What defines the ultimate custom keyboard for you?

[Steezus]

Hello all,

I'm curious to see what everyone's opinions are when it comes to what they imagine as the ideal custom keyboard. The market seems a bit saturated and it is getting harder to be unique. Is more necessarily better? I personally prefer the minimalistic approach when it comes to design. I've fallen victim to the hype before. I've had numerous OTDs, KMACs, TGRs, etc. I ended settling on the Jane CE because I really enjoy the basic design, with a comfortable angle to type on, and nice side grips to easily pick up the keyboard. There are a lot of new features that I have yet to experience such as gasket mounted, hot-swappable PCBs, QMK support, etc. I do not intend to bring yet another keyboard design to the market but to start a solo venture in making the ultimate board for myself. I'd appreciate it if you all share your opinions and discuss what features best define the ultimate custom keyboard.

Edit: With so many new designs that have been released since last taking my hiatus, I decided to opt in a few recent GBs. It goes against what I said about not wanting to collect anymore but I'm trying to still determine what features about a board that I need, want, and hate. Thanks all for the help!

[lolafineday]

Ultimate board would be one that is truly flexible in typing. Many boards try to make flex with gaskets but the gaskets are too compressed with the screws to matter, dunno anything about science but a magnetically levitated plate would be sick haha. The ultimate board varies for everyone though keep in mind.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

[Steezus]

Ultimate board would be one that is truly flexible in typing. Many boards try to make flex with gaskets but the gaskets are too compressed with the screws to matter, dunno anything about science but a magnetically levitated plate would be sick haha. The ultimate board varies for everyone though keep in mind.

Thanks for the input. I have only experienced top-mounted plates but have gone through polycarbonate, aluminum, and steel. I have tried both half and full plates of each material. I personally prefer a full aluminum plate as it provides a bit of rigidity with a little bit of flex that I need. I am well aware that the "ultimate keyboard" will vary from person to person. I'm just curious as to what other people like the best. I like to try new things and perhaps I may overlook details that others do not.

[Sintpinty]

Hello all,

I'm curious to see what everyone's opinions are when it comes to what they imagine as the ideal custom keyboard. The market seems a bit saturated and it is getting harder to be unique. Is more necessarily better? I personally prefer the minimalistic approach when it comes to design. I've fallen victim to the hype before. I've had numerous OTDs, KMACs, TGRs, etc. I ended settling on the Jane CE because I really enjoy the basic design, with a comfortable angle to type on, and nice side grips to easily pick up the keyboard. There are a lot of new features that I have yet to experience such as gasket mounted, hot-swappable PCBs, QMK support, etc. I do not intend to bring yet another keyboard design to the market but to start a solo venture in making the ultimate board for myself. I'd appreciate it if you all share your opinions and discuss what features best define the ultimate custom keyboard.

Hotswappable board, durable and has support for QMK . Apparantly there's a utility on QMK that allows your keyboard to change colors depending on how fast you type.

[Rob27shred]

For me it's really more about the plate material, switches, tuning of switches & stabs, & sound dampening steps taken that make the ultimate board. Sure it is very nice to put all of my favorites of those into a high end custom case, but at the end of the day I honestly think it's the time & care taken when putting a board together that makes it special or not. I mean think about it if you had the choice of using a say a Keycult No1, but it has pre re-tooling MX browns that are unlubed, knock off clip in PCB mount stabs unlubed, & the plate is a material you do not like. Or the other option would be say a KBDfans 8X that has properly lubed & filmed Holy Pandas, GMK screw in stabs clipped/properly lubed, the plate is made from your favorite material, & proper sound dampening has been done between the plate, PCB, & case. Which would you choose to use? Personally I'd go with the KBDfans 8X as it will feel many times better than the Keycult No1 in this scenario. So honestly I would put much more emphasis on the little details to get my ultimate MKB & just make sure I select a decently high end case that is made of alum. or PC that I really like the design of & comes with a high quality PCB.

