About 20 months ago, we launched our CXA profile keycaps. The CXA profile is a Cherry-height spherical top profile, and features crisp doubleshot legends on a scooped surface. The caps are made from an ABS/PBT blend, and the spacebar has a non-traditional shape to it, to make it less sharp on the thumbs.

The result is a phenomenally comfortable and aesthetic typing experience -- Along with being a CK team favorite, most people who have tried it really enjoy it! But launching a new keycap profile is hard. We're humbled by the positive response this profile has received, but it still remains inaccessible to many. Outside of meetups, the only way to try CXA profile is to buy a set of CXA keycaps. Our cheapest in stock CXA sets start at $80, which we think is a great value for doubleshot keycaps. But this still represents an upfront cost and a risk for something that may not fit your preferences.

Today, we're launching a try before you buy program for CXA. We're confident that a large number of folks will try CXA, love CXA, and buy CXA. But if you don't, we want to make sure you're not wasting your $80.

 

This is how it'll work:

  • You’ll place a $20 deposit on a CXA sampler set. These sets will include enough keys to cover a typical standard keyboard layout, but won’t be a full set. Our sample sets are sanitized and recycled, so they might be shined a bit - but you’ll be able to try the CXA sculpt. We’ll cover the cost of shipping.
  • When you’re done with your sample set, within 7 days of receiving the keycaps, you’ll return the keycaps to us in the same packaging they came in, using the return label we provide. We’ll cover the cost of return shipping too!
  • When the keycaps get back to CannonKeys, we’ll send you a $20 CannonKeys gift card to pay back your deposit.
  • If you like CXA, we’ll also give you a 20% discount code for a purchase of any of our in-stock CXA sets.
  • The fine print: Orders cannot be combined with any other products. For now, we're only able to offer this for folks in the US, but we hope to roll this out to a wider audience soon.

 

We are beyond excited to launch this program, and to get CXA into the hands and onto the keyboards of more enthusiasts! We launched CXA BoW and WoB in December 2021, and since then, have been able to stock two more CXA sets - Sugarplum and Iara (pictured above). While we've been pleased with the response, we think we can do more in sharing the joy of this new keycap profile. But for each set we sell, there is a 1000 unit MOQ, meaning a high capital outlay to bring any CXA set in stock - so we haven’t been able to bring as many as we wanted to market. While we're bullish on CXA, we need to be a responsible business and we can't take huge risks that could compromise our health.

We believe this risk free trial program will help open eyes, win over enthusiasts, and help bring more community-driven designs to life!

If you're confused, just remember 20-20-20. You pay $20, you get back $20 in CannonKeys credit, and you get 20% off a CXA purchase.

August 15, 2023 — Andrew Kannan