Introduction

If you are new to the world of artisan keycaps, I recommend reading my first article on them courtesy Jelly Key itself, which also goes over the what and why of these very custom, very niche products. That article went over two example keycaps from the Vietnamese company, and I then had a quick look article going over two others soon after. Each time I was left wondering what could be next aside from other designs and themes, but also somewhat sad I could not get readers to partake in the purchase of either. You see, Jelly Key operates primarily via the group buy method, wherein orders for a certain theme are taken for a week and those keycaps are then never made or sold again outside of second-hand sellers. Each time previously, the items arrived just past the date the group buy ended. So imagine my pleasant surprise when it was different this time around! Thanks to Jelly Key for arranging a review sample for TechPowerUp.


The Koi fish theme has been used multiple times before by Jelly Key, with the first article going over a space bar keycap that was part of the Zen Pond III group buy. There clearly is a lot of love for the Koi fish/garden concept among artisan keycap and wrist-rest makers, with another Vietnamese company doing as much recently. Jelly Key used the theme to good effect too, with what it calls the "Eden Effect" of mixing ink with resin to make for flow patterns that give a sense of realism to the various themes it has been used in. With the new Zen Pond IV series, Jelly Key aims to introduce a newer, more complex take on the Eden effect, as well as illustrate a more detailed fish model with verticality in mind.

Packaging

I covered in more detail before how Jelly Key spent more time on the actual packaging design than many companies spend on entire keyboards, and I had already seen all three sizes of the solid paper boxes used by the company, which are in turn made of fully recycled materials. Based on my previous experiences, this box here is for a 1.5u to 3u sized keycap. It has the Jelly Key logo on front and a list of contents on the side, along with a seal with contact information. Opening the packaging reveals the actual product box held in place by a shaped compartment in the solid paper packaging, and we then get a small wooden box with a rounded, smooth finish.


As always, the hand-applied seal is a nice touch with Jelly Key products, and a marketing tagline is etched into the back. Note that this is a concept prototype only. Retail products come with the entire list of contents seen before. As such, I was also told that the keycap may not fully represent the quality of finished products from the group buy, so keep that in mind as we move forward. The box opens up to reveal the keycap, presented like a gift. There is foam lining on the lid, with the actual keycap inside a thicker foam piece with a cutout to snugly hold and protect the product.