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

[runsamok]

I don't really consider the Kickstarter to be "finished" until I get the opportunity to give Alex some more money to get what I originally paid for in the box, before he started going back on his word.

Only ~3 days left in the month before the whole "PCIE 4.0 cables going up with the next preorder batch in September" turns out to be yet another glorious overestimation by Thor Zone.

(Whether there's a performance difference or whether or not there's a workaround or not is moot, the principle is what matters. I didn't get everything that was supposed to be part of the Kickstarter campaign as a fact.)

 

[AlexTzone]

I don't really consider the Kickstarter to be "finished" until I get the opportunity to give Alex some more money to get what I originally paid for in the box, before he started going back on his word.

Only ~3 days left in the month before the whole "PCIE 4.0 cables going up with the next preorder batch in September" turns out to be yet another glorious overestimation by Thor Zone.

(Whether there's a performance difference or whether or not there's a workaround or not is moot, the principle is what matters. I didn't get everything that was supposed to be part of the Kickstarter campaign as a fact.)

As I said before, I don't want to sell you anything at this point. Linkup seems to have a great alternative.

You pledged to the Kickstarter campaign on the first day, when there were NO upgrades, stretch goals or Gen4 cable. We talked to our riser supplier and as far as I understood offering a Gen4 riser at that point was possible. Now it's clear to me that promising anything that doesn't exist yet is NOT WISE, because unforeseen things can happen (i.e. Gen4 risers are still not widely available and are far from the same price as the Gen3).

Also, you don't seem to care about my explanations why we removed the thermals paste and toolkit stretch goals (a very basic and cheap one) and say that it was made to increase our profits, while I've said time and time again that this was made in order to create more parts in our best factory rather than somewhere cheaper. Those 2 stretch goals cost us $7, an amount that may seem small but something we can make a lot with in terms of quality and production. The 2 significant stretch goals (O2 Panel and Shield of Founders) were of course included.

Last, the final cases are drastically improved versions of the original Kickstarter case for which you pledged (going through the KS updates shows how much it has improved and which features were added), something we did completely for free. Here again, I've never heard an ounce of appreciation from you. You're putting us/me down pretty much every chance you get and I'm quite frankly tired of it.

 

[runsamok]

As I said before, I don't want to sell you anything at this point. Linkup seems to have a great alternative.

You pledged to the Kickstarter campaign on the first day, when there were NO upgrades, stretch goals or Gen4 cable. We talked to our riser supplier and as far as I understood offering a Gen4 riser at that point was possible. Now it's clear to me that promising anything that doesn't exist yet is NOT WISE, because unforeseen things can happen (i.e. Gen4 risers are still not widely available and are far from the same price as the Gen3).

You still promised one thing & delivered another. You're still advertising tempered glass panels & a next-gen riser on the website, despite neither of those things being true, yet have the gall to get into a semantic argument with me? Regardless of what the state of the Kickstarter was when I pledged, I factually & emphatically didn't get what you said I would when you took my money, Alex. And by the time you started dragging your feet & making changes behind the scenes (intended & otherwise) it was too late to get my money back. Where's my bluetooth adjustable RGB controller with 120 effects, controlling densely-packed 144 LED per meter strips? Oh wait, that's another failed promise and/or downgrade behind the scenes.

Also, you don't seem to care about my explanations why we removed the thermals paste and toolkit stretch goals (a very basic and cheap one) and say that it was made to increase our profits, while I've said time and time again that this was made in order to create more parts in our best factory rather than somewhere cheaper. Those 2 stretch goals cost us $7, an amount that may seem small but something we can make a lot with in terms of quality and production. The 2 significant stretch goals (O2 Panel and Shield of Founders) were of course included.

Oh boy, I got a rattling, chipped non-tempered glass panel with a hideous logo on it, which isn't useful, appealing or even what it was supposed to be as hardened mineral glass isn't tempered glass. Somehow you didn't realize/recognize this with your "best factory" until after things started falling apart (literally) during shipping. Remember Alex, I have an example of your best efforts sitting on my desk right now. I know exactly how good your best efforts are. And you're still falsely advertising on your own site a year+ later. Guess you're just too busy trying to crank out yet another unimproved iteration of the case to bother meeting your self-set obligations, fix the copy on the website to be accurate & not misleading, or any of the other multitude of things that should be done but aren't.

