Input Club K Type Thread

[SpecTP]

I jumped in on it. I really like the hotswappable switches and aluminum chassis. Plus programmable macros is awesome.

[dante]

Just passed 1,000 units!

[dante]

I'm in the same position as dante when it comes to RGB...

[skuko]

joined. went with the copper switch, the halo ones seem way too heavy for me, i'm using browns atm. worst case scenario, i will switch springs

[daerid]

went with Browns, but hot-swappable switches means no fear of commitment!

[TelFiRE]

The only reason I like RGB is to pick very specific colors, not for the rainbow puke effect. Certain artisans look way better with certain colors coming through them, and being able to fine tune that seems like a no brainer for an enthusiast keyboard considering it's a feature you can get on 90% of consumer boards. I get that some people just don't want or need it, but 2 PCBs in existence that might appeal to enthusiasts having RGB is too little

Anyway this board looks very nice, and I'm very glad for that has both per-key RGB and RGB underglow. My plan is to have it re-anodized dark grey.

[ComandaPanda]

This board looks like one of those super cheap budget mechs, meh caps, ugly diffuser, low profile, i lold when i saw the price on massdrop, so many better boards around for less.

[TelFiRE]

This board looks like one of those super cheap budget mechs, meh caps, ugly diffuser, low profile, i lold when i saw the price on massdrop, so many better boards around for less.

To each their own on looks, but there is no way there are many hotswappable reprogrammable aluminum boards for under 200 with everything included.

And tbh I wish the caps were even more meh, who keeps stock caps?

[daerid]

A fully programmable TKL with RGB, Alu case, hot-swappable switches, magnetic riser, PBT doubleshot caps, and USBC for two bills. No brainer.

And tbh I wish the caps were even more meh, who keeps stock caps?

I will, probably. I loooove PBT doubleshots, no need to f**k with a good thing.

[British]

And tbh I wish the caps were even more meh, who keeps stock caps?

That's why some of us would be interested in a bare-bone K-Type (no switches, no caps, and possibly even no frikkin RGB), but no dice so far.

[Elrick]

Only jumped on this keyboard for the Halo switches, every other standard, CherryMX switches are now old hat and boring.

Nice to see someone produce a new line of switches, very curious about them but also love the look of the keyboard as well.

The font used on the key-caps looks quite decent compared to most other PBT sets, just goes to show they can make good looking sets to go with RGBs.

[SBJ]

And tbh I wish the caps were even more meh, who keeps stock caps?

That's why some of us would be interested in a bare-bone K-Type (no switches, no caps, and possibly even no frikkin RGB), but no dice so far.

I wouldn't mind that at all.
Also: some stock caps are fine!

[dante]

This board looks like one of those super cheap budget mechs, meh caps, ugly diffuser, low profile, i lold when i saw the price on massdrop, so many better boards around for less.

I would like Haata to read LivingSpeedBumps review of the stabilizers and provide an answer why they are good but not perfect.

[TelFiRE]

And tbh I wish the caps were even more meh, who keeps stock caps?

That's why some of us would be interested in a bare-bone K-Type (no switches, no caps, and possibly even no frikkin RGB), but no dice so far.

I agree that a bare-bone kit would have been really nice. A lot of people have asked for it, but they say that with the additional packaging development and shipping requirements it wouldn't really lower the price any.

Don't think a barebone would involve no RGB as it's part of the PCB, and one of the primary innovations and reason they have all those custom switches.

[Elrick]

If you lot will always drop your pants and sh1t over anyone wanting to produce a new type of keyboard using replaceable switches, then why would anyone bother?

Also any new Cherry styled switch needs to be tried out by the people, I don't rely on strangers to post stupid graphs and whatnot, only my accountant gets excited at seeing graphs.

Best to buy it and use it then find out how good it is or whether it suits your style or working conditions.  I personally love people having a go in developing something 'better' than the average style of switch.

Use to remember Geekhack cheered designers on to do their best instead of now kicking them around for enjoyment or some perverse sense of self gratification.  Not nice and definitely doesn't help in any way.

[British]

Don't think a barebone would involve no RGB as it's part of the PCB, and one of the primary innovations and reason they have all those custom switches.

And thus it's also what costs the most.

So no RGB, no gain, I suppose.

[thelaughingman]

Best to buy it and use it then find out how good it is or whether it suits your style or working conditions.  I personally love people having a go in developing something 'better' than the average style of switch.

My sentiment exactly 

[dante]

If you lot will always drop your pants and sh1t over anyone wanting to produce a new type of keyboard using replaceable switches, then why would anyone bother?

Also any new Cherry styled switch needs to be tried out by the people, I don't rely on strangers to post stupid graphs and whatnot, only my accountant gets excited at seeing graphs.

Best to buy it and use it then find out how good it is or whether it suits your style or working conditions.  I personally love people having a go in developing something 'better' than the average style of switch.

Use to remember Geekhack cheered designers on to do their best instead of now kicking them around for enjoyment or some perverse sense of self gratification.  Not nice and definitely doesn't help in any way.