In fact I'm in the process of that right now TBH. I recently got my E6.5 & went for an aluminum one with a brass plate. I plan on using MD HPs lubed with 3203 on the sliders/housings, TX's synthetic paraffin oil on the springs, 70g TX springs, & white switch films for the switches. GMK screw in PCB mount stabs clipped & lubed with Christolube MCG129, then use MK ultra 65% plate & case foams for sound dampening. That is honestly my ideal ultimate MX based board. I guess if we want to get into wishful thinking territory if the E6.5 supported ALPS SKCM/L switches & I could put the batch of damn near NOS SKCM browns I got in it, then it would become my ultimate MKB no questions asked!

[Steezus]

Hello all,

I'm curious to see what everyone's opinions are when it comes to what they imagine as the ideal custom keyboard. The market seems a bit saturated and it is getting harder to be unique. Is more necessarily better? I personally prefer the minimalistic approach when it comes to design. I've fallen victim to the hype before. I've had numerous OTDs, KMACs, TGRs, etc. I ended settling on the Jane CE because I really enjoy the basic design, with a comfortable angle to type on, and nice side grips to easily pick up the keyboard. There are a lot of new features that I have yet to experience such as gasket mounted, hot-swappable PCBs, QMK support, etc. I do not intend to bring yet another keyboard design to the market but to start a solo venture in making the ultimate board for myself. I'd appreciate it if you all share your opinions and discuss what features best define the ultimate custom keyboard.

Hotswappable board, durable and has support for QMK . Apparantly there's a utility on QMK that allows your keyboard to change colors depending on how fast you type.

Hot-swappable boards seem to be the new fad now. I can't see a negative side affect with going to a hot-swappable PCB as long as the switches are secured in place. QMK has intrigued me a good bit so I will definitely read into its functionalities.

For me it's really more about the plate material, switches, tuning of switches & stabs, & sound dampening steps taken that make the ultimate board. Sure it is very nice to put all of my favorites of those into a high end custom case, but at the end of the day I honestly think it's the time & care taken when putting a board together that makes it special or not. I mean think about it if you had the choice of using a say a Keycult No1, but it has pre re-tooling MX browns that are unlubed, knock off clip in PCB mount stabs unlubed, & the plate is a material you do not like. Or the other option would be say a KBDfans 8X that has properly lubed & filmed Holy Pandas, GMK screw in stabs clipped/properly lubed, the plate is made from your favorite material, & proper sound dampening has been done between the plate, PCB, & case. Which would you choose to use? Personally I'd go with the KBDfans 8X as it will feel many times better than the Keycult No1 in this scenario. So honestly I would put much more emphasis on the little details to get my ultimate MKB & just make sure I select a decently high end case that is made of alum. or PC that I really like the design of & comes with a high quality PCB.

In fact I'm in the process of that right now TBH. I recently got my E6.5 & went for an aluminum one with a brass plate. I plan on using MD HPs lubed with 3203 on the sliders/housings, TX's synthetic paraffin oil on the springs, 70g TX springs, & white switch films for the switches. GMK screw in PCB mount stabs clipped & lubed with Christolube MCG129, then use MK ultra 65% plate & case foams for sound dampening. That is honestly my ideal ultimate MX based board. I guess if we want to get into wishful thinking territory if the E6.5 supported ALPS SKCM/L switches & I could put the batch of damn near NOS SKCM browns I got in it, then it would become my ultimate MKB no questions asked!

I agree with you that the attention to detail and care going into the process does make a great deal of difference. I've tried all different combinations of switches and plate materials throughout my builds ranging from blues, vintage browns, Nixdorfs, Zealios, etc. This was all before Massdrop offered all these different switches and Zeal had just come out with his first iteration of Zealios. In the end I have settled for a set of vintage blacks from a board NIB from 1986 if I recall correctly, lubed, and spring swapped with a set of 65g Korean springs that I had received from an OTD 360c kit. I couldn't replicate this combination even if I wanted to. I'm curious to try out new switches but I really have no desire to amass a collection anymore. Perhaps that's where the benefits of a hot-swappable board come into play. I do like the idea of hot-swappable boards just for the fact of being able to easily disassemble everything and clean it. In the end, the aluminum housing does have a little to play in terms of tactile response but more so for visual appeal. I really desire a keyboard with a deep crimson red or sky blue color.

