Round 5 and Round 6 kits for sale!

[lot_lizard]

Appreciate the response... But everything you mentioned all the more screams why we should be doing this ourselves. A proper cnc for creating molds (we have SEVERAL people here capable of creating the models) is 10k, and a FANTASTIC used injection press is 20k.

You have the opportunity to make ACTUAL money here. I am shocked the community hasn't jumped in on this. I have no interest, but will back the effort (a few k if reimbursed)... Kickstarter would shatter 30k in a few weeks if anyone wanted to take the initiative.

I am just surprised we continually beat our heads against the wall waiting around. Why get the approval of MassDrop or SA to produce the Dasher/Dancer. You know it is good... Run with it. Like previously mentioned... Improve it with M3 profile and even add texture via blasting with media. Why not?!?

EDIT: I'll help of anyone is serious about it. This is not hard. Just takes dedication

[Elrick]

I am just surprised we continually beat our heads against the wall waiting around. Why get the approval of MassDrop or SA to produce the Dasher/Dancer. You know it is good... Run with it.

EDIT: I'll help of anyone is serious about it. This is not hard. Just takes dedication

Why majority of people go with MassDrop is the TRUST issue. Anything goes wrong, they continuously offer complete refunds along the way.

There are loads of previous scum-bags begging to collect and run Group Buys and everyone who had participated with them, lost all of their money, perfect example here is IvanIvanovich on GH.

Hence it comes down to this basic question here, can anyone afford to throw away $500+ USD and watch some turd-muffin drive away with it, laughing loudly at your naivety?

Note# I have participated here on a previous 7bit Round 5 and although it took more than a year and a half, it did get delivered to my doorstep, so he alone I would trust.

[zslane]

Matt3o is currently helping to design a new high-profile spherical keycap family, partnering up with a new manufacturer (probably in China). These would be PBT instead of ABS, and dye-sub instead of double-shot. The color choices may be limited at first, and for a while, but this could someday ease the pressure somewhat off of SP and their production limits.

But make no mistake, this new manufacturer will encounter all the same issues and snafus that SP does, so don't think for a second that delays and production errors and communication breakdown will magically disappear just because it is a company other than SP. In fact, it may end up even worse. We just don't know.

It is good that someone is trying to bring another spherical keycap into the world. However, if you think doing it is easy, I suggest you contact Matt3o and ask him how easy it has been.

[zslane]

Oh, I missed the question regarding Dasher/Dancer:

I went with MassDrop because they handle all the finances and logistics. They also reach a far wider audience than these forums do, helping insure the kits will reach decent MOQ/price thresholds. Plus, they have a vendor relationship with SP which gives them critical advantages over any other group buy organizer. Lastly, not only do I absolutely refuse to do what 7bit does, nobody else stepped up to the plate to do it either, so I gladly went with MassDrop.

[lot_lizard]

I give up (not because of opinion, but there is no convincing)... White flag... Carry on

[Gray Jian]

The factory is in GuangDong, but I don't think that's a goodnews to 7bit and other authors. Because PMK will protect their benefit, PMK will refuse to produce other authors' works, but the new factory, if you pay money, no problem.

[c2lknt]

They (and we) are a victim of their success, and while it would seem to make sense for them to buy more machines, that is a huge financial investment for them, not to mention we don't know if their plant even has room (and power capacity) for more machines and the employees to run them.

That would also be a substantial risk. No one knows whether SA caps -- or mechanical keyboards in general -- are a flash in the pan fad or whether they'll take over the entire world. The former is much more likely.

Of course, imo, it's due to pics of really good looking SA sets floating out there that mks are getting so popular, so it's a slightly more interesting investment. Or it would have been - the Chinese knockoffs will be here soon, so SP's kinda missed that window. They'll be cheaper, faster, and, after a few iterations, likely better, like in the case of Gateron.

[7bit]

We will see how SP reacts, but currently there is no other source for sphericals.

At least within the next 2 weeks, I will get the first half and then start sorting and shipping.

