/mkg/ - Mechanical Keyboard General

/mkg/ Artisan Edition

>Buyer's template:
pastebin.com/33S1gVkG
>Where to Buy:
pastebin.com/8Yku80VL
>FAQs:
pastebin.com/M5w7QtKp
>Use the buyer's template
pastebin.com/33S1gVkG
>Group Buys
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nl3D0wIqf3tU43bu0mc0LSkxeh2CxGrchr_OViEjZ4c/htmlview
massdrop.com/
>Keyboard wiki
deskthority.net/wiki/Main_Page
>Keyset wiki
keypuller.com (web.archive.org/web/20161101152119/http://keypuller.com/)

last thread

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Other urls found in this thread:

mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=3621
amazon.com/Cooler-Master-MasterKeys-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B01ITE93OM/ref=pd_sim_147_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01ITE93OM&pd_rd_r=67422e21-90de-11e8-bac5-a34d8716c49e&pd_rd_w=BQ2vG&pd_rd_wg=iQLLp&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2610440344683357453&pf_rd_r=27QMNEQGAN2MY3Q83AN6&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=27QMNEQGAN2MY3Q83AN6
digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/3mm-round-with-domed-top-led-lamps/34235
youtube.com/watch?v=Jm6P8rLUvmw
modelfkeyboards.com/
twitter.com/NSFWRedditGif

OPs mum is a well used dell rubberdome

Any good tenkeyless kits? Or should I just fall for the 70% meme. I guess I only need home and end keys, and print screen

Anyone have recommendations for DIY keyboard kits that aren't gonna hurt my wallet too much? I've been looking at maybe making an ergodox but I really don't wanna have to spend $300 on it.

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Can I clean my abs keycaps in a big bowl of water and liquid hand soap?
Do I leave them there overnight or what

>Budget
$150 ish
>Location
USA
>Preferred switch type
Unsure, first mechanical keyboard. Mostly used for gaming, I was told to look for mx reds?
>Layout
Not sure what this means exactly. QWERTY?
>Form factor
100%, and either a slider or buttons for audio volume is a big win
>Backlight
Yes, don’t care about which color as long as it’s not too sparkly or flamboyant.
>Current keyboard
Logitech G110, I don’t want those damned extra macro keys on the side wasting space, or any of the xtra fluff nonsense on that keyboard

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mechanicalkeyboards.com
Just pick a Ducky keyboard that you like. Use their advanced search to narrow down what you want

No no your supposed to pick it FOR me! I’m too dumb to use all that nonsense.

0 reason to spend $150 if you just want reds in a board. On the cheap side you could just get a reddragon or something off amazon with outemu reds, there is a gigabyte full size board with cherry reds for $40, and if you want to get fancy get a coolermaster pbt s with cherry reds for $70.
Alternatively you could get a good stock linear(v rare) like a kailh BOX black but to do that you'd need to buy a naked glorious modular mechanical keyboard and drop in the switches yourself.

Why is everyone freaking out all of a sudden over the supposed cracking of keycap stems caused by box switches

Are there better switches for gaming? That’s all I’ll really be doing that I give a shit about

You can, but water should be warm at best, ABS warp at high temps.

Your inputs will get to the game regardless of the switch. The only switches that would cause any issue are very heavy ones like a mx clear or maybe box navy but even then some people don't mind them.
I would seriously just pick up a cheap board with outemu or gateron reds from china on amazon or aliexpress. I don't see any reason to pay $150 for a board with reds when the same typing experience is available for $40.

>coolermaster pbt s with cherry reds for $70.
Or ikbc. Cherry switches, boards itself are just as decent as Ducky, but a bit cheaper.
MX Blues/Greens hysteresis can cause issues in games where you need to mash keys repeatedly.
>I don't see any reason to pay $150 for a board with reds when the same typing experience is available for $40.
PBT caps and not fucking "floating keys" case design tho.

Yeah that's fine. Leave them in a towel for a couple hours, shake em a couple times to move them around.

I'd recommend scrubbing the tops with an old toothbrush if they're really dirty.

Reds being a gaming switch is a meme, they're just bad switches with no feedback. I'd recommend blues if you have no problem with being noisy, or browns otherwise. If you like to type heavier try clears or greens.

Ducky keyboards are pretty shit desu senpai.

Yeah good caps and bezels are desirable. If it's a first board though he's probably just going to end up getting another one in the future with different switches.
With a budget of $150 I agree that ikbc or cm pbt s is a good middle ground. Could even get some nice aftermarket keycaps with the left over money.
CM pbt s chassis is awesome and the stock keycaps are PBT but the legends are shit and can fade quickly.

>Ducky keyboards are pretty shit desu senpai.
What's not shit then?

Vortex, Leopold and Filco are pretty good.

>Vortex
Same shit, desu.
>Leopold
Actually true.
>Filco
Filco quality is a meme. Mediocre boards with shit keycaps, overpriced for no reason other than being Japanese (made in Taiwan).

