Prototype QFRL100 by Thebloodyez with GMK ZX "It's just a keyboard."
My Friends, Kate and Jaime’s Expressions After I Explained to Them That There Was Such a Thing as a Keyboard Hobby
Many of us have heard this, either stated to us directly by a quizzical individual wondering why on earth we’d find our hobby interesting or as part of someone else’s conversation that we happened to have overheard. While there are certainly less mainstream hobbies than mechanical keyboards, it’s definitely not a common hobby, and it makes sense that those that aren’t in the hobby may not understand “what the point” of having a mechanical keyboard would be.
While those same people may still not truly “get it,” even after attempting to explain to them what makes our hobby enjoyable, at least you’ll have introduced them to the hobby, and sometimes a glimmer of curiosity is all that it takes before they start their journey to become a keyboard enthusiast!
Especially since it’s the holiday season, with many of us being able to catch up with friends, family, and loved ones, and because of the communal spirit of this time of year that brings us together with others, this is a great time to explain to Aunt Kate or Uncle James just what makes the hobby a worthwhile one to learn about!
With that being said, let’s start off this guide with our very first reason of why the hobby is so great and why they may be interested in learning about it: customizability.Reason 1: Customizability & Themed Gifts“What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?”
I watched Cloud Atlas with my wife the other day, and this quote by Jim Sturgess’ character not only was very poignantly said, but I realized that it can apply to the customization aspect of the keyboard hobby.
The separate parts of what goes into a complete keyboard build may seem like mere raindrops, especially since there are thousands of keycaps, switches, and total combinations when it comes to a fully built keyboard, but they’re all important to create the “ocean”, which is the keyboard itself.
Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers Keyboard Builds I Put Together For Friends and Family
Do you have a brother or sister who’s into a specific sports team but also uses a keyboard on a regular basis? Perhaps you could create that keyboard for them like I did with these NovelKeys NK87 and Keychron Q3 Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers keyboard builds for my family.
Part of an online community for a specific video game, like I am with my Old School Runescape clan, the Wilderness Guardians? Use their clan colors as a color scheme for a keyboard and give that keyboard to a good friend in the clan!
Novelkeys NK87 I Put Together, Paying Homage to the Wilderness Guardians’ (WG) Color Combo for a Clanmate of Mine
A Gift for Another OSRS Clanmate Displaying the Award He Won From Our Clan’s Awards Ceremony a Few Years Ago
The fact that keyboards, switches, keycaps, and other keyboard-related items come in a variety of styles and colors can give you the ability to not only introduce someone to the world of keyboards but also show how fun it is to customize the whole board to whatever theme you’d like (for the most part).
My neighbor’s daughter loves the color pink and pastel colors, and during a neighborhood cookout many years ago, my neighbor was curious about the hobby that I was in. After explaining (and trying not to overwhelm him with information) the hobby in a broad sense, my neighbor asked me if he could get something that his daughter would enjoy because she brought home a fantastic report card from school. I told him that I had an idea, but to give me a few weeks.
The Keyboard I Put Together, a Tiger 80 Lite With Kinetic Labs Candy Shop
Fast forward those few weeks, and I handed him the keyboard you see above, a Tiger 80 Lite with Candy Shop keycaps for his daughter, who absolutely loved it. She ended up getting very excited about the hobby and wanted to learn more about and have more keyboards (sorry Tom hahaha)! While there’s obviously a time and place for bringing up keyboards, especially in a way that may get people interested, there are many opportunities to do so, and during this holiday season, it could be fitting to give a loved one something keyboard-related!
Maybe your dad’s old membrane keyboard that barely works because he spilled coffee on it years ago has been the cause of his frustration this year is a chance to introduce him to the mechanical keyboard world, especially if he has a software engineer or technical background. My own dad is a software engineer, loves building computers, enjoys technology, and is very computer literate, yet never took that step into mechanical keyboards.
The C2 That I Put Together for My Dad
A few years ago, I introduced him to the hobby with a Keychron C2 that had Boba U4Ts
since he loved the tactility that they gave during his vigorous typing sessions coding, doing software things that are way over my head to even explain, and just generally used for his computer sessions. He absolutely loved it and now calls me frequently to ask about the latest keyboard-related news, or just asks me keyboard-related questions on a regular basis!