People aren't kicking them around for enjoyment - some like myself are irritated that the product doesn't match the hype.  A $200 keyboard with Tao-Hao caps and "good but not perfect" stabilizers is insulting.

I don't think this keyboard will fail; but I also don't think it will sell anywhere close to what they imagined either.

[hking0036]

If you lot will always drop your pants and sh1t over anyone wanting to produce a new type of keyboard using replaceable switches, then why would anyone bother?

Also any new Cherry styled switch needs to be tried out by the people, I don't rely on strangers to post stupid graphs and whatnot, only my accountant gets excited at seeing graphs.

Best to buy it and use it then find out how good it is or whether it suits your style or working conditions.  I personally love people having a go in developing something 'better' than the average style of switch.

Use to remember Geekhack cheered designers on to do their best instead of now kicking them around for enjoyment or some perverse sense of self gratification.  Not nice and definitely doesn't help in any way.

People aren't kicking them around for enjoyment - some like myself are irritated that the product doesn't match the hype.  A $200 keyboard with Tao-Hao caps and "good but not perfect" stabilizers is insulting.

I don't think this keyboard will fail; but I also don't think it will sell anywhere close to what they imagined either.

What keyboard comes with caps that would be satisfactory to you by default? Most use painted abs, I personally don't know of any mx board with rgb that comes with stock PBT caps at all. Furthermore, what stabilizers are "perfect"? Costar are a pain to deal with and people complain about them for having problems with thick walled caps presumably like the ones you want to put on because these aren't good enough for you, cherry is more flexible but "feels mushier" depending on who you talk to. To me, it seems as if you're applying an impossible standard to a product before all the details were even out there and now that they are you're ****ting on it for not having a perfect nonexistent solution. If you want to argue about caps then take into consideration the vast majority of people who buy a product want a full product. Your desire for a bare board is a niche of a niche in an already slim market, and at the quantity of caps they're buying the bare version would have a very small price decrease for the increased logistics of manufacturing keyboards without caps and sorting them.

The sales figures don't seem to be the primary concern to anyone other than massdrop either, I think the main goal here is to design a keyboard with all the possible bells and whistles anyone could want done as well as they can be done and make it available so that anyone can see how to implement them. Either way, they've already moved 1500 units. If you want it done your way, the whole thing is being open sourced, make it your way, it'll do even better than theirs, this is geekhack after all, mods are integral to what happens here. This perfectionist mentality is ridiculous to me. Consider asking Haata and the other designers why they came to a conclusion on a part rather than simply ****ting on them for doing so. At least then you'll have some perspective, even if you still disagree with it.

[dante]

What keyboard comes with caps that would be satisfactory to you by default? Most use painted abs, I personally don't know of any mx board with rgb that comes with stock PBT caps at all.

Deck/TG3 has offered them for at least 10 years now on all their models.  Yes the font is questionable but they are PBT backlit nonetheless.

Furthermore, what stabilizers are "perfect"? Costar are a pain to deal with and people complain about them for having problems with thick walled caps presumably like the ones you want to put on because these aren't good enough for you, cherry is more flexible but "feels mushier" depending on who you talk to. To me, it seems as if you're applying an impossible standard to a product before all the details were even out there and now that they are you're ****ting on it for not having a perfect nonexistent solution. If you want to argue about caps then take into consideration the vast majority of people who buy a product want a full product. Your desire for a bare board is a niche of a niche in an already slim market, and at the quantity of caps they're buying the bare version would have a very small price decrease for the increased logistics of manufacturing keyboards without caps and sorting them.

Clipped and lubed Cherry stabilizers are nice and when done correctly are near indistinguishable from Costar.

As it stands LivingSpeedBump's opinion is stock Cherry stabilizers are still better than the ones in the K-Type - which in themselves are still not as good as they could be.

In regards to a bare bones kit WASD has been selling them for at least 5 years now.  And not just for a single TKL but Fullsize, 60%, both ANSI and ISO as well.

[lekashman]

Cross post from DT - Many people have expressed concern of our packaging / kit / single physical layout decisions. Here is the DT Thread that we answered there (found here - https://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/k-type-skepticism-t16598.html), and I'm pasting the answer I put there here as well.

I can answer a bit about this.

We are experimenting with nicer packaging, because this is the most work we've ever put into a product. Modular packaging that can account for different volumes is more expensive than a single design that we can reliably re-use for a keyboard and a cable + keycap tools. You also have to take into account the inherent complexity it adds to the entire process to handle product options that deliver a non-functional product. I don't mean "broken", but for a normal person a keyboard without either keycaps, or switches, or both is completely non-functional. Many mistakes have been made in the past with regard to fulfillment on our keyboards, and a small fortune has been spent returning products, sending out replacements, and essentially making the situation right. It’s also much more difficult to develop an accurate quality control process if we have to account for keyboards that don’t have switches or keycaps.

