Completed MJOLNIR: The minimalistic – but not boring – 9.7L Case

[For_Science]

I guess the QC units were given (sold) away to friends and family? Theoretically if you have 10 units that passed QC, these could have been allocated as units for replacement in case damage is found....Although this only applies to Stealth as Dark and steel are not being QCed.... Having said this, surely there was an initial intention to QC Dark/Steel and so there should be 10 units extra as a minimum no? Unless of course not QCing them was always the plan (which would be news for me). So I'm not sure I completely understand how there can be no excess good units if QC units were going to be a thing from the beginning.

 

[HoshiGumi]

Or at least to manufacture additional shells and panels for each now that a new batch has gone through pre-order. The excuse that each order is made so a specific backers specs is weird. The backers shelf is nicked, just give him a new shell. Screw RGB and all that nonsense. Pretty sure anyone with severe damage would be happy to have a new part even if it meant not getting precisely what they ordered.

 

[keepcoding]

We don’t have cases for swapping like that unfortunately, every case has a unique backer behind it.

The issue on the motherboard plate is rare but is still not unacceptable according to our deal with the factory, we can’t make all parts like the outer shell, and internal parts (while generally almost as good as the shell) are allowed to have marks in order to prioritize external parts finish.

The silver nick is very unfortunate and I’ll try to do something about it, but it’s still a comparatively very small issue that can happen in some rare instances. We can potentially make a new shell for you in the next batch but it’s not a guarantee that is will match the panels as well as the current one does.

don't you have like 10 review units at home? just send him one of those...

dismissing an issue like this is a bit disappointing to be honest.

 

[saonexus]

The first unboxing video, I think he did a great job Once again, 1 magnet & 2 corner guards appear to have fallen off.

He didn’t use chopsticks to take out the panels… unacceptable.

 

[AlexTzone]

We can't guarantee an absolutely spot-free surface finishing, even if that's something we strive for and achieve in >99% of cases. Also, this isn't a product we can just swap out like that, it's not feasible. We're looking at something that costs somewhere around 4-5x a Ghosts to manufacture and probably 10x your typical sheet metal case, but it's definitely not 4-5x Ghost in price.

For internal parts we don't consider that scuff a significant defect, that's just the way it is if you want to prioritize surface finishing on the external parts and keep the costs reasonable.




For the external parts, such small marks as this can't be guaranteed not to happen, even if it's extremely rare. We would need to price MJOLNIR at $1000 to guarantee against 1mm spots 100% of the time (scrap-rate would rise exponentially to achieve this). Even if we extrude, machine and anodize a new shell this can still happen.




I understand that this is not what people want to hear and that it's disappointing, but there has to be a cutoff line for what is too small to be considered a significant defect, otherwise the pricing would increase way beyond where most people could afford to get a case like this.

 

[keepcoding]

We can't guarantee an absolutely spot-free surface finishing, even if that's something we strive for and achieve in >99% of cases. Also, this isn't a product we can just swap out like that, it's not feasible. We're looking at something that costs somewhere around 4-5x a Ghosts to manufacture and probably 10x your typical sheet metal case, but it's definitely not 4-5x Ghost in price. For internal parts we don't consider that scuff a significant defect, that's just the way it is if you want to prioritize surface finishing on the external parts and keep the costs reasonable.

For the external parts, such small marks as this can't be guaranteed not to happen, even if it's extremely rare. We would need to price MJOLNIR at $1000 to guarantee against 1mm spots 100% of the time (scrap-rate would rise exponentially to achieve this). Even if we extrude, machine and anodize a new shell this can still happen.



I understand that this is not what people want to hear and that it's disappointing, but there has to be a cutoff line for what is too small to be considered a significant defect, otherwise the pricing would increase way beyond where most people could afford to get a case like this.

Alex, as I already mention a couple of times, you could price the Mjolnir 30$ higher to account for 10% of returns / defects. Why won't you take this route?
And if it's indeed just 1% that has defects, then a price increase of 3$ should be enough to be able to afford exchanges for the affected 1%.

I'd rather pay more and be sure to get a perfect unit than save a few bucks.

 

[HoshiGumi]

What happens if a case arrives completely warped? Hypothetically? Would you say tough luck to the customer?

 

[hoanghiep2111]

Alex,

What was your vision for starting this project, and do you feel like you have achieved that goal?

