Hi Geekhack!

[MasterNoobz]

So I finally bit the bullet and joined Geekhack, no turning back now!

A little about myself, I'm a Mechanical Engineer from the midwest USA and have been into computers and tech for most of my life. I've had some decent OEM mechs in the past (DAS Keyboards) but had no idea just how much more there was out there. My friend recently turned me onto this hobby and now a couple months later I'm following discords and joining group buys with reckless abandon! I will never forgive him for what it has turned me into! Just finished my first semi-custom build a month back and I absolutely love it. (Monstargear Alu XO v2 TKL, Zeal "Cherry" stabs, Zealios V2 62g, and Ducky Good in Blue PBT keycaps)

Hoping to learn more about building and soldering and this is a great place to do that. It seems that I spend more time than ever in front of a computer these days so it makes perfect sense to me to want to type on a comfortable fancy keeb. Looking forward to meeting more people interested in this hobby. Happy to be a part of the community!

[Maledicted]

Hi MasterNoobz. Welcome to Geekhack.

So I finally bit the bullet and joined Geekhack, no turning back now!

Yes, in the wise words of Darth Vader, "There is no escape!".

A little about myself, I'm a Mechanical Engineer from the midwest USA and have been into computers and tech for most of my life. I've had some decent OEM mechs in the past (DAS Keyboards) but had no idea just how much more there was out there. My friend recently turned me onto this hobby and now a couple months later I'm following discords and joining group buys with reckless abandon! I will never forgive him for what it has turned me into! Just finished my first semi-custom build a month back and I absolutely love it. (Monstargear Alu XO v2 TKL, Zeal "Cherry" stabs, Zealios V2 62g, and Ducky Good in Blue PBT keycaps)

What Das boards have you had? I quite like my Das Pro 4. I put some box navies into it and slapped some cheap thick PBT double shots on it and it is even better than ever. Your friend should owe you every cent you spend on keyboard-related products. It is going to add up quick. That Alu XO has got some class, I like it. Tactile guy? What switch types are you interested? Which ones do you like? I'm into clickies and haven't tried Zealios myself.

Hoping to learn more about building and soldering and this is a great place to do that. It seems that I spend more time than ever in front of a computer these days so it makes perfect sense to me to want to type on a comfortable fancy keeb. Looking forward to meeting more people interested in this hobby. Happy to be a part of the community!

Keyboards are great for learning soldering, maybe the best modern practical scenario for that. Everything else is way too tiny and close together now for novices. Absolutely. I felt the same way. It makes you wonder how you used all of those rubber dome boards for so many years. I'm sure the community will be happy to have you. 

[MasterNoobz]

Hi Maledicted!

My first mechanical board was a Das Model S Professional with Cherry Blue clickies. I loved that board and was devastated when the PCB failed in it. I replaced it with a Das Pro 4 with Cherry Blues which I currently use at work. My office does not mind the loudness of the blues which is awesome. I've also had a couple Corsair boards with Cherry Blues as well. They were my favorite switch up until a few months back when I started learning about the other options out there. Currently I switch between Kailh Box Whites, Zealios and Zilents. I don't think I could commit to liking a specific type of switch more than others but I gravitate to tactile bumps and clickies when I can. Also I've noticed that the heavier switches hurt my fingers over time so I tend to go a lighter on my weights. I know I really like the hotswap functionality but soldered switches tend to be more stable so eventually I will delve into that.

A lot there but I could chat about this stuff for hours.

[Maledicted]

Sorry to hear the Model S Professional gave up the ghost, at least you got a Das Pro 4 out of the deal. I imagine you like that even more. I love having those volume knobs/sliders/encoders.

They don't mind blues, but they may mind what you eventually end up with. lol. I have been using Alps SKCM blues and IBM's capacitive buckling spring boards at work lately. At least one student (I'm an IT tech for a school district) doesn't like my Model Fs, though he liked everything else, besides the navies (including MX blues, when I still had them in the rotation).

What box switches have you tried? I wasn't a huge fan of the whites, but I do think they might fit in well for a compromise switch for gaming keyboards, so that they still actually have a click but aren't very stiff. The jades and navies can almost compete with the dead switch types of old.

I haven't tried any of the boutique switches like Zealios and Zilents, though I should. I stick mostly to clickies. How would you compare them in terms of tactility to the whites, mx blues, and other clickies you have tried?

Which switches that you've felt would you consider to be heavy? I, and others, have noticed that linears in particular seem to be more fatiguing at a given weighting than switches of other types.

Yeah, soldering is great for a board you want to set up just the way it is, forever, and never have to worry about it again.

That's not a lot, I imagine it is about to get much bigger. lol

[MasterNoobz]

I've actually tired quite a few of the Kailh Box switches...

Box Noble Yellows --> Box Jades --> Box Glazed Greens --> Box Whites

I ended up sticking with the Whites because they were a good compromise between clickyness, tactility and overall use for typing and gaming. The Zealios for not actually being "clicky" switches are quite satisfying to type with, they are very tactile. I would say more tactile than the Whites but in a smoother way. The Zilents are a much smoother version of the Zealios but sacrifice slightly on tactility.

I'm trying to justify grabbing an R2 Austin when the sale goes live but I would have to solder all 102 switches for it! haha

[Maledicted]

I need to try some of those more special edition box switches. I had heard great things about noble yellows, but there were always detractors who preferred jades as well.

So you decided the whites fit best into the same role that I did. That gives me more confidence to possibly go with those instead of sticking with linears for my gaming board. The whites barely have any tactility, but even having more than whites is an accomplishment for tactiles, of the few modern ones I have felt. That's good to know.

That's a sharp-looking board. I find the soldering to be the fun part, therapeutic even. Desoldering switches, especially if there are in-switch LEDs as well, now that's annoying.