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>:) Russtopia Labs >:)

711 orders since Feb 21, 2015

Courtenay, BC, Canada

Ships from Canada.

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Low Tech doodads for a Hi Tech World, from Russtopia Labs :p

Overall Rating:

Review Breakdown

5
20 4
18 3
2 2
0 1
0

Average Ratings

Product: (4.88)

Documentation: (4.75)

Shipping: (4.50)

Communication: (4.62)

All Reviews

Kyoung Jae | Nov. 29, 2023

Fantstic product & experience

For APL Keyboard Symbol Sticker Set

I was a little bit worried about no-tracking clause but Canada post did their job correctly this time :)

Can't wait to nerd out with my buddies for upcoming AoC with dyalog APL!
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | Nov. 29, 2023
Glad to hear you got them in time!

Have fun. APL's mind-bending, in a good way. :)

Nicholas | July 28, 2023

Great high quality product

For APL Keyboard Symbol Sticker Set

I installed these on a spare Logitch K120 keyboard in order to experiment with APL. The stickers are a perfect size and adhere very well to the key caps. The finished item looks fantastic - you would have to look very closely to spot that they are not OEM key caps. Thanks for doing this Russ!
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | July 28, 2023
Thanks, glad to hear they worked out for you!

By the way, if the key stickers' adhesion ever *does* come loose:

1. Take off the loose sticker and carefully peel or wipe off the original glue (usually it peels off as a single clear piece);
2. Carefully, gently scrub off both the keyboard key and the back of the removed APL key sticker with a microfiber cloth wetted with isopropyl alcohol to remove any gunk, and let dry;
3. rub the now-cleaned APL key sticker with an UHU glue stick. Not too much, not too little paste :)
4. Replace sticker on keyboard. Press gently but firmly, rubbing from corner to corner with your fingernail or the bottom of a small spoon (nothing sharp) across all of it to ensure a good bond. Let dry for an hour.

I have had two keys slip due to heavy use over the past year and a half (the D and F since they get heavy use being in the home row, I suppose). After treating with the above, they haven't budged again!

Alonso | April 12, 2023

Buen dispositivo

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

Recibido en Mallorca despues de un mes de la compra,por suerte no ha pasado por aduanas.Al principio me parecio un poco complicado entender el funcionamiento pero despues de leer las instrucciones un par de veces el funcionamiento es muy sencillo.
La calidad de construccion es buena,esta hecho de acero,hay que apretar bien fuerte la rosca del cilindro donde van los anillos porque me ha pasado que al tenerlo en el bolsillo de la chaqueta me he encontrado con todo completamente desmontado,tanta suerte que no se ha extraviado ningun anillo.
Creo que seria conveniente que lo enviaran con un protector ,que se pudiera quitar y poner porque de tenerlo junto con las llaves debido al roce se dañan algunos de los caracteres de los anillos,menos mal que me he dado cuenta y antes de que vaya a peor le he puesto un trozo de cartulina negra alrededor que la puedo quitar cuando quiera,asi tambien sirve para ocultar los simbolos impresos a la vista.
En general muy buen invento,estoy esperando a que lo vuelvan a fabricar para pedir otra unidad.
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | April 12, 2023
(A través de Google Translate, mis disculpas por cualquier error)

¡Gracias por la reseña!

Me alegra saber que no perdió ningún anillo. Si la tapa no permanece ajustada, hágamelo saber y le enviaré un cilindro y una tapa de repuesto.

La portada es una muy buena idea! No sé si pueda hacerme uno, con la poca cantidad de producto, pero es algo que investigaré.

Alexander | June 25, 2022

Still the best product in its category!

For C@RD™ Mark II (Credential @ccess Recall Device)

I ordered a few of these for myself a couple years ago, and then I ordered one for my dad when I realized he was writing all his passwords down on paper. His password strategy was pretty weak, and so I figured if he started using the C@RD he could at least make the passwords more unique and much stronger from a hashing point of view.

