I feel like I jumped into this purchase a bit blind, I knew I wanted a spare case for my poker and that was about it. I purchased a walnut wrist rest from the royal glam/wood lab guy and I absolutely love it, so I figure that I'd pull the trigger on this. I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised, but as is so often in life this case is not perfect and I feel like I should inform people who might want to buy this the next time it comes around.
First let me say a few things towards aesthetics and ergonomics. I've done nothing to my poker so far, and this case in walnut looks fantastic when paired with the white plate over my pcb, the wood itself looks great with literally no imperfections in the grain, and the body itself arrived without a single chip or dent. Once installed to the poker, the first thing you notice is that it is in fact a low edge case, this sucker rides up right to the PCB cover and not a millimeter past it leading to an incredibly pleasing look. Actual use requires the installation of the dowel stand because the case does not have an angle built into it, with it installed using my keyboard is just as satisfying as it was in the aluminum case it came with, and the actual sound of the keyboard seems less hollow and acute. As far as usability and looks, the case is a near ringer for meeting expectations, but as you'll find out within minutes of beginning your installation there are quite a few issues under the proverbial hood.
I can't exactly say that the build quality of this case is good, that is to say it arrived in good condition, seems to have a good fit and finish, but is lacking on the details that are oh so very important when it comes to a keyboard case. Now I have a poker and it's the quintessential 60% keyboard, I don't care what there is to be said for the other varieties of 60% boards (keycool, KBP and the like) but if you're going to make a 60% case it better fit a poker. This case fits a poker, but it is no where near close to fitting like a glove; only 4/6 mounting holes actually fit my pcb. There is an issue with the low angles that i can't quite identify the cause of, the right side of the pcb/plate sits above the edge while the left side sits flush. Not to mention finally that upon inspection of the dowel stand it needs to be screwed in and it is not magnetic as advertised, which is not a big deal unless you've already installed the damn thing and now you need to unscrew it.
It's at this point when you realize how shoddily put together everything is, simply removing a key cap on the right side of the board (this is where the tilt issue is most likely coming from despite my attempt to fix it) led to 2/4 of the mounting points i could get installed to literally COME OUT of the frame. Each mounting hole has a little machined aluminum standoff with grips on the perimeter that apparently sit in the frame with nothing but FRICTION, i mean not even a drop of CA/Super/Wood/Thread lock glue is observable. This means that at any moment, your PCB can separate from the case despite being screwed in. Now this might be different if I were able to install all 6 screws in their respective mounting points but that's another glaring fault in the design.
I don't know if this case was done entirely on the CNC, or if it were finished by hand (sanding and drilling) but I think that if the case were a total machine operated process, the boys might want to re calibrate whatever is doing the drilling for these mount points. The case machining is flawless, everything is right where it needs to be but for whatever reason it seems that the mount points are drilled off center from the small circles that they are staged on. It looks like someone let a four year old try their hand at drilling in my case, and as a result 2/6 of these holes are so askew as to be impossible to thread without damaging the case or the PCB.
A few other minor complaints; how is it possible that this case is not the same length (end to end) as the wrist rests produced by the same company, in the same line of products. If I was going to expect anything, i'd expect them to fit flush and really scratch that OCD itch that someone who would buy a matching wrist rest and case is looking for.
I want to like this case, and I'll probably keep it; I'll keep it installed just so I don't feel like I wasted my money and my time waiting. If you've read this whole thing and are undaunted by the problems this case has, and want to smile to yourself when you look at your KB, by all means do purchase this case. But if you're expecting a product that is synonymous with quality, something with a magnetic stand, and one that you can guarantee will fit out of the box do not get this product; unless you're dying for wood, and are willing to wait MONTHS, I'd suggest some of the machined aluminum offerings on massdrop.
I'd include more pictures but i'm not taking this thing apart again.
First let me say a few things towards aesthetics and ergonomics. I've done nothing to my poker so far, and this case in walnut looks fantastic when paired with the white plate over my pcb, the wood itself looks great with literally no imperfections in the grain, and the body itself arrived without a single chip or dent. Once installed to the poker, the first thing you notice is that it is in fact a low edge case, this sucker rides up right to the PCB cover and not a millimeter past it leading to an incredibly pleasing look. Actual use requires the installation of the dowel stand because the case does not have an angle built into it, with it installed using my keyboard is just as satisfying as it was in the aluminum case it came with, and the actual sound of the keyboard seems less hollow and acute. As far as usability and looks, the case is a near ringer for meeting expectations, but as you'll find out within minutes of beginning your installation there are quite a few issues under the proverbial hood.
I can't exactly say that the build quality of this case is good, that is to say it arrived in good condition, seems to have a good fit and finish, but is lacking on the details that are oh so very important when it comes to a keyboard case. Now I have a poker and it's the quintessential 60% keyboard, I don't care what there is to be said for the other varieties of 60% boards (keycool, KBP and the like) but if you're going to make a 60% case it better fit a poker. This case fits a poker, but it is no where near close to fitting like a glove; only 4/6 mounting holes actually fit my pcb. There is an issue with the low angles that i can't quite identify the cause of, the right side of the pcb/plate sits above the edge while the left side sits flush. Not to mention finally that upon inspection of the dowel stand it needs to be screwed in and it is not magnetic as advertised, which is not a big deal unless you've already installed the damn thing and now you need to unscrew it.
It's at this point when you realize how shoddily put together everything is, simply removing a key cap on the right side of the board (this is where the tilt issue is most likely coming from despite my attempt to fix it) led to 2/4 of the mounting points i could get installed to literally COME OUT of the frame. Each mounting hole has a little machined aluminum standoff with grips on the perimeter that apparently sit in the frame with nothing but FRICTION, i mean not even a drop of CA/Super/Wood/Thread lock glue is observable. This means that at any moment, your PCB can separate from the case despite being screwed in. Now this might be different if I were able to install all 6 screws in their respective mounting points but that's another glaring fault in the design.
I don't know if this case was done entirely on the CNC, or if it were finished by hand (sanding and drilling) but I think that if the case were a total machine operated process, the boys might want to re calibrate whatever is doing the drilling for these mount points. The case machining is flawless, everything is right where it needs to be but for whatever reason it seems that the mount points are drilled off center from the small circles that they are staged on. It looks like someone let a four year old try their hand at drilling in my case, and as a result 2/6 of these holes are so askew as to be impossible to thread without damaging the case or the PCB.
A few other minor complaints; how is it possible that this case is not the same length (end to end) as the wrist rests produced by the same company, in the same line of products. If I was going to expect anything, i'd expect them to fit flush and really scratch that OCD itch that someone who would buy a matching wrist rest and case is looking for.
I want to like this case, and I'll probably keep it; I'll keep it installed just so I don't feel like I wasted my money and my time waiting. If you've read this whole thing and are undaunted by the problems this case has, and want to smile to yourself when you look at your KB, by all means do purchase this case. But if you're expecting a product that is synonymous with quality, something with a magnetic stand, and one that you can guarantee will fit out of the box do not get this product; unless you're dying for wood, and are willing to wait MONTHS, I'd suggest some of the machined aluminum offerings on massdrop.
I'd include more pictures but i'm not taking this thing apart again.