Unicomp Legends

[emdude]

I'm pretty new to mechanical keyboards and buckling springs in general, but after getting a Model M a while back, I also HAD to get RGB modifier key caps from Unicomp, my first purchase from them!

But when they actually came..

Spoiler:

Yikes, those off-center legends!

I should have known though, having read about the quality of their key caps. Fortunately, what has been said about their customer service was also right and they were kind enough to send me a replacement set (which is still on its way here).

Their customer service rep also told me that the legends were "hand copy and pasted," which I thought was fascinating.. But I wonder who did the keys I got..

Does anyone else have have experience with their customer service when it came to issues like this?

[Redmaus]

To be honest it seems like they really don't care.

I only say that from stories I have heard from others. I haven't really had any personal experience.

And those legends look embarrassingly bad. How you could look at that and think its fit for sale baffles me.

[Muirium]

Crap. Now you've got me worried about the 12 or so RGB sets in my GB!

Round 1:
post273568.html#p273568

Round 2:
post281529.html#p281529

Trouble is, I'm based abroad, and will be away again too soon to get anything swapped out by Unicomp. So worrying won't achieve much…

[emdude]

To be honest it seems like they really don't care.

I only say that from stories I have heard from others. I haven't really had any personal experience.

And those legends look embarrassingly bad. How you could look at that and think its fit for sale baffles me.

Well, I plan to get blank key caps from them at some point, so at least then I won't have to worry about the variability of how their legends are done, which I've read quite a bit about..

[Muirium]

I suspect some of your reading was me! I'm not a fan, as I really doubt their QC, or indeed their fundamental ability to do as good as job as IBM ever did. Most of my Unicomp caps are blank, on purpose. But when you run a Group Buy…

[emdude]

I suspect some of your reading was me! I'm not a fan, as I really doubt their QC, or indeed their fundamental ability to do as good as job as IBM ever did. Most of my Unicomp caps are blank, on purpose. But when you run a Group Buy…

I imagine 12+ RGB sets would leave a bit of room for that sort of thing to happen. I was both surprised and pretty miffed by the fact that this happened in my first purchase from them.

At least they were kind enough to send me a free replacement, I was thinking I would either need to go through their return process or just keep the darn things.

[fohat]

Supposedly they got a new dye-sub machine about a year ago so the printing itself is reputed to be improved.

I am flummoxed at the seeming scattergun way the legends land on the keys. The last time that I bought a set (an otherwise wonderful "green alert" set) it included a handful of keys with off-center legends, and they were not off in the same way - some too low, some too high, too far right, etc.

I cannot imagine a process in which the cap is not held in a consistent place by a jig or a machine.

Are we to believe that they are actually printing these things by hand, and/or individually? That would be insane!

[Redmaus]

Printing by hand sounds like insanity, I wonder if they do because of the lower amount of orders they get?

Maybe printing by hand is easier than maintaining the machines?

[bitslasher]

From my understanding (I have talked to them before myself) when in requested the numeric Function key set. They were super kind enough to do them! Apparently they did a larger batch because after I requested I found them on their site for sale. However, as nice as their sales and support people are their "fabricator" people should be fired. They act like they are showing up to work drunk. My numeric F-keys were also of poor quality in both alignment and clarity. The dye was diffused into the plastic and was very fuzzy. It's like they don't do any QC. I talked to them about their "new machine" and it sounds like something cheap that they got. (They probably don't have a lot of money to spend on expensive equipment). It did sound like something they did one or few keys at a time with. They produce some kind of mask over the key and the unmasked portion is what the dye is sublimated into. Which explains what I was seeing. It looks like the mask isn't being held close to the keys or something let it bleed around.

[emdude]

So I got the replacement RGB set today:

Spoiler:

Only the right shift key's legend actually looks centered. The other legends are a bit too high, but at least they're consistent..!

At this point, I'm inclined to just leave things at this, but the next time I get key caps from Unicomp, they'll almost certainly be blank ones..

[MECHGAMER]

I was actually considering getting some caps for my 122 key model m, but this has turned me away from getting any.

[Redmaus]

That's the best they could do?

Wow....

[Ray]

And those legends look embarrassingly bad. How you could look at that and think its fit for sale baffles me.

This.
Still, having a low quality option is better than no option at all.
At least having an option for blank keys is better than no option at all.

[suclearnub]

Oof that's really bad. You should contact them for a replacement.

[bitslasher]

I think those are replacements...

[courtesi]

Probably the best option - especially if doing a group buy - is to stop by Unicomp HQ and verify them in person.

This may be tough since most folks here are in the UK; however there may be some of us in the states that could do this.

[Muirium]

Unicomp's out in Lexington, Kentucky. Which may indeed be "the heart of bluegrass country", but doesn't likely make it convenient for anyone I know here at DT! Now, if they were in central Texas, meanwhile…

Anyway, the idea they'd be happy to allow inside what would essentially be an Inspections Team to scrutinise their (absent) quality control… well, it makes me chuckle. Doesn't sound too likely, though.

[XMIT]

Unicomp's out in Lexington, Kentucky. Which may indeed be "the heart of bluegrass country", but doesn't likely make it convenient for anyone I know here at DT! Now, if they were in central Texas, meanwhile…

It's still a schlep from here (I think that's Yiddish for "a long distance") but if I'm ever passing through I'll see about getting a factory tour.

Though, I'm more interested in doing that dye sublimation myself. How hard can it be? (Famous last words.) I'll ask/Google around to see if I can get more information about the process.

[Redmaus]

Yeah if they do it by hand than it can't be too hard.

[Muirium]

Presuming they're down to using crayons now…

[emdude]

Maybe they should hire some five-year-olds to do it..

I would think they'd at least use some sort of guide to align the legends but...