The Artisan Box is almost indispensable for fellows playing keycap artisan, but finding a beautiful box literally as well as suitable for each person’s taste is something not everyone is lucky to have.
The artisan buttons themselves are inherently not cheap, especially when buying through the flip price hits an unimaginable threshold: hundreds, even thousands of dollars (depending on the beauty & rarity), so investing in a cool “cage” to lock up and admire those beast every day is understandable & completely reasonable.
After a while of searching, I found a few pretty nice models, such as: Sisi, Historia, Farm… , but in the end, Sisi r2 is still the version I’d love to have in my collection. The best in terms of aesthetics as well as the number of slots is enough for long-term play.
Similar to many artisan buttons that buy as raffles (fill in the form, wait for a lucky draw to win a purchase slot), artisan boxes (purchased as Group Buying) are often not available. However, this method is different from raffle: anyone in need can place an order within the time frame, as well as be sure to receive the item after a period of time, just fill out the form and pay 100% upfront. When the item arrive, the Host will contact and ship to the member according to the closed list.
The above descriptions are exactly the form I have followed, below is some photos of SiSi Box r2 that I received on July 18:
Unbox
This box was unseal by someone when it arrived, inside includes: a black box weighing 1.2kg (including the lid), if including the shockproof bag, the total weight is up to 1.4kg, the length/width/height dimensions are 19.5×19.5×0.26cm, a transparent acrylic plastic cap, a shock-resistant bag with straps (weight 0.22kg), as well as 6 extra rubber feet & 2 wipes.
With a total of 60 squares corresponding to 60 slots, the whole box as well as the partitions are covered with mat black color. Sisi Box r2 has a total of 3 colors: black, gray, silver… I choose the black version because this tone will highlight the artisan buttons.
The 4 corners of the box as well as the lid are designed to be beveled, creating a comfortable feeling, without any need to hold hands. In addition, all 4 corners are attached with magnets with strong enough suction to prevent the artisan buttons from being accidentally thrown.
The bottom of Sisi r2 has a gourd shape with the words Artisan underneath, I really don’t understand what the person who made this thing wants to convey & send through such a symbol.
4 feet (external) to limit scratches and slip when placed directly on a flat surface.
Only on this side there is a recess to make it easier to open the lid, while the other 3 sides are designed to be straight & seamless.
All 60 squares of Sisi Box r2 always leave a certain amount of space & are not designed to hold the stem of the keycap, so low profile artisan buttons will be thrown from their original position if the box is turned upside down, even with the lid closed.
According to my research, Sisi Box r2 has 2 versions: PC plastic & aluminum, in which my box is made of aluminum, weighing about half a kilogram more than the plastic ver.
The first time I tried Sisi Box r2 in the offline session of Mechanical Keyboard Association, I was quite surprised by its weight of more than one kilogram, so heavy and compact that I felt a bit tired when hold it to take some photo in few minutes. If only the weight was about half, it would be much more comfortable and convenient to hold and move. Anyway, I really love to have this in my collection.
Pros:
- Beautiful, unique, luxurious.
- Lots of slots.
Cons:
- Expensive, rare, hard to buy.
- The lid clings to fingerprints & is easy to crack due to the brittle Acrylic material, In my case, i cannot close the box, the box itself is also very easy to get dust.
- When erecting, it is easy to happen that artisan nodes are moved unintentionally, especially those with low profile like: DSA & Cherry.
- The suction is quite strong, making the magnet of the lid kinda loose.
Bottom Line
Should buy if you are interested in artisan for a long time.
