Diablotek’s new Legend offers a remarkable value in an entry-level gamers’ enclosure, offering features usually found in more expensive models. This seems to be the new normal – radical new features appear in eye-wateringly expensive products, and six months later can be found in cleverly engineered new products available for remarkably, record-settingly low prices elsewhere. Diablotek’s legend seems to be one of these second-generation devices, offering a remarkably good deal on advanced features. However, these products often come with drawbacks and cut corners – but at $40 street, is this likely to be a showstopper? Realistically, it depends on one’s needs and expectations.
Considering how many people will either underbuy or overbuy to meet their needs, it’s worth examining what the Legend offers: an extremely light, feature-rich case, seemingly well suited to LAN party gaming (it is really easy to carry, especially with a GearGrip or equivalent), with a great deal of expandability and some pleasant ease-of-use features not usually found on a budget case – first, foremost, and absolutely most important, rolled edges and corners. There is no good way to slice yourself open and short out your motherboard with your own blood. I cannot emphasize just how miserable such encounters are, especially if you actually manage to damage hardware in the process. It cannot be terribly expensive to do, but it adds a great deal to the perceived quality of a product, as well as increasing the case’s rigidity; more rigidity with less metal saves on materials cost during manufacturing, and other stamping methods to increase rigidity don’t do anything to save users’ hands. Toolless cases are extremely pleasant to work with in general, but this one is odd – more on this later.
