We know that mechanical keyboard enthusiasts can be fanatical about this product category. Perhaps this was best demonstrated by the WhiteFox, which hit MassDrop a few years back as a hobby from Matteo Spinelli. Turns out, it was so popular that he sold over 4,000 units.
That hobby quickly turned into a business opportunity that is now available over at Kickstarter. The $100,000 campaign goal was crushed in a few days time as backers are flocking to the $159 aluminum keyboard. What makes it so special, you ask? The fully-programmable creation of Spinelli and Input Club gives users a wide-range of flexibility in a high-end aluminum design.
First things first, you’re probably wondering what type of keys WhiteFox uses. Well truth be told it’s a hybrid of sorts. According to the creators, this is actually a “65% mechanical keyboard”. It uses a mix of Cherry MX, Gateron, and Zealios switches. This is what Spinelli considers to be the perfect keyboard.
WhiteFox is centered around an aluminum base that has a uniquely mechanical feel to it. That acts as the stage for its custom key layout that includes the “TrueFox” configuration. This design is focused on reduced hand movement that still maintains the functionality that users love about larger keyboards. As well, you’ll notice the offset (and blue) arrow keys as a defining physical feature of the layout.
The Input Club helped developed a point and click software configurator that is designed so “even a novice can customize their keyboard with absolutely no programming knowledge.” If you’re looking to jump into the world of custom peripherals, this may be the device for you. Aside from its drag and drop software, users can quickly shift from one layout to another by simply pulling up the utility. WhiteFox has made its customizable features available on the hardware level, so even if a key isn’t present users can re-map its functionality to another location.
Pigging backing off of that is a fully open source platform that allows anyone to build their own custom designs or modifications. The goal here is that users will be able to continually expand functionality as needed.
All of those features aside, I just really dig the design personally. I love the aluminum base and pop of blue colors applied to certain keys. At $159, you’re paying a premium for looks alone but it’s guaranteed to standout from other mechanical keyboards you may have seen on the market. With 32 days remaining, WhiteFox has raised over $124,000 with an estimated ship date of December.
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