It doesn’t even have to be an entire keyboard either. Another clanmate of mine wanted a way to remap keys, specifically for PKing (Runescape’s version of PvP), but wanted to use her current keyboard. Because I use macro pads, I actually sent her a Megalodon macro pad that she’s been enjoying for quite some time.
So, especially during the holidays, and especially if you know you’ll either have a gathering or go to a gathering of friends and family, the next time someone asks you about what you’ve been up to, or you realize that there may be a chance to bring up keyboards and that it may be cool to build one based off of their preferences or likes (and the fact that customizability options are aplenty when it comes to keebs), go for it!
You never know who you can help just by being in the keyboard hobby, and they may even eventually join the community!
Reason 2: The Build Process“It’s like building a LEGO set!”
When I heard Jarrett Allen, current NBA player and current center for the Cleveland Cavaliers, talk about how he wishes he had time to get back into the keyboard hobby, I was ecstatic! It’s not very often that “famous” people talk about the hobby, and it absolutely caught the interviewer (Tommy Alter) off guard (just look at his face after Jarrett told him about keebs)!
Fast forward to 37:42.
Something that I’ve been saying to a lot of non-keyboard enthusiasts is what Jarrett said to Tommy: It’s like building a LEGO set! You find a LEGO set that you like based on the theme or what it’ll look like in the end, or because you’ve been collecting that family of LEGOs (for example, you buy an X-Wing LEGO set because you’re slowly building out a Star Wars collection), and then you build it to add to your collection.
People have a lot of fun actually assembling LEGOs. At least for many people, the building aspect of it is one of the strongest reasons why they like LEGOs, because it feels like you’re creating something even though you follow a build guide. Do people buy pre-built LEGO sets? I’m sure they do, especially if they enjoy LEGOs for other reasons than just building, but I think the majority of people enjoy building their sets.
While there are more moving parts when it comes to building a keyboard kit, even if it’s just a hotswap build, people that enjoy building things or assembling things may enjoy building keyboards!
My good friend, Hye-Sung (goes by Hank), is an electrical engineer from Korea, and he absolutely loved working on my Yamaha DT125 with me.
Working On My Yamaha DT125 With Hank
He's a big fan of working with his hands, knew how to solder, and was someone that I felt would enjoy building keyboards. The last time I saw him, he was set to get married with another friend of mine (Ye-Lim), and I actually gifted him a keyboard for his wedding! It was a great opportunity to introduce him to keyboards, and he absolutely loved the soldering and assembling aspect of keyboard building.
Maybe you know someone that loves to paint miniatures (Warhammer 40K fans, where you at!), or enjoys creating set pieces for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. You can let them know that lubing or "painting" switches also is a part of the keyboard hobby if they wish to do so.
Lubing Switches: Another Aspect of Building a Keyboard (Not Always Required, but I Enjoy It!)
There’s absolutely nothing wrong about prebuilts, because the hobby is all preference-based. If you know of any friends or family that do enjoy building things, especially because keyboard building (lubing, soldering, assembling) can be somewhat therapeutic, and especially if they have been talking about needing to get a new keyboard for some reason, it could be a perfect time to introduce them to the hobby, especially when it comes to keyboards.
My First Soldered Build, Cannonkeys’ Practice65, Which I Did Horribly On, but It Still Worked at the End of the Day
Chances are, a beginner kit like the Practices, or just a relatively simple keyboard kit, is something that would be a very unique present instead of the usual gift cards or socks and so on, and it could be a good opportunity to get someone interested in the hobby.
Reason 3: The Art, History, and Collecting Aspect of the Hobby“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” - Margaret Wolfe Hungerford
We’ve all heard or read this quote, and it couldn’t be any more accurate when it comes to keyboard hobby. A lot of people (including me) really focus on what a keyboard looks like when it comes to purchasing, and also the history or story of the board or the designer. It’s similar to art or sculptures! Personally, history has always been something that I’ve enjoyed learning about. Not only are stories from the past so awe-inspiring that certain events feel like they came from fiction novels, but learning about history can give meaning to certain aspects of our lives.
