Need perfect keyboard, price be semi-damned

[Psittac]

I'm not a keyboard snob, but I have several mechanical keyboards in bin's.  Most of them semi-functional.

 

My first was a Ducky but then I went to tkl and I have..... 5 or 6 keyboards now?

 

The hyper-x alloy fps is my go to because that batch just won't die.  I went down RGB ecosystems and it was great for a little while, but I've settled on reliable products.  Currently on my G915 tkl clicky that I pulled out of storage and short of a couple keys not working and double strikes, I absolutely love this keyboard.  But it's not reliable.

 

How do I dive into the keyboard world?  I mean the custom keyboard world?  I want the loudest clicks and the most tactile feeling with the ability to change faulty parts as well as customize it to my hearts content.  TKL only or smaller.

 

*edit: if I'm not working I live at my desk, food and drinks.... hence all the stymied keyboards.

[goatedpenguin]

What is ur budget? What keyboard do you want? I use the nuphy halo 65 + night breeze switches, it's an incredible mechanical keyboard to type with and game with no complaints. It cost around 120 USD

[Psittac]

13 minutes ago, goatedpenguin said:

What is ur budget? What keyboard do you want? I use the nuphy halo 65 + night breeze switches, it's an incredible mechanical keyboard to type with and game with no complaints. It cost around 120 USD

Budget doesn't really matter, I guess.  If it wasn't for this hyper-X keyboard I'd be out a lot but it's kept me afloat for some time.  It's something that I want to get and never replace so what ever it costs is what ever it costs.  I'm not looking for anything rare or exotic, just reliable and long lasting.

[More Spencer]

I got a Keychron Q3 TKL with Red Switches a couple months ago and I love it, though I wish I got browns as the reds are a tad too mushy for my liking and I'm finding a lot of the tactility is from the keycaps actually hitting the bottom of the casing.

 

Other than this, fantastic quality keyboard, super well made, and if I didn't have a Go-XLR then the knob would be a must-have for changing my volume 

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

3 hours ago, Psittac said:

Budget doesn't really matter, I guess. 

Well, when you really get into custom keyboards your opinion might change. As with many hobbies, the "good stuff" does cost disproportionately more and can get really ridiculous. Like, 200$+ for just the keycaps.

 

A good start to get into this would still be keychron for me. There are better boards for less out there (almost all TKL or smaller though), however, you can't really beat their line-up and shop in terms of variety and convenience when picking things. Plus most of their stuff is in stock and can be easily modded. Personal favorite right now is the Q6 (go for the MAX version with 2.4GHz over the Pro, which only has bluetooth. Plus much more foam options already included). Their branding schemes can be a bit confusing as they don't really discontinue older products. Like how the Q MAX series should have replaced the Q Pro series, yet they are still both in the shop.

 

A few general things to look for:

• hotswap sockets. Basically means switches are no longer soldered and can be relatively easily changed. Great for when you want to either repair a broken switch, or try a different type of switch.
• VIA/QMK compatibility. This is basically a sort of open-source or compatible firmware, meaning no bloaty third-party software required to change macros,layout etc.
• In terms of switches and keycaps, go for something more value oriented, especially early on. Gateron G Pro 3.0 switches for example are awesome and cost only 1/3 or less than more premium ones. Allows for much more experimentation at the same budget. Keycaps is a bit more tricky, as quality isn't always correlated with price. Some great sets are dirt cheap, others are overpriced. And there are the insane things like GMK groupbuys where you have to wait 6 months or longer for a 250$ keycap set.

The only downside of entering the hobby right now is the trend to HE switches imho. A lot of vendors are starting to offer more and more of these models, so if you are interested in hall effect switches you might want to wait until more models are released, or go with a cheaper board for the time being.

 

[saintlouisbagels]

8 hours ago, Psittac said:

Budget doesn't really matter, I guess.  If it wasn't for this hyper-X keyboard I'd be out a lot but it's kept me afloat for some time.  It's something that I want to get and never replace so what ever it costs is what ever it costs.  I'm not looking for anything rare or exotic, just reliable and long lasting.

I will second the NuPhy recommendation. I have a Halo75 keyboard and it's utterly amazing.

 

Keychron is also a solid choice but there are two major downsides IMO - doesn't have a wireless dongle option, and the clacking sound of the keyboard is too sterile. NuPhy has much better out-of-the-box satisfying thock.

 

edit: never mind, I didn't know Keychron updated their line-up and introduced the Max-variant with a wireless dongle and improved sound foam. Interesting.

 

^{Also hello! Didn't expect to see you outside of the Audio subforum lol.}

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

46 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

edit: never mind, I didn't know Keychron updated their line-up and introduced the Max-variant with a wireless dongle and improved sound foam. Interesting.

Yeah, I think they realized that they started to fall behind on the price-to-quality scale, with so many good and cheaper offerings out there now. They had to improve their line-up, significantly.

 

I still think having all the stuff in one shop and in stock gives them one up in convenience, plus they are one of the few companies that have real 100% boards and not just 98% or 96%. However, I can't really recommend the regular Q, K, or even V series anymore, only the K Pro and Q Max series make any sense nowadays.