Last, the final cases are drastically improved versions of the original Kickstarter case for which you pledged (going through the KS updates shows how much it has improved and which features were added), something we did completely for free. Here again, I've never heard an ounce of appreciation from you. You're putting us/me down pretty much every chance you get and I'm quite frankly tired of it.

The case is not what it was when the Kickstarter closed. Was I a day-1 backer? Absolutely. Did I up my pledge along the way from the basic case to a MJOLNIR R with both panel sets because I unfortunately believed what you were pushing? Absolutely. Did I still have a modicum of hope when I yet again upped my purchase to include a Booster Cell? Absolutely. Are you still falsely representing MJOLNIR on your website? Absolutely. Is it 2 days from the end of September, the month when you said of your own volition you'd open up preorders again? Absolutely.

I do appreciate you didn't just run off with my money & I did get a reasonably nice approximation of what was pledged for a year later than projected. If you want more gratitude, be better. Don't lie to customers. Set dates you can actually follow through on. Hire people who can actually do the things you can't do, like customer outreach, logistics, website updates, etc so that you can focus on the one thing you seem to have a modicum of talent for, designing cases.

 

[AlexTzone]

You still promised one thing & delivered another. You're still advertising tempered glass panels & a next-gen riser on the website, despite it neither of those things being true, yet have the gall to get into a semantic argument with me? Regardless of what the state of the Kickstarter was when I pledged, I factually & emphatically didn't get what you said I would when you took my money Alex. And by the time you started dragging your feet & making changes behind the scenes (intended & otherwise) it was too late to get my money back. Where's my bluetooth adjustable RGB controller with 120 effects, controlling densely-packed 144 LED per meter strips? Oh wait, that's another failed promise and/or downgrade behind the scenes.

Oh boy, I got a rattling, chipped non-tempered glass panel with a hideous logo on it, which isn't useful, appealing or even what it was supposed to be as hardened mineral glass isn't tempered glass. Somehow you didn't realize/recognize this with your "best factory" until after things started falling apart (literally) during shipping. Remember Alex, I have an example of your best efforts sitting on my desk right now. I know exactly how good your best efforts are. And you're still falsely advertising on your own site a year+ later. Guess you're just too busy trying to crank out yet another unimproved iteration of the case to bother meeting your self-set obligations, fix the copy on the website to be accurate & not misleading, or any of the other multitude of things that should be done but aren't.

The case is not what it was when the Kickstarter closed. Was I a day-1 backer? Absolutely. Did I up my pledge along the way from the basic case to a MJOLNIR R with both panel sets because I unfortunately believed what you were pushing? Absolutely. Did I still have a modicum of hope when I yet again upped my purchase to include a Booster Cell? Absolutely. Are you still falsely representing MJOLNIR on your website? Absolutely. Is it 2 days from the end of September, the month when you said of your own volition you'd open up preorders again? Absolutely.

I do appreciate you didn't just run off with my money & I did get a reasonably nice approximation of what was pledged for. If you want more gratitude, be better. Don't lie to customers. Set dates you can actually follow through on. Hire people who can actually do the things you can't do, like customer outreach, logistics, website updates, etc so that you can focus on the one thing you seem to have a modicum of talent for, designing cases.

This is the last time I will respond to you, but it's pretty clear that you consistently skew things towards the negative. You know the glass supplier is different now and that we have a Gen 4 riser supplier, yet you still assume the website is inaccurate. Also, you are free to think that us designing custom LED strips from scratch with wide motherboard compatibility is a downgrade over a bundle with SP110E controller and some generic LED strips (that aren't compatible with motherboard headers), but I absolutely disagree.

