EDIT:
MY FIRST EVER VIDEO. I've never used Adobe Premiere. This was my first shot at making any type of video. What do you think???I recently decided to dive into mechanical keyboard modification. With my one and only mechanical keyboard, I thought this is a great idea -_-. I went all out... and bought some rosin core, a soldering kit, pump, lubes and springs. "I can do this!" I said to myself. Like a giddy schoolgirl, I waited for it all to be delivered. Before it arrived, I decided to take a look at the inner workings of my precious... the KUL Es-87. My first obstacle: the plastic case. Easy enough. I wedged a butter knife in the plastic crevices and cracked it open with ease. Next, came the screws. No problemo.
Dun dun dun... the wretched white molex connector. I'm no stranger to this neck of the woods. I've built PC's a plenty in my day and went to town. I pinched, I pulled, I pushed, and I pried. Nothing. Wouldn't budge. I tried tweezers, small precision screwdrivers, etc. WHAT THE HECK? So, I put some elbow grease into it and my nightmare came true: the white plastic piece crumbled into a million pieces, rendering my brand new, sole mechanical keyboard completely useless and un-modified at that.
I frantically posted on reddit and community web sites. I came across a sticky with a replacement part but noticed it didn't look like the right piece. I could try soldering the individual legs to the corresponding PCB points but I've never soldered before! AHHHH! I e-mailed mouser, talked to /u/ripster55 and many others. According to the tech sheets, it wasn't a match. So, I finally reached out... a Hail Mary if you will... and e-mailed the manufacturers: Keyed Up Labs. I explained my financial situation, how eager I am to learn about mechanical keyboards and my love for "the game" lol.
A week or so passed and I became hopeless. A rubber domed Dell mocked me day in and day out, my RSI started flaring up again and worst of all, I thought I was out of $120 + modification gear costs. The ideas of buying another keyboard and the doubt of messing that up as well haunted my dreams. My wife is going to kill me and my obsession with mechanical keyboards is being thoroughly challenged. Did I mention the several group buys that I'm involved with? Yeah that too. DAMNIT!
Screw it. I took my KUL apart, painstakingly desoldered & pried out all 87 MX Switches. I opened each one up, and slowly oiled and lubed all the contact points over several days. I reassembled the keys and soldered them back into place. I'm feeling super uneasy and have very little hope that I'll ever find out if I torched the board or if I'm a soldering prodigy. I check r/mk every night and plan all my future builds and mods... without knowing if I'm even capable performing a simple lube job.
One day, I opened up my e-mail: "Give me your mailing address and we'll send you a new wire ."
NO WAY. KUL IS AWESOME. The keyboard gods have smiled down upon me and gave me a glimpse of hope. The next day, USPS alerted me of a new package being shipped to my address and the wait began. It reached LOS Angeles Sorting and then...
Nothing. 14 Days pass and it's lost. Gone. I'm crushed and feel like asking for another one is really pushing my luck.
"No problem. We'll send another one out to you."
A long story short (NOT REALLY?), I am now typing on my KUL ES-87 w/ 78g SPRiT springs, GPL205 & Victorinox lube, and clipped/lubed stabilizers. SCORE! Every key works and my soldering doubts nullified.
I know this ended up being a marathon post but I just wanted to share my experience with you all. I have had MANY poor customer service experiences and I'm in awe with how awesome Keyed-up Labs have been. I cannot recommend the KUL ES-87 model enough... especially to those who want an affordable board with MX Clears. It's built like a tank and gave me a chance to fall in love with mechanical keyboards. Better yet, I realized that lubed 78g + stock clear springs aren't for me. The PCB is so good, it has withstood my novice soldering skills and I now have 62g springs on the way. The PCB is brilliant and is known for being one of the best in the business for modifications... and will take a 3rd beating with ease.
TLDR: The creators of the KUL Es-87, Key-ed Up Labs, are fine people and provide great customer service. If you are looking for a TKL board with tank like quality and solid performance, look no further. I purchased mine on Amazon but they are available at many other vendors as well. MX Blue: http://www.amazon.com/ES-87-Tenkeyless-Mechanical-Keyboard-Cherry/dp/B00OZY9YQI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459121729&sr=1-1&keywords=kul+es-87+clearThank you all for your time and clack on.
PS: This is a repost of my reddit submission. I just wanted to pass on the good word.
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Edit: And here she is! NEARLY Complete!
KUL ES-87: Krytox GPL205/105 lubed Cherry MX Clear, clipped stabilizers, 62g SPRiT 24k springs, TEMPORARY Vortex PBT Keycap set (awaiting Pulse, Nantucket Select & Granite)