I appreciate both of your responses. It is quite interesting seeing what details people like to focus on the most.

[Rob27shred]

Hello all,

I'm curious to see what everyone's opinions are when it comes to what they imagine as the ideal custom keyboard. The market seems a bit saturated and it is getting harder to be unique. Is more necessarily better? I personally prefer the minimalistic approach when it comes to design. I've fallen victim to the hype before. I've had numerous OTDs, KMACs, TGRs, etc. I ended settling on the Jane CE because I really enjoy the basic design, with a comfortable angle to type on, and nice side grips to easily pick up the keyboard. There are a lot of new features that I have yet to experience such as gasket mounted, hot-swappable PCBs, QMK support, etc. I do not intend to bring yet another keyboard design to the market but to start a solo venture in making the ultimate board for myself. I'd appreciate it if you all share your opinions and discuss what features best define the ultimate custom keyboard.

Hotswappable board, durable and has support for QMK . Apparantly there's a utility on QMK that allows your keyboard to change colors depending on how fast you type.

Hot-swappable boards seem to be the new fad now. I can't see a negative side affect with going to a hot-swappable PCB as long as the switches are secured in place. QMK has intrigued me a good bit so I will definitely read into its functionalities.

For me it's really more about the plate material, switches, tuning of switches & stabs, & sound dampening steps taken that make the ultimate board. Sure it is very nice to put all of my favorites of those into a high end custom case, but at the end of the day I honestly think it's the time & care taken when putting a board together that makes it special or not. I mean think about it if you had the choice of using a say a Keycult No1, but it has pre re-tooling MX browns that are unlubed, knock off clip in PCB mount stabs unlubed, & the plate is a material you do not like. Or the other option would be say a KBDfans 8X that has properly lubed & filmed Holy Pandas, GMK screw in stabs clipped/properly lubed, the plate is made from your favorite material, & proper sound dampening has been done between the plate, PCB, & case. Which would you choose to use? Personally I'd go with the KBDfans 8X as it will feel many times better than the Keycult No1 in this scenario. So honestly I would put much more emphasis on the little details to get my ultimate MKB & just make sure I select a decently high end case that is made of alum. or PC that I really like the design of & comes with a high quality PCB.

In fact I'm in the process of that right now TBH. I recently got my E6.5 & went for an aluminum one with a brass plate. I plan on using MD HPs lubed with 3203 on the sliders/housings, TX's synthetic paraffin oil on the springs, 70g TX springs, & white switch films for the switches. GMK screw in PCB mount stabs clipped & lubed with Christolube MCG129, then use MK ultra 65% plate & case foams for sound dampening. That is honestly my ideal ultimate MX based board. I guess if we want to get into wishful thinking territory if the E6.5 supported ALPS SKCM/L switches & I could put the batch of damn near NOS SKCM browns I got in it, then it would become my ultimate MKB no questions asked!

I agree with you that the attention to detail and care going into the process does make a great deal of difference. I've tried all different combinations of switches and plate materials throughout my builds ranging from blues, vintage browns, Nixdorfs, Zealios, etc. This was all before Massdrop offered all these different switches and Zeal had just come out with his first iteration of Zealios. In the end I have settled for a set of vintage blacks from a board NIB from 1986 if I recall correctly, lubed, and spring swapped with a set of 65g Korean springs that I had received from an OTD 360c kit. I couldn't replicate this combination even if I wanted to. I'm curious to try out new switches but I really have no desire to amass a collection anymore. Perhaps that's where the benefits of a hot-swappable board come into play. I do like the idea of hot-swappable boards just for the fact of being able to easily disassemble everything and clean it. In the end, the aluminum housing does have a little to play in terms of tactile response but more so for visual appeal. I really desire a keyboard with a deep crimson red or sky blue color.

I appreciate both of your responses. It is quite interesting seeing what details people like to focus on the most.