How do I convince people to make the decision of purchasing a Mjolnir instead of any other offerings on the market? What is the defining aspect of your creation?

 

[AlexTzone]

What happens if a case arrives completely warped? Hypothetically? Would you say tough luck to the customer?

Significant defects like that caused by the factory and not by transit will be replaced. Replacement varies from single affected parts to a new unit, depending on the damage. Then again, such defects would be picked up early in QC.

 

[beerbuddha]

He didn’t use chopsticks to take out the panels… unacceptable.

yo i want thorzone chopstick at this point

 

[AlexTzone]

Alex, as I already mention a couple of times, you could price the Mjolnir 30$ higher to account for 10% of returns / defects. Why won't you take this route?
And if it's indeed just 1% that has defects, then a price increase of 3$ should be enough to be able to afford exchanges for the affected 1%.

I'd rather pay more and be sure to get a perfect unit than save a few bucks.

Thing is, making extras doesn’t really guarantee 100% protection against small imperfects like that. We already make extras (30%+ for Dark for example, and scrap the bad ones) and to get from >99% to 100% on such small spots you have to increase scrap-rate for all units dramatically. And if the case has to be replaced at any sign of any imperfect the price needs to be increase 3-4 times.

Now if you want us to just make a new shell, we can make it, but the risk for such small spot is still around <1%, but not 0.

 

[smallfx]

Can't believe you went out of your way to upload the first two photos I sent you, that I didn't even post of the forum. I literally sent them to you as I was overlooking the case, then sent you follow up shots that were much clearer, but you decided to post the ones that show the issue less?

Here's the message I sent him with the follow up photo I actually posted on the forums:

The large scuff mark on the motherboard tray also does not come off with a bit of alcohol. It's a deep scratch, and does not look like a machine mark. I try to give better views of the marks:

And here is the follow up photo I sent him that shows the mark a lot better. And yes, he actually tried to tell me the scratches on the mb tray were "machine marks". And he also lied about "being the first" on another complaint about the panels being dislodged upon shipment. My top panel was dislodged and not sitting flush and it was literally the second line of the complaint e-mail I sent him:

Some panels weren't sitting flush upon opening the box

I wish I never defended you in the past. You must have some agenda that I posted my issues publicly.

 

[HoshiGumi]

I'm pretty sure that's what he wants Alex as well as anyone here. A new shell if the product we paid for isn't delivered in good condition. Many countries have consumer protection acts. Not allowing refunds when the Gen 4 Riser was cancelled is already a breach of the sales contract and I believe depending on where you are from, you can claim a refund. Your back and forth here has been awesome frankly!! I would maybe just take a step back and double check if this is the policy you wish to continue with for the future. Return and Refund Policies are super important and often what customers look at when looking to see if they wish to do business with you.

I haven't received my case yet, so maybe I'll have absolutely no issues but I would hate to be smallfx right now

 

[AlexTzone]

Can't believe you went out of your way to upload the first photo I sent you, that I didn't even post of the forum.

Here's the message I sent him with the follow up photo I actually posted on the forums:



And here is the follow up photo I sent him that shows the mark a lot better. And yes, he actually tried to tell me the scratches on the mb tray were "machine marks". And he also lied about "being the first" on another complaint about the panels being dislodged upon shipment. My top panel was dislodged and not sitting flush and it was literally the second line of the complaint e-mail I sent him:



I wish I never defended you in the past. You must have some agenda that I posted my issues publicly.

We only know what has been reported to us, but what I meant with being “first” was about the silver nick (sometimes I read too quickly and I must have missed what you asked about exactly in my reply). Still, up until you emailed us & David commented on the Kickstarter page we were not aware that some panels are dislodged during transit, as this hasn’t happened during test shipments or been reported prior to you & him.

 

[AlexTzone]

I'm pretty sure that's what he wants Alex as well as anyone here. A new shell if the product we paid for isn't delivered in good condition. Many countries have consumer protection acts. Not allowing refunds when the Gen 4 Riser was cancelled is already a breach of the sales contract and I believe depending on where you are from, you can claim a refund. Your back and forth here has been awesome frankly!! I would maybe just take a step back and double check if this is the policy you wish to continue with for the future. Return and Refund Policies are super important and often what customers look at when looking to see if they wish to do business with you.