I'm really not interested in hearing you patronizing me anymore or what I have a "modicum of talent" in. Every week we get messages from backers that tell us their case totally blew their expectations, while with you it's "reasonably nice approximation of what was pledged for" and then a long monologue on how terrible we are in general. We're far from perfect, there's a lot to learn and a lot of people on here (and Kickstarter) have provided great constructive critique on what we should do in the future — and they've done so without being patronizing at every opportunity.

 

[runsamok]

This is the last time I will respond to you, but it's pretty clear that you consistently skew things towards the negative. You know the glass supplier is different now and that we have a Gen 4 riser supplier, yet you still assume the website is inaccurate.

Ah, my bad. I guess it's just me & the rest of your existing customers that you've definitely misrepresented your products to, but potentially not future ones. That's SO MUCH BETTER! I'm so relieved that other people are going to get a far better case for less money than I paid for mine (despite the indication on Kickstarter that we'd get pricing below subsequent batches. Another little change. No biggie. What's a few more white lies between Kickstarter creators & their backers? It's basically de rigeur at this point, right?)

Also, you are free to think that us designing custom LED strips from scratch with wide motherboard compatibility is a downgrade over a bundle with SP110E controller and some generic LED strips (that aren't compatible with motherboard headers), but I absolutely disagree.

It doesn't take an Electrical Engineering degree to wire up a dozen or so addressable LEDs onto some circuit boards with headers at both ends, so "designed" is a bit of a stretch. It's an afternoon of layout, tops. I know, I've designed & built my own PCBs, including circuits identical to those used in the God Rays. On top of that, LED density on the God Rays is a far, far, far cry from 144 LEDs/m, which is a pure cost-cutting measure. You certainly could have packed in far more LEDs onto the PCBs than you did, but you didn't. Fancy Scandi design on the outside, Chinese cost cutting & budget engineering on the insides.

I'm really not interested in hearing you patronizing me anymore or what I have a "modicum of talent" in. Every week we get messages from backers that tell us their case totally blew their expectations, while with you it's "reasonably nice approximation of what was pledged for" and then a long monologue on how terrible we are in general.

You've got a lot of arrogance to call me patronizing in the same breath you use to be condescending to me. You've attempted to shift blame onto me for any mistakes you can't cleanly sweep under the rug, presuming I don't know what I'm talking about & ignoring the unshirkable concerns that are entirely of your own making/devising/ineptitude.

We're far from perfect, there's a lot to learn and a lot of people on here (and Kickstarter) have provided great constructive critique on what we should do in the future — and they've done so without being patronizing at every opportunity.

You're still cranking out the identical same case (admittedly, there could have been some changes but your communication is spotty at best), with the same terrible customer service/attitude, & the same potentially-misleading website copy.

That "constructive criticism" hasn't seem to have moved the needle for you at all at this point. I don't actually expect anything to change for me, either. I just want other people to realize that the stunning beauty of MJOLNIR is only skin deep, much like the appearance of competency in Thor Zone.

 

[Dawelio]

*** MODBREAK ***


After several reports have been made regarding this thread, I hereby ask everyone to calm down.

Constructive criticism regarding the product at hand and/or towards the person/company behind it, is one thing.
Just throwing things at the person/company just because you are having a bad day or similary, isn't.

That frankly isn't welcome here nor gives the user in question a very good look with the community.

If you have any issues with the product and/or management behind it, lay out the potential issue(s) you may have on the table -
But do so in a civilized and mature manner.


Dawelio – Over & Out!


​

 

[RE4MATT3D]

@AlexTzone How's it going? It's been over a week and the only update we've had is your dispute with a dissatisfied customer. Seems like the only way you respond is if you are attacked. I'm not disgruntle, but I'm still waiting for answers to questions that have asked many times by myself and others.

1. Have all the remaining KS and Batch 1 cases shipped? I know @ARC1T3CT said he's still waiting for his.

2. What is the timeline on Round 2/3 completion and shipping? You previously stated they'd be shipped by end of September.

