Here’s a sad fact: we’re gross! Our fingers ooze oil. Our skin flakes off. Our body sheds hair as fast as we can grow it. Despite our best efforts to keep our keyboards clean, the reality is that we’re all just grubby little garbage people. Given enough time, our natural processes will reduce a keyboard to the hygenic level of a public bus seat.  That’s why it’s essential to give your keyboard a regular cleaning regimen. We suggest two: a quick clean every two or so weeks and a deep clean every four to six months.  Method 1: Quick Clean  Use this method to remove germs, debris ..read more

Maybe you saw an amazing keyboard on Tiktok or YouTube, or you went to a friend’s house and saw them clacking away on theirs, or you saw a retro board in a show like Severance. Whatever your hook was, you’re now standing outside the keyboard hobby looking in. You’re intrigued but saying: yeah, they’re cool, but are they worth taking the leap? Every hobby requires a commitment of research time and money, and keyboards are no different. I’m not going to lie: I’m biased. I love keyboards. I mean, I work for a keyboard company. It’s pretty obvious. So I’m just going to put all of my cards on the t ..read more

What is a Group Buy? A Group Buy is a form of crowdfunding, like Kickstarter. When you join a Group Buy, you pre-order the product you want to be made, usually at a much lower cost than retail. At first glance, a Group Buy page looks like a regular product page, but there are major differences: The product doesn’t actually exist yet—only the designs do. You pay for the product up front—before manufacturing begins.  The product only gets made if enough people join the Group Buy.  If too few people join the Group Buy, the product will not get made, everyone’s money will be refunded ..read more

For those just starting out on their mechanical keyboard journey, we hope this article will be an easy and fun first step. We’re going to tackle some of the most common questions we hear from newcomers. Welcome!  What is a mechanical keyboard?  A mechanical keyboard is a computer keyboard that uses spring-activated switches.  A rubber membrane keyboard with its keycaps removed. Unlike the scissor switch keyboards found in modern laptops or the rubber membrane keyboards found alongside most PCs, a mechanical keyboard uses discrete parts that can be customized in every way imagin ..read more

Hello, I'm Zurry. "Long time" mechanical keyboard enthusiast. I started with a Das Keyboard in 2012 and quickly fell in love with clicking and clacking. My next board was a WASD keyboard in 2013 with custom (anime) legends that I designed myself [so you know I'm a real one]. There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the various aspects of mechanical keyboards, so here is a quick and easy guide to get you started. Note: All components we are talking about here are specifically Cherry MX compatible. Cherry (the company) started a lot of these standards for mechanical keyboards, so many ..read more

Keycaps are available in a bewildering array of colors and shapes. It’s easy to get lost in keyboard community projects due to complex product pages and nonstandard layouts. We’re here to help — it’s time for keycap fundamentals. You’ll be a confident shopper after some light DIY research, help from the mechanical keyboard community, and this guide. So... What keycaps fit my keyboard? Find keycaps that fit and join a group buy with these steps: Identify your keyboard layout and any nonstandard keycap sizes Inspect your switches and their stem / mount compatibility Ensure kit coverage ..read more

Hotswap = changing switches without soldering Hotswap (also hot-swap or hot swap) is an acclaimed feature that Kono Store and Input Club adopted early. It describes keyboards that allow switch replacement without soldering. Kaihua (Kailh), a premier switch manufacturer in China, created the market-dominating hotswap socket design pictured below. How can that get confusing? Many sites say that hotswap keyboards have “hotswap switches,” which is rarely the case and can cause mild confusion. Switches from Cherry MX-style hotswap keyboards are usable in keyboards with the same hotswap socke ..read more

Beam Spring switches for the modern era First, I’ll get the important questions out of the way for mechanical keyboard enthusiasts who are familiar with Beam Spring switches. Specs Beam Spring click mechanism Hall Effect sensing (Over a billion press lifespan) Cherry MX-mount stems (engineered to be safe for all keycap brands) Plate — 14mm x 14mm square cutout SMD LED support (Dual LED support possible) Dust Resistant Housing Contactless PCB Mounting Unfortunately, Silo switches are not compatible with Cherry MX-style PCBs. I’ll explain more below — hopefully the invention contactless sen ..read more

What should the future of keyboards look like? What should the future of keyboards look like? Computers embody our future. Until recently, technology was slow enough to bottleneck users. That’s no longer the case. Developments in computing power, mobility, and storage speed easily drove the industry forward, resulting in faster machines for decades. Now we’re held back by a lack of human input device innovation — primarily in the field of keyboards. A Downhill Journey Keyboards regressed in quality over the last 30 years. Cost cutting and planned obsolescence were the main motivators ..read more

Welcome to the Keyboard Club If you’re curious about mechanical keyboards - the perfect way to dive deep into the community is to join a meetup. Mechanical keyboards are a very tactile product - best experienced in person where you can try typing on one that catches your eye. This past weekend marked the 2018 Bay Area Mechanical Keyboard Meetup - a gathering of enthusiasts, vendors, and newcomers to the vibrant and welcoming mechanical keyboard community. Over 350 people and 20+ vendors and sponsors attended the event - held in downtown San Jose, CA. Recent Meetup Growth These meetups have ..read more