If we design the K-Type to default to a single design, with a few switch variations (originally just 3, though we expanded it), and 1 packaging set, we reduce complexity dramatically. Warehouse employees don't have to open boxes to verify kit vs finished product, everything is simpler. If you do happen to get the wrong product, you still would have a working keyboard, which is a much better experience than having to wait months while holding onto something you can’t use. You'll notice that we hit the price point of $199 for the K-Type. This keyboard should be more expensive, it has a lot of things in it that have never been done before, but having it be more expensive makes it inaccessible to the general public. So I ask that you please don't point fingers because we actively chose to save money on packaging so we could hit an attractive price point and put more of our budget into the product itself.

As to the request for multiple layouts, unfortunately there are real physical constraints at play. The hot swap modules are soldered onto the PCB which means that overlapping holes aren’t possible in the way we’ve done in our other products. This means that in order to support multiple layouts not only would we need multiple plates, but also multiple PCBs -- or at least differently assembled PCBs. The same issue occurs with SMD LEDs when you are trying to properly align the LEDs to the switch light pipes. There are naturally solutions to these problems, but they all come at a much higher expense, and as mentioned above, we’ve taken careful and creative consideration to make this as affordable as possible.

[hking0036]

What keyboard comes with caps that would be satisfactory to you by default? Most use painted abs, I personally don't know of any mx board with rgb that comes with stock PBT caps at all.

Deck/TG3 has offered them for at least 10 years now on all their models.  Yes the font is questionable but they are PBT backlit nonetheless.

Furthermore, what stabilizers are "perfect"? Costar are a pain to deal with and people complain about them for having problems with thick walled caps presumably like the ones you want to put on because these aren't good enough for you, cherry is more flexible but "feels mushier" depending on who you talk to. To me, it seems as if you're applying an impossible standard to a product before all the details were even out there and now that they are you're ****ting on it for not having a perfect nonexistent solution. If you want to argue about caps then take into consideration the vast majority of people who buy a product want a full product. Your desire for a bare board is a niche of a niche in an already slim market, and at the quantity of caps they're buying the bare version would have a very small price decrease for the increased logistics of manufacturing keyboards without caps and sorting them.

Clipped and lubed Cherry stabilizers are nice and when done correctly are near indistinguishable from Costar.

As it stands LivingSpeedBump's opinion is stock Cherry stabilizers are still better than the ones in the K-Type - which in themselves are still not as good as they could be.

In regards to a bare bones kit WASD has been selling them for at least 5 years now.  And not just for a single TKL but Fullsize, 60%, both ANSI and ISO as well.

You can clip them yourself, they give you the cherries to do with what you will, you can replace them if you want. Saying WASD offers barebones boards is a non-argument. Their business model is based around customizable printed caps and their keyboards are from an OEM, their line of production is naturally going to be different from manufacturing an entire board. I can concede the argument on pbt caps but it's still not a standard feature in every keyboard. You're nitpicking parts of a product that you haven't even used based on parts of others. Nobody wants to compromise, that's why it's called a compromise. I think it's really ridiculous to get sour over such small ones when every almost every, if not every other manufacturer has compromised on at least one larger one that you can't fix or change. To be clear - I'm not even buying one, I don't have $200 to throw down every time something comes along. All said, it's really trashy to me to raise a stink out of two minor (and fixable) things on a board that on the whole is better than almost any other on the market.

[dante]

All said, it's really trashy to me to raise a stink out of two minor (and fixable) things on a board that on the whole is better than almost any other on the market.

My problem is they went balls deep into RGB and brand new switches but the stabilizers: EH Good enough.  If the consumer doesn't like it after they put their $200 down they can just fix it on their end ...

This is supposed to be made by INPUT freaking CLUB and that should stand for something.

Otherwise just rename it RGB Club.

[hking0036]

All said, it's really trashy to me to raise a stink out of two minor (and fixable) things on a board that on the whole is better than almost any other on the market.

My problem is they went balls deep into RGB and brand new switches but the stabilizers: EH Good enough.  If the consumer doesn't like it after they put their $200 down they can just fix it on their end ...

This is supposed to be made by INPUT freaking CLUB and that should stand for something.

Otherwise just rename it RGB Club.

RGB is an important feature to many, and unlike stabs you can't change it if you want RGB later on and the PCB isn't designed for that - if you don't want it though, you can turn it off. I fail to see how that's a trade-off worth making. Brand new switches are something that they wanted to make and correcting what they think is a flaw in standard mx design, again, you don't get to do that on every keyboard, and even their hotswap if you don't like their switches is relatively new, but allows you to change that if you don't want it - assuming you even get their new switch which is up to you to begin with. The $200 isn't just for RGB, you're getting an aluminum case, brand new switches WITH hotswap ability, and full programmability. Cherry picking other keyboards or companies that offer the one thing you're wanting is missing the point - they're going to be missing at least 2 or 3 of the draws of this keyboard from the get go. Look holistically at what you're getting to get to the price tag. This only costs $60 more than a Ducky One TKL costs right now, and with innumerably more features.