No problem, glad I could help you gain a bit more insight on what other people are doing or liking currently. Hot swap is something that can be really helpful with all the new switches coming out. If you got a HS PCB it's no problem to buy a batch of whatever boutique switch or make some frankenswitches & be able to try them out without killing the resale value by putting solder to them. That combined with HS PCBs becoming more common on high end kits makes it a more feasible option now than ever before. Although if linear switches are your thing, properly lubed vint blacks & retolled blacks still are top tier linear switches IME. Creams are pretty interesting from the samples I got & Tealios, Healios, & Gat Inks are smooth as ice even before lube, but none of them have the warm sound the Cherry housings give. So if you get yourself  an exceptionally smooth batch of MX blacks (vint or retooled) IMHO they are every bit as good any of the boutique switches & sound better as a bonus!

Tactile MX switches are a different story though. There has been much progress made in the MX realm on making the tactile bump much bigger & smoother or sharper depending on what switch over the past few yrs. So if you want to go with MX tactiles on this build I'd highly recommend seeing if you can borrow someones switch tester that has a good bit of the newer popular tactile switches. Anyways GL with this build & I'm also looking forward to seeing what other people's opinions are on this subject!   

[Sup]

Ultimate board would be one that is truly flexible in typing. Many boards try to make flex with gaskets but the gaskets are too compressed with the screws to matter, dunno anything about science but a magnetically levitated plate would be sick haha. The ultimate board varies for everyone though keep in mind.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Acrylic keyboards comes the closest to the feel you want.

[rxc92]

There's only so much overpriced barebones stuff you can make before it becomes pointless. I'd go out on a limb and say that a stock Chinese factory-made aluminum case is functionally identical (i.e. you could not tell the difference when typing if blindfolded) to the same thing made to 'super high spec $650 Korean aircraft-grade aluminum', so everything beyond the case has to set it apart. Tight tolerances, wide choice of color/anodizing, standard QMK-compatible PCB are all a given. What would make me, an infrequent buyer want to spend more are special features; the ergonomic stagger in an Alice, the acrylic diffuser in the original Lightsavers (that are now common and thus not worth paying much extra for), tasteful aesthetics that set the board apart from barebones fare (Canoe is a good example), perhaps gasket mount (haven't tried it), hotswap capabilities, etc. 

That's the thing about keyboards in general; if everyone just made the same simple good quality stuff with no variation, everyone would just have one and have them all - no need to come back for more. But we know that's not the case, because it's innovation and improvements that make this hobby a deep and enjoyable one. I for one would've permanently left years ago after getting my 'endgame' if the new Chinese switches and wealth of custom keyboards didn't pique my interest and make even better options than my endgame.

[Steezus]

More

Hello all,

I'm curious to see what everyone's opinions are when it comes to what they imagine as the ideal custom keyboard. The market seems a bit saturated and it is getting harder to be unique. Is more necessarily better? I personally prefer the minimalistic approach when it comes to design. I've fallen victim to the hype before. I've had numerous OTDs, KMACs, TGRs, etc. I ended settling on the Jane CE because I really enjoy the basic design, with a comfortable angle to type on, and nice side grips to easily pick up the keyboard. There are a lot of new features that I have yet to experience such as gasket mounted, hot-swappable PCBs, QMK support, etc. I do not intend to bring yet another keyboard design to the market but to start a solo venture in making the ultimate board for myself. I'd appreciate it if you all share your opinions and discuss what features best define the ultimate custom keyboard.

Hotswappable board, durable and has support for QMK . Apparantly there's a utility on QMK that allows your keyboard to change colors depending on how fast you type.

Hot-swappable boards seem to be the new fad now. I can't see a negative side affect with going to a hot-swappable PCB as long as the switches are secured in place. QMK has intrigued me a good bit so I will definitely read into its functionalities.

