I asked the CEO of GMK about GMK Clones

This past November, GMK invited me out to hangout with the staff and tour the facilities to get a more in-depth knowledge of how things work at GMK. This has always been a dream for me (and I'm sure for most enthusiasts) as the inner workings of GMK has always been somewhat of a mystery, but given how integral the enthusiast keycap market has become for GMK I could clearly tell after this visit that they truly are passionate about the space and care for the community.
The first of several interviews (and a tour of the factory also coming out later so make sure to subscribe and turn on notifications!), I got to chat with the current CEO of GMK, Christoph Kredler, on topics such as taking over his father's legacy (one of the original co-founders of GMK), whether he felt like taking over the molds from Cherry was the right move in retrospect, and GMK clones.
This is the first time we as the community get to see and hear from the CEO of GMK, which also marks I think a transition for GMK to modernize and hopefully continue to be more in touch with the community.
Watch the interview with the Head of Engineering at GMK:
• Have you ever met a Ke...
Watch the interview with a sales team member of GMK:
• Are keyboard enthusias...
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Thanks for watching! ＼(≧▽≦)／
시청해 주셔서 감사합니다! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

[@TaehaTypes]

Taeha Types merch is thicc and cozy, perfect for the holidays! In-stock, ready to ship! taehatypes.com/store

[@aaronwydoodt405]

From where is it shipped?

[@jadenngl]

califrornia i think@@aaronwydoodt405

[@TaehaTypes]

@@aaronwydoodt405 California!

[@aaronwydoodt405]

@@TaehaTypes okay, that's a bummer.

[@Schraderbrau1383]

When will the next drop be coming out? excited for new pieces

[@ziich1]

I think it is great that you got the opportunity to do an interview with the CEO of GMK. While I personally would have loved some questions on more controversial topics I understand that may not have been possible for this interview. Thanks to all who had a part in making this opportunity come to fruition

[@timeoutmode]

this is the keeb content that is missing in this hobby. everyone. i mean everyone is doing keeb reviews. I think you're the only one that explores this kind of content. I wish you all the success.

[@TaehaTypes]

trying to provide something different! thank you

[@theslowpokie]

Super fantastic video, not just in quality and content (which absolutely blew me away), but love how you are pushing the envelope of keeb content and showing us behind the curtain of GMK! Thanks Taeha, was an absolute pleasure to watch.

[@TaehaTypes]

Thank you for the kind words and support!

[@fops]

I would love to see a whole "How its made" style episode on GMK caps. Also @ 5:07 I NEED that guy's Pantone hoodie or something like it

[@quocanhhbui8271]

Yeah i wanna see how they make spacebar banana

[@hrolvnir]

They don’t do these because their process is proprietary and they don’t want to be copied

[@omgabear]

What amazing bombass content. The fact that you got to invited to their facility as well as got to speak to their CEO also speaks volumes of how highly they think of you and your opinion!

[@bakeraus]

Nicely filmed and great to see the people at GMK.

[@HolyElkGaming]

Love it, thanks for stepping out of your boundaries with your videos. I see the keyboard connoisseurs are in the comment section too, its nice to see ppl passionate about these products.

[@m4nc1n1]

GMKs are overpriced. I get them on sale or clones. Whatever comes first. Sorry, but $180 - $200 a set is just nuts.

[@Msashaf21]

Which set is 180 tho? I got my gmk8008 for 130.

[@Shikitera]

​@@Msashaf21 still a lot for keycaps, keykobo go for $70-$90 and are better quality than gmk

[@MrSkullhead0]

This is so hype. I joined during the big boom in 2021. Every GMK set I’ve had I’ve been very happy with. Excited to see what they’re cooking up for these future profiles

[@steveshoulders]

Glad I watched this video. I immediately ordered GMK MTNU Beige and I am completely sold. Looks great on my white kbd8x mk2 and that finger-hugging profile is amazingly pleasant. Great job Matt3o and GMK ! Bravo 👌

[@Laughadaffadil]

Thank You taeha for making this video and thank you Christoph & GMK for taking the time out of your busy schedule to show us a bit more about you and the company! please make another video in the future if you can!

[@LightningXI]

Loved this video, man; it's so cool to see behind the scenes - the people who carry the torch of our oh-so-beloved Cherry profile doubleshots. I wish I could go see all these cool things and meet these people too! 😁🍻

[@j___7052]

Great to see the actual people behind my favorite gmk sets ... nice video!