[dante]

Cherry picking other keyboards or companies that offer the one thing you're wanting is missing the point - they're going to be missing at least 2 or 3 of the draws of this keyboard from the get go. Look holistically at what you're getting to get to the price tag. This only costs $60 more than a Ducky One TKL costs right now, and with innumerably more features.

When did I cherry pick other keyboards/companies?  You stated you didn't know of another company that offers PBT backlit caps which I answered.  I also supplied WASD as a company offering many more permutations of bare bones keyboards.

Actually a closer competitor would be Glorious who may not offer a tenkeyless (yet) but does offer a barebones RGB model.

Look you are right I am nit picking. I admit it! I just wish Haata spent half as much time on the stabilizers as he did on RGB, that's all.

Think of it another way, why go through the trouble of making nice switches if that feel is going to get lost in the stabs?

[hking0036]

Cherry picking other keyboards or companies that offer the one thing you're wanting is missing the point - they're going to be missing at least 2 or 3 of the draws of this keyboard from the get go. Look holistically at what you're getting to get to the price tag. This only costs $60 more than a Ducky One TKL costs right now, and with innumerably more features.

When did I cherry pick other keyboards/companies?  You stated you didn't know of another company that offers PBT backlit caps which I answered.  I also supplied WASD as a company offering many more permutations of bare bones keyboards.

Actually a closer competitor would be Glorious who may not offer a tenkeyless (yet) but does offer a barebones RGB model.

Look you are right I am nit picking. I admit it! I just wish Haata spent half as much time on the stabilizers as he did on RGB, that's all.

Think of it another way, why go through the trouble of making nice switches if that feel is going to get lost in the stabs?

RGB requires PCB design is the thing. Stabs are for the most part just picking a part off the shelf. The more interesting part of the equation there is the switch, ideally the switch should suit the stabs. My big issue is that you seem to be fretting over a solvable problem while ragging on the part that requires more effort. The keyboard isn't a bad keyboard but you seem to be painting it in an overly negative light for what it is.

[dante]

Cherry picking other keyboards or companies that offer the one thing you're wanting is missing the point - they're going to be missing at least 2 or 3 of the draws of this keyboard from the get go. Look holistically at what you're getting to get to the price tag. This only costs $60 more than a Ducky One TKL costs right now, and with innumerably more features.

When did I cherry pick other keyboards/companies?  You stated you didn't know of another company that offers PBT backlit caps which I answered.  I also supplied WASD as a company offering many more permutations of bare bones keyboards.

Actually a closer competitor would be Glorious who may not offer a tenkeyless (yet) but does offer a barebones RGB model.

Look you are right I am nit picking. I admit it! I just wish Haata spent half as much time on the stabilizers as he did on RGB, that's all.

Think of it another way, why go through the trouble of making nice switches if that feel is going to get lost in the stabs?

RGB requires PCB design is the thing. Stabs are for the most part just picking a part off the shelf. The more interesting part of the equation there is the switch, ideally the switch should suit the stabs. My big issue is that you seem to be fretting over a solvable problem while ragging on the part that requires more effort. The keyboard isn't a bad keyboard but you seem to be painting it in an overly negative light for what it is.

I think you are missing my point: This shouldn't be a problem in the first place!  If the K-Type was released by Leopold/Ducky/Varmillo I could give them a free pass.  But it's not.  It's made by a group of people who are supposed to represent us - those who can see beyond what the bean counters at these larger xenophobic corporations can.

So for the average person I think the K-Type will be plenty enough keyboard for them; it may be the last one they ever buy in fact.  They will probably not give two clacks about the stabilizers and think I'm completely insane.

I was just dying to know what a Haata tuned stabilizer was going to feel like.  To me that was more important than RGB, programmability, or an aluminum case.

[TelFiRE]

Haha, "They will probably not give two clacks" that's a good phrase

[chuckdee]

From Deskthority

We wanted to build a bridge keyboard, something that enthusiasts and the general public would like, while also making an RGB keyboard no one had to apologize for.

The whole reason that we incorporated hot-swap technology into this was to address your exact concern regarding kits. If you want to turn it into a kit, you can easily pull out the switches and caps, making every keyboard a "kit" if you want it to be.

With regard to the logistics and process issues, I understand that you have insight and experience with shipping, so your understanding of it is pretty good and more in depth than the average person. Please understand that Input Club is not a logistics company, and our expertise is in designing and making keyboards, not setting up advanced fulfillment operations. We do a pretty good job, and can always be improving our methods, but I don't think there is any shame in designing the K-Type to be easy to ship. This reduces fulfillment time, makes everything less expensive, and helps the normal purchaser far, far more than it impacts the serious enthusiast, especially when considering that the keyboard is hot-swap capable.

There is an assumption that this is supposed to be an enthusiast board for the enthusiast community.  He clearly says in that blurb that this is a mistaken assumption.

