Lubic 3519 (Evaluation) Customizable Case Kit: (Page 2)

Review Date: December 23, 2003
Reviewed by: Mycol Wahnee
Sponsored by: Aerocool

Continued from page 1...

When I first started the review, I just sat there for about 10 minutes trying to decide the best way to get started on assembling this kit, that’s when I decided to go out on the internet and do some snooping to see if someone had posted an electronic version of a manual or instruction book of some type. No luck there, so I decided to try and copy a couple of pictures of the concept case and go the old fashioned trial and error route. The first couple of hours were the most painful in trying to make the bits and pieces of frame, corner joints, and screws come together to resemble what was shown on the picture. I decided to work on the bottom square or the base of the frame first since this is the most logical place to start. As mentioned earlier, don’t torque down any of your screws at this point cause rest assured you will have to unscrew them because you forgot to add a slider or two. The Lubic site suggests that you add plenty of sliders for future connections but when you tilt or turn your case on it’s side, all those sliders will slide and clank against the frame unless you take a set screw and lock them down at an inconspicuous place. You will also note that on each of the stainless steel corner brackets there is a white plastic film, this is there to keep the finish from getting excessive scratches from the many times you will spin the case on it’s sides and from all the screwing and unscrewing you might have to do at various times. I suggest that you keep the film intact until you have completed your finished product. Then you can unscrew each screw just enough to peel the film covering off and you will have kept your finish looking good.

Please click on either of the images for a larger view

This is where you will need to stop and give some serious thought to what components you intend on placing in your Lubic case. At the bottom of the case you will more than likely need to add some 90° elbows to support your power supply, mainboard, or other components if you think you will need them this far down in the case. Well I finally added the vertical frames that would eventually lock the top of the case to the sides and bottom. About thirty minutes later I added the top of the case. Well, it was at this point that I stepped back and looked at my creation and thoroughly decided that I didn’t like the way my concept case was looking. I figured that I would like to have a case that provided more room for equipment down the road and the concept case just looked pretty cramped for space. This is where the “fully customizable” aspect of the Lubic comes into play and I am thankful for having that option. If you don’t like what you have created, just take it all apart and build something else! This is exactly what I proceeded to do at this point. After becoming somewhat frustrated with the fact that I just spent about five hours on building something that I would just dismantle in the end, I did something that I normally never do; I looked to some other review sites for some guidance. Sorry about not having any pictures of the original case, but I was just so distraught that I totally forgot to take any before I had this thing back in it’s original pile of separate pieces and I was not about to rebuild it just for the sake of taking a couple of pictures.

I had previously looked at the Lubic Gallery and decided that I really didn’t want to construct any of the models that they had on display. I did find some pictures from a case off another site and so I decided to go ahead and use it’s likeness. While this rendition was dissimilar from the concept case I had just wrecked, it did provide more room for future hardware additions and so it became the new case that I wanted to use. I did send a couple of emails to the person that originally designed this case but I received no replies. I would like for everyone to understand that this version of a Lubic case is not my original design and out of courtesy for the time and effort that it took for this person to do all the work to conceive it they will still get the proper credit with a link to the place that I found it. You may see his version here.

Project Lubic, Take #2:
This time things would be different! I now had an understanding of what it would take to rebuild this case from scratch and I had some pictures of a relatively completed case, so I timed myself this time around to see if I would be able to finish it considerably faster. I basically followed the same route with building the base frames first, leaving plenty of sliders for future upgrades. Secondly, I added the vertical frames with the proper amount of sliders for the frames that would support the CD-ROM and the CD-RW drives.

I was now ready to add the top of the framed section with a horizontal support for the CD drives. The same principals stood in effect here, don’t overtighten any screws and make sure you have plenty of sliders in the frame rails.
 

I finally connected the rest of the screws to the top of the case and it was primarily finished. All I had to do was add my peripherals to the proper locations and I was done. Mind you that I didn’t have the acrylic mainboard tray so I didn’t bother to add any 90° elbows for it’s inclusion. I mounted the CD drives as well as the power supply and called it quits. I looked at the clock and in less than three hours, I had a complete structure and above all; I was happy with the outcome. You can see the final case design in the pictures below.
 