3. What is the status of the Gen4 riser? When will it be available? Will it be included or an extra purchase?

4. Did you swap the fragile hardened mineral glass for actual tempered glass? Did you find a way to reduce/eliminate the rattling without using the tissue method?

5. Will there actually be a September preorder?

Hopefully we can get some answers without being irate because that's just not my style.

Quick note: If the Gen4 riser is optional rather than included, you should advertise that. Same goes for the tempered glass. Otherwise you're just setting yourself up for complaints. This is the behavior that's typically of shady bait and switch sales companies. I know that's not your intention, but don't let semantics get you in trouble.

Very, very, very... very.. patiently waiting for my case. It WILL be worth it when it finally gets here, but a defective/damaged product will not be met with such patience now that you've had a chance to learn and make corrections. And even if past and current customers are eventually satisfied, I'm sure our frustration along the way will be seen by potential future customers. You may already have our money, but you are still trying to earn theirs.

 

[AlexTzone]

@AlexTzone How's it going? It's been over a week and the only update we've had is your dispute with a dissatisfied customer. Seems like the only way you respond is if you are attacked. I'm not disgruntle, but I'm still waiting for answers to questions that have asked many times by myself and others.

1. Have all the remaining KS and Batch 1 cases shipped? I know @ARC1T3CT said he's still waiting for his.

2. What is the timeline on Round 2/3 completion and shipping? You previously stated they'd be shipped by end of September.

3. What is the status of the Gen4 riser? When will it be available? Will it be included or an extra purchase?

4. Did you swap the fragile hardened mineral glass for actual tempered glass? Did you find a way to reduce/eliminate the rattling without using the tissue method?

5. Will there actually be a September preorder?

Hopefully we can get some answers without being irate because that's just not my style.

Quick note: If the Gen4 riser is optional rather than included, you should advertise that. Same goes for the tempered glass. Otherwise you're just setting yourself up for complaints. This is the behavior that's typically of shady bait and switch sales companies. I know that's not your intention, but don't let semantics get you in trouble.

Very, very, very... very.. patiently waiting for my case. It WILL be worth it when it finally gets here, but a defective/damaged product will not be met with such patience now that you've had a chance to learn and make corrections. And even if past and current customers are eventually satisfied, I'm sure our frustration along the way will be seen by potential future customers. You may already have our money, but you are still trying to earn theirs.

1. The test shipments went fine (all have not reached their destinations yet but we don’t expect trouble), so we’re setting up for all remaining cases from Kickstarter and Batch 1 to be shipped out this week (hopefully not the next).

2. We’ve packed 100 Stealth cases now and the rest should be done this week, so we’re starting to plan their shipments now as well. THORZONE-UPS will be out of the picture this time around and we will be shipping through a freight forwarder (so it’s going to be DHL/UPS or FedEx depending on destination). For Dark and Steel we’re experiencing slower movement at the anodizing plant due to the energy restrictions in the region (basically the Chinese government imposes restrictions where factory plant shuts down electronically consumption for 3 days a week, which affects the progress of an electricity-depending process such as anodizing). These colors are making steady progress, but slower than expected (we anodize in a very specific way in order to minimize color difference, otherwise we could have finished them long ago).

3. Gen4 riser for current customers will be available as an upgrade during the next pre-orders. For future customers the cases will be a bit more expensive and include the 4.0 riser from the start.

4. The glass now explodes into TG bits rather than shards so it looks right but I’m not sure if we’re noticing difference in toughness. I’ve been very harsh to my hardened mineral panels for quite a while (there’s a clip during the live stream where I perform some very uneasy extraction of the glass) without noticing damage so not hugely surprised. I suspect the chips originated during cutting of the glass rather than assembly as I have trouble replicating the issue after assembling/disassembling the panels many many times. As for the tissue solution we didn’t find a reliable way to do this atm since that space is so tiny.

5. We’re focusing on shipping out the final cases from Kickstarter and Batch 1 first, then Batch 2/3 second. When both feel solidly in action (or complete) we’ll launch a new round.

