Note: Ordering closed Nov. 21, 2016 at midnight PST. Our order is now at the factory, and we can expect a 1-2 month lead time. I'll keep everyone posted as we go. For those who missed out, you can join this mailing list in case there is another run.After more than a year of R&D, prototyping, feedback from other GH members, and
IC discussion, I'm delighted to announce that I've
just launched a group buy for custom CNC aluminum cases for CoolerMaster Novatouch, Rapid-i, and Masterkeys TKL boards (and only those).
To facilitate the ordering, payments, and fulfillment process, I've set up an online shop.Tons of relevant info can be found at the above link, but here are the key bits:
- Price is $200 for the gray and black anodized models. Upgrades of risers and custom color (Pantone match) available.
- Shipping to USA is $14, $35 to Canada, and $45 elsewhere outside the US (expensive, I know, but I'm at the mercy of USPS and am actually offering a $10-20 price break to international buyers by charging less to ship abroad than it costs me in postage).
- Shipping target is January or before
- If the survey data are indicative, we should be able to hit the MOQ without any problem
- I'll be handling fulfillment myself, shipping from here in California
I know firsthand that it can seem risky to join a group buy, but for whatever it's worth, I've worked successfully in the past with both Signature Plastics and MassDrop to bring the Galaxy Class keyset, which I designed, to hundreds of community members. I'm also totally visible online and in the real world, doing this all under my own real name. I'm not new to manufacturing or consumer products either; I recently produced a popular high-end
officially licensed Star Trek prop replica, for example, which not only has been selling well to satisfied customers but was even mentioned, of all things, in
GQ Magazine. :) In short: I have some experience getting stuff made.
At any rate, I want us all to get some awesome cases as much as anyone else, and I'm taking on (what feels to me anyway) like a sizable risk in order to get these to everyone a decent price in a reasonable timeframe. So I hope everyone will bear with me through this process (it may occasionally take me a day or two to reply to emails and posts) and understand that this is a team effort to help us all get something cool. I'm committed to keeping everyone updated at every step in the process.
Doing stuff like this may sometimes be stressful, but it's also a lot of fun for me, so your support is
enormously appreciated. :) Now, let's make something happen that would never have been made otherwise!
—Ryan