For me it's really more about the plate material, switches, tuning of switches & stabs, & sound dampening steps taken that make the ultimate board. Sure it is very nice to put all of my favorites of those into a high end custom case, but at the end of the day I honestly think it's the time & care taken when putting a board together that makes it special or not. I mean think about it if you had the choice of using a say a Keycult No1, but it has pre re-tooling MX browns that are unlubed, knock off clip in PCB mount stabs unlubed, & the plate is a material you do not like. Or the other option would be say a KBDfans 8X that has properly lubed & filmed Holy Pandas, GMK screw in stabs clipped/properly lubed, the plate is made from your favorite material, & proper sound dampening has been done between the plate, PCB, & case. Which would you choose to use? Personally I'd go with the KBDfans 8X as it will feel many times better than the Keycult No1 in this scenario. So honestly I would put much more emphasis on the little details to get my ultimate MKB & just make sure I select a decently high end case that is made of alum. or PC that I really like the design of & comes with a high quality PCB.

In fact I'm in the process of that right now TBH. I recently got my E6.5 & went for an aluminum one with a brass plate. I plan on using MD HPs lubed with 3203 on the sliders/housings, TX's synthetic paraffin oil on the springs, 70g TX springs, & white switch films for the switches. GMK screw in PCB mount stabs clipped & lubed with Christolube MCG129, then use MK ultra 65% plate & case foams for sound dampening. That is honestly my ideal ultimate MX based board. I guess if we want to get into wishful thinking territory if the E6.5 supported ALPS SKCM/L switches & I could put the batch of damn near NOS SKCM browns I got in it, then it would become my ultimate MKB no questions asked!

I agree with you that the attention to detail and care going into the process does make a great deal of difference. I've tried all different combinations of switches and plate materials throughout my builds ranging from blues, vintage browns, Nixdorfs, Zealios, etc. This was all before Massdrop offered all these different switches and Zeal had just come out with his first iteration of Zealios. In the end I have settled for a set of vintage blacks from a board NIB from 1986 if I recall correctly, lubed, and spring swapped with a set of 65g Korean springs that I had received from an OTD 360c kit. I couldn't replicate this combination even if I wanted to. I'm curious to try out new switches but I really have no desire to amass a collection anymore. Perhaps that's where the benefits of a hot-swappable board come into play. I do like the idea of hot-swappable boards just for the fact of being able to easily disassemble everything and clean it. In the end, the aluminum housing does have a little to play in terms of tactile response but more so for visual appeal. I really desire a keyboard with a deep crimson red or sky blue color.

I appreciate both of your responses. It is quite interesting seeing what details people like to focus on the most.

No problem, glad I could help you gain a bit more insight on what other people are doing or liking currently. Hot swap is something that can be really helpful with all the new switches coming out. If you got a HS PCB it's no problem to buy a batch of whatever boutique switch or make some frankenswitches & be able to try them out without killing the resale value by putting solder to them. That combined with HS PCBs becoming more common on high end kits makes it a more feasible option now than ever before. Although if linear switches are your thing, properly lubed vint blacks & retolled blacks still are top tier linear switches IME. Creams are pretty interesting from the samples I got & Tealios, Healios, & Gat Inks are smooth as ice even before lube, but none of them have the warm sound the Cherry housings give. So if you get yourself  an exceptionally smooth batch of MX blacks (vint or retooled) IMHO they are every bit as good any of the boutique switches & sound better as a bonus!

Tactile MX switches are a different story though. There has been much progress made in the MX realm on making the tactile bump much bigger & smoother or sharper depending on what switch over the past few yrs. So if you want to go with MX tactiles on this build I'd highly recommend seeing if you can borrow someones switch tester that has a good bit of the newer popular tactile switches. Anyways GL with this build & I'm also looking forward to seeing what other people's opinions are on this subject!   

I really appreciate your opinion on the matter. I started out liking tactile switches but slowly turned into liking linears more and more. I would like to try alternative linears switches but I have the mentality of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it". I know for certain that I really like a nice lubed set of vintage blacks. I was curious if there had been much advancements made in the linear department but I never really had any gripes with my lubed vintage blacks.

