Sharon Harding
I visited a friend last week and saw for the first time a mechanical keyboard on her desk. This was a surprise as someone I’ve known for decades and wasn’t really into technology. But her work has become partially remote since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so she needed something comfortable with a numeric keypad to use at home. The keyboard was cheap and readily available on Amazon, and was popular because it looked cute and was “very ticky,” she told me.
My friend isn’t the only one new to mechanical switches. The demand for more tactile, durable typing, gaming, and number crunching has made pre-assembled mechanical his keyboards incredibly easy to find. And while they can still be very expensive, newcomers like my friend can find sub-$100 options that enthusiasts might scoff at, but still It represents an upgrade for membrane or laptop keyboards.
With such widespread acceptance of mechanical keyboards, an even deeper corner of the hobby has recently taken center stage. It’s a DIY customization.
best buy of the times
Peripheral maker Glorious announced Thursday that its products have hit Best Buy, one of the world’s hubs for electronics retail. Glorious’ Best Buy layout includes pre-built keyboards, plus accessories for those interested in building or fine-tuning a mechanical keyboard. This includes barebones kits, top plates, rotary knobs, detachable cables, keycaps, mechanical switches and even lube kits.
Best Buy has been selling pre-built mechanical keyboards for a while, but this addition brings a previously absent DIY boost (minus a few cables and keycaps) to their inventory. and unlike other major retailers. For example, Walmart does not sell keyboard kits, cables, lubricants, and mechanical switches directly online (although they are available from third-party sellers on Walmart’s site). However, the company does sell one set of his keycaps.
This is not a compliment to Best Buy. In fact, its inventory is clearly built around retail partnerships rather than offering keyboard enthusiasts the best or most diverse choices. growth sign.
And for those new to the hobby or already familiar with switches, stabilizers and Krytox lube, this is a good thing.
keycaps and beyond
Best Buy’s Glorious partnership is just one of the few recent signs that keyboard customization is moving beyond the confines of hobbyists. The more mainstream companies that sell pre-built mechanical keyboards, like Logitech and Razer, typically don’t expect you to change the hardware. Most keyboards have soldered switches that are very difficult to change and vendors don’t recommend removing the keycaps unless they sell them. If you want a new color for your keyboard, we are happy to sell you a brand new board.
Keyboard customization received more widespread attention in 2021 when HyperX (now owned by HP and a more familiar name for PC gamers) unveiled a homemade keyboard with two spacebar keycaps. I saw noticeable signs that With swirly etched designs. Not only did HyperX encourage consumers to consider changing the look of their keyboards, but they also gave away the basic tools they needed to tinker (a keycap puller and extra keycaps) for free.
HyperX may have gotten this idea from Ducky, a more niche but beloved brand among mechanical keyboard fans. The HyperX Alloy Origins 60 came out the year after the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini and also included detailed spacebar his keycaps.
Asus also encourages keyboard users to pay more attention to their keyboards. In January, they announced ROG Azoth Wireless Mechanical his keyboard that comes with a switch lube kit with switch openers and pullers, a keycap puller, a lubricant station and brushes, and a bottle of Krytox GPL-205-GD0. .
Asus
ROG Azoth’s product page says, “We want beginners to start keyboard DIY.” Keyboards have the potential to start making people who never thought about the smoothness and sound of switches do. It also provides owners who have considered lubricating their mechanical switches but weren’t prepared to buy the tool for free with an incentive to try.
