StarTopic Mechanical Keyboards |ST| Do it for the clicky clacky!

[toastie]

Hi all!

I wanted to show off my budding mechanical keyboard collection, and lo and behold! No thread for this hobby exists yet, so here I am! (also thanks @bellydrum for the title)

This is a thread to post your sweet builds, favorite keycaps, and call out your favorite switches (but not that kind!)! Want some recommendations on where to go, or what brands to use? Ask your questions here!

What is a mechanical keyboard and why should I care?

Mechanical keyboards are meant to simulate the feeling of typing on a typewriter. Rather than using rubber to create the button press that is quiet and provides a lower level of haptic feedback, a mechanical keyboard uses 2-part plastic switches that can have different levels of feedback & resistance when pressed, create different sound experiences, and cause different lighting effects when paired with an LED backlit board! The general goal is to have a more satisfying typing experience, and the high level of customizability also allows you to match your keyboard to your desktop setup & mood!

Where to start?

Some of my favorite places to go to get inspiration or learn about components are the following:




I love this channel! He shows off a lot of cool keyboards, and all of his content is about keyboards, so its a good place to start. The above video is a good explanation of all the components of a mechanical keyboard, as well as some solid budget options!





This is a great video to watch if all of the switch options are overwhelming! Very informative, and she shows off a lot of other boards in her other videos. A fun channel to watch.





TINYMAKESTHINGS IS MY FAVORITE!!! My all time favorite thing about mechanical keyboards is CUTE AND FUN keycaps!! Tiny makes custom resin keycaps that look like all sorts of things, and her channel is a really fun time! She also has videos about making sculpted keycaps yourself for those of you that are brave (and crafty)!



So come on and post your boards! Feel free to showcase your own builds, your dream components, or your favorite resin sculpted keycaps!

 

[toastie]

To kick things off:

Here's my current board! The caps are two different Artifact Bloom series sets from Drop, and the pilot puppy is from GirlyCaps!

I just preordered this board from Drop, coming out in July, which spurred the idea to make this thread. The buttons on the controllers are even fully programmable as macro keys, so I think it will be a really fun project! Just gotta decide on some switches and keycaps for it in the meantime.

 

[merp]

Damn, I like my laptop keyboard.

Unless the keyboard does anything else, I don't see the point.

 

[Deleted member 2]

Damn, I like my laptop keyboard.

Unless the keyboard does anything else, I don't see the point.

hey, not every hobby is for everyone! I too am a boring Laptop Keyboards Dude and have always sort of peered over the fence at the Mechanical Keyboard Nerds with envy. The sound drives me crazy, but some of them sound really pleasing. And lordt knows they feel better than macbook keyboards.

 

[hologram]

I realized I didn't even know what a mechanical keyboard was when I was building my current PC (late last year). I assumed anything with "buttons" as supposed to the chiclet-style, flat laptop keyboards was mechanical, and in particular I assumed my keyboards I used for work were mechanical.

I was wrong! They're membrane, and that's what I ended up getting for my PC (mostly as a cost thing). It's definitely something I'm interested in exploring in the future though. That Switch one looks mighty pretty...

 

[merp]

hey, not every hobby is for everyone! I too am a boring Laptop Keyboards Dude and have always sort of peered over the fence at the Mechanical Keyboard Nerds with envy. The sound drives me crazy, but some of them sound really pleasing. And lordt knows they feel better than macbook keyboards.

The mechanical keyboard I got had extra keys.

That I absolutely loved. So useful. Can't find that on your average laptop keyboard, especially my new Lenovo Yoga.

Edit: Oh, and sorry if I came off as rude in the last comment!

 

[Suswave]

wow, hell yeah!

I’m not big on mechanical keyboards but I definitely used to look into custom keycaps — especially for Final Cut, Logic, and Photoshop hotkeys. true dweeb shred. I still think it’d be nice to have a handful of custom keyboards for that.

those silicone overlay hotkey sheets just get… so so gross so fast

these days I use a peasant keyboard…

with some very lightly-modded mechanical elevation!

 

[toastie]

I realized I didn't even know what a mechanical keyboard was when I was building my current PC (late last year). I assumed anything with "buttons" as supposed to the chiclet-style, flat laptop keyboards was mechanical, and in particular I assumed my keyboards I used for work were mechanical.

I was wrong! They're membrane, and that's what I ended up getting for my PC (mostly as a cost thing). It's definitely something I'm interested in exploring in the future though. That Switch one looks mighty pretty...

They're definitely a bit cost-prohibitive if you get into building your own. There's some solid pre-built options on the market which is where I started to get into them. There's just something about having the resistance when you're pressing the keys that just makes it feel more substantial that I really like.

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

This thread is very well-timed - I've been meaning to get into mechanical keyboards for quite some time. I've seen both Hipyo Tech's video and the one OP posted about the switches. I end up getting pretty heavy decision paralysis, haha. I'm torn between a heavy linear or a tactile option, since my work involves a lot of typing. Then I just have to pick out the rest of the parts...I have some in mind (an Epomaker case, perhaps, or starting with a RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK100 and customizing the pieces later). I am tempted to go with a larger 96% size over a 75% size. Like sure, I can get my own keypad separately, but...the versatility!