I got a corsair with cherry browns, it's also got the knurled volume roller. How did I do?

Could've done better for less money.

show me the light

How are Duckys shit? They have doubleshot PBT, five programmable layers, programmable media keys, and steel construction

>>Vortex
>Same shit, desu.
My Poker II has been rock solid since I bought it on release.

>Filco quality is a meme
They're good, not great, but better than ducky.

Shitty plastic housing, the soldering on the boards is sub-par, and they have shit aesthetics.

Try the not-actually-an-XD75 on massdrop right now. Or a tada kit from KBDfans. Whichever layout you prefer, they're both around $100.

Yeah, speed ones. I genuinely like gaming on them. But keep in mind everyone who's tried typing on them hated it so make sure you have a better way to type handy if you want to do a lot of that (if you just shitpost on Jow Forums and play games you should be fine).

>MX Blues/Greens hysteresis can cause issues in games where you need to mash keys repeatedly.
Wrong. I have blues and you can easily hover around the actuation point before the clicking mechanism resets and double tap repeatedly. I find it easier to do on blues then reds because you can feel the clicking mechanism so you know when to double tap

The plastic housing is solid and their soldering is one of the best. Minimal aesthetic are God tier, unless it's the shine 6 which does suck ass

Why do I feel like you're part of Ducky's marketing department.

Fuck off with your shilling. I've had to fix cold solders on 3 separate ducky boards and seen another 2 with cracked casings.

They aren't even great minimal aesthetics, they're just standard garbage.

>They aren't even great minimal aesthetics, they're just standard garbage.
Said the man shilling Filco, lol.

Also, tell me how's pad printed ABS is a good aesthetic.

You might notice I didn't complain about the PBT.

It's objectively the best plastic, especially when it's double shot. But Ducky's fonts are shit and so are you.

Ducky uses a standard font tho

Is this font more to your liking?

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Do you care about macros? if so then get a Ducky One
mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=3621

If you don't then get a cooler master
Just know that the keycaps aren't as good as the Ducky and you'll have to spend an extra 30 bucks for a decent PBT set
amazon.com/Cooler-Master-MasterKeys-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B01ITE93OM/ref=pd_sim_147_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01ITE93OM&pd_rd_r=67422e21-90de-11e8-bac5-a34d8716c49e&pd_rd_w=BQ2vG&pd_rd_wg=iQLLp&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2610440344683357453&pf_rd_r=27QMNEQGAN2MY3Q83AN6&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=27QMNEQGAN2MY3Q83AN6

>Poker II
You do know that keyboard was made by Ducky. Ducky is one of the largest OEMs in the keyboard market. They make all the Vortex, IKBC, Mistel, MK, and Varmilo keyboards.

And standard fonts are shit.

Yeah man, gamer fonts are really cool

I'm just going off experience here. I've had to fix a fair few ducky boards but never a Vortex.

And in my experience Ducky keyboards are great. I bought one to try out cherry switches and found that they suck. So I threw the keyboard into an industrial metal shop without protection and it's still hear after two years.

Wait what

A question for those bintage Model M and the like connaisseurs - how do you deal with not having a super key?

Not a model M, but I remapped my super key to an Fn and I don't miss it

I don't need two alt keys so one of them is rebound to super

Reason i'm asking is because i've been think about getting a Compaq MX11800 but it doesn't have one

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Smells like bullshit.

Varmilo have their own production.
Ikbc is chinese, Vortex is their parent company and OEM.

IKBC is just Ducky's Chinese agent since Ducky is a Taiwanese company and can't operate in china. Leopold used to be Varmilos OEM, but last year they switched to Ducky

Former Ducky agent in china was called Magic Duck, and now its Akko.
As for ikbc
>Regarding your question about the relationship between Vortex & iKBC, Vortex is the parent company of iKBC, and the latter designs and produces the keyboards.
source: geek whack . org/index.php?topic=85068.msg2279406#msg2279406
(fucking spam list)

Weird since Ducky has referred to IKBC as their Chinese agent, and IKBC also sells rebranded Ducky keyboards, and Vortex Pok3r keyboards contain Ducky OEM parts. I say they're all same since they use Ducky's factories

Apart from ikbc switching from vortex doubleshots to ducky on latter versions of F models, they dont have much in common I believe.

Their RGB keyboards are just shine 5s in a different case

how's the cushioning/damping on mx silent?

Since we're talking about ducky, anyone know what type of LEDs ducky one 2s use? Since there are literally no good tkl kits that arent $225 I'm thinking about resoldering the switches on a ducky.

>0 reason to spend $150 if you just want reds in a board
Enjoy your ABS keycaps.

My box Navys came in!

I love these, they're so tactile yet smooth, the sound is great.

