Not sure whether this is an unpopular opinion, or perhaps more contentious. I've been thinking about this one a while, as a result of not paying attention to keyboard developments for several years then returning to GK, and checking out all the ICs and GBs.
The majority of the high end, small-run, enthusiast boards (or rather, cases) are interchangeable, unadventurous jewellery boxes.
They're mostly bog-standard layouts 60%, 56%, TKL. Narrow bezels, angular casework, a polished brass weight underneath. The emphasis on expensive CNC milling or a fancy dead weight just means that the end product can't have proper cable routing under the board, so you have an exposed USB socket sitting on the back of the case with no strain relief.
There's definitely some interesting stuff coming out- I like some of the left hander designs, and I can appreciate the real creativity behind some of the unusually ornate or retro designs, but most of the stuff out there seems to be differentiated purely by minor variations in case colours or logo.