About Kool Keys
Thanks for visiting Kool Keys. We are mechanical keyboard enthusiasts based in Blackpool, UK, with a passion for making things, and we take immeasurable pride in what we make. Every cable made by Kool Keys is handmade, regardless of how much time and effort is required, and we make every cable with as much care as if it was our own.
Why Kool Keys?
No other cable maker builds with the same quality as Kool Keys.
No other cable maker can colour match like Kool Keys.
Very few cable makers use greater than 1:1 macro shots of their products so you can properly evaluate the quality of the cable you are buying like Kool Keys does.
No other cable maker offers a life-time warranty as Kool Keys does.
If that wasn't enough, we're also far less expensive than most other artisan cable makers.
We make no compromises.
Fully In House Production
All work is done in-house, including sandblasting, and Cerakote application and curing. Many other companies will contract out this work, but we are able to control every aspect of quality. If a connector doesn't meet our own exacting standards, it is rejected and re-coated. If any aspect of the work does not completely satisfy us, it is rejected. We also formulate our own Cerakote colours for exact matching to themed cables. Our sleeving is also, where possible, custom dyed for colour matching. We make no compromises. There is no limit to the time spent on each cable, and the only target is excellence. Because of this, we will often temporarily close the shop for new custom orders to prevent long wait times for customers (it will remain open for in-stock sales). We would rather this than compromise the quality of our products, and we like to believe you would rather this to be the case as well. We are not a volume cable maker. Each cable is lovingly crafted over many hours by hand.
Media Blasting
Each connector is disassembled and media blasted with 120grit aluminium oxide (as recommended by Cerakote) down to the bare metal substrate. This is something that is crucial to successful Cerakote application. Without this stage, Cerakote is not really much better than paint. It may look as good if you don't, but blasting to create the correct surface profile is required in order for Cerakote to bond properly to the surface. As this is done in-house, I can ensure the quality is consistent. After blasting, all parts get an acetone bath to remove contaminants.
Cerakote
All our premium connectors are Cerakoted. We accept nothing else. Nothing equals the quality and durability of Cerakote. Powder coating can be too thick, and any kind of paint is light years behind in terms of quality when compared to Cerakote. All Cerakote used at Kool Keys is either H or E series, and is oven-cured in accurate temperature-controlled, dedicated ovens according to Cerakote specifications.
Airbrushing
Cerakote, even when applied to a correctly profiled surface, will only look good if applied skilfully using professional equipment. There's no point using a HVLP spray gun designed for large surfaces if you are spraying a connector just a few centimetres in size. Kool Keys only use Harder & Steenbeck artist's airbrushes when Cerakoting small items such as connectors because this gives the kind of control required to tightly command and vary the thickness of the Cerakote application over various parts of the connectors. We don't need to mask off parts of the connectors in critical fitment areas like many cable makers do; the whole connector is Cerakoted.
Quality Sleeving
By default, all our cables will use MDPC-X unless otherwise stated (or requested). MDPC-X is a high quality German-manufactured PET sleeving that is widely acknowledged to be the best in flexibility, coverage and range of colours. The XTC versions are designed to entirely cover the cable with minimal gaps. We also offer the usual paracord and Techflex combinations, if you prefer, using genuine Techflex FlexoPET and for specialist cables, we also use genuine Techflex metal sleeving. No compromises.
Sleeving Application
All sleeving is weld terminated at each end so no loose, baggy sleeving around the connectors. Other cable makers use tape, or heatshrink, but Kool Keys uses a dedicated modified hotknife to permanently weld the sleeving to the outer jacket of the cable. This means the sleeving cannot move, and remains tight and even at all times.
CNC USB Connectors
While other cable makers offer CNC-machined USB housings for the keyboard end of the cable, we offer it as standard on all our premium in-stock cables, and with Kool Keys, they will always be Cerakoted as standard as well. Not only that, Kool Keys is the only cable maker to fill the connectors with a tough, two-part epoxy resin. All these CNC-type USB housings have no mechanical means of securing the USB connector inside of them. Many cable makers will use hot glue, or an adhesive such as B-7000. Kool Keys uses a tough two-part epoxy, and literally fills the CNC housing with it, making a solid-state connector. Don't worry, our CNC-type connectors will never let you down.
Coils
Kool Keys' coils are formed on dedicated tooling designed for the job. No taping the cable to a piece of random tubing here. We use tooling specifically designed to hold the coil in exactly the correct position, under exactly the right tension. All coils are oven baked at 120C for 90 minutes, then flash frozen to shock the polymer's coil memory in place. They are then reverse coiled, re-baked for a further 90 minutes, then flash frozen again to form the tightest, most even coils imaginable.
Colour Matching
Our Pro Themed range of cables use our own custom-formulated Cerakote and custom-dyed MDPC-X sleeving to form the ultimate colour-matched themed cables to match your keycap set. We only match to actual keycaps, not Pantone or RAL swatches. The range will be constantly expanded as new formulas are developed, and/or new keycap sets released. You can request keycap themes as well using our Contact Us page, and if a set not currently covered seems popular enough, we will formulate for it. You can even send us a spare keycap to colour match, and we'll send it back to you with your cable. We offer a chance to receive a substantial discount by helping us this way.
Packaging
We all love nice packaging, but here at Kool Keys, our mission is to make the best cables, but at the lowest price we can. In order to do this, we use simple packaging. We feel that the saving is worth it to you. No expensive custom printing; no zip-up cases. You are investing in a high quality cable, not packaging. This does not mean that our packaging is poor quality, just simple. All cables are shipped in sturdy pizza-style boxes, sandwiched between two thick layers of bubble wrap (with coils stored straight). We have tested the packages to ensure your cable arrives in perfect condition. We have thrown them out of second-storey windows, repeatedly drop kicked them, and even stood on them. In each instance, the cable was still in perfect condition.
Limited Lifetime Warranty
So confident are we that our cables are the best, we offer a limited lifetime warranty on all cables. Should your cable become faulty as a result of manufacturing or parts defects, we will replace it.