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HoldenAGrenade
2
May 1, 2019
Hi there, Mac user here starting from scratch, hoping to get a keyboard that plugs in (tired of having to swap batteries out and don't care about the chord limitations) and put these sexy keycaps on it. What do I need to know? Any recommendations for the body to put these on? I'm thinking black or mint to match the text... any help is much appreciated.
eponymous
586
May 2, 2019
HoldenAGrenadeThese caps will fit Cherry MX switches, or anything with compatible stems (like Gateron, Kailh, or Outemu—though the switches will almost always specify that they're compatible), which is absolutely the most common style when it comes to mechanical keyboards. This set is in SA profile, which is relatively tall and pretty dramatically sculpted. SA also means the keycaps are spherical on the top, rather than cylindrical like most caps. All that will play into how comfortable it is to type on (which is going to be a matter of individual typing style and preference). For any given profile (AKA particular way of sculpting keycaps), different rows are sculpted at different heights and angles. For this SA Laser set, the Cyberdeck monokit is being made with a different arrangement of rows from the various individual mix-'n'-match kits, so that the overall profile is flatter, which may be more desirable for a keyboard that will get heavy usage. Most of the other kits are going 112343 from top to bottom, but Cyberdeck is 223333. So, for example, if you combine an alpha kit with a mod kit, the function row is R1, as is the numeric row beneath it, and the letter rows underneath are R2, followed by R3, followed by R4, and then back to R3 for the bottom (spacebar) row. In Cyberdeck, those top two rows are both R2, and then the letters below drop to R3, which continues all the way down to the bottom of the keyboard. You can see a side-view render here of the difference (top is Cyberdeck minus the function row at 23333, bottom is other kits minus the function row at 12343). This distinction is also important if you want to, e.g., grab Cyberdeck plus Mitowaves or Turbo for more customization, as Turbo is all R1, and Mitowaves has a lot of R1, while Cyberdeck doesn't use that at all, so you couldn't mix those keys into otherwise Cyberdeck rows without them obviously standing out. Micons and Obnet kits would also not be comfortably compatible with Cyberdeck. As for anything beyond that... Well, most of the point of mechanical keyboards is that they're insanely customizable, and the variation in cost is huge. Things you'll need to decide are:
  • How big a keyboard will you use? Common breakpoints are full-size (104-key), which is your typical keyboard you'll see with any desktop; TKL (tenkeyless) or 75%, which is basically the same board but with the number pad chopped off; and 60%, which eliminates the function row, the arrow keys, and the cluster of keys above that (ins/del/etc.). 65% boards split the difference between TKL and 60%, with layouts varying but typically including dedicated arrow keys plus a few more. 40% boards are pretty niche, dropping things down to just the letter keys plus a few others; these boards require heavy use of layers to be functional and are typically a project for more hardcore users who are comfortable customizing their boards' firmware. The primary appeal of smaller boards is (1) they're more ergonomic, since a smaller keeb means your mouse can be closer; (2) depending on how they're programmed, they can be more efficient for touch-typers, allowing you to do more without having to move your fingers off the home row; and (3) their size makes them more portable.

  • What kind of switches do you want in it? As far as Cherry switches & clones go, the big categories to be aware of are clicky, tactile, and linear. Clicky switches are loud and have a noticeable bump around the activation point (e.g., MX Blues). Tactile switches have the bump but don't make additional sound on top of it (e.g., MX Browns). Linear switches travel smoothly all the way down (e.g., MX Reds). Various switches in each category will also require different amounts of pressure to activate and may have different "travel distances," aka how far you need to push them to activate them as well as how far they need to go to bottom out. While there are definitely popular switches for different uses, there is no "right" answer here. Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to get a good feel for how a board full of a particular switch feels without actually typing on one. Switch testers exist, and they're better than nothing, but pressing on a single switch that's not actually connected to anything doesn't really replicate the feeling of typing. If your city has an active mechanical keyboard community, it could definitely be worth it to watch out for a meetup so you can try out other people's boards.

  • Do you want a hot-swappable PCB? If you don't solder and/or you want to be able to frequently and easily change out switches, a hot-swappable board is a great option. The biggest cons are that (1) there are a limited number of hotswap boards and (2) any given hotswap board is locked into a particular physical key layout, because the position for switches are fixed (though if you have access to the firmware, you can still change what each key does).

  • Will you need the keyboard assembled for you? If you already solder (or are willing to learn, or can get a friend to do it for you), you'll have a lot more options. If not, you'll be restricted to boards that come assembled or retailers that offer that service as an add-on, though there are definitely plenty of those.

  • Do you care about backlighting? Do you want colors or is just white light fine? How much control do you want over the behavior of the lighting, in terms of things like available colors, being able to set it per-key, and breathing effects?

  • Do you care about programmability? Do you think you'll want the ability to change how the keys on your board are mapped or make other alterations to its firmware? Do you want the flexibility to really dive in and customize things? QMK is the gold standard here, though there are customizable boards that use their own proprietary tools. (As far as I know, though, none of them have the depth of QMK, which allows for GUI editing but also deeper customization, including macros and tools like TAP DANCE.)

  • Are you interested in nonstandard layouts? Do you want an ortholinear board (like a Planck), where keys are in vertical rows instead of staggered? Or how about a split ergonomic keyboard (like an ErgoDox)?
And that's not even getting into things like case materials, plate materials, switch mounting styles, case profiles, etc.! Plus all the hojillion ways you can mod your switches, case, keycaps, etc. None of these are questions anybody else can really answer for you. To help you get started on figuring it out, though, I'd recommend checking out online MK communities. The MK subreddit has an impressively extensive wiki (including information on all of these features as well as reviews of various keebs and places to buy things) and a friendly community. It also tracks upcoming meet-ups for various cities. If you're on Facebook, look for mechanical keyboard groups for your region (you'll have the best luck in large cities). These groups often also have associated Discord servers. Oh, and you'll also probably want to look into some Mac-specific stuff, since all my mechanical keyboard experience has been with Windows, though I think it's primarily a concern of aesthetics (i.e., the keycaps will have Windows-specific text on them but still function fine on a Mac). Personally, my new baby is a hotswap version of the KBD67, which is a 65% board I'm just getting ramped up on as I dig into QMK so I can get the firmware really customized for my needs. It won't permanently replace the (much cheaper, not customizable, but adequate) full-size keeb on my desktop (at least not unless/until I get a separate numpad), but I plan to use it whenever working remotely and also when working at my desktop anytime I don't need the numpad. I can't say enough good things about my experience with my KBD67 so far, but at $189 just for the base DIY kit, it might be a bit steep for a first keeb. If you've got money to blow, though, you might want to go for it, because thanks to the QMK firmware it will be pretty adaptable to whatever you need it for. The hotswap option also makes it attractive as a first keeb, since you may want to try out different switches. The one caveat there is that the hotswap version of the KBD67 has a split backspace, which not all keycap sets support with their default kits, and some don't support at all, though the SA Laser kits are fine for it, though, including the Cyberdeck monokit. Exactly what this means gets into more nitty-gritty stuff about keyboards, specifically about the width of different keys. A typical square key, like a letter, is 1 unit, or 1U. The backspace on a 100% keeb is 2U, but some smaller keebs will split that into two 1U keys. A common way of making use of that layout change is to swap the 1.5U backslash/pipe key to backspace—which the standard 2U backspace keycap obviously then can't be used for—and then use those two 1U keys for backslash/pipe plus something else. If you look at the layouts for the various kits here, you'll see that each one labels the size of each key larger than 1U in the lower left corner, and that kits will often contain different-size version of the same keys (e.g., both a 2U and a 1.5U backspace). Hopefully this massive wall of text was helpful! Feel free to ping me if you have follow-up questions, and I'll do my best. (I'm pretty new to the hobby myself... just, uh, also autistic.)
(Edited)
HoldenAGrenade
2
May 2, 2019
eponymousWOW. thank you for the time. let me check out the subreddit and take in all the stuff you said and if there's anything else I'll let you know... but I think you've helped a lot, more than most would. cheers!
eponymous
586
May 2, 2019
HoldenAGrenadeYou betcha! I had to do stupid banking shit today, so it was actually a kind of fun way to unwind. Glad you're finding it useful.
Tokomoto
9
May 2, 2019
eponymousThat was a truly impressive answer. Tell me though, what keyboard/switches and caps did you have fun typing that response on? I must know! :)
eponymous
586
May 2, 2019
TokomotoIronically enough, I was writing on my Surface Pro 4 in bed, so it was just the SP4 Type Cover (rubber dome). Satisfyingly thumpy to type on, though, probably because the keys don't have to travel far to bottom out.
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