There's only so much overpriced barebones stuff you can make before it becomes pointless. I'd go out on a limb and say that a stock Chinese factory-made aluminum case is functionally identical (i.e. you could not tell the difference when typing if blindfolded) to the same thing made to 'super high spec $650 Korean aircraft-grade aluminum', so everything beyond the case has to set it apart. Tight tolerances, wide choice of color/anodizing, standard QMK-compatible PCB are all a given. What would make me, an infrequent buyer want to spend more are special features; the ergonomic stagger in an Alice, the acrylic diffuser in the original Lightsavers (that are now common and thus not worth paying much extra for), tasteful aesthetics that set the board apart from barebones fare (Canoe is a good example), perhaps gasket mount (haven't tried it), hotswap capabilities, etc. 

That's the thing about keyboards in general; if everyone just made the same simple good quality stuff with no variation, everyone would just have one and have them all - no need to come back for more. But we know that's not the case, because it's innovation and improvements that make this hobby a deep and enjoyable one. I for one would've permanently left years ago after getting my 'endgame' if the new Chinese switches and wealth of custom keyboards didn't pique my interest and make even better options than my endgame.

I agree that there isn't many functionalities that set each board apart. In terms of simplicity, I prefer minimal LEDs and a case design that doesn't seem too bulky. I love that there is an abundance of variation to help fit each individual's taste. My preferences typically lean toward a case design that looks like each design choice was made with purpose and not necessarily adding features for the sake of being different. That's just my personal taste, however, I'm glad we all like different things so there is a drive for innovation and creativity. It's a shame that I had missed out on the Alice GB. The ergonomics of it intrigued me and I really want to give it a try. However, I'm a bit afraid to dive in headfirst with a personal build with a layout that I am not certain I will enjoy. I'm hoping to keep the amount of prototyping to a minimum to hopefully prevent the costs from getting too out of hand.

[killyou]

I don't need a custom keyboard unless there is mass produced one that satisfies my requirements which are:

- alu body
- plate
- hot swappable PCB
- 60%
- at least some degree of programmability

All of these, except hot swap, are satisfied by Pok3r which I modded with holtites so I'm good. Although I wish there would be some more choices in traditional 60% with hot swap and high quality cases. I wish I could get something with thin bezel but non-floating design which I'm a bit tired of. I'd like some nice 60% cases that would suit 9009 and Laser keysets.

[DALExSNAIL]

Camo filco, silent linears, somehow made of brass and aluminum.

[Steezus]

I don't need a custom keyboard unless there is mass produced one that satisfies my requirements which are:

- alu body
- plate
- hot swappable PCB
- 60%
- at least some degree of programmability

All of these, except hot swap, are satisfied by Pok3r which I modded with holtites so I'm good. Although I wish there would be some more choices in traditional 60% with hot swap and high quality cases. I wish I could get something with thin bezel but non-floating design which I'm a bit tired of. I'd like some nice 60% cases that would suit 9009 and Laser keysets.

I started out with two Pok3rs but I could never really fall in love with the 60% layout. My two favorite layouts are TKL and a compact 1800.

Camo filco, silent linears, somehow made of brass and aluminum.

While my Jane CE was down for about two years I resulted in using my camo filco with blacks. It was enjoyable enough that I didn't really have the desire to fix my board for the longest time. After I got around to re-capping some amplifiers it got me in the mood to do some solder work again. It's the last 10-15% of the keyboard where custom boards really shine but at a huge cost increase.

[SneakyRobb]

I want to have such a large amount of over travel that I never bottom out

[Sintpinty]

Ultimate board would be one that is truly flexible in typing. Many boards try to make flex with gaskets but the gaskets are too compressed with the screws to matter, dunno anything about science but a magnetically levitated plate would be sick haha. The ultimate board varies for everyone though keep in mind.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Acrylic keyboards comes the closest to the feel you want.

In my opinion, switches come the closest to the feel i want. Doesn't matter about the keyboards.

[suicidal_orange]

I completely agree with the OP - a custom keyboard should be one of a kind, made especially for its owner's requirements.  'Custom' rectangular boards may be practical and exotic materials and mounts do affect the feel, and hotswappable switches are good for newbies and people with short attention spans but at the end of the day most boards are still a boring rectangle.