But, the main problem today:

Google Wallet or PayPal collector wanted!!!
Google Wallet or PayPal collector wanted!!!
Google Wallet or PayPal collector wanted!!!
Google Wallet or PayPal collector wanted!!!
----> ----------------------------------------->

I might also take someone from EU who transfers the money to me and I pay SP from here.

[Wodan]

So when's the best time for bribes ?

HONEYB/7BIT/BRIBE 10

[7bit]

What should be the effect of HONEYB/7BIT/BRIBE?

[Wodan]

Help you sort orders for processing

[lot_lizard]

You do great work 7bit, and the scope of what you manage is really impressive.

Ignore me... just some drunk tension earlier that was either going to be taken out on poor Round 6 or the wife . If someone was ever commited to idea of making these though, send a PM. Purchasing and reselling used equipment nets a fairly small loss (even if it was a failed venture). The only "sunk costs" would be any maintenance that had to be performed. So the fear and risk of "flash in the pan" is pretty minimal if you own the capital outright (paying the bank for any loans is what kills you)

[7bit]

Google Wallet or PayPal collector wanted!!!
Google Wallet or PayPal collector wanted!!!
Google Wallet or PayPal collector wanted!!!
Google Wallet or PayPal collector wanted!!!
----> ----------------------------------------->

I might also take someone from EU who transfers the money to me and I pay SP from here.

[nosage]

Yes, the core of the problem is that there is only one manufacturer doing double-shot high-profile spherical keycaps.

But it isn't that they are inept or slow, per se, but that they are overwhelmed with custom keycap sets and they only have so many machines to produce them with. Everyone has to get in line, and a keyset will get bumped from their spot in line if the group buy organizer doesn't pay promptly (or completely). If there are errors during production, either because they messed up or because the designer sent incorrect graphics files, then that adds to the delay. If one of their machines goes down and needs repair (or replacement)--which actually happened recently--then that adds to the delay. If a key employee is sick or takes vacation, that can add to the delay.

The number of causes for delays are many and varied, and nearly every single one of those causes will likely affect a group buy as large as Round 6. Let's not forget that about half of this 2-year "group buy" period is just due to 7bit letting everyone request their pet keycap variations while trying to accumulate the funds necessary to secure a spot in line at SP (and eventually pay in full, which was such a vast financial undertaking that it had to be split into two distinct phases of production). And while SP is waiting for money from 7bit, lots of MassDrop group buys slip into line because MassDrop brings them a lot of business and pays in a timely manner.

There are advantages to participating in a 7bit group buy, but fast fulfillment is not one of them. Hell, even MassDrop group buys are projecting shipment of keycaps 9 months after the group buy participation period ends. That's how backed up SP is with custom keycap orders. They (and we) are a victim of their success, and while it would seem to make sense for them to buy more machines, that is a huge financial investment for them, not to mention we don't know if their plant even has room (and power capacity) for more machines and the employees to run them.

Also other vendors are stepping in and getting caps produced outright with no group buy phase (chronicler and penumbra r2)

[zslane]

Penumbra was SA. If "other vendors" are doing Penumbra 2 then it must not be a spherical keycap set.

In terms of the (somewhat) immediate future, there is no other vendor poised to compete with SP for double-shot sphericals. They still have, and will continue to have, a monopoly on those. And while dyesub is nice, it is no substitute for double-shot, especially when trying to capture the aesthetics of a vintage keycap set, which you might say is SA's specialty.

[7bit]

Yes, right so!


PBT key caps get dirty, becuase the dirt never rubs off, while ABS keys are polished with every key stroke and are therefore self-cleaning!


Now, is there someone who wants to collect PayPal money?

[c2lknt]

Penumbra was SA. If "other vendors" are doing Penumbra 2 then it must not be a spherical keycap set.

In terms of the (somewhat) immediate future, there is no other vendor poised to compete with SP for double-shot sphericals. They still have, and will continue to have, a monopoly on those. And while dyesub is nice, it is no substitute for double-shot, especially when trying to capture the aesthetics of a vintage keycap set, which you might say is SA's specialty.

