oh yea the unikorn raffle is like really hard to win i’m trying for it as well and it will be my first custom lol if I win.
Also I have a tip, if you want a better keyboard you should trade it or sell you current one and save up for something better like unikorn. And friend me on discord lol: Minion#2284
The way I see it, there’s no use in being jealous. The owners of those more “premium” keyboards might just have very high standards, or just love a specific design. If you’re satisfied with what you currently have, there’s no point in buying a new keyboard just for being able to say you have a “premium” keyboard. After all, the definition of premium isn’t the same for everyone. For some, a premium keyboard is something obscure, rare and weird like some vintage keyboards of the 80s-90s. For others, premium is a keyboard made out of 24k gold.
Considering you’re quite young and (probably) don’t have disposable income like most in the hobby, I’d suggest keeping what you have. Spending $500 to impress others isn’t really a correct approach to the hobby, and to life in general.
A lot of great advice has been giving and personal experience been shared.
Maybe I can add to this. Look beyond the shiny high gloss products renders or 4k YouTuber reviews. Allow yourself to dream up your own keyboard — look into and after yourself for your needs.
While I glanced at a photo ad in one magazine in my teen years, I consider today’s world much riskier in terms of influence and the desire to own because of it. Before you know it, your admiration for a YT personality may influence your preference more than you know.
Again, be crazy, be wild and look into the realm of creating your own. Put a 3D printer on your wishlist for Christmas.
Just for inspiration: I’m 49 and type on a 40% which I designed and printed the case and keycaps myself. I still dream to tackle electronics and make a 40% Topre PCB
I think it’s worth noting that for the “average” person, any keyboard over $50 is an “expensive keyboard.” Even Serious Gamer Keyboards top out at $200. Another way I look at expensive purchases is to consider how many hours I would need to work (after tax, after necessary expenditures) to save up enough money; assuming you’re not working yet, how many allowances and birthday cards would it take to replace the money?
Obviously, it’s your call either way. It’s just helpful to really have a clear idea of “this is the full cost and I’m ok with that” before any major purchase. It’s less stressful and frees you up to enjoy it without feeling guilty afterwards.
This is excellent advice. Reminds me of the old Wired magazine expired/tired/wired feature…
Expired: gasket mount
Tired: spring mount
Wired: levitating magnet mount
Even worse, I fund 100% of my purchases, so no allowances or birthday cards. Even if I managed to win the Unikorn Raffle, and somehow have the guts to purchase, the total cost might near around 700-800 bucks fully built.
Just something small to consider, a lot of vendors can and will blacklist you from future raffles or sales if you win a raffle and don’t pay the invoice. IMO it’s wise to only enter a raffle if you have the funds ready to spend if/when the invoice arrives.
Hope to see you at one of the NorCal meetups someday!
I can say with certainty that in MyKeyboard if you win a raffle and give up they say to penalize you in the following ones (how they do that is not to be known, furthermore this behavior is never declared anywhere).
Frankly, I find it an incomprehensible mechanism, I have never understood its logic.
As I see it: are there 500 participants in a lottery? Well, I do the draw, and I create a priority list that includes all 500. Then I give some time to pay, whoever doesn’t pay loses their seat and moves on to the next one.
In any lottery, if you win and don’t claim the prize, you lose it and that’s it. It’s not that they won’t let you participate in an upcoming lottery …
I don’t know of a good solution. But you aren’t joining a lottery for a keyboard, you are joining the lottery for a chance to purchase the keyboard. Every person who enters without the intent to purchase lowers the chances for someone who is actually willing to purchase. The only thing I can think of would be a raffle where you had to put in a credit card to hold your entry. I can imagine the process when someone doesn’t pay and having to go back to the drawing board creates quite the headache for vendors.
I think the combination of FOMO and raffle system is just awful. No one should be joining multiple raffles at the same time unless they were ready to pay for both. I would never join a raffle if I wasn’t ready to pay for the board.
I have missed out on nearly every big raffle I’ve joined. But that’s the hobby. Not saying that’s a good thing. Just a matter of fact
To be honest, I’m hoping that the raffle system gives me an L so I could say “Looks like I lost the raffle, can’t purchase, save money.” If I somehow won, I do indeed have funds for the Unikorn due to recent items selling.
Sounds stupid, but this dilemma is solved by a random number generator. And yes, I would want the Unikorn if I won the raffle. Just that I would be ok either way (kek that’s the opposite of a dilemma)