Mechanical Keyboards

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Are you addicted to the clicking sounds of your beautiful and impressive mechanical keyboard?
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Here you can discuss everything about mechanical keyboards (and only mechanical keyboards).

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What keyboards are you currently using? (lemm.ee)

submitted 10 months ago by GreyTechnician@lemm.ee to c/mechanicalkeyboards@lemmy.ml

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[–] skookumasfrig@sopuli.xyz 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I have a $30 razer wired keyboard. I'm OK with it but I really want to build my own, I just haven't been able to find a kit that's not crazy expensive.

[–] flappy@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Here's what I did: get a keyboard with hotswap switches and qmk/via support.

I'm using the Keychron K3 pro (low profile, only supports gateron and keychron non-optical low profile switches) with the Q0 numpad. (Before that I've used a Glorious GMMK full-size v1, those and similar hotswap boards should be very cheap by now but might not bring support for VIA)

Then you can either try a shitton of various switches for rather cheap (gateron oil king, kailh box white, gateron clear for 35g linears, gateron yellow for cheap pre-lubed linears, zeal pc switches, or silent alpacas with custom springs and two types of krytox lube and deskeys films might be what you're into, i dunno) or once you've found something you like, proceed to mod the everloving shit out of them.

You could also try the vintage route, in which case places like craigslist or facebook marketplace (?) should be good options if you're outside germany, or something like ebay Kleinanzeigen if you're not. On this route, sites like Deskthority.net (esp. the wiki) or Geekhack should give you a lot of info.

Looking back, the most critical thing you can do is to find out what switches you like and which ones you don't.

For linears, that would be spring strength and if you prefer low-profile or regular profile switches. The sound doesn't really matter, since it can be dramatically improved with lubing. Lube tl;dr: Krytox(-like) oil is 1xx, grease is 2xx. Higher number means thicker consistency (more viscous liquid), good starting point is gpl205. Also, remember that Teflon-based lubricants are almost impossible to remove with regular solvents and that if you touch them with your hands (which you shouldn't) try to wash your hands before smoking cigarettes, otherwise you'll get nasty decomposition products like hydrogen flouride that will kill your pets in low concentrations and give you polymer fume fever.

For tactiles, it's a binary thing: you like them, or you absolutely don't. It took me a long time to realise through tons of wasted money (several returned logitech mx mechanical, old dinovo edge, etc) that even in light variants like the niz plum (topre clone) i can tolerate them on game controller buttons at most.

The clicky switches are best summarized by this page: https://deskthority.net/wiki/clicky

Good luck!