How Cooler Master saved its SK621 keyboard by doing the coolest thing

Cooler Master’s SK621 keyboard is a teachable moment for prime-tech hardware corporations in each place. When the firm’s most modern wireless keyboard stumbled out of the gate, Cooler Master made a circulation we would like all corporations would: Fix the product, rather than fetch users snatch a brand new one.

All this considerations’s the firm’s SK-series of keyboards, which came out to unparalleled fanfare thanks to their flat keys and Cherry MX low-profile switches.

Sadly, a form of americans hated them. Our overview of the SK621 criticized the little structure, hard on all however those with basically the most soft digits.

I changed into once dismally upset. I presumed I’d in the end came across the appropriate Bluetooth mechanical commute keyboard with RGB, however those hopes maintain been dashed in precisely 5 minutes of attempting to form on the SK621. 

Whereas flat keys are superb on a low-commute keyboard, my fingers could most definitely possibly on no legend form on the SK621 with out smashing into neighboring keys. I needed to typically form with fingers at a finest 90-stage perspective, and with the precision of a robot, to fetch it work.

It wasn’t fine me complaining, either. Fashionable YouTuber Dave Lee criticized the SK-series of keyboards in a video, going up to now as to comment: “Having a look to promote two superior Cooler Master keyboards. Hit me up for well-known parts,” Lee quipped. “I wished these keyboards to be unprecedented because they gaze so upright. But they’re horrid. DON’T BE FOOLED.”

Generally, when hardware debuts like a dumpster fire, you’re fine stuck. Your paunchy, imprecise fingers don’t work with it? Too negative, is what most corporations would screech.

Cooler Master, nonetheless, heard the pushback from a form of its possibilities and went serve to the starting stage. The firm redesigned the key caps to be more concave and raised.

Cooler Master

Primarily the most unprecedented share is, rather than promote the key caps as an not indispensable change, the firm made up our minds simply to give key sets to new possibilities who wished them. “We’re giving out change keycaps for any SK Series homeowners who want them—with out cost,” Cooler Master’s online page said. “No salvage. No ‘free however in actuality microtransactions.’ No ‘free however we’ll spam the hell out of you for months on finish.’”

And there is, certainly, no salvage. I not too long previously crammed out the rep hang using my inside most electronic mail, waited a few weeks for the key caps to come serve into stock, and obtained a dwelling of most modern keys on my porch. Cooler Master didn’t even demand for shipping prices.

Gordon Mah Ung

After about 10 minutes of fastidiously prying and replacing keys, the unusable SK621 changed into into something I anticipated: a tiny mechanical RGB Bluetooth keyboard great of being carried spherical.

I’m certain some will whinge that the brand new keys fetch it too unparalleled of a long-established keyboard in appearance and profile. That fine proves you must most definitely possibly most definitely’t please all americans.

I, for one, sing that it’s value praising a firm for fixing a product rather than asking you to snatch a brand new one.

Gordon Mah Ung

Indubitably one of founding fathers of hardcore tech reporting, Gordon has been overlaying PCs and parts since 1998.