[@Sendrim]

Great video! Really fun to see. Me being 7-8 years into the hobby; I've had to slow down my keyboarding a bit the last 1-2 years because of a few non-keyboard-related things, BUT your recent videos have reminded me some of the fun things the hobby has to offer and sparks new interest again! Thank you for that! ❤️

[@BasicFolders]

SUPER interesting video! To see the office, the guy in charge, and especially that factory floor footage... This was one of your most interesting videos (for me) since manufacturing is what I do for work, and keycaps is what I do for fun. Thanks, Taeha! 👍

[@TaehaTypes]

Think you'll like the upcoming videos 👀

[@BasicFolders]

@@TaehaTypes *can't wait!* 😊

[@a.caguax78]

A nice overview into the workings of GMK. Thanks Nathan!

[@stoched]

The real question is: if you work there do you get a discount on GMK sets? 👀

[@TaehaTypes]

I would hope so LOL

[@mareex_]

This was the most interesting Video I've seen in this hobby yet. Well done Taeha

[@jlebron12]

I don’t understand why people act as if every other company other than GMK is perfect and never have issues with their products. Companies from all types of industries are constantly doing recalls on their faulty products. Stuff happens and it’s being addressed.

[@patrickcarpenter6258]

And this is why I love GMK. they get it. Such a GREAT video.

[@ryelo5448]

Cant wait for the other interviews, this was too short!

[@TaehaTypes]

Next one will be next week!

[@MarbsMusic]

Thank you Taeha for making this available for us, now I see why you were traveling so much :) Seem to be all worth it, this was a great interview!

[@BradleyIfland]

Great video, love the insight, seriously, never thought I'd understand why on earth I'd ever pay even $50+ on a set of keycaps. This small 9 minute video helped me completely realize why I would and should. Keep it up Taeha!

[@StartCodonUST]

The speculation on GMK's business model has morphed from a kind of pieced-together Kremlinology to a general consensus that shapes discourse. Great to see GMK set the record on some things and provide some insight into what they're about!

[@CharlesXVl]

missed the vids. the wait was worth.

[@fuster7474]

Great great interview, can't get offer the fact that the CEO is using a 0° typing angle keyboard... MY EYESSSSS

[@keyrelic]

Great to see insides of the industry! Top mechboard content!

[@gooberpsycho2922]

Loving the BGM. It's giving very Polyphony Digital lol

[@mikokb]

That was dope. Well done

[@Warrenified]

This is so awesome Taeha! Crazy to see your growth in the past few years. From NateKim to now! Seeing clones of the sets ive designed, GMK Rudy and Classic Red never feels good.

[@TaehaTypes]

Long time no see!

[@Jamesified]

Gmk sets on sale is my go to. Much better quality than clones and you still save money.

[@97andreaas]

@@workerbott where do you usually find sales?

[@VicharB]

First keyboard maker interview I watched, definitely interesting. Thanks.

[@not_a_frog]

I've been waiting on a gmk set for over 18 months now and the ship date keeps getting bumped back. never again lmao. great film/edit job tho!

[@SmartyPantsDash]

GMK makes my favorite keycaps. Alas they aren't perfect since my sets have some glaring production issues on some caps. But I still love thickness and designs

[@brianjuice]

Despite eternal turnaround times, cheap packaging, and ABS shine, they remain the gold standard.

[@EddieGooch]

2:58 is that the machine that sends you two "5" rather than "5" and "6" ?

[@KeebClack]

lol i love how every office setup keyboard has gmk sets on them

[@yazonkyoudai]

Love the William Benckert at the beginning

[@silasrogan241]

It would've been nice to hear from staff about the intricacies of making these keycaps, rather than the CEO whose job is no different than any other. But the actual laborers have unique experiences and skills that would've made this mini-doc exponentially more interesting.

[@gazehound]

Hard agree

[@VitiateTheImmortal]

Really cool! I reckon he is german, can hear the accent lol My fav GMK is the olivia set. Nice to see a gaze inside

[@franksam8610]

I love hmm keycaps why I have 2 sets and I just started the hobby drop+mito pulse set and now mitclan set papel picado

[@sixteenswitches4013]

Love the vid!!!! If you could follow up and see if they can speed up nightshade plz and thank you

[@Obsidiank]

Great video!! I’m frankly sad to see so much criticism. You’re not a journalist nor are you trying to be. Thanks for giving an inside view of GMK.

[@kishanc2924]

Anyone know the keeb this guy uses on his desk??

[@jedichristopherrivera7814]

Uniqey. TKL

[@sxnthwave]

we need a sound test of the CEO's keyboard rn

[@-Futoshi-]

🎉🎉🎉

[@raytsh]

6:05 That one Esc cap is placed incorrectly >_>

[@matheus61728]

Anybody know what keyboard is on his desk?