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these are the ones they use or very very similar
digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/3mm-round-with-domed-top-led-lamps/34235

You can get keyboards with PBT keycaps for under 60 bucks now

Anyone want to buy/trade? KUL ES-87, browns

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So now that reddit seems to have discovered that some BOX switches crack PREMIUM ABS keycap stems, imma have to find a new board to put my laser memes on.
Any recommendations for board and (linear) switches for a 68-75% ish size keyboard?
Budget's not really an issue, but don't wanna do more than 300$ board and switches inclusive if I can avoid it.

currently using this massive meme, clueboard.

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You could just sand either the cross on the switch stems a bit, or the inside of the stems of the keycaps. That or just don't fall for the GMK meme.

>crack PREMIUM ABS
that doesn't make sense. ABS is much stronger then PBT so if anything people should've noticed the PBT stems cracked like some of the cheap ones already do

Attached: Gateron PBT.jpg (3264x2448, 1.19M)

just get a tada68 of taobao for 60 bucks

>GMKucks

You tell me. I've even a switch in a switch tester, with a shitty abs cap on it, it's cracked. My board has 2 different sets of pbt on it, none are cracked. Also it seems it's not snap in twain like your pic, but stress fractures along the stem.

No u. Sounds pretty impossible to sand the insides of stems or caps. You got experience with that or what?

>ABS is much stronger then PBT
Akshually, pbt is stronger, but more brittle.

You can just cut a small piece of sandpaper and use that (maybe use a utensil or something if you want the rigidity). Doubt you'd need to sand it much at all to fix whatever tolerance issue there might be.

ABS is often mixed with polystyrene to make it much more durable and stronger. That's why it's common to find cracked or damaged PBT keycaps

I mean it could work. But how would I know when they'd have had enough sanding?

Fool me once...
Guess I could just flip it for 2x on mechmarket or something, but I've been heavily invested in the vapor aesthetic for years now. Probably wont be a similar set ever. Maybe tai hao will copy it in the future.

>But how would I know when they'd have had enough sanding?
You'd try the keycap on the stem, and see how tight it feels. Maybe put small pieces of sandpaper on tweezers or something.

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youtube.com/watch?v=Jm6P8rLUvmw

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that makes more sense. EnjoyPBT uses gateron keycaps which are pretty cheap and break more often then other brands like Leopold and Varmilo

I've never even had that issue, I think people must be putting the caps on retardedly

Then again, I only ever use pbt. Why on Earth would someone buy ABS when it's known to shine? Like, I seriously don't get the logic.

Because it looked hella cool? Show me a pbt set with vaporwave aesthetics.

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Checkmate

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Miami pbt keysets kek

Also those nice dye sub pink/gray Japanese ones.

You fokin WHAT?
Whose is that?

Got the first one, sorta wrote the second one off when they hiked the price after reddit aught wind. Maybe I should get them.

someone wanted a laser set for his topre keyboard, so he made one. It's very easy to dye-sub your own keycaps, but most people just pay someone else to do so

But how are the legends made? Where does one go to pay someone else to make it, or learn how to do it yourself.

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buy a dye-sub printer for 300 bucks and print the whole thing yourself.

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I vaguely remember seeing a chink laser set on aliexpress. Can't be assed to find it now though.

Shiet
Can I make money selling meme sets to reddit autists? It seems like PBT dye-sub sets are infrequent enough to maybe be worth it

you don't need a dye-sub printer, some ink jet printers can take dye-sub ink, you then just need to transfer it to the keycap a thermoplastic film

Make a PBT DSA set of the space cadet keys and I'll buy it off you :^)

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I don't have either, and that's a pretty large expenditure for a one off thing.

Polystyrene is a softer, weaker plastic and are usually found in the high impact variant which is softer and more elastic

Duck, so it's not compatible with box switches? I've heard 1.8mm barely fit as is

You can, but I doubt you'll make a lot since the cost of starting up is relatively low so others can easily invade your space
Buy a used printer off Craigslist for 50 bucks

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weird Wikipedia says polystyrene is a hard but brittle plastic and is usually mixed with other plastics like ABS to make them harder, but I guess I shouldn't trust them

>Buy a used printer off Craigslist for 50 bucks
I don't live in the US of A. No used ones for sale on my craigslist thingies.

Well noones doing it right now, so i'm sure you can make money by not having scruples. I imagine the set makers might hate you tho

set makers don't care as was seen with all the chink knockoffs on aliexpress

So you are supposed to put your own sticker for the key label?

If you're looking at commercial goods then yea you shouldn't trust wiki

Hiked up the price? They're less than $50 on Amazon. I'm not talking about the Reddit meme ones, I mean the ones from ymdk.

My bad. Anyway I remember the reason I didn't get any of those sets. Got a 2.25u shift and a 1u R1 that most normal sets don't cover.

Weird the deskthority wiki says the same thing too

Shows their low quality

Weird McMaster also says the same thing. I guess all those places are wrong and some user on Jow Forums is right.

What do you buy if you want that oldstyle grey keyboard feel?

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modelfkeyboards.com/ if money is not an issue.