Good brands for custom Keyboard parts

[Adriel_A.]

I've been looking into potentially making a custom keyboard recently. I know every thing you need to make one, but I don't know what brands I should use or exactly what to look up. 

[Quackers101]

not much, as a lot is chinese, maybe other brands with more expensive options.

For parts, alibaba can be a decent site for non-critical parts. Could be some hits or misses, but some might be the same standard as with common brands.

Not fully sure about other places, else things like springs etc, you could likely get it from there.

[Eschew]

Hey there.

2 hours ago, Adriel_A. said:

I've been looking into potentially making a custom keyboard recently. I know every thing you need to make one, but I don't know what brands I should use or exactly what to look up. 

Methinks:

• If you'd like a second opinion on a list of parts you've already drawn up, and would be interested in a compatibility check or alternative choices for specific parts (e.g. PCBs, stabilizers, switches), we could help assess and offer suggestions if we had a planned configuration listed out.
• If you don't have a parts list planned out yet, I'd suggest specifying what your general expectations or requirements are for the custom keeb you have in mind. From there, we can suggest specific items that will hopefully meet your personal criteria. For instance:
  • What form factor (60%, 80%, 100%) are you looking at?
  • Would you be more comfortable with linear, tactile, or clicky switches?
  • What are preferences for keycap material, profile, and printed legends (or the lack thereof)?
  • How much do you plan to allocate to your custom keeb budget?
  • If none of these questions make sense, I'd suggest checking out Section [4.1] of the Custom Mechanical Keyboards thread.
• If you're interested in a long list of vendors for custom keyboard parts, I'd recommend checking out Custom Mechanical Keyboards - Vendors List (maintained by yours truly). Stores are sorted by region first, then in alphabetical order. Towards the end of the list are various discount codes, deals, or other promos.
  • Note that to keep an impartial stance, the main thread will not recommend one store over another. One reason is that the cost of shipping and taxes varies between people.
  • I may be able to provide more specific store recommendations here, if you specify which region you're shopping from. Note that for E.U. / U.K. shoppers, due to VAT and shipping policies that vary between storefronts, I may not be able to provide as much assistance.

 

Generally speaking, selecting a product based on brand name alone can be a hit-or-miss. For instance:

• Many will probably recommend "GMK" for colorful, decent quality keycaps. If you aren't picky about keycap sets, it is a safe recommendation. However, if you aren't fond of ABS material keycaps, Cherry profile, or forking over $100+ for a keycap set, GMK sets would be a poor recommendation. Plenty of alternatives exist.
• Kailh BOX switches are a generally safe choice for first-timers. Though, if you'd like to heavily mod your switches to your liking (e.g. lubing, spring swapping, stem swapping), I would suggest picking MX-stem switches over BOX-stem switches.
• Keyboard kits and PCBs vary greatly in compatibility (also form and features). I would not suggest pairing screw-in stabilizers -- regardless of brand name -- with a GK64 or NK65, for example.