Looking to build my first mech!

[RoboticRager]

I have been researching diy mechs for probably a week now and have decided to set aside some money for my first one. However the pricing of them are incredibly high, or at least the ones I can find are. I am looking for something more in the starter range without completely crushing my bank account, somewhere around $150 would be pushing it for me. I don't know if this is possible though considering the prices I have seen of some individual products, or even switches alone. If anyone can give me insight or links to some guides that would be beneficial for me please reply and help me out!

[treeleaf64]

I have been researching diy mechs for probably a week now and have decided to set aside some money for my first one. However the pricing of them are incredibly high, or at least the ones I can find are. I am looking for something more in the starter range without completely crushing my bank account, somewhere around $150 would be pushing it for me. I don't know if this is possible though considering the prices I have seen of some individual products, or even switches alone. If anyone can give me insight or links to some guides that would be beneficial for me please reply and help me out!

What layout do you want? Split ergo? TKL? 60%? 65%? You will have to be a little more specific.
Switches? Linear, tactile, clicky? If tactile/clicky, a lot of tactility or only a little?
Keycaps?

[RoboticRager]

I have been researching diy mechs for probably a week now and have decided to set aside some money for my first one. However the pricing of them are incredibly high, or at least the ones I can find are. I am looking for something more in the starter range without completely crushing my bank account, somewhere around $150 would be pushing it for me. I don't know if this is possible though considering the prices I have seen of some individual products, or even switches alone. If anyone can give me insight or links to some guides that would be beneficial for me please reply and help me out!

What layout do you want? Split ergo? TKL? 60%? 65%? You will have to be a little more specific.
Switches? Linear, tactile, clicky? If tactile/clicky, a lot of tactility or only a little?
Keycaps?

I'm looking for linear switches, I currently have Cherry MX reds but I think blacks would be greater for me due to their weight since they are a little too light, so I'm looking at Kailh blacks or Gateron blacks.
I am wanting a 60% keyboard as well, either that or a TKL, anything that is in a standard format but that is smaller than a full keyboard would work for me.
Keycaps though I'm not 100% sure on because there are so many options, not only that but they can get expensive very fast and I'm having difficulty finding something that suits me.
I really appreciate the response from you as well because it has provided me some insight on what I want from a keyboard.

[Dovacubes]

Hello, i'm in the same situation as you, but i almost finished what i want considering i just have to wait for my stuff to be delivered to France. Don't be worried, 150$ is a decent budget for a first keyboard espacially if the keyboard size doesnt matter (60-80%). If you prefer a 60% and if buying a 20 / 25€ soldering station isnt a problem for you you could get an ok60 pcb from aliexpress (26$ shipping inclued), it has QMK, rgb leds that you can desactivate and USB-C.

For the case you could get a 8-15$ plastic universal 60% case or go for something higher in quality if you don't want plastic. For the stabs you can get a pack of Cherry Stabs for like 8$ or a pack of everglide stabs for 15$. For the plate i would suggest aluminium for that budget : there are a lot of cool universal aluminium plates with a lot of different colors on aliexpress and kbdfans.

About your switches, you could also buy some Gateron Yellows, they're between Reds and Blacks if we are talking about the weight and they're very smooth, you can even order "Milky Yellows", they'll have a better sound and they'll be a little be more expensive. Considering the leds on the ok60 arent directly under the switches you will still be able to see the rgb if you like it even with non-clear switches housings.

So it would be something like 70-90$ including shipping if we dont talk about the keycaps and the lube.

[treeleaf64]

Hello, i'm in the same situation as you, but i almost finished what i want considering i just have to wait for my stuff to be delivered to France. Don't be worried, 150$ is a decent budget for a first keyboard espacially if the keyboard size doesnt matter (60-80%). If you prefer a 60% and if buying a 20 / 25€ soldering station isnt a problem for you you could get an ok60 pcb from aliexpress (26$ shipping inclued), it has QMK, rgb leds that you can desactivate and USB-C.

For the case you could get a 8-15$ plastic universal 60% case or go for something higher in quality if you don't want plastic. For the stabs you can get a pack of Cherry Stabs for like 8$ or a pack of everglide stabs for 15$. For the plate i would suggest aluminium for that budget : there are a lot of cool universal aluminium plates with a lot of different colors on aliexpress and kbdfans.

About your switches, you could also buy some Gateron Yellows, they're between Reds and Blacks if we are talking about the weight and they're very smooth, you can even order "Milky Yellows", they'll have a better sound and they'll be a little be more expensive. Considering the leds on the ok60 arent directly under the switches you will still be able to see the rgb if you like it even with non-clear switches housings.

So it would be something like 70-90$ including shipping if we dont talk about the keycaps and the lube.

You could also get a keyboardbelle case. I recommend those, because I love the look of them. That will up your budget by around $50 bucks.
Novelkeys sells Gateron switches with milky top and black bottoms, which are better than the ones with clear tops. You can acquire those for $2.40 per pack of 10, if I'm not mistaken.

There are plenty of cheap, thick PBT sets on Aliexpress, I am sure you can find something that suits you.