If you own a Fractal FM3, you’ll probably know the dilemma…

When do you remove the protective plastic from the screens?

Leave it on too long and it looks a bit scruffy, but take it off too early and you risk scratching the screens with dirty shoes when you’re using the footswitches.

So, I decided it was time to add some proper protection to my FM3 with these KNK Shields.

These are a 4mm German polycarbonate protection system designed specifically for the FM3. Today I’m installing them and seeing whether they get in the way of the footswitches or buttons.

The shields arrive very well packaged. They come inside a sturdy box, with bubble wrap protecting everything during shipping.

Each shield is then wrapped in a tight black protective plastic sleeve, which keeps the polycarbonate surfaces completely protected in transit.

I had to use scissors to cut into the plastic and then peel it away, but that just shows how securely everything is packed.

Once the protective wrap is removed, you can see the shields properly for the first time, and the build quality is immediately obvious.

The polycarbonate feels extremely solid, and the machining is very clean. They definitely arrive very well protected, so there’s very little chance of them being scratched during shipping.

I’ve owned my FM3 for quite a while now, and I only recently removed the original plastic stickers from the screens. Normally, any technology I own, phones, tablets, laptops, etc., never leaves the house without serious protection. So, waiting this long to add protection to my FM3 is actually very unusual for me.

The shields are made from 4mm German polycarbonate, which feels extremely solid. They’re designed specifically to match the layout of the FM3, so everything lines up perfectly with the screens and footswitches.

Installation is really straightforward. They simply sit over the FM3 screens and footswitch areas and align neatly with the chassis.

The shields are held in place using what KNK call their MAG system. This is essentially a set of magnets that are recessed into the shields.

I’ve seen some other protection systems advertise that their magnets have covers to prevent scratching the FM3, or people recommending putting stickers over magnets to avoid scratches. But because the magnets in the KNK shields are embedded inside the polycarbonate, they never actually come into contact with the FM3 itself, so scratching is not an issue.

The magnets are strong enough to hold the shields securely in place, but they can still be removed easily when needed. I doubt they’re going to fall off when the FM3 is carried in the G66 bag. That said, I’ll probably remove them occasionally just to give everything a wipe, just in case any dirt manages to work its way underneath. That way there’s no chance of anything causing scratches over time.

My biggest concern before installing these was whether the switches and buttons would become difficult to press because of the thickness of the shields. But in practice, that’s not an issue at all.

Even with the 4mm polycarbonate, the footswitches are still very easy to press, and the recessed buttons are still perfectly accessible. As you can see, they still work perfectly.

One thing I really like is that the shields completely cover the screens. That means dirt from shoes, stage dust, or anything else isn’t going to scratch the screens or the unit itself. Walking on stage after crossing a muddy field is no longer a problem with my fully protected FM3.

Once installed, the shields actually look really good, and I think they enhance the appearance of the FM3. They look better than I expected.

These ship from Poland, and I was expecting delivery to take quite a while, but they actually arrived in about two weeks, which is much faster than I expected.

If you regularly gig with an FM3, this feels like a very sensible upgrade. The build quality is excellent, installation is easy, and most importantly, the switches and buttons are still easy to press. It’s a simple piece of gear, but it protects a very expensive piece of gear.

At the time of filming, the FM3 shields are selling for 45 euros.

I’m very happy with the product, and I now feel confident that my FM3 is very well protected. The FM3 also looks much better now that I’ve finally removed the original packing plastic from the screens, which, to be fair, didn’t provide much protection anyway.

KNK also make protective shields for the Kemper lineup and many other floor-based modellers that could benefit from this kind of protection.

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