Hello from Seattle

[LizbetKW]

Hello! I've lurked on here a bit while doing research for my first keeb build. I finally, after many years of not having one, got a desktop computer. I do some gaming (FFXIV & The Witcher 3 currently) and typing generally. I've got a Corsair K70 Low-profile with cherry speed silvers that's quite lovely.

Then one day I discovered the r/mechanicalkeyboards, and well, I forsee myself being poor for a while :/ (the keycap sets alone..)

I'm going to list the specs for the build I want to put together in case any of you kind souls have suggestions or advice for me. I like the bare-bones, deconstructed look for 60% keebs. 

• KBDFans DZ60 RGB ANSI v2 PCB
• 1up LJD61 DIY Skeleton stainless steel plate kit /w kit stabs
• Cherry MX RGB red switches
• Zap cable set

And then here's the hard part; keycaps. There are so many out there and yet there's not. I've never done a group buy before and am kinda scared. I've been eyeing the GMK Mitolet Pulse kit, but then I just saw the KAT Atlantis renders and the GMK Copper set at Kono. My current aesthetic is very OutRun, but that copper set is veryyyy nice. Decisions, decisions.

Anyway, that's where I'm at with keebs. Thanks for reading!

[Maledicted]

Welcome, Lizbet (and fellow Corsair aficionado). I have never built a keyboard before (not sure that scratch-built stuff is my thing, but maybe, eventually, if 75% boards ever become more common), but I have modded a few now, and have tried a decent amount of switches considered to be very good. So, I would advise against Cherry MX of any kind. Kailh Box switches are smoother, and IP56 rated resistant to dust and water. The Kailh Creams switches sound nice as well, if you're going light linear, for gaming. Hopefully others will chime in as well though, since I'm a clicky guy unless I'm on my gaming rig, and I haven't bothered to do anything to my bone stock Cherry MX Red K70 for that purpose.

Is this mostly for gaming, or is there any work/productivity involved as well? I couldn't see myself using anything smaller than a 75%, even for gaming (menus), those dedicated arrow keys are too useful. You can get away with it in most things, but if you're using hotkeys in conjunction with the arrows to highlight things and/or jump around a spreadsheet ... yeah, I don't think that would be pretty. Too each their own though. I probably use arrow keys more than most people.

[LizbetKW]

Hi! Thanks for responding. I really do like the low-profile Corsair as my first mechanical keyboard. The 60% PCB I'm looking at supports dedicated arrow keys; I use those keys a lot too and wouldn't want to go without...yet. I just got a Vortex Race 3 (75%) with cherry browns as I see a lot of people like those. I'm putting some DSA keycaps on it. Thanks for the info about the Kailh switches. The 60% I build will be used for both light gaming and typing, so I'd like a somewhat tactile switch with a low actuation force (hence trying out the browns). I was also interested in the zilents. Have you tried any of those?

[Maledicted]

Hi! Thanks for responding. I really do like the low-profile Corsair as my first mechanical keyboard. The 60% PCB I'm looking at supports dedicated arrow keys; I use those keys a lot too and wouldn't want to go without...yet. I just got a Vortex Race 3 (75%) with cherry browns as I see a lot of people like those. I'm putting some DSA keycaps on it. Thanks for the info about the Kailh switches. The 60% I build will be used for both light gaming and typing, so I'd like a somewhat tactile switch with a low actuation force (hence trying out the browns). I was also interested in the zilents. Have you tried any of those?

Hmmm, I may need to look into that myself then. It might finally give me a reason to care about assembling a board.

I think with Cherry MX Brown you either love them or hate them. There are brown die hards, and then there are people who would rather use just about anything else (other than particularly unpleasant dead standard vintage switches). I think that the descriptions of them being gritty reds is apt, myself, but I think some people lube them as well and/or say that they need to be worn in.

I have not tried Zilents, unfortunately. I'm a clicky guy myself, and the louder the better, though I know there are purposes for quiet switches. If I were you, I would get a switch tester with as many of the switches you feel you may be interested in as possible. I would have a huge one here now if they weren't out of stock already when I ordered. I think some places have ones you can pick the switches for, like NovelKeys. They do have Zilents as an option.

I was hoping others would chime in, but nobody seems to really visit this section much. You might want to try posting in the keyboards section of the forum about switches.