If theres one place in Korea to go buy electronics gadgets, its Yongsan. Its been a place my father used to take me when I was young, but ever since the boom in online shopping, Yongsan has fell off our radar. Now that Im knee deep in the keyboard hobby, I decided to check it out to find and try some keyboards. When I was young everything was mysterious/confusing but going there with some knowledge of computers and keyboards... it was heaven for geeks.
My trip was to shin-Yongsan. Its a walkable distance to Yongsan and it had an exit that leads straight to my first stop, LeadersKey.
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(Subway map of Korea, the left circle is Yongsan and the right is shin-Yongsan A.K.A. "New" Yongsan)
As soon as you get off shin-Yongsan station and take exit #5, the building with LeadersKey is on the right.
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(Right of exit #5 theres a building, "Yongseong biztel")
(In the B2 level there is the offline store of
http://leaderskey.com/)
My first keyboard store. The place is not huge, but packs a punch with all the keyboards and pc peripherals. Everything was clean and well organized with chairs to test out keyboards on display and a computer to try out different input devices.
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(Breathtaking...)
(Theres an HHKB on the left of the table but it was cut off)
(In the corner of the store... the Realforce Hipro, next to a uniform 55g 10th anniversary edition. The very two boards I wanted to try in person.)
From all the hype and rage in GH about 55g topre switches, I had to try. Maybe it was the high expectation I had, the 55g was not as great for me. The actuation was definitely heavier than the 45g but only slightly to the point that my pinky finger would notice it. With disappointment, I moved to the Realforce Hipro. O...M...G... it was a uniform 45g board, something Im used to, but the spherical keycaps and lifted switch was orgasmic. Each keypress felt like the keycaps were hugging my fingers. Those who tried topre switches knows that at a certain point, the switch feels like it is pulling your finger down. Now imagine the switch pulling your finger down with the keycaps surrounding your finger. The expression of typing on a cloud of "boobs" turned into "concave boobs". Its very hard to explain how it felt but I can confidently say it had the best feeling out of all the switch types/keycaps I have tried, only if... only if it was a TKL I would have thrown money at the owner and run home to type on it.
After feeling up the Hipro for a minute in the mist of an awkward silence, I asked the owner if he sold lube. Not the perfect timing... but I was looking for a small amount for an incoming custom build. He said no, but that sparked a conversation about keyboards. While sharing some knowledge and picking out some keyboard peripherals to buy, keycaps and a usb hub, the owner reaches for a small container and a shift keycap. With care he dumps some white goo from the container to the shift key and tells me this is a special lube that is not for sale but that he can gift. I was speechless... and it didnt stop there... his love for keyboards and love for other keyboard enthusiasts was apparent from what he had around to offer and gift. LeadersKey, somewhere I will definitely visit again and buy my future topre boards.
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(A special gift; a LeadersKey keyboard cover, cleaning brush, cleaning cloth, lube and to top it all off an apple juice) (Thank you <3)
Next stop, Sun-in Sanga. A place I label geek-heaven. Its an easy route from exit #5, all you do is walk straight from the direction of the exit, that takes about 5~10 minutes.
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(A shady tunnel you have to walk through, but its surprisingly bright once you walk in with a lot of people making their way across.)
(Once you come out of that tunnel you will see entrance #4 of Sun-in Sanga.)
Now this place is littered with everything computer related. Just taking a few steps, you will notice that its like a flea-market packed in a building. I have no doubt its a one-stop place to go to build a computer from bottom up, with shops specializing in cables, fans, peripherals, graphics/MB/PSU everything. You name it and its there.
A building filled with shops, shoppers, workers carrying carts and boxes that fill up the narrow hallway. A place very easy to get lost, but thats the fun, even if you get lost theres always stores you can look at so it isnt so bad.
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(I got lost somewhere in the building and since it was the only spot without people walking by I was able to stand still and take a picture.)
(A shop specializing in computer fans, I had to take a picture since it was an attention grabber.)
Easily, one out of four shops had mechanical keyboards, though not specialized in keyboards, they had various "well-known" brands like CM, Razor, and leopold along with keyboards from small "unknown" Korean companies. Most of the mechanical keyboards were boards using Cherry switches, so naturally I was not as compelled since they were prevalent and easily available.
Making my way up to the building, I found PCgear on the 3rd floor.
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(The hallway was too packed to stop and take a brighter picture)
A tiny shop, specializing in keyboards. A different vibe from LeadersKey, but equally breathtaking to be in a zone filled with keyboards left and right. Spacious and clean compared to other shops in the building with a full array of keyboards to see and try. Most of the keyboards on the bottom row was hooked up to a computer with a huge monitor so you can type and see what you typed, a neat touch considering the amount of keyboards on display.
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(On the bottom left, a table and chair with a computer to test out the keyboard, along with keyboards on display on the shelfs.)
(Some topre boards and other keyboard peripherals)
After molesting(excuse my word choice) the keyboards on display, I asked the owner if they had IBM buckling switch keyboards for sale or where I can go to find antique boards. He got up and looked for a board asking me if I was looking for something like this...
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(A Model M in Hangul)
My eyes literally popped out. The board itself didnt seem like a special model but the Hangul layout was something I have never seen before. I carefully asked if he was willing to sell it, but he said it was his first mechanical keyboard and that it held a more sentimental value to him. So I asked again where I can find such thing... and the sad answer was there arent any stores in Yongsan carrying them now and that I would have to go to an antiques market somewhere else. Knowing a hangul layout exists gave me a new goal, a new board to look for. I asked some more questions about keyboards in Yongsan and he generously answered them all. I grabbed some keypullers to buy since I didnt want to leave empty handed and parted ways.
Looking for a way out of the building, I was lost again. Actually, I think I was lost the entire time I was in the building with no sense of direction. After taking a new route I found an exit.
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(Entrance #21, I went in number 4... how many entrances are there...)
Only after I came out of the building I knew I was in there the whole day, the sun was going to set in an hour or two and I had to make my way back home before it got too late. I only visited two different buildings... and its the tip of the iceberg. Until next time...
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(Goodbye Seoul, thanks for reading <3)
