoy a futuristic and aesthetically pleasing iconography to replace the modifiers. So we adapted the convention and ported some elements to the Cherry doubleshot profile. Below you can see a tiny example about how I arrived at the CONTROL design. If there's enough interest I can go ahead and provide a full breakdown.
> Why are the Japanese kits designed the way they are?
For the Gaijin kit, the current manufacturing methods that exist do not permit triple shot plastic injection, as a result all legends are the same color. It celebrates the busy cyberpunk aesthetics. As for the Kobe kit, it exists to represent the beautiful Japanese minimalism.
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Thanks for checking this post, I hope it provides some guidance to this wave!
🦄