 

[Dinward]

1. The test shipments went fine (all have not reached their destinations yet but we don’t expect trouble), so we’re setting up for all remaining cases from Kickstarter and Batch 1 to be shipped out this week (hopefully not the next).

2. We’ve packed 100 Stealth cases now and the rest should be done this week, so we’re starting to plan their shipments now as well. THORZONE-UPS will be out of the picture this time around and we will be shipping through a freight forwarder (so it’s going to be DHL/UPS or FedEx depending on destination). For Dark and Steel we’re experiencing slower movement at the anodizing plant due to the energy restrictions in the region (basically the Chinese government imposes restrictions where factory plant shuts down electronically consumption for 3 days a week, which affects the progress of an electricity-depending process such as anodizing). These colors are making steady progress, but slower than expected (we anodize in a very specific way in order to minimize color difference, otherwise we could have finished them long ago).

3. Gen4 riser for current customers will be available as an upgrade during the next pre-orders. For future customers the cases will be a bit more expensive and include the 4.0 riser from the start.

4. The glass now explodes into TG bits rather than shards so it looks right but I’m not sure if we’re noticing difference in toughness. I’ve been very harsh to my hardened mineral panels for quite a while (there’s a clip during the live stream where I perform some very uneasy extraction of the glass) without noticing damage so not hugely surprised. I suspect the chips originated during cutting of the glass rather than assembly as I have trouble replicating the issue after assembling/disassembling the panels many many times. As for the tissue solution we didn’t find a reliable way to do this atm since that space is so tiny.

5. We’re focusing on shipping out the final cases from Kickstarter and Batch 1 first, then Batch 2/3 second. When both feel solidly in action (or complete) we’ll launch a new round.

1 - What will be the price for the gen 4 riser upgrade?

2 - I can't wait to get my Dark version

I'm also working on a 3D printed brackets to mount for under desk:

a bit like this but for the MJOLNIR : ( project by u/xelu )

the original link here :
Unfortunately, I have no more space on my desk and I know .. what a shame to hide this case .. but I have no choice. I will print this in PETG for a good resistance.

If anyone is interested, I would post the .stl file here when done

 

[AlexTzone]

1 - What will be the price for the gen 4 riser upgrade?

2 - I can't wait to get my Dark version

I'm also working on a 3D printed brackets to mount for under desk:

a bit like this but for the MJOLNIR : ( project by u/xelu )

the original link here :
Unfortunately, I have no more space on my desk and I know .. what a shame to hide this case .. but I have no choice. I will print this in PETG for a good resistance.

If anyone is interested, I would post the .stl file here when done

1. Between $15-$20 excluding shipping.

2. Can’t wait to finish them as well

Ahh I’ve seen those pics before, very nice job! For MJOLNIR you should have corner radius of 12-13mm and inner width of 132mm, then it should fit very very nicely.

 

[Dinward]

1. Between $15-$20 excluding shipping.

It's a very reasonable price considering what other brands are selling, that's good news!

Ahh I’ve seen those pics before, very nice job! For MJOLNIR you should have corner radius of 12-13mm and inner width of 132mm, then it should fit very very nicely.

Yes this project is very ingenious! I will therefore adapt that to the MJOLNIR but I wait to have it in hand to be sure not to obstruct fans or that the case does not heat too much.

 

[Acen]

Hello, I wanted to wait till situation gets better, but it looks like it’ll never improve shortly.

The kickstarter reward panel filter does not fit in the case, whereas the metal panel actually fits. Can you do something please ?


And about the « shield » of founders, well I’d rather not talk about it, otherwise our friend Dawelio would have to modbreak again.

Cheers.

 

[AlexTzone]

Hello, I wanted to wait till situation gets better, but it looks like it’ll never improve shortly.

The kickstarter reward panel filter does not fit in the case, whereas the metal panel actually fits. Can you do something please ?


And about the « shield » of founders, well I’d rather not talk about it, otherwise our friend Dawelio would have to modbreak again.

Cheers.

