Work Station Upgrade pt.4 - Keyboard(s)
KBD75v2 keyboard with GMK Godspeed keycaps, a coiled aviator USB-C cable and artisan keycap.
Lubed and filmed Tealios v2 linear switches with GMK screw-in stabilizers and a brass plate
Gen.S Prism Artisan Keycap in Opal
My teaching online has been greatly improved by the first three parts of this series of my work station upgrades. A lot of the upgrades have just been me understanding how to use different pieces of software and how to most effectively use certain websites. I might make a different series for just sites and software that have been helpful.
For this part, however, I’m talking about a peripheral that most people overlook and some people take way too seriously. If there were a spectrum of keyboard users where 1 would be okay with a generic k-mart keyboard and 10 would be someone who builds their own keyboard from scratch and joins group buys for keycaps that won’t come for 9 months, I would probably be a 7.5.
My first “special” keyboard was a Pok3r 60% keyboard with Cherry MX Brown tactile switches. I thought this was the best and coolest keyboard of all time. When I built my PC, I knew that a 60% wouldn’t be enough so I wanted a full-sized keyboard and linear switches for gaming so I got the Cosair K70RGB and it treated me really well. This Christmas, I got a Keychron K2 75% keyboard with Gateron Reds from a Secret Santa gift exchange. I loved it even better than my other two at the time and realized that 75% was the sweet spot for me. Much more compact than a full-sized and even ten keyless keyboard but still had function and arrow keys which were a pain to deal with with my 60%.
I’ve been wanting to build my own keyboard for a while but I didn’t want to learn how to solder and since I had an itch to get something even better than the Keychron. I found pretty much the perfect keyboard case but it wouldn’t be delivered until late 2021 - a GMMK Pro. Since I’m impatient, I started researching other keyboards and found another great 75% keyboard that wasn’t absolutely ridiculous in price (although I think many people will think the price is indeed ridiculous). I found a lightly used KBD75v2 keyboard with lubed and filmed Tealios switches and an upgraded brass plate (pictured above). I added GMK Godspeed keycaps and for the escape key, I got an Opal Gen.S Prism artisan keycap.
For those who don’t know (and I’m barely finding this out myself, keyboard switches can be lubed to feel smoother. You can also film them where a little piece of plastic in the switch housing to reduce wobble. I didn’t know how much this would make a difference along with even more premium switches than Cherry or Gateron. When I first typed on this, I realized how much I was missing out. There was no wobble, a super smooth keystroke, and the most calming sound while working. In fact, the reason why I started writing these blogs is because I wanted a reason to type on this keyboard. I was actually just practicing on Monkeytype testing out my typing speed (~100wpm).
Unfortunately, especially these days, it’s so hard to find out what you want because you really can’t feel keyboards like this unless you drive to some specialty store or know someone with it. Even then, it’s so hard to find the type of switch you would like and keycap profile. I got based my purchase on reading stuff and trusting that the person who made this knew what they were doing. When my GMMK Pro comes in, I might switch it up with the switches and I might try to just build it on my own. Until then, I’m thoroughly enjoying this keyboard and will eventually upgrade the keycaps to perhaps a GMK set. Not sure if that’s a great idea, but I’m already this deep into the game.