He loves it, I love it, one of these days I want to get either the keychain or the bracelet as an added cool factor :)
Thanks for such a great product.
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | June 26, 2022
Thank you! I am so happy to hear it has been useful for you and your dad! :)

James | Oct. 19, 2021

Innovative, simple and secure!

For C@RD™ Mark II (Credential @ccess Recall Device)

This little "gadget" isn't just an object, but an innovate way to generate and recall very secure passcodes. Kudos to the creator! Item shipped right away and came packaged well enough to protect it. For anyone looking for a low tech (but very innovative) way to secure your digital life, this is the way to go. I can highly recommend this product.

Cristi | Oct. 19, 2021

solid and useful

For RiNGminder™ mkIII Password Generator/Recall Rings

It doesn't look like that in the pictures but the ring is very hard, made of metal. I can't wear it but I have it with me like in Lord of the rings.
I have 2 rings, I colored the row with C for my name with blue and the first letter of my wife's name with red, so we can distinguish.

Cristi | Oct. 19, 2021

cool and useful

For C@RD™ Mark II (Credential @ccess Recall Device)

It's made of hard plastic and looks cool. I started using it everyday with the RiNGminder. Love it! Recommend it!

Jürgen | Oct. 18, 2021

Absolutely Cool

For APL Keyboard Symbol Sticker Set

This is a very well done product. Often APL keyboard stickers are bundled with expensive APL interpreters and special APL keyboards are also rather expensive. I bought two sets of these stickers to have a spare one on the shelf when my current notebook gets replaced. My impression is that the stickers attach firmly to the keys, in particular to flat notebook keyboards, so no worries that they might fall off some day. And the key mapping is compatible with both the commercial Dyalog APL and with the free GNU APL (the latter for an extremely low-cost APL machine).

Chris | Oct. 16, 2021

Russ did a great job on these stickers!

For APL Keyboard Symbol Sticker Set

One of the biggest pains about using APL is getting a keyboard that handles all the symbols. Generally that involves buying a fairly expensive special-purpose keyboard or something like, as I tried to do, printing your own stickers on mailing labels, dicing the labels up, and sticking them to the keys. Works poorly. So, thanks, Russ!
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | Oct. 16, 2021
I am so glad to hear you are finding them useful!

I had also tried the "print on mail labels, cut up and stick" homebrew solution and that only lasted a month or so before they started sliding around and popping off with messy goo left over.

I wish I could afford to make UK, German, etc. international layouts too, but with some scissors work hopefully people can adapt whichever keys differ.
Maybe if I sell enough of these I can make official editions for the other regions.

Alex | April 30, 2021

Fast delivery, great items!

For C@RD™ Mark II (Credential @ccess Recall Device)

This is an interesting way to create secure passwords. Obviously, being credit card sized, it is very easy to carry and offers up those needed credentials at a glance. Nice!

Kirill | Nov. 27, 2020

Five years later the key fob is still with me

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

A little worn, but still kicking.
I ended up not using it for the passwords, but instead I store my 2FA recovery codes inside, in hand-crypted form.

Chris | Sept. 30, 2020

This is a cool idea!

For p@ss™ Bracelet

I have been using my own ‘rules’ for password generation. This is a great starter to get me to keep track of multiple passwords etc. thanks!

Zac | May 24, 2020

It's nice.

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

I was happy to receive it sometime around the deadline and be able to use it for my passwords and such. The only two things I have to comment about is that it was a little smaller than I expected, but that's totally okay! However, I do question the price for a key fob.

I would suggest adding tracking to the package if there was anything to be improved.

Alan | March 10, 2020

clever item

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

Very clever analog device. Beautifully made. Very professional appearance. There is a good rationale for using this to devise secure passwords that you can not need to remember.

Kelly | Aug. 1, 2019

Love the product! Problem with shipping...promptly replaced!

For RiNGminder™ mkIII Password Generator/Recall Rings

There was an issue with the shipping I recieved a damaged package and rings were gone. Contacted the seller and he promptly send me a replacement! I am very happy with the sellar and the rings thank you!

Stephen | Dec. 8, 2018

Simple easy to use and fills a need

For c@rd™ Password Generator/Recall Card

The cars are are great idea to make security simple. Well thought out and delivered. The explanations might have been better but that's my only criticism, always depends on audience! Looking forward to the newer ones being in stock.

Radim | Nov. 27, 2018

Finally!

For C@RD™ Mark II (Credential @ccess Recall Device)

Finally I do not have to remember my every password. It arrived yesterday so I am now changing my passwords to fit this CARD. I will definitely order more cards for my family memebers too.

Luis Fernando | May 17, 2018

Nice and tiny

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

I bought it and it's cool. It doesn't feel heavy but it feels well constructed. The size was small but you can read it correctly. The shipping took 1 month and we can't track it but well it's government post service. The only issue that I see is that you can confuse sometimes with the "A" and "R", but for the rest is a cool way to generate better passwords.

I recommend it.

Charles | April 22, 2018

Awesome product!

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

Awesome little product. Fun to use, customizable, solid, long lasting, will be using for many years to come! Shipped fast!

Christopher | April 12, 2018

Outstanding items!

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

I ordered a dual set of p@ss Mark II's. I usually have a variety of passwords that I need to input and I needed a device to work as my Key and to help me make a password of high difficulty to guess or crack. The item arrived quickly and the customer service was excellent. The seller even contacted me to verify all my information was correct (I put in the wrong Zip Code). Arrived within a week.

The item is awesome and stays with me all the time as an extra key to enter all my important pages. Much recommended.

Darrell | March 13, 2018

Great product

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

Great little device for creating better, more secure passwords. As somebody who had a habit of plopping my keys down on my desk every day already, this was a great, handy little tool that is readily available if I have to log in somewhere. It still surprises me that people would choose online keychains like LastPass or Dashlane when a product like this exists. I've bought both this and several c@rds from Russ - he makes great products and I plan on continuing to purchase products from him.

Henry | Feb. 12, 2018

Amazing product

For RiNGminder™ mkIII Password Generator/Recall Rings

These rings are of great quality and the customer service provided was fantastic!! I would definitely purchase from this seller again!

Darrell | Feb. 12, 2018

Great product

For C@RD™ Mark II (Credential @ccess Recall Device)

This is an immensely helpful tool for maintaining online security. As many people have hinted, sometimes security does not necessarily mean being impenetrable, but simply being less penatrable than the attacker is willing to overcome. Having distinct, non-dictionary-attackable passwords in an easy-to-use and -remember format is certainly worth the extremely fair price of c@rds.

Having access to something like the c@rd means that even the least tech-savvy of us no longer have any excuse for keeping up with what are probably minimum best practices for password generation.

Also, you couldn’t be purchasing from/supporting a better seller/maker. Russ is extremely professional, cordial, and is great about communicating with buyers. -Thanks to Russ for great buying experience overall.

Conor | Sept. 7, 2017

Solid and Useful

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

Great in simplifying the creation of passwords. It is obviously not perfect, as the creator acknowledges, but it eliminates a significant number of attack vectors...as long as you keep the memory based rules as part of your system. It also saves me a lot of time not answering password requests from my SO as I ordered a matched pair.

I do wish there was more friction to keep the wheels in place, but I understand why the design is the way it is. I plan on hunting down some silicon o rings and using a spacer combined with the cap screw down function to keep the wheels in place for longer passwords as they can move mid typing. Some of the issues are due to my clumsiness and randomly having to chase a toddler, but I think everyone would appreciate an improvement in this area.

Definite thumbs up. I will be watching out for Mark III.