What appears to be the issue, is the O2 panel too long or wide? Or is it not possible to close because of cables on the inside of the case (the riser by the looks of it)? Does it close if you remove the core completely? (i.e. installing the panel onto the shell only) Please take a picture with the panel off as well, so I can see what's directly underneath it. It's hard to determine from the pics above so please give me some more insight

If the O2 panel is too long or wide -> Replacement panels will be sent
If it's the cables/riser pushing it up then you need to flatten the riser a bit (same thing for reversed PSU cables). In this scenario the O2 panel is not the underlying issue and a replacement panel will behave identically.

The metal top panel has a 3mm indent on the inside, which gives more room for cables and such. The O2 panel has no indents and requires more careful organizing of the cables to close flat, which usually comes into play when installing it on the top rather than bottom.

Edit: I've checked our inbox and I can't find any emails from you regarding this issue, but maybe you used a different email than the one you ordered with. Anyways, just in case you didn't email us, it's important that you do because that's how we handle replacement parts. Also I'd personally really appreciate it, since if it's a simple replacement matter we can easily fix that without the need to involve the forum.

 

[Acen]

Mmmh must be indeed the riser/cables pushing it up, but even when pushing them back very hard it’s not enough (although there’s an improvement). If I reverse the O2 panel, then it works, but it’s clearly not its destination.

 

[AlexTzone]

Mmmh must be indeed the riser/cables pushing it up, but even when pushing them back very hard it’s not enough (although there’s an improvement). If I reverse the O2 panel, then it works, but it’s clearly not its destination.

I have a couple of ideas that should work, will try myself first. Basically involves disconnecting the riser from the motherboard and bending it a bit so there's as little cable slack upwards as possible.

 

[Acen]

Yes that might work. Unfortunately, I have to switch case, I can’t fully use my 3080FE (too hot and too loud), and I’m not satisfied with CPU thermals (air cooled).

The case is well built though.

 

[runsamok]

Mmmh must be indeed the riser/cables pushing it up, but even when pushing them back very hard it’s not enough (although there’s an improvement). If I reverse the O2 panel, then it works, but it’s clearly not its destination.

Yep, with the lack of any space on the inside of the panels like the metal or glass ones, given the space constraints and weak magnetic hold the O2 panels are a touchy thing to get to stay put. Any pressure anywhere along the length & they'll pop out via lever action, especially if you're using one on the bottom. Had the O2 panels had the mesh on the outside or sandwiched in the middle there'd be a little room in the inside & that might prevent the easy levering out.

The magnetic panels are a lovely idea, but between the magnets popping out, the alignment issues & the O2 panel's construction there's obviously some room for improvements. Maybe the panels (side ones at least) should be keyed so they can't shift downward leaving a big gap at the top & none at the bottom.

 

[N9neBreak3r]

I'd reccomend to anyone building in a sub 10L case that they buy or make custom cables. Especially if your build makes use of an AIO/custom loop and/or multiple RGB cables to route. It will allow panels to sit flush as they should, improve thermals and make your build and on going maintenence much simpler.
When your already spending $400 on a niche sff case you should definetly have room in your budget for custom cables. Sff is an expensive, challenging and rewarding hobby that takes extensive planning and trial and error.

 

[ARC1T3CT]

I'd reccomend to anyone building in a sub 10L case that they buy or make custom cables. Especially if your build makes use of an AIO/custom loop and/or multiple RGB cables to route. It will allow panels to sit flush as they should, improve thermals and make your build and on going maintenence much simpler.
When your already spending $400 on a niche sff case you should definetly have room in your budget for custom cables. Sff is an expensive, challenging and rewarding hobby that takes extensive planning and trial and error.

This +1000

 

[runsamok]

Even with my custom cables I'm waiting on a J-Hack M2426 to get the big 24/28 pin cable completely out of my case.

Planning on doing that swap, plus my required riser swap & some other tweaks all at the same time to reduce the clutter all in one go. Can't leave any stones unturned in attempting to get reasonable/acceptable thermals outta the case.

(Except for the Booster Cell, because mine isn't a 100% match to the case & it ruins the aesthetics & unibody appearance of the shell.)