Case Color

[chuckr]

It seems that, although we are now close to having the cases done, then at the maximum rate presently being talked about (500/day or less), we have all the time required to be able to do the paperwork to allow at least one new case color. I want to ask a few questions here, make some comments.

First, is there any physical parameter of the current black case which makes using a different color problematic? If some colors are bad about that, are there any which compare fine with black? Third, I want to suggest that while it's very easily possible to paint a translucent case black, doing the reverse is quite impossible. I personally would like a blue-tinted translucent, maybe with a shiny clear topcoat, which I can easily make by painting a translucent case with a thinned down blue and a clear lacquer, but that's impossible to perform with a black case. Could I suggest that an email address be set up for this purpose (gathering people's choices), and a email template be constructed, to make the reading of such requests simpler, OR just experiment by making some number (maybe a thousand?) available as it is? If a person doesn't answer, they get whatever color you decide for them as default. Perhaps to make this easier for you, make everyone who requests this have to go to the end of the list for order fulfillment, so that no one who doesn't want this special handling gets hurt by it. Only thing you'd have to supply would be a paint technology which you could check and make sure works (oil based, or maybe acrylics?)

 

[Sphinxter]

Sure as long as they're black.

 

[mali]

^Yep, yep.

 

[WizardStan]

First, is there any physical parameter of the current black case which makes using a different color problematic?

Is a minimum order quantity of 10000 units a physical parameter?

 

[Yoyobuae]

Probably economic parameter, no money to order another 10000 of a different color.

 

[may88]

I vote for black.

 

[second exodous]

Probably economic parameter, no money to order another 10000 of a different color.

I know that 10,000 is an exaggeration but does anyone one know how many cases need to be made if a new color is chosen? I know that the mold machine has to do a 'run' but how large does that have to be? It would be cool if the OP team did a poll of a special color case and after it was chosen then they would make as many as were pre-ordered.

I'm happy with black, but I just ordered a camo green case for my nephews broken DS. When we went to pick one out for him I thought he was going to get black but he thought the camo green was a better choice. It would be cool to switch things up later on, maybe not change the color of the completed Pandoras but change the color of a small number of spare cases.

 

[Prometheus]

I know that 10,000 is an exaggeration but does anyone one know how many cases need to be made if a new color is chosen?

I would guess 10,000 - I'm of the understanding that that's the minimum order from the company being used, and I'm not sure that colours can be changed in between. (Though, I don't work in plastics. I'm just applying what appears to be logical, given what I know. )

 

[second exodous]

I know that 10,000 is an exaggeration but does anyone one know how many cases need to be made if a new color is chosen?

I would guess 10,000 - I'm of the understanding that that's the minimum order from the company being used, and I'm not sure that colours can be changed in between. (Though, I don't work in plastics. I'm just applying what appears to be logical, given what I know. )

Wait, that can't be right, didn't the OP team only order 4000? I know that the mold has to do a 'run' to get the optimal temp and such, but how many is in a 'run'? Does anyone know or just like putting out exaggerated numbers? It doesn't matter, just an idea, like I said, I'm perfectly happy with black.

 

[calc84maniac]

I know that 10,000 is an exaggeration but does anyone one know how many cases need to be made if a new color is chosen?

I would guess 10,000 - I'm of the understanding that that's the minimum order from the company being used, and I'm not sure that colours can be changed in between. (Though, I don't work in plastics. I'm just applying what appears to be logical, given what I know. )

Wait, that can't be right, didn't the OP team only order 4000? I know that the mold has to do a 'run' to get the optimal temp and such, but how many is in a 'run'? Does anyone know or just like putting out exaggerated numbers? It doesn't matter, just an idea, like I said, I'm perfectly happy with black.

10,000 was the minimal order size (the "runs" don't have anything to do with it)

 

[todd]

Wait, that can't be right, didn't the OP team only order 4000? I know that the mold has to do a 'run' to get the optimal temp and such, but how many is in a 'run'? Does anyone know or just like putting out exaggerated numbers? It doesn't matter, just an idea, like I said, I'm perfectly happy with black.

I doubt the difference in cost between 4,000 cases and 10,000 was very significant. Once everything's up and running, they just push a little more plastic into the machine. Setting up and getting things up to temp (and throwing away 50-100 "warm-up" units) probably represents a large percentage of the overall cost of these cases. I could totally see OP doing the math and buying enough for the second or third batch along with the first.

EDIT: Ninja'd. Of course, a minimum order quantity is a minimum order quantity. But the minimum order quantity probably is largely dictated by the economics just mentioned.

 

[WizardStan]

I doubt the difference in cost between 4,000 cases and 10,000 was very significant. Once everything's up and running, they just push a little more plastic into the machine. Setting up and getting things up to temp (and throwing away 50-100 "warm-up" units) probably represents a large percentage of the overall cost of these cases. I could totally see OP doing the math and buying enough for the second or third batch along with the first.

The difference in cost between 4000 and 10000 is infinite, on account of they can't get a 4000 from this company. There are companies that will do 4000, but they're much more expensive, and apparently use a lower quality metal for the mould which wears out faster. If it were up to them, I'm sure they would have only taken 4000, but they couldn't. 10000 or nothing.

 

[second exodous]

Ah, ok, I thought they only ordered 4000. I see now that alternate colors is pretty much an impossibility unless they sell millions of units.

 

[kingoddball]

I WOULD buy a hot PINK Pandora for my wife if they made one!

 

[zevdawg]

Once you go black.. *ahem*

I stopped reading after the first paragraph (only cause' it's another one of those can we have "insert mod X here" threads), no offense.

If you want a different case colour, I'm sure you could pick up a model (enamel) paint kit on the cheap.
Want shiny? Use clear-coat.

I'd do so in or outside of warranty, I work in a paint factory :lol:

 

[WizardStan]

I WOULD buy a hot PINK Pandora for my wife if they made one!

I'd buy a hot pink Pandora for myself
It would match the DS it'll be replacing

 

[wardred]

They're only making 4000 completed Pandoras in the first run, but they had to order 10k cases from the factory, so they'll have 6k or so left over for round 2. (Guessing some breakage, some replacing rev 1/2/3 cases that have already gone out, and some who order extra cases for whatever modding reasons.)

 

[Alpha2]

Black is a default color, it goes with everything. You cant guarantee another color will sell as well when you have to sell every unit just to break even. If they were a massive company like Nintendo or Sony they could run off a bunch of colors and not care if they all sold as well because there's certain to be some random soccer mom that would buy "aqua" for someone that actually wanted "ice blue".

 

[chuckr]

First, is there any physical parameter of the current black case which makes using a different color problematic?

Is a minimum order quantity of 10000 units a physical parameter?

Well, first, regarding spxinster & mali's replies, maybe I'm being dense, (that's sure possible) but it seems that neither is replying to anything I wrote. Even if it ended up being sarcastic towards me, I'd kinda like to know what sentence of mine they were replying to. Honest!

Second (lastly) all of those many comments saying that 10,000 units of the exact same color need to be ordered. I'll believe that if someone who's dealt with that Chinese firm says so, but since they only crank out a max of (what was it, 500 or a thousand?) in a day (which means in a single heating) then as long as no change whatever is done to any part of the mould, it doesn't seem very likely that they'd want to force you to use one and only one color, especially seeing as their timing track record hasn't exactly been the best so far ... it doesn't sound like a foregone conclusion, what everyone is saying. I'm not exactly an expert on making cases, but could everyone else grab some authority here?

 

[chuckr]

Once you go black.. *ahem*

I stopped reading after the first paragraph (only cause' it's another one of those can we have "insert mod X here" threads), no offense.

If you want a different case colour, I'm sure you could pick up a model (enamel) paint kit on the cheap.
Want shiny? Use clear-coat.

I'd do so in or outside of warranty, I work in a paint factory :lol:

I gave an example (in the original post) of *anything* translucent, or light colored, as being utterly impossible with black as the base coat. Using translucent would allow users to pick and paint ahy damn color they choose. Would you disagree, would you tell me how I'd get a translucent blue on a black base? Ignore my comment about wanting a shiny color, because that part really doesn't require non-black.

Don't worry about my taking offense, anything other than extreme sarcasm I *hope* I wouldn't react to.