The fan controller is good, all the knobs work
and I've got the black one
It's true that the fans don't turn on before half way, but you probably wouldn't want to run the fans lower than that anyway. About 3/4 is a good noise vs cooling compromise. I just leave them on full most of the time anyway
The only downside is the BRIGHT blue leds don't fit my total red theme but I have the controller recessed and the lights hidden with a cover, so it's not a big deal
I chose this controller because it can handle up to 30watts per channel. With other controllers I couldn't have 2 fans per channel, like the Zalman which is only 7watts per channel.