Greetings,
I could not believe what I have went through this past week while searching for a keyboard that I could use in the office and the occasional gaming. My original intention was to purchase the Logitech G Pro TKL to match my existing G900 wireless mouse. Even though the Romer-G switches are really silent, I am not fond of how it felt. This is coming from a LeapFrop Armageddon MKA-9C with Kailh blues that I got for my desktop at home. My girlfriend really liked the clickiness of the switch.
While trying to look past the Logitech, I came across various other pre-built boards, such as the CM, Ducky, Varmilo, Filco, iKBC etc. There was also Durgod by KPRepublic which I came across on Massdrop. It looked like a really strong contender. And after doing some more reading, I began to set criterias in order to filter out and limit what I would get; starting out at only a budget of 150 USD, tactile switches, and an 80% layout. Suddenly, the GMMK TKL came along and I was blown away by the idea of changing switches within seconds! By then I was already aware of the custom keyboard community, but I had just merely brushed the surface. I was also introduced to the Zealios by ZealPC which I thought would suit me very well. I've read that the Zealio was based on a modded MX Clear, which were my first choice of switches to put on the GMMK TKL prior to the Zealio.
I was about to pull the gun on the GMMK, in fact twice. I was put off the first time as they were not able to ship to my country of residence. The support staff told me that a lot of the orders were lost in transit. Ordering from Amazon was not an option either as the keyboard costs a lot more. Not long after that, the GMMK-TKL came onto Massdrop at a very reasonable price, and I joined the drop immediately.
A day after that, I cancelled the drop.
After exposing myself to various builds online, I started to discover the beauty of DIY keyboards as I got to know them more. Primarily due to it's customization in terms of the selection of PCBs, and what I could potentially achieve via the firmware. My desire to tailor something that suits my
wants needs increases day by day. It was like building my first desktop all over again. A barebones DIY kit off KBDfans is almost similarly priced to the GMMK-TKL. I also began to understand the allure of 60% layout after finding out about QMK and the firmware that it's based upon, TMK.
But alas, today I had stumble upon another obstacle; the Massdrop x Input Club K-Type that suddenly popped up at Massdrop. This has placed me into another dilemma...
So I did a simple analysis and this is what I had came up with so far:
DZ60 Kit
- QMK - sounds like lots of fun!
- Freedom to choose the Zealios and better stabilizers
- Small and compact form factor - slightly less clutter on my desk
- A larger sense of satisfaction if I take the initiative to build the board myself
K-Type
- Looks darn good and sleek overall
- TKL - more accessible buttons
- Hot-swappable switches ie no soldering required (I have zero knowledge on soldering and I am not willing to spend a lot on a soldering iron
- May be cheaper than the DZ60 kit due to body and key caps material type
- Exclusive?
I think I might be leaning more towards the DZ60 as I could get the Zealio right away. But I am afraid I may miss out something else, so I came here seeking for advise.
tl:dr Hello, I'm new here and am a noob. DZ60 kit of KBDfan or Massdrop x Input Club K-Type. Which one is worth it. Help me!