Our family and I have had the fortune of being able to go to Germany where my dad was born every few years, and when I got into keyboards all those years ago, we actually talked about GMK, Cherry, and even dug out this old keyboard that my dad used to use, which helped me segue into talking about the hobby itself. He's a fan of history and the "lore" of hobbies, and I believe that this old keyboard helped me introduce him into the hobby, and was a great talking point.
Old Keyboard From My Dad’s House in Germany, Got Him Nostalgic, and I Was Able to Talk About Keyboards, Especially Cherry and GMK Since They’re Based in Germany
When it comes to keyboards, you don’t have to know the story behind a board or the inspiration from the designer, but those things can truly be important reasons for purchasing items. For example, the artisan aspect of the hobby is absolutely incredible. The amount of talented artisan makers and the art that they create really goes to show you how incredible the hobby can be. Some of these artisans have a specific “style” based on design inspiration or because of other factors in their lives, and they express that in their art (artisans), which can be important to those that purchase said artisans.
Wheat (Artisan Make) Fn Keycaps Inspired by OSRS and Party Hats
Or maybe someone may want to buy a keyboard (or artisan or keycap set) to commemorate an important time of their lives, AKA their history. Similar to how a father may gift their son or daughter a watch, or hand down some part of family history once they come-of-age, or something significant happens in their life (wedding, graduation, and so on). While I’ve never bought a painting, sculpture, or any sort of decorative art, I understand the reasons why someone would. There’s something beautiful about what art means to different people because there are so many interpretations to art and beauty. Just like how people have preferences when it comes to what keyboards, keycaps, or artisans look beautiful. Beauty truly is “in the eye of the beholder.”
I had the amazing opportunity to travel through Italy a few years ago, and I had an absolute blast during those few months I was able to spend there. I went to many museums and landmarks and, overall, just enjoyed the various cities that I went to. Every time I go to Europe, or just outside the US in general, I’m reminded of how much history there is in the buildings, streets, and overall areas in general.
The US is obviously relatively new and spaced out, so it can sometimes be a shock to see so many “old” buildings or ruins, especially in Rome, beside normal buildings, but it’s so beautiful to me. When I was in the National Museum in Rome, I happened across “Pugliatore in Riposo,” or “Boxer at Rest.” As a boxer myself, the plaque explaining the sculpture really hit home. When we see art, whether it's a painting, statue, or even a keyboard or keyboard-related item, we can see the beauty in them.
Pugliatore in Riposo Plaque
I understand why someone would want to buy a keyboard, keycap set, or artisan (or switches) because of the historical significance or because the aesthetic or art resonated with someone. Or, because someone wants to support a designer based upon that designer’s story or style. The keyboard hobby has an artistic, historical, and collector-esque appeal, and that may be worthwhile to bring up if those topics come up in conversation around your holiday dinner table or when you’re hanging out with friends or family!
It may be a great segue to introduce a designer you love, particular design language aspects, or just cool-looking keyboards, keycaps, or artisans in general.
Reason 4: The Community and Meet-Ups“The best of community does give one a deep sense of belonging and well-being; and in that sense, community takes away loneliness.” - Henri Nouwen
Drop Booth at the 2024 SFxMK NorCal Meetup. Picture Taken by Nikko Bautista
I feel like I’m a broken record when it comes to talking about the best part of the hobby, but I will keep bringing it up! The community is the best part of this hobby. To have a sense of belonging, or to feel like you’re a part of something, is extremely powerful, and it can extend the enjoyability of a hobby.
Maybe you overhear your friend talk about how they’ve been looking to get into a hobby that has a great community during Friendsmas, or when you catch up with them during this time of year. Or, maybe, you know of someone that really loves being able to physically meet with hobby members, such as someone that loves LAN parties; let them know about the keyboard hobby and especially keyboard meetups!
Friendsmas With Friends (Also Fellow Keeb Enthusiasts)
Heck, if there are meetups close to your location where you can bring your interested friends or family members, or maybe even if they aren’t interested at the start but are willing to go to a meetup, chances are, they may get hooked!
While not every meetup is free, I truly feel like you get your money’s worth from meetups, unless tickets are hundreds of dollars (which I don’t think any really are). At the very least, it’s something fun to do for an afternoon, and bringing that interested (or non-interested) friend that may not take the dive into the keyboard hobby in general could get them hooked with arguably the best part of the hobby.