I love your current keyboard, @toastie! Lovely warm lighting and some great keycaps.

 

[paranoodle]

Around 6 years ago, my old membrane keyboard died and I figured I would give mechanical keys a spin, because they sounded like something I'd like and I was curious to try, so I got a Corsair K70 (with browns, since I code and generally type a ton), and I've never looked back. I like the sound, it feels great to use, the lower actuation force means I can type for hours without hurting my hands, and I type even faster.

Also I can change the LED colors to make it do a rainbow ' w '

I'm probably not going to get any fancy key caps, since I like the feel of the smooth ones, but I did consider getting a complete set of blank key caps at some point just for the flex since I type without looking at the keyboard anyway.

 

[Mbolibombo]

I have a couple of friends who are really in to mechanical keyboards to, very passionate to while I am not in to them myself I always appreciate kinda odd hobbies =) Myself, I like the feel of mechanical keyboards but I just cant with the sound - even the silent ones are way too noisy for me

 

[toastie]

This thread is very well-timed - I've been meaning to get into mechanical keyboards for quite some time. I've seen both Hipyo Tech's video and the one OP posted about the switches. I end up getting pretty heavy decision paralysis, haha. I'm torn between a heavy linear or a tactile option, since my work involves a lot of typing. Then I just have to pick out the rest of the parts...I have some in mind (an Epomaker case, perhaps, or starting with a RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK100 and customizing the pieces later). I am tempted to go with a larger 96% size over a 75% size. Like sure, I can get my own keypad separately, but...the versatility!

I will say the first thing I did before anything was get a sample pack of switches so I could feel the differences haha. It helped a lot! "Linear" and "Clicky" only mean so much when you can't feel the difference in person.

I have a 60% right now, and it's definitely cool and clean, but I want to get a second board that's at least 75% soon so I can have my FN and arrow keys back :')

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

I will say the first thing I did before anything was get a sample pack of switches so I could feel the differences haha. It helped a lot! "Linear" and "Clicky" only mean so much when you can't feel the difference in person.

I have a 60% right now, and it's definitely cool and clean, but I want to get a second board that's at least 75% soon so I can have my FN and arrow keys back :')

That's a good idea - I feel the same way about wanting the in-person experience! Is there a particular sample pack you recommend?

I was given a 60% keyboard to use with my current desktop while I decide on a fuller keyboard and oh man, I miss not having to press a separate button to use arrow keys. It makes so many basic tasks more of a pain! Never going below a 75% if I can avoid it.

 

[AndroidOS]

I so want to get into mechanical keyboards...I just can't stand the sound of them, haha.

Everything else about them I love - the feel, the customisability, the looks - but I just wish I could get over the sound!

 

[toastie]

That's a good idea - I feel the same way about wanting the in-person experience! Is there a particular sample pack you recommend?

Something like this is a good start point if you have a small budget, and I think it's also available at MicroCenter. I'm not sure what comes in it, but 18 switches to start is probably going to get you a sample of most of the basic types.

Unfortunately the one I got is all sold out, but if you can spare a little more for something like this that has a lot more options, sample caps for testing, and a case to keep them safe, I recommend doing that. I still go back and reference them when I'm looking at stuff online, since it casts a wide net that I can use as a guide when looking at more custom sets.

 

[chocolate_supra]

I've always thought that once I get to a point where I have an actual home office, I'd treat myself to a lovely clicky clacky. I grew up with one (back when they were the norm) and you just can't beat the feel and the sound.

 

[WestEgg]

Mechanical Keyboards have always been just on the wrong side of the "I would like to have this" / "I can't justify this" line for me, but perhaps someday I'll cave.

 

[Vash]

Mechanical Keyboards have always been just on the wrong side of the "I would like to have this" / "I can't justify this" line for me, but perhaps someday I'll cave.

its one of my more expensive hobbies tbh

 

[Kingpin Rogers]

I wouldn’t say I’m into mechanical keyboards as a hobby but I’ve gone through a few cheaper mechanical keyboards over the years.
Just recently though I went a little higher end and got a Keychron Q3. Easily the best sounding and feeling keyboard I’ve ever had. I’m tempted to try and customise it a bit further but worried I’d end up breaking it somehow.

 

[Candescence]

I've got a Cooler Master MK850, partly because it's a solid mechanical keyboard (it feels nice to type with and isn't too loud, that's all that matters to me), but also because it's an analogue mechanical keyboard (and I like experimenting with non-typical control methods). Well, partially analogue, only eight keys (QWERASDF) have analogue functionality, and while it's not gamechanging, it's pretty dope when it works well, though it also has the Steam Controller problem of having to emulate a controller while also doing keyboard inputs simultaneously and some games simply aren't able to handle that, which really sucks sometimes. But when it does work, well... It's basically the best keyboard for driving controls, I'll tell you that much.

Also the fact that it's just a bunch of keys on a flat plate just makes it look fairly classy and super easy to take off keys and clean.

 

[Varista]

Tangentially related, but does anyone know of a caddy or something I can carry a keyboard, mouse, headset, and the like with? I have to swap desks at work often, and i feel like there’s a better solution than overloading my hands. Bonus points if it comes in cute colors.

I’ll share what I’m working with for the thread’s sake: