Well I fell down the custom keyboard world.

TrojanWhore said:
Not a million miles off - I was considering whether I could just get some sort of under monitor lighting :D
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So I actually do use a lightbar (I have the BenQ model) that shines a light down on my keyboard/desk (and also does a soft light behind) which I've always used in the evenings!

qNUh79r.jpeg
 
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I've posted a few times before. Once I got my Mr Suit I think over 2 years ago, the off white r2 one, I've not bothered looking at anything else.

I have however bought plenty of keycaps and the last few months I picked up GMK Retrowave + novelties and GMK Nimbus + Space + Novelties. In Fact I can't remember which one I got the spare bars for its probably Retrowave. All still sealed.

I'm glad I haven't bothered to buy more keyboards because the game seems to Be to just keep buying whichever flavour of the month/quarter is going and then being told 3 months later that actually PE Foam, flex cut pcbs are actually awful and burger-sandwich-supertape mount with no foam is the only way forward.

I always looked out for what new keycaps were coming from new manufacturers as well, now I can't keep up and honestly, most seem pretty safe now.

It's been interesting to see the market change dramatically in the last 7 years.
 
mattpj said:
I've posted a few times before. Once I got my Mr Suit I think over 2 years ago, the off white r2 one, I've not bothered looking at anything else.

I have however bought plenty of keycaps and the last few months I picked up GMK Retrowave + novelties and GMK Nimbus + Space + Novelties. In Fact I can't remember which one I got the spare bars for its probably Retrowave. All still sealed.

I'm glad I haven't bothered to buy more keyboards because the game seems to Be to just keep buying whichever flavour of the month/quarter is going and then being told 3 months later that actually PE Foam, flex cut pcbs are actually awful and burger-sandwich-supertape mount with no foam is the only way forward.

I always looked out for what new keycaps were coming from new manufacturers as well, now I can't keep up and honestly, most seem pretty safe now.

It's been interesting to see the market change dramatically in the last 7 years.
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Dammit, I've just finished my Monsgeek M1 which cost around £140.. and you've just made me realise the GMK vaporwaves would look perfect with it... but they cost £143 :D

jaffveyda said:
I wanted to mod my Asus keyboard , any recommendations for tho key switches and keycaps (black in white)
Was thinking about WS Morandi loads of tubers are using them .
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Which board do you have? - I didn't think many Asus boards had hot-swappable switches.

You should still be able to change the caps either way though, as long as the stems are the right shape (they are on my Asus Cerberus).
Plenty of affordable caps available with a quick search ;)
 
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TrojanWhore said:
Dammit, I've just finished my Monsgeek M1 which cost around £140.. and you've just made me realise the GMK vaporwaves would look perfect with it... but they cost £143 :D


Which board do you have? - I didn't think many Asus boards had hot-swappable switches.

You should still be able to change the caps either way though, as long as the stems are the right shape (they are on my Asus Cerberus).
Plenty of affordable switches available with a quick search ;)
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Hate to tell you this but I have GMK vaporwave r1 they were the first GMK that I got. Apparently r2 has slightly different font colour apparently, to make it more legible. I didn’t get around to ordering the novelties to complete my set.
 
Are Ducky still good? Doing research and a lot of people on Reddit seem to say it's better going barebones and fitting your own? Saying Ducky used to be good but now it's just overpriced.

I don't know if I want to go 65% or 75%. I do like the idea of still having the function keys / arrow keys. How are people finding gaming without them?

I would say an upper limit of £150 but preferably £130ish or less. I'm thinking of going Brown for my first keys but would like them to be changeable with a detachable cable.

Also considering getting Keychron K3 Pro QMK/VIA Wireless Mechanical Keyboard ISO Layout Collection.

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £329.93 (includes delivery: £0.00)​
 
Ducky One 3 Classic 60 USB RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Cherry Silent Red - Black UK Layout
KB-2AY-DK
£130 (incl. VAT)
£100 (incl. VAT)
FREE DELIVERY
Find out more
Ducky One 3 Classic 65 USB RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Cherry Brown - Black UK Layout
KB-2AM-DK
£110 (incl. VAT)
£77 (incl. VAT)
FREE DELIVERY
Find out more
Ducky Project D Tinker 75% RGB USB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Cherry MX Brown -
PER-DCK-00937
£120 (incl. VAT)
£84 (incl. VAT)
FREE DELIVERY
Find out more
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I wouldn't be spending any of my own money on a Ducky keyboard, there are plenty of other/better options out there now.