[lekashman]

It is designed for the enthusiast community, a bridge product means (at least according to me!) that it is intended for multiple audiences. It is also designed to bring the high quality features that we like (PBT keycaps, hot-swap switches, special force curves) to the general public. We made a nice thing, and we hope that people will also like that we put a lot of work and thought into a product. The stabilizers are specifically paired and sized to work well with the Tai Hao keycaps, though I am not sure if that qualifies as being "tuned". They are not just "stock Chinese Cherry stabilizers", but they also aren't Krytox lubed, custom clipped stabilizers either.

[richard912]

So looking forward to receiving this, hopefully on schedule or at least in time for X'mas. I'd opted for the Halo True as they just look so interesting. Worse case scenario, swap them out with other switches that I have plenty of lying around.

[SpAmRaY]

Now on kickstarter  )

[tp4tissue]

Now on kickstarter  )

This whole ordeal is probably just a FLIP  on an existing oem product..

This company is merely representing the oem or reseller by selling the product as a _project_ with an Origin story to the consumer..




It's like those modeling agencies that attempt to generate the Next Bieber by placing their stock outside train stations with a little I'm homeless card..



Bunch of this style of advertising going on in china right now..    Lots of apparently off the streets performers with obvious professionally trained skills.

[chuckdee]

Now on kickstarter  )

Talked with someone at MD about this, and they said that they didn't think they'd get the exposure that they were looking for just on MD, so did the KS run as well to get more exposure for the product.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/massdrop/massdrop-x-input-club-k-type-mechanical-keyboard

The only differences between the two campaigns is that the kickstarter is purely halo switches, and the delivery date (it's actually the same as the MD campaign; KS asks for Delivery Dates, where MD gives shipping dates)

[varmemester]

HaaTa himself teasing the new tactile switch designed by him and likely to first present in the K-Type. HYPE!

The parts about keyboard history were so interesting.

[British]

Andrew, since it's less crowded here, any plan to facilitate the discovery of your homemade switches for the masses (pun intended) ?

Nothing as elaborate as the keychain proposed on KS, but possibly something like that.

[lekashman]

Now on kickstarter  )

This whole ordeal is probably just a FLIP  on an existing oem product..

This company is merely representing the oem or reseller by selling the product as a _project_ with an Origin story to the consumer..




It's like those modeling agencies that attempt to generate the Next Bieber by placing their stock outside train stations with a little I'm homeless card..



Bunch of this style of advertising going on in china right now..    Lots of apparently off the streets performers with obvious professionally trained skills.

This is in no way accurate. Multiple OEMs balked at our designs, our tolerances, trace-width requirements, and metal manufacturing techniques that we demanded are not commonplace in China by any means. Outside of the keycaps, which were an existing design that we made modifications to, every aspect of the K-Type is entirely new, designed by Input Club with no design contributions from any other business entity. The flipping of existing OEM products is all too common, and it is something that we see all the time, but it isn't present in any Input Club keyboards. If you have doubts to the truth of my statement, I would ask you to consider how we would be able to open source the design files on our Github account here - https://github.com/kiibohd if any aspect of it were factory designs. The K-Type will be added to this repository when we fulfill the first round, so until then you will have to take my word for it that the K-Type has the same sort of design process as our other work.

[skuko]

Now on kickstarter  )

This whole ordeal is probably just a FLIP  on an existing oem product..

This company is merely representing the oem or reseller by selling the product as a _project_ with an Origin story to the consumer..




It's like those modeling agencies that attempt to generate the Next Bieber by placing their stock outside train stations with a little I'm homeless card..



Bunch of this style of advertising going on in china right now..    Lots of apparently off the streets performers with obvious professionally trained skills.

This is in no way accurate. Multiple OEMs balked at our designs, our tolerances, trace-width requirements, and metal manufacturing techniques that we demanded are not commonplace in China by any means. Outside of the keycaps, which were an existing design that we made modifications to, every aspect of the K-Type is entirely new, designed by Input Club with no design contributions from any other business entity. The flipping of existing OEM products is all too common, and it is something that we see all the time, but it isn't present in any Input Club keyboards. If you have doubts to the truth of my statement, I would ask you to consider how we would be able to open source the design files on our Github account here - https://github.com/kiibohd if any aspect of it were factory designs. The K-Type will be added to this repository when we fulfill the first round, so until then you will have to take my word for it that the K-Type has the same sort of design process as our other work.

i think he's just trying to stir ****. or troll you. or both.

[tp4tissue]

Now on kickstarter  )

This whole ordeal is probably just a FLIP  on an existing oem product..

This company is merely representing the oem or reseller by selling the product as a _project_ with an Origin story to the consumer..




It's like those modeling agencies that attempt to generate the Next Bieber by placing their stock outside train stations with a little I'm homeless card..



Bunch of this style of advertising going on in china right now..    Lots of apparently off the streets performers with obvious professionally trained skills.