[@TaehaTypes]

uniqey.net/en/preconfigured-keyboards/

[@happylittletrees8130]

What's his deskmat?

[@tskeyboard]

common taeha video W

[@hariappa]

good Video!

[@wylietimes5253]

What mouse and keyboard is he using?

[@AndrewJensen-dx1bp]

i want to know this too lol

[@yohanesdevin3618]

i find it funny that he said gee em kay instead of Ge EM Ka

[@socaltypes7670]

I’m glad I got see a little of the production line that goes into producing, sorting, and packaging these keycaps. Even though I have 1-2 clone sets, putting bent spacebars aside, I appreciate the clarity and colors of GMK that I don’t get from the former. I do agree with him that it all lies with the consumer on what gets purchased and whether or not you care about the time and effort it takes for the designer to come up with something like that. Although now I become more selective on what sets I do support, I look fwd what else GMK has in store for consumers for years to come.

[@TaehaTypes]

There will be more BTS footage shown in the coming weeks 🙌

[@ericw.1620]

This guy might be the most German man in existence

[@Juramate]

The amount of coping in these comments about clones being just as good in quality 😂

[@TaehaTypes]

COPIUM

[@kickazzdrummer666]

Now, this is a real mech keyboard content. Unlike those cookie-cutter kb reviewers.

[@soran2202]

Neitan is back from the dead 🎉

[@mitchellsteindler]

They spent 100k on that keyence optical profilometer. I hope it's worth it!

[@cqf30]

what's the keycap set he has on his keyboard on the desk?

[@AndrewJensen-dx1bp]

im wondering what keyboard hes using too lol

[@mohawk4759]

@@AndrewJensen-dx1bpthe keyboards that his company makes lol

[@mytrung]

Would’ve love to see them touch more on those innovations and see them but I’m happy with the push they are going towards. I have many gmk sets and it just feels like they are cycling colors and popping out the same shape, with the same legends with different colors. Not really my thing anymore but would love to see new profiles and legends to freshen things up. One I really love the fresh look of are the Rama Kate keycaps (if that ever comes out… probably 2025)

[@dev.lex.e]

as an improvement GMK should print 2🍌 icons on each box ;)

[@russellmcquaid9950]

I sure don't want to pay for their challenges. I have Red Samurai clones. I do not see any room in these for an additional $200 cost in the production for 1 set of key caps.

[@narussaki]

that gap

[@GreyMatterPlatter]

What's the keyboard he has on his desk?

[@mohawk4759]

Uniqey

[@roninkmh7625]

If these keycaps were accessible then I would not bother with clones. But these business models like supreme is turning me off.

[@0xArkemi]

anotations would be nice

[@user-km3nx2dw8x]

Kindly address the concern regarding the banana spacebar, particularly the issue of its exorbitant price. This year, alternative products like those from KKB, KBDFans, etc., offer superior quality at more reasonable prices.

[@ambasing69]

The true people who profit from these sets are the resellers not the original artists

[@quocanhhbui8271]

Gmk had been good in the past. That was what got gmk its monopoly in the hobby. But the quality has been falling slightly in the recent years. Dont get me wrong i love gmk. Old and many R1 sets feel absolutely amazing and dont have issues that we encounter recently. It’s paradoxical that we couldnt get what we got years ago. I will continue to support gmk but i will continue to raise the issues until they fix it.

[@SnowWolfK]

Cool, now tell them to actually QC their products so customers doesn't have to deal with crooked, missing or duplicate keycap.

[@renoztheross]

Biggest question that comes to my mind, why are there barely any sets for the german market? I mean GMK is german.

[@Sth_Magical]

That’s up to the designers and vendors to include in their orders to gmk

[@athmaid]

It's so weird. Then again the hobby isn't nearly as big as in the states or asia. Not many retailers for that stuff

[@renoztheross]

@@Sth_Magical i know, still you pay around 200 € for a base GMK set in germany

[@Sth_Magical]

@@renoztheross That's expensive, owch

[@benfromsg]

One suggestion! Perhaps can add in an overlay or a cut scene of some sort of the actual question being asked because then it's easier to understand the context of what he is saying. Like for example, are you asking for his opinions about GMK clones? Or did you ask him whether he worried about the presence of clones? Or how the clones have affected GMK etc. There are multiple ways to interpret his answer. So I thought adding in the question asked, will help for future interviews!