Winding down the review:
Now, I would like to talk about some of the things that happened on my trip through the Lubic model 3519 experience. First of all, I can appreciate the customizability of the kit. Being able to build something and then ten seconds later dismantle it fully to start on something else is definitely a strong selling point. Along the way, I also learned that you will need plenty of patience and you should make sure small children aren’t in the vicinity when you start on your maiden voyage with this kit because I found myself spewing a few thoughtless explicatives. The second round of construction wasn’t that bad at all, so practice does make perfect or as close to perfection as you will probably get. The corners and edges of the frames are very sharp and they have a scrolling java applet on the Lubic site to verify this fact. This is the warning that Aerocool wants to make sure you see when you are there:

Caution:

• Be cautious while handling aluminum frames and accessories to avoid injury.

• Always turn off the power, disconnect the power cord and ground yourself before adding or removing the Lubic structure.

• Children shall be supervised by adults while handling materials.

• Aerocool Advanced Technologies will not be responsible for any injuries caused from improper handling of the Lubic products.

Depending on what color kit you purchase, I would recommend going out and picking up some touch-up paint to fix some of the many scratches that you will generate while making your initial build or adjustments in the future. If you plan on making anything other than the concept case, you should take the time to properly plan your design layout. This means down to the exact number of screws that you will need to bring your idea to realization. As you can see in the picture below, I only had two #1 screws left out of the original 50pc set as compared to the #2 screws and the sliders. This ratio is a total waste and should probably have some of those totals transferred to the #1 screws where they are needed most. I would also like to see about four extra 90° elbow joints included with the kit. The length of the threaded neck is the difference between the #1 and #2 screws, incase you were wondering. The #2 is made for securing the 90° elbows and the #1 is used for the corner fittings.

Screw ratios. Need more #1 screws in there.

If you plan on getting extravagant with your case, you will more than likely have to go to the Lubic site to order some new parts or an entire kit depending on what you have envisioned for your masterpiece. Wait a minute, the Lubic website doesn’t have anywhere to go that will readily help you. All they have listed are part numbers and descriptions, no prices available or links to places where you can go to order or buy directly. This is very annoying indeed and I hope they rectify this in the near future. Making things as easy as possible for the buying customer should be the overall goal. When you have to search for a place to buy the kit or parts from, I would consider this impractical in my opinion. I would also like to see a bracket listed on the Accessories page with the ability to slide into the rail guides that could hold an acrylic panel in place. This sliding bracket doesn’t have to be made from one piece but it should have a semi-hard piece of foam for securing the panel flush with the aluminum frame. This will in turn make the 3519 more tantalizing for those that have already purchased this particular kit but wanted to be able to enclose the case for one reason or another. I understand this is all easier said than done but it all comes back to providing more options to the customer.

Conclusion:
As mentioned above, I think the Lubic 3519 (retail) customizable case kit really is a novel concept and a very welcomed change of pace if you are craving something off the beaten path. It is very customizable with the ability to reinvent your ideas just as long as you have the proper amount of supplies to work with. Patience is required with this kit just as it is when you take on any special modification of a case. The 3519 is meant to be a modular structure. For it to be anything else, you will most likely have to purchase more parts to get away from the modular (blocky) look. Other than having an evaluation kit for this review instead of a full working retail kit and complaining about those shortcomings, I think this case has some potential for the very finicky modding enthusiasts out there. Only time will tell if this product is a passing fad or a mainstay in the scene, I personally would like to see it stick around for awhile. I had a hard time letting go of the fact that this was an evaluation version when there are retail versions floating around out there, and that had a big impact in the final verdict when trying to decide the proper rating for this product. Overall, I would have to give the Lubic 3519 (evaluation) Customizable Case Kit a solid 3 out of 5 X’s!