This is in no way accurate. Multiple OEMs balked at our designs, our tolerances, trace-width requirements, and metal manufacturing techniques that we demanded are not commonplace in China by any means. Outside of the keycaps, which were an existing design that we made modifications to, every aspect of the K-Type is entirely new, designed by Input Club with no design contributions from any other business entity. The flipping of existing OEM products is all too common, and it is something that we see all the time, but it isn't present in any Input Club keyboards. If you have doubts to the truth of my statement, I would ask you to consider how we would be able to open source the design files on our Github account here - https://github.com/kiibohd if any aspect of it were factory designs. The K-Type will be added to this repository when we fulfill the first round, so until then you will have to take my word for it that the K-Type has the same sort of design process as our other work.

i think he's just trying to stir ****. or troll you. or both.

definitely both..  dat Tp4, up to no good.

[lekashman]

You rascal.

[dante]

It is designed for the enthusiast community, a bridge product means (at least according to me!) that it is intended for multiple audiences. It is also designed to bring the high quality features that we like (PBT keycaps, hot-swap switches, special force curves) to the general public. We made a nice thing, and we hope that people will also like that we put a lot of work and thought into a product. The stabilizers are specifically paired and sized to work well with the Tai Hao keycaps, though I am not sure if that qualifies as being "tuned". They are not just "stock Chinese Cherry stabilizers", but they also aren't Krytox lubed, custom clipped stabilizers either.

Thank you for your response.  The K-Type isn't for me; I wish you luck in your endeavors.

[Lazylewis]

This board looks like one of those super cheap budget mechs, meh caps, ugly diffuser, low profile, i lold when i saw the price on massdrop, so many better boards around for less.

Thank God it's not just me. When I saw this on mass drop I was expecting to see a $49 price tag under it. It looks like what would happen if a supermarket made a keyboard.

[TelFiRE]

This board looks like one of those super cheap budget mechs, meh caps, ugly diffuser, low profile, i lold when i saw the price on massdrop, so many better boards around for less.

Thank God it's not just me. When I saw this on mass drop I was expecting to see a $49 price tag under it. It looks like what would happen if a supermarket made a keyboard.

It really kind of is just you though. No one reasonable thinks a full aluminum keyboard with custom switches designed by an actual god of switches, hot swappable switches, should be $50, or would ever be offered by a "supermarket". That's just sheer willful ignorance. If you don't like the look that's fine, but to denigrate the thing as being low quality is unbelievably ridiculous. Open source, every feature you could want, $200.. it's just asinine.

[Lazylewis]

This board looks like one of those super cheap budget mechs, meh caps, ugly diffuser, low profile, i lold when i saw the price on massdrop, so many better boards around for less.

Thank God it's not just me. When I saw this on mass drop I was expecting to see a $49 price tag under it. It looks like what would happen if a supermarket made a keyboard.

It really kind of is just you though. No one reasonable thinks a full aluminum keyboard with custom switches designed by an actual god of switches, hot swappable switches, should be $50, or would ever be offered by a "supermarket". That's just sheer willful ignorance. If you don't like the look that's fine, but to denigrate the thing as being low quality is unbelievably ridiculous. Open source, every feature you could want, $200.. it's just asinine.

Well it's not just me, it's me and this other dude. And I was only commenting on the looks of the board, which for me at least are paramount.

[Neo.X]

It's a nice keyboard, nice look and have full of option for customize. But imho, it's over-priced, even for 199 price on massdrop, not to mention the msrp is 299. The main reason is there is nothing special about it.

1. No special layout design, not like WhiteFox or Lightsaver, it's just TKL. And I don't think I need extra keymap layers on a TKL keyboard. It already has everything.

2. Not full alu body. For that price,  i am expecting a full alu body, not a sandwich with some plastic layer.

3. Hot-swappble is not new. Teamwolf have that on their $50 keyboard, which btw, is suprisely nicely built.

The only thing attractive is the new halo switch, so I will wait to buy the switch when it's on MD.

just my 2 cents.

[thelaughingman]

It's a nice keyboard, nice look and have full of option for customize. But imho, it's over-priced, even for 199 price on massdrop, not to mention the msrp is 299. The main reason is there is nothing special about it.

1. No special layout design, not like WhiteFox or Lightsaver, it's just TKL. And I don't think I need extra keymap layers on a TKL keyboard. It already has everything.

2. Not full alu body. For that price,  i am expecting a full alu body, not a sandwich with some plastic layer.

3. Hot-swappble is not new. Teamwolf have that on their $50 keyboard, which btw, is suprisely nicely built.

The only thing attractive is the new halo switch, so I will wait to buy the switch when it's on MD.

just my 2 cents.

I think you are missing the point of the product. As Input.Club has stated many times, this is not an enthusiast-only or extremely exotic keyboard.

1. Special layout: Have you seen how many people begging and whining keyset designers to support that 1-2 particularly odd keys just for their crazy layouts? TKL is the most common layout and is the most used, all for a good reason.
2. Not full aluminium body: you know that even the Korean customs that are so sacred here on GH have LED diffuser/strip in its body right?
3. Hotswappable: yes it is not new, I.C doesn't claim it to be new either. They simply stated that they use a better socket with higher durability. For the majority of keyboard users who wouldn't dare touching a soldering iron, this can only be a good thing.