[@IILunchTraeII]

GMK keycaps are great for me to see which colorways I like so I can then look for a significantly cheaper clone of it. Would I rather purchase one set of GMK keycaps (wait for a group buy so I don't pay even more on the 2nd hand market) or a full keyb with switches & keycaps that are instock ready to ship to me?

[@D-One]

Masters of super limited runs, putting the all the risk and R&D on the GB manager/designer and buyer than profiting a ton from one of the cheapest manufacturing methods known to man... Can you we even buy a simple black&white set without waiting a year and paying 200$? If not than thank you clone makers!

[@benta00]

Now I know why gmk 7u spacebars aren't straight

[@mosephhh]

the real question is why is his ass reading a script the whole time

[@shynnsup8383]

He sounds like Novak Djokovic lol

[@user-km3nx2dw8x]

quality ??? is joke my gmk spacrbar issue banana and capslock is stem brick

[@youtbehandletobedetermined]

Rumor has it he uses PBTFans keycaps...

[@Sylarzx]

ay no bell notif

[@GlareStringth]

cant wait for 2040 so I can get straight 7u spacebar

[@Kahlimer0]

Still cry in azerty

[@TaehaTypes]

:(

[@CoyoteMegalo]

GMK Blot and GMK BsN :D And now GMK Black Snail ^^

[@kbar11]

Typing on GMK Toxic, have a set of GMK Night Runner V2 that I don't use. Before I got Nightrunner V2 since it took 2 years to get after ordering I have a set of knock off GMK Night Runner. NGL its 80% or 90% as good as GMK IMO. The legends aren't as thick, the mods use words not symbols and fonts on the alt colour backspace are bad but the rest of the set is really nice. Font is just a bit thinner than the real one, colour is just as good, holds up better to shine over time compared to my GMK toxic set. I think if you can afford GMK and don't mind the wait then its good to get, but I do think competition from fakes or just alternative options like Cerakeys make getting GMK not nearly as important anymore. I personally use Cerakey keycaps 90% of the time now at home and the knock off Night Runner at work since I don't care if something bad happens to it. Unless you really love a certain colourway, artist or don't mind waiting years to get something you ordered then I do not think GMK is worth the hype or really the money anymore. I appreciate the argument the CEO shares here but at the same time I don't think the knock off watch or luxury fashion do anything significant to the real market, if anything they serve as advertisement or aspirational. People buying Temu Berkin bags ain't getting the real thing. A broke student who wants to customize a board isn't waiting 2 years and paying twice as much when a knock off will do them just as well. Ideally artists could work with knock off brands to make 'lower' versions of their designs. Much like car companies like GM with Cadillac. There is a market for all price ranges, if you don't market to them you leave it open for others to take it how they see fit.

[@ItsJustWolff]

We have waited way to long for gmk to open up a bit, this is a step in the right direction but very unhappy with how long it took.

[@jlebron12]

Clones never look as good as the real thing. You wanna be cheap, then you’ll get something that looks and feels cheap.

[@JasonJtran]

Uh no they look pretty close lmao. Gmk isn't immune to shotty misprints and we've seen it.

[@jlebron12]

Those 99% of people are either not in the hobby or new to it.

[@Juramate]

​@@JasonJtran Someone exposing themselves to never owned or seen a GMK set in person 😂

[@jlebron12]

Still a crappy excuse for crappy behavior.

[@Laughadaffadil]

@@saltysourdough what kinda mainstream consumer do you see helping GMK's private keycap sector stay open 🤡 we're not talking about all keycaps here bud.

[@westleyvanzant]

Well filmed and well made, but his answers felt like they were pre-approved by a board of directors and that they weren’t reallyyyy answering the questions much

[@Sth_Magical]

Give examples

[@admiredgsu1217]

200 dollars and 2 years for pieces of plastic

[@Heartkiller1991]

GMK keycaps are FAR too expensive for being ABS and not PBT. I bought a set because everyone touts about "quality" when it comes to GMK. They're literally just ABS keycaps, in which I've had $30 keycap sets from Amazon that actually felt the same if not SLIGHTLY better. The only people defending this are the people who enjoy throwing money in the toilet and jumping on a bandwagon of popularity

[@Heartkiller1991]

ABS will develop a shine to them, regardless of "quality" that's literally the nature of ABS. GMK is just ripping people off.

[@MsToshi1990]

the real question is though: Why does GMK packaging disintegrate within hours or even arrival and who is hiring the person who shakes the boxes before shipping them out so NO single key is in it's place when it arrives? I had keycaps being on the 2nd layer which were supposed to be on the first haha.

[@manhnguyentien283]

In fact, the plastic material of keycap sets (from around the end of 2018 onwards) is getting worse and worse. Except for the molds that are more beautiful than the round 1 sets, the rest of the plastic is getting thinner, the molds are often defective and especially the sound quality is much worse.

[@brusferatu]

I am fine waiting for years for my set to get delivered, im fine paying a good amount of money to get it made to a high standard, I have never bought a clone, but I have to say, rising prices for gmk sets, designs not available anymore for anyone, bad qc for what youre paying for, warped spacebars, makes me not look down on people who buy clones to be honest, I hope KKB forces GMK to be more consumer friendly instead of them doing whatever they want.

[@frltkl]

I think you might look from the other perspective; pricing derives from MoQ, so it's not solely about the GMK since it doesn't really do sales or marketing, only manufacturing. Varied pricings you see, I guess, might due to the designers and vendors themselves. I'm not saying KKB or other manufacturers are better though. However, this day you could get GMK set way cheaper than SP SA set. That pretty much proves the assumptions.

[@brusferatu]

@@frltkl Yeah MoQ matters, convinient for designers, vendors and makers than 99% of the times they are not public so we dont know. And even then, moq prices have been rising a few times already if im not mistaken, gmk is taking advantage as much as they can, they shouldnt be anywhere near expensive as they are

[@ChiefBrianIrons]

GMK please have better QC on your keycaps the amount of warped spacebars i get is ridiculous. I barely get any warped PBT spacebars.

[@foggytypes]

wrapped lmao

[@ChiefBrianIrons]

@@foggytypes my bad didn't bother to proof read

[@gmkkeycaps]

We´re working on a solution for that - as soon everything is set, we´ll make an announcement. #1 topic atm

[@fad2679]

Tell him to get GMK to sort their spacebars out. 150+ for keycaps with warped spacebars.

[@phamnguyendungnhan6720]

Agree! GMK need better QC process, warped spacebars, missing/duplicate keycaps and the ink for dual language is really bad.

[@lawbinson]

Can GMK make caps that don't shine?

[@ispd]

no

[@TaehaTypes]

all plastic keycaps shine eventually :(

[@ClaudioBottari]

check JTK HSA

[@wjhdrew]

hand washing helps a lot

[@foggytypes]

plastic shines. GMK can't bend physics.

[@xCuSt0Mx1]

mofo caused a weevil infestation in my house because of his packaging

[@TaehaTypes]

wot

[@mohawk4759]

lucky i love weevils

[@alex_souls]

serious coping in these comments. 9/10 times gmk is objectively higher quality than any clones on the market period (legending, colors, sound, feel, etc). anyone disagreeing I have to assume has never owned a gmk set. if you can't afford gmk, thats fine theres a million alternatives that are much higher quality than clones for less money than gmk. if you don't like groupbuys or preorders, well theres probably 100+ gmk extra sets currently in stock across various vendors. theres basically no excuse to buy clones nowadays.

[@Laughadaffadil]

@@saltysourdough but then still why clones? sounds like you dont care about looks or sound or feel. so just get a 21kb set for $35 or an amazon set for $15 lol

[@Laughadaffadil]

ill agree with you on clones except novelties. thats just actual theft on the manus part. i dont buy from thieves outside the CVS, even if they just stole the stuff.@@saltysourdough

[@alex_souls]

@@saltysourdough already addressed the price concern in my original comment. I don't care if clones are a 1/5 the price of gmk, so are unique, non-gmk non-clone sets that are widely available. they're not hard to find. but purchasing a knock-off of someones work because you "don't care" is a bs excuse. there is more to this hobby than blatant consumerism. supporting designers is a large aspect of this hobby and purchasing clones is basically spitting in the face of it. if all you care about is having some pieces of plastic to sit on top of your switches in your generic plastic rectangle and nothing else matters to you, then go off I guess. otherwise just try to think a little harder on your purchasing choices.

[@Tyreinn]

Trying to police what others do with their money is a losing battle. Awesome that you enjoy supporting GMK and can afford to do so, but there's no reason to worry yourself over other people's purchases. I'm not even saying I disagree with your stance, just the approach.

[@SpurdoMaltese]

There's a $200 excuse to never buy this overpriced hipster garbage

[@ulamss5]

The irony when he says that every purchasing decision affects the future of the industry. Yeah we want warped pieces of plastic to take 2 years and cost $300.

[@sumkid9263]

bro what base set costs 300 bucks

[@foggytypes]

bro got stuck in 2021

[@MisterMayhem17]

I haven't watched yet. I hope you asked him what's taking so long lmao

[@BBNE4215]

Please improve the keycaps tray and the bending banana spacebar.