There are also some truly amazing things that the community can do as a whole. For example, I was an unexpected recipient of the community’s kindness at the end of 2023 with the Muramasa being given to me for a Blacksimon Thocctober gift thanks to many generous donors (and James/Masjewerke of course).
Muramasa Thocctober Edition
To think that the community would fund something like this, as well as other projects during October of 2023 (and 2024 as well as other years of Thocctober) makes me extremely grateful, thankful, and happy that this community is so amazing.
This year, in the spirit of giving, my keyboard friends and I actually decided to do a little local giving ourselves and decided to run a toy drive to donate at the local children’s hospital. It truly is amazing to be part of such a caring community, and one that pays it forward in many ways.
Whether it’s helping newcomers that have questions about the hobby, supporting projects, or doing things like Thocctober or giveaway drives, the keyboard community really is one of the main reasons why the hobby, in general, is amazing! When people get together in the keyboard community, truly remarkable things can happen, and if the person you're discussing the keyboard community with also feels the same, they may also be interested in being part of a community that does things like Thocctober or donation drives or just being in a helpful community as a whole.
Donations (We Found Out Afterwards That We Actually Had to Unwrap Everything to Donate It All to the Hospital, but It Was Well Worth Gift-Wrapping for the Picture! Hahaha)
There are many reasons why it’s worthwhile to introduce someone to the hobby, especially during this time of year. More often than not, we end the year with loved ones, friends, family, and gatherings, celebrating the year and looking forward to the year to come. Feelings of joy, togetherness, and just being together and sharing the precious time that we are allotted in life with those whom you care about is priceless.
I’m so fortunate to call many of the people I’ve met in this hobby close friends and am especially grateful to have introduced the hobby to my real-life friends and family members, giving us yet another topic to talk about when we get together, either digitally or in person.
If you get a chance to introduce someone to the hobby this holiday season, I’d say take it.
Whether it's by explaining to them how they can "theme" their keyboard up, talk about the build process if they're someone that enjoys building things or working with their hands, talking about the art or lore of keyboard designers and artisan makers, or simply bring up that there are ways to participate physically in keyboard meetups around the world, who knows, introducing them to the keyboard hobby may end up having a positive and significant impact on their life.
Here’s to a great 2024, and I hope we all experience an even better 2025 in this hobby!
- HubertTheMad
About Me: A Few Friends and I (I’m Third From the Left) When We Did a GORUCK Event
Because this was my first “official” article that I wrote for Drop, I just wanted to take a few moments to introduce myself!
My name is HubertTheMad (Hugh for short), and I first joined the keyboard hobby on July 14th, 2017, with my first of two Logitech G710+s (this one had Cherry MX Browns, and the second one I bought a few years later had Cherry MX Blues).
I absolutely LOVE to travel, experience all the great things that life has to offer, and meet new people from all over the world.
I’m a father of two, have been annoying my wife (although she eventually came around) with my keyboard obsession for far too long, and live in the Midwest (USA). I’m extremely grateful to Hoff for the opportunity to write for Drop and wanted this first article to be a bit more light-hearted, not only because it’s currently the holidays and fits the theme, but because I thought it would give me a chance to adjust my writing style to better serve you, the readers, with feedback I receive before I dive into more complex keyboard topics!
I love the hobby; my favorite boards are ones designed by not only great designers but also great humans in general, and I currently daily a prototype Muramasa full size with XT column that was designed and given to me by my good friend, James (Masjewerke) for work, and a rotation of 60% keebs for non-work situations (currently changing between the Geonworks F2-60, my trusty HHKB Type-S, and Jixte keyboards).
I’m so thankful for all the support, and I truly mean it when I say that I wouldn’t have had this opportunity presented to me without all of you. Those that have read my work, watched my YouTube videos, and given me the time out of your very busy lives; it’s thanks to all of you that I’m where I’m at currently.
I look forward to writing articles for you all. I love you all, and I’m happy to be in this fantastic community with all of you! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me, either publicly or privately, either on Drop or on Discord (HubertTheMad#0073.)
