I was told by some smart people (lol) that Copying from one person is plagiarism, but copying from multiple people is inspiration. I never really understood how the latter is justified as inspiration, but the former is very clear in the start but as I started reviewing products, ‘inspiration’ from multiple sources doesn’t always result in a good product. In this line of work, you can easily spot either a rip-off or an ‘inspired’ design easily. Inspiration is another matter. But a ripoff does not look good, especially when it’s happening for a while. Case Labs’ Vice President Kevin Keating isn’t happy when Thermaltake and its product manager ripped off their case design one after the other.
It should be noted that Case Labs is a small family business, but it earned a very high reputation for each of its cases. Judging by people’s testimonial about their case, the build quality is completely in another level. It is also known to have very expensive cases that would make a lot of people squeal. The base model of Case Labs S8 costs US$359.95 which roughly translates to INR 22,966/-, and Thermaltake Core X9 which costs 169.99 via Newegg which is INR 10,847/-.
I did not review Case Labs Mercury S8 which gives a choice to its buyers to customize the case- radiator mounts, transparent panel, vents, HDD cage, etc. I did not review Thermaltake Core X9, but I am planning to buy to buy a white edition because of the feasibility option and that Thermaltake is present some presence in India. I should make it very clear that I did check out S8 and as much as I love it, the cost and the usual fear of transit to India simply stabbed my heart of getting a suitable case. Like for many people, Thermaltake Core X9 was a blessing in disguise since it was significantly cheaper, does whatever I wanted on paper. Thermaltake as a presence in India, though their Indian counterparts should be more active. But though the external looks completely different, the internals and certain aspects were very similar.
At first I thought open test benches will be a good idea, but then testing in a closed case setup is more realistic. HAF XB seemed like a good idea at the time, but there were certain limitations. I also don’t intend on owning another case with everything black internally. That’s one reason why I am sticking with Lian Li A70F currently. I really liked the Core X9’s white variant, and I will like to buy it as soon as it is available here. But no matter how I see it, I know the origin of Core X9’s case design.
Left: Case Labs S8; Right: Thermaltake Core X9
However one looks at it, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Thermaltake Core X9’s design has a lot of resemblance from Case Labs Mercury S8 to even dismiss it as ‘co-incidence’. Even Keating confirmed that Shannon Robb said that he will buy the case, after being refused to take photographs of the case during PDXLAN 22. To be clear, Kevin said in his Facebook post that Shannon Robb asked if he can take pictures to show it to his company’s R&D department. Nobody would like that. But Kevin did confirm that Shannon eventually bought a Mercury S8.
One of the key and attractive point is that Core X9 is a significantly low-cost option which allows many people to purchase it. Case Labs is significantly expensive, but it is Made in USA and an all-aluminum construction. Enthusiasts who Core X9 buy it because it is a very good case, but they also know that the case’s design is very similar to Mercury S8. A famous Youtuber once had a Core X9 review video (which is now missing- no prize for guessing why), and I remember the words “Poor man’s Case Labs” to describe Core X9.
That’s because- It is a poor man’s choice for those who can’t afford the Mercury S8.
Left: Case Labs SM8; Right: Thermaltake ‘W Series’ Extreme showcased in Computex 2015
It does make a very bad impression that one manufacturer is practically duplicating another manufacturer who is coming up with new designs in a row. This is in reference to Thermaltake’s new “W-Series” Extreme chassis, which looks to be replicated based on Case Labs Merlin S8 with Pedestal case. Thermaltake is showing off its W-Series Extreme case in Computex currently, but understandably the VP of Case Labs is simply not happy with the series of incidents, which led him to post all the interactions between Kevin Keating and his father from Case Labs, with Shannon Robb- Thermaltake’s Marketing and IT manager.
The game of rip-off or ‘inspiration’ isn’t a new one. This is discouraging, to say the least, that this is happening openly knowing that people will easily identify and point it out.
Mr. Keating made a long post which shows that Shannon Robb interacted with them during PDXLAN 22, 23, 24 and showcase Tt’s Core series during PDXLAN 25. It also pointed out where Thermaltake’s manager said in his Facebook page as ‘My new babies’.
He said,”All of these events happened, and I did not make up anything, not a thing. Simply put, Shannon and Thermaltake, you disgust me. We are all for innovation, and welcome new case concepts from other manufacturers. We have said this publicly and I’m saying it again. There have been some AMAZING things to happen to the enthusiast market, and it’s better for everyone. Copying people’s existing concepts and calling them your own stifles innovation and hurts the industry with dull already done designs. We are a small family owned and operated business who make their products in the USA with pride. Anyone can steal designs and have them made overseas for much less. So do something with our own creativity and concepts or do nothing at all.”
Shannon Robb defended himself in his Facebook by saying the following:
Hi Guys, sorry I didn’t respond to this sooner but in TW it is just now like 7AM.. First off, anyone who has seen these cases, they are in no way as far as fitment and functionality a copy of anything. The scalability and modularity are simply awesome. as far as exterior appearance, we chose a design that ideally fit everything we wanted to accomplish with the design and similar with the panel grille designs. It’s only partially about appearance and more about what will provide best airflow without sacrificing panel integrity and rigidity. Lastly, do remember that as a chassis manufacturer we all make cases and if you remember we all used to have beige boxes, it’s not about copying anything it’s about what makes the best fit for the design you are trying to accomplish.
We are pushing the limits on many things as far as performance and feature sets and I’m glad you think our chassis is so awesome, because if you really like it that much you will like the price even better!
Stay tuned to see more cool stuff from Computex.
But when comparing side to side, you have to wonder who made which case. The external case design’s difference between the two is very minor:
@Thermaltake which one do you make again? I can't seem to tell the difference. pic.twitter.com/uDWAl915cf
— Nick Krader (@NKrader) June 2, 2015
This will be tricky for a lot of people who purchase these cases.
In one corner, people will not like that a design of one manufacturer’s designs are replicated by another manufacturer one after the other. In another corner, people will love to see a much cheaper and affordable variant of the much expensive variant as long as the build quality is good enough. Even in reference to many component makers, one brand got inspired from another brand- be it a design, a colour combination or something as seemingly trivial as RGB backlit design. But make no mistake- all system builders, modders, hardware enthusiasts and reviewers know where this innovation (and inspiration) really come from. It would also make people think that maybe ‘thinking-out-of-box’ and ‘innovation’ is bone-dry in the DIY PC business, but time and again we always see something new. As of now, I see modders doing something out-of-box, which then inspires PC case makers. Some however get modders onboard, some would rip it off.
As of now, I see modders doing something out-of-box, which then inspires PC case makers. Some, however, get modders onboard, some would rip it off.
Master Race Problems!
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