How did I get into this Mechanical Keyboard hobby?

My first failed attempt to buy a mechanical keyboard was caused by lack of research on my side in 2015, which was me ended up getting a HKKB lite with a membrane switch. A naive, young me misunderstood that a Topre switch always equal to mechanical switch, and it was HKKB pro that comes with mechanical switches. Since then, I promised myself to correctly do my research and have determined to get a mechanical board one day. Due to the intense schedule of my studies, I never had the chance to explore more, other than research off-the-shelf mechanical keyboard.

I bought my first mechanical keyboard in 2017, it was for a company keyboard which I was lucky enough to get to choose which one to purchase. It was a Filco Majestouch 2 Ninja with Cherry MX Brown tactile switch. And yes, I deliberately chose tactile switches, as I did my research about different Cherry MX switches and some articles mentioned that tactile switches “feels” best for programmers, the switch acoustics were not so loud in office environment, and Filco was a good brand in Japan, so I went with it. It also came with a side-printed keycaps, which is kinda cool. Overall, it was nice but expensive. Pairing it with a Kensington Expert Mouse TrackBall improved my productivity. Given no budget issue from my side, everything was good. However, I still feel that something else was missing. I didn’t know what it was.

Few years fast-forward in Canada 2019, I was desperately in need of a mechanical keyboard. Long story short, saw a Razer BlackWidow 2018 model with clicky green switches on sale on BestBuy for 100$ CAD, with DeathAdder for 60$ CAD, then I decided to purchased the pair. But still, something else was missing. Still no idea what it was. Couple of months later, having extra time of leisure, I decided to explore the community of mechanical keyboards, watched countless youtube videos which features sleek, custom style, and elegant brandless case, I didn’t know these things exist!

Apparently I discovered a new (also addicting and terrible. Read along to find out why) hobby from the internet, building a custom mechanical keyboard. I have been sucked into the rabbit hole of custom keyboard community since the end of 2019, and have been enjoying every moment of it until now. After digging around, doing some research about the topic on various different platform (geekhack, reddit, and joining around tens of discord channels), I was hooked on the aesthetics and compact form factor of 60% keyboard. One of the beauties of custom keyboards, are the fact that they are programmable, hence I do not mind losing dozens of keys which I probably never used on a daily basis. As someone who works with code, I work efficiently with custom shortcuts which can be easily accomplised with custom keyboard, at the same time having a complete control of (and without sacrificing) aesthetics, typing feels, and acoustics, such as rattling sounds of keycaps (Yes, looking right at you, spacebar!). I realised after several years, that these were exactly the missing aspects I was looking for in my keyboards! For off-the-shelf keyboards, it is the harmony between those aspects that are extremely difficult to obtained.

Since custom keyboards require custom parts, it may take time to gather all the components due to the nature of Group Buy. This means that when we find a component that we like on the internet, it may take several months or sometimes about a year until the parts are manufactured and ready to be shipped. A Group Buy is basically a preorder, some either have a limited timeframe and unlimited quantity, or a limited MOQ (Minimum Order of Quantity) with a longer timeframe, so it is not something that you can buy all the time, anytime you want. Either way, whether you are new in the community or veteran, it is important to know that a product in GB will be sold out before you even know it. Timing is crucial in GB, so when you see something you like, you grab it. Group buys are sometimes arranged in several rounds, depending on the popularity and demands of the products within the community. If you are lucky, you can find in-stock products without having to wait for a long time.

Some are also arranged very exclusively (like a raffle), which will determines if you are allow to buy it. This exclusivity is one of the psychological aspects that kicked my instinct to build my own. I mean, it’s one of the devices I used everyday. So, why not invest in a better quality? TaehaTypes explained it better in this video.

Back to the story of my build, the parts I purchased first was the switches, the stabs, and lubes in the end of January 2020, right around when the Chinese New Year was around the corner. Of course, before purchasing, I planned carefully and have decided that for my first build, I am going to go with Silent Linear switches with 60% ANSI layout PCB. RGB lighting is a plus, but not a requirement. I prefer hotswap for my first build, as I do not have access to a decent soldering kit, and it is beneficial for me to have a first board that I can also use to try out new switches. Also because desoldering sucks!

I was hesitating to get a HKKB layout, because it looked so cool when I see every HKKB owner posting their keyboard. Although it will have a familiar looks of the HKKB lite I owned, everything about it will be different and tailored to my taste, also it feels more exclusive! What about the color of the case? and the material? which mounting styles?

As of today, I have finally bought the DIY kit of TFV2 from kbdfans. Before purchasing, I was also on the fence between 60% and 65%, so I will buy what I can get, because custom keyboards are selling like hotcakes. There are some keyboard kits that sold out in just one minute after the limited GB was open!

Either way, I saw that TFV2 was on GB, and the E-White ANSI with brass plate was IN STOCK, it was at that moment, all the doubts I had in mind were gone (The E in E-White refers to Electrophoresis). It was now or never. It was a matter of life or death. Just kidding. It was a matter of life or death of my sanity. It was mentally tough to wait any longer. And there goes my money.

Sooo, we are in October 2020, the DIY kit has just recently arrived, which means all the parts were finally here!! It was exciting to build and reprogram my own custom keyboard! Due to a broken screwdriver, I am currently unable to open the TFV2 case. Another lesson for another story, do not buy cheap 4$ screwdrivers. I will post soon the walkthrough of my TFV2 Silent Linear build, once I get my wiha precision screwdrivers set delivered in the following week. Until next time!