So you don't think Originative or Vortex will end up with good, competitive sphericals?

EDIT: Oops, for some reason I thought Originative's SA caps were independent of SP. But what about Vortex?

[zslane]

I don't think Vortex will end up with sphericals period.

[tofagerl]

I doubt the market is strong enough for two manufacturers in the long term.

It's semi-largish right now in a very small community, but in two years...?

[7bit]

In 2 years, Round 7 will ship.

[7bit]

HONEYB/SIXTYBASE/GREY
price: $55


HONEYB/ALPHA/E/WHITE
price: $65


HONEYB/ISO/GREY
price: $16


HONEYB/ISO/RED
price: $16


HONEYB/UK/WHITE
price: $9


HONEYB/INTER/WHITE
price: $39


HONEYB/MODBASE150/GREY
price: $12


HONEYB/MODEXTRA150/GREY
price: $29


HONEYB/MODEXTRA150/RED
price: $29


HONEYB/CURSORBASE/GREY
price: $12


HONEYB/CURSORS/GREY
price: $12


HONEYB/CURSOR/GREY
price: $7


HONEYB/CURSOREXTRA/RED
price: $14


HONEYB/CURSOREXTRA2/GREY
price: $9


HONEYB/NUMNUM/GREY
price: $21


HONEYB/NUMOP/WHITE
price: $19


HONEYB/F1TOF12/GREY
price: $16


HONEYB/FUNCTION1/GREY
price: $35


HONEYB/FUNCTION1/RED
price: $35


HONEYB/FUNCTION3/RED
price: $29


HONEYB/SYMBOLS/R1/GREY
price: $12


HONEYB/SYMBOLS/R3/GREY
price: $12


HONEYB/SYMBOLS/R3/RED
price: $12


HONEYB/NUMERALS/GREY
price: $9


HONEYB/NUMERALS/WHITE
price: $12

HONEYB/LOTUS/RED
price: $2

HONEYB/LOTUS175/GREY
price: $6

HONEYB/HELVETICA/R1/RED
price: $3

HONEYB/HELVETICA150/RED
price: $4

HONEYB/DT/R1/RED
price: $3


HONEYB/ESCAPE/GREY
price: $2

HONEYB/BACKSPACE200/RED
price: $6


HONEYB/CAPSLOCK175S/RED
price: $6


HONEYB/CAPSLOCK175/RED
price: $12


HONEYB/CONTROL175/GREY
price: $12


HONEYB/CONTROL175/RED
price: $12

HONEYB/RETURN225/RED
price: $6


HONEYB/JRET/RED
price: $8


HONEYB/SHIFT100/GREY
price: $2


HONEYB/SHIFT100/RED
price: $2


HONEYB/SHIFT125/GREY
price: $3


HONEYB/SHIFT150/RED
price: $3


HONEYB/TRIANG175/GREY
price: $5


HONEYB/TRIANG175/RED
price: $5

HONEYB/SPACE400/WHITE
price: $9


HONEYB/SPACE400/RED
price: $7


HONEYB/SPACE625/WHITE
price: $5


HONEYB/SPACE625/GREY
price: $5


HONEYB/SPACE700/WHITE
price: $7


HONEYB/SPACE700/GREY
price: $7

G/CURTXT/R3X/GREY
price: $1

G/CURTXT/R34/GREY
price: $1

G/CONTROL175/GREY
price: $0.5


G/FUNCTION2/R2/GREY
price: $8

G/FUNCTION4/R2/GREY
price: $2


G/FUNCTION6/R3/GREY
price: $12


G/FUNCTION7/R3/GREY
price: $7


G/FUNCTION9/R3/GREY
price: $5


G/FUNCTIONA/R3/GREY
price: $9

G/MODSYM150/GREY
price: $7


G/MODSYM150/KIT4/GREY
price: $1

G/MODSYM150/KIT5/GREY
price: $2


G/MODSYM150/R2/GREY
price: $4


G/POSSYM/GREY
price: $3


G/POS/SQUARE
price: $1

G/FUNCTION/R1/RED
price: $12

G/FUNCTION4/R1/RED
price: $8

G/FUNCTION5/R1/RED
price: $7

G/FUNCTION6/R1/RED
price: $6

G/FUNCTION7/R1/RED
price: $5


HONEY/FR
price: $12


HONEY/BEPO/OVR
price: $12


HONEY/7BIT
price: $12


HONEY/ISO
price: $8


HONEY/MOD125/KIT1
price: $12


HONEY/MOD175S
price: $5


HONEY/MODEXTRA175
price: $27


HONEY/MODSYM150
price: $21


HONEY/MODSYM200POS
price: $6


HONEY/CURSOR/OVR3
price: $2


HONEY/NUMERIC7/GREY
price: $29


HONEY/NUMERIC7/WHITE
price: $29


HONEY/NUMROW
price: $59


HONEY/NUMROW/GREY
price: $19


HONEY/FUNCTION/R2
price: $19


HONEY/FUNCTION/R3
price: $36


HONEY/FUNCTION/R3/E
price: $36


HONEY/F13TOF24
price: $29


HONEY/F13TOF24/WHITE
price: $12


HONEY/F56/F910
price: $1


HONEY/POS/PACK1
price: $12


HONEY/POS/PACK2
price: $5


HONEY/POS/PACK3
price: $6


HONEY/POS/PACK4
price: $7


HONEY/CAPS175
price: $2


HONEY/SHIFT200/R4
price: $5


HONEY/COMMA
price: $2


HONEY/COMMA/GREY
price: $4


HONEY/FJ
price: $2


HONEY/GHB/GREY
price: $2

HONEY/GHB/RED
price: $2


HONEY/SPACE100
price: $3


HONEY/SPACE100/GREY
price: $3


HONEY/SPACE150
price: $5


HONEY/SPACE150/RED
price: $7


HONEY/SPACE400/GREY
price: $8


HONEY/SPACE450/GREY
price: $9


HONEY/SPACE450/RED
price: $9

HONEY/LOTUS175
price: $7

[eddible]

7bit! Not sure how it's happened but apparently I owe you 34p? Can you let me off of do I need to send it you? Please don't tell me to order anymore keys haha!

[7bit]

7bit! Not sure how it's happened but apparently I owe you 34p? Can you let me off of do I need to send it you? Please don't tell me to order anymore keys haha!

These are rounding errors or caused by currency conversion. If the bot does not tell you to pay, just ignore this. You will get your keys even if the amount due is up to $2.99 !

[eddible]

7bit! Not sure how it's happened but apparently I owe you 34p? Can you let me off of do I need to send it you? Please don't tell me to order anymore keys haha!

These are rounding errors or caused by currency conversion. If the bot does not tell you to pay, just ignore this. You will get your keys even if the amount due is up to $2.99 !

Perfect, thank you!

[rfja]

Hi 7bit - haven't been following the forum for couple of months. Received the invoice again out of the blue this morning. I have $4.84 in credit. Is it being sent automatically for me to order more? I want my shipping to be tracked ($3) - so please use the left over money to cover that cost. The rest of the loft over is negligible Also - what is the approximate time for shipment? INVOICE #0850

[7bit]

Just order the SHIPTRACKED kit!


And yes, everybody got the annoying message from the bot.


This happens far less often than spam from messdrop.

[kbdfr]

[…] messdrop […]

[jedmund]

How would I add insurance to my order? I added tracking but is the code for insurance just SHIPINSURED?

[rominronin]

*ahem*

So Monday came and went. Where are the pictures @7bit?

[Wodan]

*ahem*

So Monday came and went. Where are the pictures @7bit?

lol it doesn't work like that.

Mondays come and go ... if you want to enjoy this GB, you have to stop believing in dates.