Carri | Sept. 5, 2017

Awesome Idea, Unique Product, Perfectly Implemented

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

I've only had the p@ss for a couple days and I absolutely love this thing. I got a pair of them, one to sit on my desk and one that goes in my backpack, just in case I lost one. What's cool about this product is that it can either be something you use everyday or something that acts only as an emergency item. I use it in tandem with Last Pass, where as my master password has now been generated using the p@ss. There are also a couple sites and stuff that I don't use with last pass so I can more easily access those accounts outside of areas where I have access to Last Pass, and this is where there p@ss makes perfect sense for me. I won't use it everyday, I probably won't even use it every week, but the little thing works perfectly, it looks really really cool, the storage compartment it's a sneakily smart idea for things like a USB key for example, and it works well as a simple little fidget toy if that's what you want to use it as since it has some weight to it and the rings slide smoothly around that device. I am not sure how the paint will fair overtime, maybe the black will rub off from rubbing up against the other rings, but only time will tell on that one. Apart from the shipping taking a little longer than I would like and not being able to track it during that time, I have exactly 0 complaints, and I think everyone who cares about security, and likes trinkets, should have at least one of these, if not a couple as I do.

Frank | July 4, 2017

Great Product, Hard to Read

For C@RD™ Mark II (Credential @ccess Recall Device)

I love the product, but the typeface, spacing, and the coloring are a bit to hard to read. This should not steer you away from using it. It is merely some feedback to potentially improve a product for the next iteration.

I like the concept of unique color scheme, however the font color changing makes it hard for the eyes to distinguish as you approach the right side of color gradient, especially the orange one I have. The light blue is not as bad.

The typeface and spacing of the columns is hard to pick out your column to use. I feel like the spacing of characters should be increased to make more use of the width of the card. This may interfere with the logos and art work, but simpler is better. Maybe even a font, such as Consolas, would work better as the letters are narrow is pixel width, creating more definition between columns.

Thanks,
Frank
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | July 4, 2017
Good points. I'll work on more subtle colour schemes, go for a higher contrast and try to increase the font/spacing more to enhance readability. If you are finding yours that difficult to read, I'll send you a new one once I re-design. Feel free to send me a reminder in a few weeks so I can ship a replacement to you free of charge -- I could send you the artwork ahead of time via email to get your impressions, if you'd like.

I really appreciate the feedback, thank you!

James | June 10, 2017

Exceeded expectations.

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

This is so well thought through and crafted. I appreciate this being on the market. I use it daily and would buy it again... but it appears very durable.

Gustavo Henrique | Nov. 24, 2016

amazing product! Really enjoy it!

For p@ss™ Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

Amazing product! Really enjoy it! The canada mail is waaaay to slow, but I understand that this happens on overseas deliveries, so that's alright. The product has a INCREDIBLY good quality!

Ante | Sept. 2, 2016

Very neat and useful idea, needs some polishing

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

Just received mine and love the way it looks!
I know the idea is to keep things simple and easy to manufacture, but there are a few things i think would come a long way to make this a better product.

1) For one, the edges are WAY too sharp for a pocket(able) item and will likely chew threw my pants pocket in a few months. It chewed holes in the ziplock bag and the envelope it was packed in. The cut in the envelope was big enough for the p@ss to squeeze out, given enough wiggling and motion - luckily, it didn't. I *strongly* suggest filleting those sharp corners.

2) I realize the objective was to make the rings turn as easily and smoothly as possible, but that had two downsides - the rings are loose enough now they rattle quite a bit, and it's easy to knock the rings out of alignment while using it, which reduces usability (especially if you're not reading the row immediately below the current, but more than a few rows before or after). Please make them a bit less loose. Perhaps adding o-rings to the rings themselves (on the inside), and greasing the shaft would be a solution? That should keep things nice and smooth, while still giving some friction and completely dampening the rattle.

3) Clicks! Please clicks! I know it's a problem at this scale (of the item itself and manufacture), but if there's any simple way of implementing clicks instead of smooth motion, it'd make for one heck of an upgrade. Obviously, on something bigger, it'd be easy to do this with a ratchet and a ball with a spring, but for something this size, that wouldn't quite work. Perhaps a ratchet with a leaf spring?

Thanks a lot for making this and the quick service!

Regards,
Ante

PS: Do you have a newsletter / mailing list of some kind? I'd love to be able to get alerted to any new developments/versions.
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | Sept. 2, 2016
Hi, thanks so much for the comments! Yes, indeed I do wish the edges were a bit more rounded. I didn't machine them myself, having just designed it and getting a shop to do the small run for me -- but I wish I had stressed to them more that those 'wings' needed more rounding. Thankfully, I've had mine in my pocket for almost a year now and haven't developed any holes yet :) If you're willing to lose the anodzing on the edges some careful dremel work could round them to your satisfaction...