There have been a few proper customs but for me Kurplop is the master, his most impressive is the Planet 6 (project thread)


With honourable mention for his previous one, the Alumaplop (project thread)


Another memorable one was Yesguchi's vertical keyboard/mouse (project thread)


Looking forward to adding yours to the list Steezus

[ideus]

I completely agree with the OP - a custom keyboard should be one of a kind, made especially for its owner's requirements.  'Custom' rectangular boards may be practical and exotic materials and mounts do affect the feel, and hotswappable switches are good for newbies and people with short attention spans but at the end of the day most boards are still a boring rectangle.

There have been a few proper customs but for me Kurplop is the master, his most impressive is the Planet 6 (project thread)

Show Image

With honourable mention for his previous one, the Alumaplop (project thread)

Show Image

Another memorable one was Yesguchi's vertical keyboard/mouse (project thread)

Show Image

Looking forward to adding yours to the list Steezus :thumb:

If that were the actual standard for a custom; then, anything less just does not qualify. However, even modest customization like layout fine tuning, switch adjusting and key cap selection are all good examples of garden variety customizations that give the owner some degree of adequacy for her personal use. The examples you mentioned are extreme cases of great deal of skills, design and time invested in constructing very unique examples of key boards. But, they are by no means representative of what most people can do to adapt a keyboard. It is hard to believe that a rectangular keyboard should not be considered a custom keyboard, just because it is rectangular.

[romevi]

The last one.

[mizzoperator]

The ultimate custom keyboard for me would have the following:
-Hotswappable switches
-Modest RGB with no light bundling
-ISO layout with exceptionally fat enter key
-Giant macro pad on the left
-Has a fancy LED screen somewhere
-Relegendable keycaps on the macro pad and on the function keys
-THE thickest keycaps imaginable on all the other keys, like, even beefier Fujitsus
-Full size, no 60% nonsense
-Can make me breakfast
-Warps the perception of spacetime

[Steezus]

I completely agree with the OP - a custom keyboard should be one of a kind, made especially for its owner's requirements.  'Custom' rectangular boards may be practical and exotic materials and mounts do affect the feel, and hotswappable switches are good for newbies and people with short attention spans but at the end of the day most boards are still a boring rectangle.

There have been a few proper customs but for me Kurplop is the master, his most impressive is the Planet 6 (project thread)

Show Image

With honourable mention for his previous one, the Alumaplop (project thread)

Show Image

Another memorable one was Yesguchi's vertical keyboard/mouse (project thread)

Show Image

Looking forward to adding yours to the list Steezus :thumb:

Those are all very interesting boards. I really admire the craftsmanship in them. I'm currently in the deliberation phase trying to figure out what features I truly desire. I have been trying to analyze what keys and functions I use the most and see if I can come up with a more efficient process. All these ergo boards that I have been seeing in recent GBs really has me intrigued. I would like to get my hands on a split layout board first to see if that is a typing style that I can enjoy. I plan on really taking my time with this build. I more than likely won't have any tangible results for several months.

[yuppie]

OTD 356.2 or 356CL in one of the grey or black colors. More about aesthetic than feel or sound, although I do value feel and sound very much.

Silent switches, sturdy case. I haven't really gotten to try a super flexible board from acrylic, but I hear it's good.

[Steezus]

OTD 356.2 or 356CL in one of the grey or black colors. More about aesthetic than feel or sound, although I do value feel and sound very much.

Silent switches, sturdy case. I haven't really gotten to try a super flexible board from acrylic, but I hear it's good.

Those are two OTDs that I had never experienced. I really do enjoy the refined look they have. There are far better boards in terms of functionality out now. I believe there are some even more aesthetically pleasing than a lot of OTDs. I enjoyed the ones I had but to me, they were overhyped given the prices even back then which now everything has skyrocketed.

[mlev6]

At work I have a duet keyboard, it has a rare form factor - a cylindrical high mounted switch plate, which I find very nice to type on because I don't have to "bend" my fingers at all as my fingers can naturally rest on those keys and type with that upward cylindrical form factor. I decked it with ergo clears too to complement the fact that on that board my fingers are naturally closer to the keys than on a flat board. So that way pressing the keys to hard from finger velocity is greatly minimized by the curved design I find.