You can argue all day about BOM cost of any product in the world. Heck, retail prices of iPhones are what? 3-4 times their BOM cost? And I can sit here and say $400-700 custom KITS, yes kits NOT keyboard, are over-priced.

[richard912]

It's a nice keyboard, nice look and have full of option for customize. But imho, it's over-priced, even for 199 price on massdrop, not to mention the msrp is 299. The main reason is there is nothing special about it.

1. No special layout design, not like WhiteFox or Lightsaver, it's just TKL. And I don't think I need extra keymap layers on a TKL keyboard. It already has everything.

2. Not full alu body. For that price,  i am expecting a full alu body, not a sandwich with some plastic layer.

3. Hot-swappble is not new. Teamwolf have that on their $50 keyboard, which btw, is suprisely nicely built.

The only thing attractive is the new halo switch, so I will wait to buy the switch when it's on MD.

just my 2 cents.

I think you are missing the point of the product. As Input.Club has stated many times, this is not an enthusiast-only or extremely exotic keyboard.

1. Special layout: Have you seen how many people begging and whining keyset designers to support that 1-2 particularly odd keys just for their crazy layouts? TKL is the most common layout and is the most used, all for a good reason.
2. Not full aluminium body: you know that even the Korean customs that are so sacred here on GH have LED diffuser/strip in its body right?
3. Hotswappable: yes it is not new, I.C doesn't claim it to be new either. They simply stated that they use a better socket with higher durability. For the majority of keyboard users who wouldn't dare touching a soldering iron, this can only be a good thing.

You can argue all day about BOM cost of any product in the world. Heck, retail prices of iPhones are what? 3-4 times their BOM cost? And I can sit here and say $400-700 custom KITS, yes kits NOT keyboard, are over-priced.

Well said!

[saulysw]

Hi all,

This seems like a good as place as any to ask some things about this keyboard, as I am quite interested in it. For reference, I am a fairly avid Model-M user and that has been my daily driver for work and home for many years. The primary issue I have with the M is the noise (obviously!) and perhaps the space and slightly stiff keys. I am a big fan of its durability and simple enduring design. Anyway, coming from this keyboard I have these questions about the k-type (which btw, is a name that does not search well).

• Swap sockets & spills? I wonder how the keyboard would cope with a coke being spilt all over it. That is more likely to me than swapping the switches.
• Key feel? How does this compare, and I know it is highly subjective, to buckling springs? I enjoy the graphs, but am not 100% sure how this translates to feel. It looks like a lighter keyboard, with a softer bottoming out, but I could be wrong? Less of a click?
• Key graphics? Again, comparing it to the Model-M, the symbol/numeric keys have the two options in a vertical arrangement, with the shift version above. In some pictures I have seen this keyboard with the same style, I think, but in others it is in the top justified side-by-side style. I prefer the vertical arrangement myself, is this an option?
• Dirt and Wear? The beige plastic of the model-M, again, does a pretty good job of hiding dirt and wear. Mine is from 1985 and still does not have the shine that a ****ty $20 keyboard gets after about 2 years of use. My question is how well the K-type will wear, and how that lighter plastic will show dirt/fluff that inevitably gets on any keyboard over time. The backlighting might even make seeing this dirt worse, I'm not sure, never used a keybaord with this feature.
• No numeric keypad? This is a fairly big one for me. I'm pretty used to the numeric keypad but in truth don't use it all that often. I might get used to 10 keyless but then again, it might always feel like I have something missing. Anyway, are there any plans for a full sized variant? I did read some sort of snap on numeric keyboard, is that right? Where is that at?
• No USB hub? I know opinions vary, but I think using USB-C is a forward thinking choice. What I am less happy with is the lack of USB hub for the second port. This seems a lost opportunity, as plugging in a mouse would make sense. I suppose then a question would be if there was a plan to put a hub in, or will it always be just pass-though power?
• Noise? I almost forgot this one! How noisy are the new switches. There is an obsession with the key weight, but noise volume is fairly critical too! Of course, it partly depends on how hard you hit the key...

Sorry for the wall of text, but you know, sometimes there is a bit to say! Feel free to comment on any item in the list, you don't have to tackle them all if you don't feel like it!

[FoxWolf1]

So, what should we do with the K Type to make it better suited to your desires?

Honestly, right now, it's just completely wrong for me. Everything would have to be changed-- form factor, materials, feature set, switch technology, etc.

Having to use a separate number pad is an instant deal-breaker to me. Non-negotiable.

Aluminum isn't worth anything to me. It's just "that crappy stuff I've had on Apple products that looks harsh, feels cold, dents easily, and is always getting sharp edges and corners as it gets banged up". Good plastic is nice. Wood is nicer (not for the plate, though; that should be steel).

Programmability is useless to me without some extra keys to program. If I have to switch layers to use a macro, or stretch my hand to hold down a modifier key, which will then also affect whatever other keys I happen to be holding down at the same time, it might as well not exist. And I'm definitely not going to compromise regular use by binding over the normal functionality of a standard key.