As for the ring snugness, again that was a compromise.. even with specifying slightly looser tolerances (the mkI had many units with stuck rings that I had to use a stretcher on), I still have some that don't spin freely, again requiring some manual stretching during assembly. You're not the first to ask for some kind of detents or clicking and on the next version I'll certainly look into it, though I expect it'll increase manufacturing costs quite a bit.

I don't have a mailing system set up, but I was planning actually on doing an update email to all previous orders, as I have refined the instructions a bit; increasing the recommended default minimum password lengths generated when choosing a personal dial-in rule as well as urging people to further obscure their rule usage, in response to some peoples' observations from using the device (since it's extremely important that users choose a *good* rule to use with it, otherwise passwords may still have too much predictability or be of insufficient length.)

Thank you very much for the suggestions, and if I do a 'next' version I'll definitely try to address all of your points. I hope it's useful to you as is, even without all of these possible improvements! :)


Paul | May 17, 2016

Great solution to a problem everyone has

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

As a Google Admin I have a zillion passwords to keep track of. Everything I use on a daily basis requires a password. For years I had a system in my brain that helped me keep track of passwords. This meant I had a few fairly complex ones I used everywhere. Then I tried 1Password which was okay but I was more dependent on devices using this method and I change devices often - so this didn't help.

Along came p@ss. I will say without a doubt it changes everything. It's the perfect low tech solution to a high tech lifestyle. Anyone, techie or not, should consider using this.
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | May 20, 2016
Hey, great to hear you're liking it!
Now please convince Google to buy a p@ss or c@rd for all their employees and I'll make a big run just for you with your own logo :)

Alexander | March 11, 2016

Great product, exactly as described

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

The p@ss is *definitely* a great investment. Introduces a nice way to store passwords securely. Solid piece of hardware

Alex | March 1, 2016

Brilliant idea brought to life in a great product

For C@RD™ Mark II (Credential @ccess Recall Device)

Sometimes the simple ideas are the best. This is such a simple way to create highly complex passwords that cannot be guessed, even if someone else is looking right at it (although it's better that you keep it to yourself). Having seen how many companies use shockingly bad internal passwords, I'd also recommend this to all employees.

The card itself fits perfectly in a wallet, and is suitably hard-wearing. I love it!

Martin | Feb. 23, 2016

Great versatile low-tech tool

For p@ss™ Mark II Password Generator/Recall Key Fob

Shipping to Germany without problems. Low-tech also means no hassle with customs!
Product has a very sturdy feel to it, I have great confidence in cramming it into my key pocket with all the other "sharp&scratchy metal objects" (as opposed to other esp. electronic means of two-factor-authentication)
Documentation is very basic to say the least - there's one relevant video on youtube. Apart from that, only a small strip of paper with the ring layout as a backup comes with the delivery.
Idea for improvement of the product (p@ss Mark III?): Make the individual wheels snap into position for a better haptic control over positional change. Wheels loose their position very easily when handling the Mark II key fob.
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | Feb. 23, 2016
Thank you so much for the review! You are not the first to make this suggestion; if it can be done affordably, in the next version I will add detents so rings click into each position.

I also need to improve that video :) Thank you for reminding me.

John | Jan. 6, 2016

Very awesome rings.

For RiNGminder™ mkIII Password Generator/Recall Rings

These were a big hit at the company party when I presented them to our resident encryption expert.

Although I did order two sets and only received one set. Trying to contact them for follow-up on this is difficult as there is no clear way to contact them other than leaving a review.

Would absolutely order again and highly recommend. (Assuming the correct number of rings show up.)
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Response from >:) Russtopia Labs >:) | Jan. 9, 2016
Thanks for the review, and apologies for the screwup :p Your second pair has been shipped, thanks for your patience.
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