I haven't received my case yet, so maybe I'll have absolutely no issues but I would hate to be smallfx right now

I can’t guarantee that such nick won’t be on the new shell, that’s the point (even if I’m 99% sure it won’t be). The surface finish can be flawless apart from that. If the nick or scratch is large then yes ofc.

 

[smallfx]

I can’t guarantee that such nick won’t be on the new shell, that’s the point (even if I’m 99% sure it won’t be). If the nick or scratch is large then yes ofc.

The scratch on the mb plate isn't large? I love how you claimed the best QC standards nearly every post, but once scratched case arrives, you reveal that the QC standards for the internals are set low to allow higher surface quality finish. Why wasn't this disclosed to me before purchasing? I should now accept it that you have some hidden deal with the factory you never informed your buyers about that can affect quality of the product?

It's almost comical at this point you're defending your stance to not replace the case. One second it's "super rare", the next second there's no guarantee it won't happen again. Which is it?

 

[uber_shnitz]

I think the delays and even some of the minor QC issues (although would have been nice to be informed out of the gate that you've prioritized outer finish at a potential (even if small) cost to inner finish are fine, but if smallfx's case came with a defect, then you should at least consider sending him a new case. He even mentioned being willing to wait months after the other batches are done, he just wants a straight answer.

If there's a nick on the new shell due to your QC standards with the factory...well then we'll address that when the new shell comes.... It's like swapping my car's faulty brakes with new ones. There's no guarantee 100% the new brakes aren't faulty but I still want them swapped out...
I think everyone understands the notion of anodizing at this point and that the new shell being sent may or may not completely match his panels (althoguh if you were aiming for A+ customer service you'd send everything over) but IMO this is something that should be addressed. It sucks as a small business but sometimes you do have to lose money out early in order to secure your company's future. People remember good customer service just as much if not more than good prodcuts. I've had mediocre products from companies that deliver fantastic service and it's made me come back.

I get that you're 100% involved in just trying to get the current batches shipped out (and to be fair, our pressure with regards to shipping isn't helping), but customers need to be put first.

 

[AlexTzone]

The scratch on the mb plate isn't large? I love how you claimed the best QC standards nearly every post, but once scratched case arrives, you reveal that the QC standards for the internals are set low to allow higher surface quality finish. Why wasn't this disclosed to me before purchasing? I should now accept it that you have some hidden deal with the factory you never informed your buyers about? It's almost comical at this point you're defending your stance to not replace the case.

If you take a look inside a MacBook you’ll probably see imperfection as well at times, that are still acceptable since they are internal. It’s a similar situation here. We know that people are much more concerned with external imperfections than internal, and allocate costs accordingly. What would be the point of increasing the cost of the MB tray by 2x in order to attain the same surface finish as the Shell? Nobody will notice once the case is built and we’ve made people pay more.

 

[smallfx]

If you take a look inside a MacBook you’ll probably see imperfection as well at times, that are still acceptable since they are internal. It’s a similar situation here. We know that people are much more concerned with external imperfections than internal, and allocate costs accordingly. What would be the point of increasing the cost of the MB tray by 2x in order to attain the same surface finish as the Shell? Nobody will notice once the case is built and we’ve made people pay more.

What are you even talking about? I don't care about Macbooks and the costs of doing X vs Y, again, that's your business with the factory. One of the points is, you decided to cheap out of the interior QC and you told nobody until the affected cases landed. You find that respectable practice when you're constantly bragging about the highest quality standards? If you had disclosed this, I would have never ordered. I think that would be the case for a lot of people, probably why you kept it hidden! This is not acceptable practice for a $350 case.

 

[AlexTzone]

What are you even talking about? I don't care about Macbooks and the costs of doing X vs Y, again, that's your business with the factory. One of the points is, you decided to cheap out of the interior QC and you told nobody until the affected cases landed. You find that respectable practice when you're constantly bragging about the highest quality standards? If you had disclosed this, I would have never ordered. I think that would be the case for a lot of people, probably why you kept it hidden! This is not acceptable practice for a $350 case.

All parts can’t be of the same quality standard or tolerances, this is nothing strange. Parts are prioritized according to what is most important for them. For exterior it’s tolerances and looks, for interior it’s functionality. That’s the only possible way to make something like this for 350 and not 1000. That doesn’t mean those parts aren’t high quality (they are) or in any way cheap (they are most definitely not), but in terms surface requirements, they must have more slack or something like this can’t be done anywhere near the price we’re offering it at.