Yeah we've tried a lot of different designs, but many of them looked either over-complicated or inefficient :/
Heey! Basically what we're doing now is summarizing all backer data (changes, extras, etc) and all factories to vet in China in February. It's mostly boring stuff (update-wise), i.e. today we listed another 2 factories, tomorrow another 2, etc. We'll tolerance optimize the final design starting in 3 days, for a total of 1 week. Not much practical stuff can be done until the Chinese New Year is over, so we wanted to fill that time with giveaway winners, etc...but...
Then I got a nasty infection in one of my wisdom teeth that spread to the face, so had to get on meds a while to get rid of it. Didn't want to announce the winners looking like a hamster ?
Now everything is back on track, and our giveaway tools have arrived! We'll film the procedure tomorrow! ??
With regards to production, one of the factories was particularly interesting. They've had experience with high-surface quality OEM precision extrusions in smooth dark gray anodizing (color / finish-wise it's exactly what we're looking for). They've also worked with a couple of big names in the case industry, definitely look forward to vet them in February.
Btw thanks a lot for sharing the peak design process, it's certainly interesting to see how they handle everything (especially any pit falls)! Dygma Raise is another interesting story with very detailed updates of the whole process.
Definitely interesting, but it's best to wait until the units are shipped first 