Reason 1: Customizability & Themed Gifts
I watched Cloud Atlas with my wife the other day, and this quote by Jim Sturgess’ character not only was very poignantly said, but I realized that it can apply to the customization aspect of the keyboard hobby. The separate parts of what goes into a complete keyboard build may seem like mere raindrops, especially since there are thousands of keycaps, switches, and total combinations when it comes to a fully built keyboard, but they’re all important to create the “ocean”, which is the keyboard itself.
When I heard Jarrett Allen, current NBA player and current center for the Cleveland Cavaliers, talk about how he wishes he had time to get back into the keyboard hobby, I was ecstatic! It’s not very often that “famous” people talk about the hobby, and it absolutely caught the interviewer (Tommy Alter) off guard (just look at his face after Jarrett told him about keebs)! Fast forward to 37:42.
Something that I’ve been saying to a lot of non-keyboard enthusiasts is what Jarrett said to Tommy: It’s like building a LEGO set! You find a LEGO set that you like based on the theme or what it’ll look like in the end, or because you’ve been collecting that family of LEGOs (for example, you buy an X-Wing LEGO set because you’re slowly building out a Star Wars collection), and then you build it to add to your collection. People have a lot of fun actually assembling LEGOs. At least for many people, the building aspect of it is one of the strongest reasons why they like LEGOs, because it feels like you’re creating something even though you follow a build guide. Do people buy pre-built LEGO sets? I’m sure they do, especially if they enjoy LEGOs for other reasons than just building, but I think the majority of people enjoy building their sets. While there are more moving parts when it comes to building a keyboard kit, even if it’s just a hotswap build, people that enjoy building things or assembling things may enjoy building keyboards! My good friend, Hye-Sung (goes by Hank), is an electrical engineer from Korea, and he absolutely loved working on my Yamaha DT125 with me.
We’ve all heard or read this quote, and it couldn’t be any more accurate when it comes to keyboard hobby. A lot of people (including me) really focus on what a keyboard looks like when it comes to purchasing, and also the history or story of the board or the designer. It’s similar to art or sculptures! Personally, history has always been something that I’ve enjoyed learning about. Not only are stories from the past so awe-inspiring that certain events feel like they came from fiction novels, but learning about history can give meaning to certain aspects of our lives. Our family and I have had the fortune of being able to go to Germany where my dad was born every few years, and when I got into keyboards all those years ago, we actually talked about GMK, Cherry, and even dug out this old keyboard that my dad used to use, which helped me segue into talking about the hobby itself. He's a fan of history and the "lore" of hobbies, and I believe that this old keyboard helped me introduce him into the hobby, and was a great talking point.
When it comes to keyboards, you don’t have to know the story behind a board or the inspiration from the designer, but those things can truly be important reasons for purchasing items. For example, the artisan aspect of the hobby is absolutely incredible. The amount of talented artisan makers and the art that they create really goes to show you how incredible the hobby can be. Some of these artisans have a specific “style” based on design inspiration or because of other factors in their lives, and they express that in their art (artisans), which can be important to those that purchase said artisans.
Or maybe someone may want to buy a keyboard (or artisan or keycap set) to commemorate an important time of their lives, AKA their history. Similar to how a father may gift their son or daughter a watch, or hand down some part of family history once they come-of-age, or something significant happens in their life (wedding, graduation, and so on). While I’ve never bought a painting, sculpture, or any sort of decorative art, I understand the reasons why someone would. There’s something beautiful about what art means to different people because there are so many interpretations to art and beauty. Just like how people have preferences when it comes to what keyboards, keycaps, or artisans look beautiful. Beauty truly is “in the eye of the beholder.” I had the amazing opportunity to travel through Italy a few years ago, and I had an absolute blast during those few months I was able to spend there. I went to many museums and landmarks and, overall, just enjoyed the various cities that I went to. Every time I go to Europe, or just outside the US in general, I’m reminded of how much history there is in the buildings, streets, and overall areas in general. The US is obviously relatively new and spaced out, so it can sometimes be a shock to see so many “old” buildings or ruins, especially in Rome, beside normal buildings, but it’s so beautiful to me. When I was in the National Museum in Rome, I happened across “Pugliatore in Riposo,” or “Boxer at Rest.” As a boxer myself, the plaque explaining the sculpture really hit home. When we see art, whether it's a painting, statue, or even a keyboard or keyboard-related item, we can see the beauty in them.
About Me: