Getting to know your designer
I recently had the chance to sit down with the owner of Zuoce Studios for an exclusive interview with the Thocc Exchange and get to hear first hand what they stand for, what drives their design aesthetic, and what we can expect from them in the future. This studio is making big waves in the MX switch community, and I am very proud to be stocking their products.
- So, tell us about yourself? What is your job in Zuoce?
I am Lin Rui Keng or 林瑞铿 (Chinese writing), and I am the owner of Zuoce Studios, responsible for the design and development of all Zuoce products.
- What is Zuoce about? What do you stand for?
Zuoce is committed to building and designing keyboard products for the true enthusiast. Someone who loves DIY and customisation. We believe in making great products affordable.
- How would you describe Zuoce’s design aesthetic?
We start by ensuring that the quality of our product is up to our standard before choosing a design. At the moment we are focussed on switches, and our primary focus is on excellent colour matching with vibrant and contrasting colours which people enjoy looking at and putting into their builds.
- What can you tell us about your manufacturing process? (do you have any photos you could share?)
As it stands, we only design switches. But this is the beginning of our journey. When we do this, we select carefully a manufacturing partner which we trust to handle the product well, and use moulds that bring us the best combination of materials for high performance and sound. We go through several iterations for each product, fine tuning it to our preferences. In many cases, we even modify the mixing of specific materials in the raw material process – such as reducing the amount of glass fiber in the bottom housing made from POM to change vibration or increasing the amount of PTFE material. We are always pursuing great feel and sound, so often the material composition of the switch needs to be highly customised to produce the best effect, and that is where we are strong.
The manufacturer understands the production process; however we know more about what makes an amazing switch, and what people love to type on. We are guided by our market and what they want, not what we choose to make for ourselves. We also follow this approach with our spring choices, making sure that they are highly sought after and provide the most comfortable typing experience depending on the nature of the switch itself.
We will never compromise on performance or visual appeal, as you just don't need to in order to keep switches affordable.
- How do you do your factory lubing?
We appreciate, respect and utilise factory and hand lubing in our switches from time to time. It’s a trade off – hand lubing can produce the best sound, but factory lubrication is far more consistent with the manufacturers we work with. It’s about what is right for the product, and for the consumer.
- What Zuoce switches are your favourites?
At present, my favorite switch is the colorful macaron switch we have just produced, and is available in Europe only at the Thocc Exchange. I am very satisfied with the mould, materials used, sound and feel. I enjoy the colour very much, and I love that we have been able to make it available for people at attractive pricing. I hope this one will be even more popular than the last releases.
- Can you tell us about any switches are you will make in the future?
I can tell you only that we are working on some interesting and different designs for switches, and that we will be producing a keyboard in the near future!
- What do you want UK and European consumers to know about Zuoce?
Most keyboard studios making switches are large and financially strong. We are not that, yet. But we are more confident in our product than any other studio. However, you are the best people to evaluate the performance of these switches, and we just hope that we can continue to make switches and keyboards that people love. We are grateful for our UK and European supporters that we can access through this partnership with the Thocc Exchange.