For all the talk about tolerances and manufacturing techniques, I don't see mention of the attributes I'd need to feel comfortable investing in a $200 keyboard, like waterproofing and dustproofing. If you're going to charge twice what I paid for my Hall effect board, you don't also get to ask that I give up coffee for the 12+ hours a day I'm at the keyboard. Hot-swap sockets mean that chattering switches can be replaced (at the cost of buying a new switch), but this is 2017, where, for well under $100, you can get an optical-switch keyboard that's immune to chatter in the first place (and waterproof, and dustproof, and supports stem swapping).

Seems like there's a lot of hype behind these "Halo" switches, but, mechanically speaking, they're still based on the MX design. They're not BS, or ALPS, or any of the various non-contact types. That's fine, if your product is cheap and/or has plenty of other reason to exist. So far, I'm not seeing that here. 

[OverKill]

Hi all,

This seems like a good as place as any to ask some things about this keyboard, as I am quite interested in it. For reference, I am a fairly avid Model-M user and that has been my daily driver for work and home for many years. The primary issue I have with the M is the noise (obviously!) and perhaps the space and slightly stiff keys. I am a big fan of its durability and simple enduring design. Anyway, coming from this keyboard I have these questions about the k-type (which btw, is a name that does not search well).

• Swap sockets & spills? I wonder how the keyboard would cope with a coke being spilt all over it. That is more likely to me than swapping the switches.
• Key feel? How does this compare, and I know it is highly subjective, to buckling springs? I enjoy the graphs, but am not 100% sure how this translates to feel. It looks like a lighter keyboard, with a softer bottoming out, but I could be wrong? Less of a click?
• Key graphics? Again, comparing it to the Model-M, the symbol/numeric keys have the two options in a vertical arrangement, with the shift version above. In some pictures I have seen this keyboard with the same style, I think, but in others it is in the top justified side-by-side style. I prefer the vertical arrangement myself, is this an option?
• Dirt and Wear? The beige plastic of the model-M, again, does a pretty good job of hiding dirt and wear. Mine is from 1985 and still does not have the shine that a ****ty $20 keyboard gets after about 2 years of use. My question is how well the K-type will wear, and how that lighter plastic will show dirt/fluff that inevitably gets on any keyboard over time. The backlighting might even make seeing this dirt worse, I'm not sure, never used a keybaord with this feature.
• No numeric keypad? This is a fairly big one for me. I'm pretty used to the numeric keypad but in truth don't use it all that often. I might get used to 10 keyless but then again, it might always feel like I have something missing. Anyway, are there any plans for a full sized variant? I did read some sort of snap on numeric keyboard, is that right? Where is that at?
• No USB hub? I know opinions vary, but I think using USB-C is a forward thinking choice. What I am less happy with is the lack of USB hub for the second port. This seems a lost opportunity, as plugging in a mouse would make sense. I suppose then a question would be if there was a plan to put a hub in, or will it always be just pass-though power?
• Noise? I almost forgot this one! How noisy are the new switches. There is an obsession with the key weight, but noise volume is fairly critical too! Of course, it partly depends on how hard you hit the key...

Sorry for the wall of text, but you know, sometimes there is a bit to say! Feel free to comment on any item in the list, you don't have to tackle them all if you don't feel like it!

Hey thanks for the questions!

1) Spills are just like any other mechanical keyboard, if you spill something on it, most likely it will need to be unplugged immediately and cleaned with soap + water, luckily since it is hot swap if you DO spill something on it, it would be relatively easy to pull all the switches and take it apart to clean it.

2) Before I fully answer, neither of the Halo switches will feel like a buckling spring. The Halo True switches have a lighter actuation point than the Halo Clear but the bottom out force is a lot higher. The benefit to this is that it helps give you a "cushion" under your finger to help prevent bottoming out of the switches.

3) The symbols are placed at the top of the keycap because that is where the light pipe is. If you have one legend at the bottom or middle of the keycap and one at the top, only the one at the top will light up.

4) The keycaps are made with PBT plastic so they will be very resistant to the shineyness that plague most keyboard keycaps.

5) A lot of people use the numpad because they just never learned to use the numbers at the top row while typing (like myself) and that is why they keep it. When I switched to a 60% board (no f1-f12, no numpad, no navpad) it was a little weird at first but it only took me a day or two to get used to it. I would say that if you type in numbers sparingly you probably won't notice any negative effects by not having the numpad. Your mouse will also be closer to your keyboard without the numpad so you don't have to twist your torso so much to either use the mouse or type (depending on how you have the keyboard and mouse positioned)

6) USB Hub has been asked a lot, we wanted to add one, but it was going to take even more time and would have increased the cost of the keyboard by too much to do it the right way.

7) The new switches are probably about as loud as other MX compatible tactile switches. If you go with the Halo True variety and you do not bottom out they could be even quieter (or you can add o-rings).

I hope I've answered all your questions!