10/21/2020 Update
A few days late with our update, apologies! All three of us have been heads down moving everything forward to get our Series 00 IC v2.0 and GB ready. As said previously, we will be running the IC for Series 00 once more, this time, with prototypes in hands so you can see all the colors and material in person. This IC v2.0 will run on Geekhack, Reddit (/r/mkb and /r/mm), Keebtalk, and tentatively Zfrontier.
Series 00 IC v2.0
Series 00 IC v2.0 is still on track for early-to-mid November. Prior to launching that IC, we need to get the following milestones to be finalized.
IC v2.0 will have a similar survey with additional questions for us to gain more insight and make better decisions.
This survey will likely run shorter than the previous survey.
Prototypes
Prototype production is full steam ahead and is on schedule. We had a good extra looks at the raw CNC fresh-off-the-press, and was very pleased. The prototypes have just gone through sandblast/mirrorPolish + additional processing, and is currently going through anodization. We are still on track of being able to have the protos in-hand in 1-2 weeks (Cubic will get them first because he’s in Hong Kong, with Isshin and I getting them a few days later). We are very happy with what we are seeing so far, and more excited to get to see them in person. And even more excited to share with you all for the first time!
Packaging
We are currently experimenting with a number of different package designs + goodies on the inside. You likely wont know what our packaging will look like until you get a Series 00 in your hands. We can’t show our full hand too early, can we? Haha.
Proxies and Pricing
In order to make sure we are available in every continent of the world (except for Antarctica), we will be announcing our full proxy list either during the IC or prior to the GB. We are very excited and honored to be working with the best and most reputable in the community.
The announcement for pricing will also follow the same schedule.
The Insiders
Last week, we excitedly yet discreetly launched “The Insiders”, a program to thank our most passionate supporters. We currently invited five members as part of the inaugural launch.
We will be sharing more in the upcoming weeks more details on what this program is, how to be invited to it, and what benefits you get by being part of it.
P.S. One perk of being an “Insider” is first-look at any news related to esc lab, including early looks at prototypes before anyone other than the founders have seen them.
Social
We have updated our Discord to be better categorized, promoted a new mod (hi Lumis #1203!), added new hobby channels, and just in general preparing for an influx of new people when we launch our IC.
We post daily design inspiration on our IG @esclabR if you have not followed us already!
Finally
The future of esc lab is something that really excites me. For now, I cannot share what’s cooking behind the scene. But we will be sharing when the time is right!
This week’s update is shorter, because all three of us are in “ship it” mode. 80% of designing MKB products are stuff that very few actually sees.