In terms of the layout, it'll be entirely personal preference. I love 60% as I prefer the more compact size - and I don't miss the Function row or numbers, I just have a layer set up that I can easily access and you get used to it really quickly.
 
t2na said:
I wouldn't be spending any of my own money on a Ducky keyboard, there are plenty of other/better options out there now.

In terms of the layout, it'll be entirely personal preference. I love 60% as I prefer the more compact size - and I don't miss the Function row or numbers, I just have a layer set up that I can easily access and you get used to it really quickly.
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So where would you start? Which companies are now the good ones? Having second thoughts on going with Keychron now, one I listed doesn't have see through caps and seems like it doesn't support them, or more variation in pictures / different styles.
 
Spacedeck said:
So where would you start? Which companies are now the good ones? Having second thoughts on going with Keychron now, one I listed doesn't have see through caps and seems like it doesn't support them, or more variation in pictures / different styles.
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I think it depends on what you want to use your keyboard for. The whole 'mech keyboard' is a bit of a rabbit hole and you can end up investing a shed load of time/money into certain areas if you end up really enjoying it.

If you're looking for a keyboard for gaming then I don't think you can go wrong with a Wooting. They really are the best 'gaming' keyboards right now, both the current 60HE and the soon to arrive 80HE.

For a mixture of use, I actually think what you get with the Glorious options are quite good (same with the variety of options from Keychron) - but then it depends on how 'into' the whole mechanical keyboard world you want to get.

Hotswappable is a good place to start - but I wouldn't be looking at Cherry browns as an option in 2024. There are so many more options available and it all comes down to what you actually want to use the keyboard for and what you'd like (linear vs. tactile, self lube vs. factory lube etc.)

My 'daily' keyboard that I use for work (and I can use it for gaming too) uses Gateron Black Inks (v2 version) which are a really nice linear switch for both typing and for gaming and after lube/filming they have a lovely sound profile to them.

I'd start by working out what layout you want first (60%,65%,75/80/TKL, full size).
 
t2na said:
I think it depends on what you want to use your keyboard for. The whole 'mech keyboard' is a bit of a rabbit hole and you can end up investing a shed load of time/money into certain areas if you end up really enjoying it.

If you're looking for a keyboard for gaming then I don't think you can go wrong with a Wooting. They really are the best 'gaming' keyboards right now, both the current 60HE and the soon to arrive 80HE.

For a mixture of use, I actually think what you get with the Glorious options are quite good (same with the variety of options from Keychron) - but then it depends on how 'into' the whole mechanical keyboard world you want to get.

Hotswappable is a good place to start - but I wouldn't be looking at Cherry browns as an option in 2024. There are so many more options available and it all comes down to what you actually want to use the keyboard for and what you'd like (linear vs. tactile, self lube vs. factory lube etc.)

My 'daily' keyboard that I use for work (and I can use it for gaming too) uses Gateron Black Inks (v2 version) which are a really nice linear switch for both typing and for gaming and after lube/filming they have a lovely sound profile to them.

I'd start by working out what layout you want first (60%,65%,75/80/TKL, full size).
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So, just to answer a few of the questions.

1. Usage will be things like MS Office and learning new things like programming, other use will be gaming (none competitive. I do play FPS games and other genres like RTS).
2. Layout I would prefer ISO UK. Never tried ANSI but wouldn't rule it out entirely.
3. At the moment I'm looking at either Gateron Reds or Browns. No preference between Linear and Tactile yet, if I got a board with one, then be able to swap to the other by just buying new switches, that would be better.
4. I'm looking at around 60-65% or 75%. I would prefer arrow keys, but hear they are easily mapped to Fn buttons. Either way, I could probably adapt.

I've looked at the Wooting, then hear people say it's only really worth it if you're wanting to be competitive due to the HE.
 
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I'd start with which layout you want, which features (Hotswap, Bluetooth, VIA support etc..) and how much you want to spend.

If you're wanting ISO then I'd recommend Keychron (they have a UK site or there are UK vendors). You can buy an ISO, VIA supported hotswap board with keycaps/switches included and have a solid start to then tweak. Mod it with force break, buy a different plate, caps, switches and so on if you want to.

Monsgeek are also a solid option alongside others people have mentioned like Glorious etc..

OC sell the Glorious 65% and 96% boards along with Glorious switches and caps etc.. so you could get a full bundle plus some extras.

Honestly depends how far you want to go.
 
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