Where I’m At
Basically, I know just the very basics. I’ve thought about building a keyboard many times and I have the technical means/knowhow to do such. I know there are very personal things like keystroke length, pressure, etc. that goes into it but I don’t have enough experience typing on keyboards that aren’t garbage to really know what I want. Advice on figuring that out would be really helpful.
As far as things that I know that I need:
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Backlighting. The lighting in my space is not great and it really helps (for me, since I don’t always have hands on the keyboard) to be able to quickly identify a key. I know this might deduct from the budget a lot, but I’m willing to absorb it because I consider this a must-have. Static color is fine, I don’t need full programmable RGB
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100% keyboard. I have the space and use all the keys for games, macros, etc. 6 years ago I got a giant grin on my face when I finally used the scroll lock key for what it’s designed for.
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Quietness is more important than feel for me. As much as I’d love one of those crazy Model Ms that have the servos for a replica perfect typing feel, I often am on voice chat while doing things so that’s a no go.
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I can’t do the split ergo thing, as cool as it seems. My brain has been trained to touch type poorly, and there’s no way I’m gonna be able to get away from that.
Budget
If this is possible for $200 or less, that would be great. If someone knows of something prebuilt, or a possible combination of parts that could fit within this budget I’d be very grateful. I can go a little over by piecemealing parts, but sooner rather than later would really be preferred. I’m tired of having either cheap or half broken keyboards.
Thanks
I think the Keychron V6 Max might be right up your alley.
It meets all of your requirements (100% layout, back light, quiet depending on your switches).
It’s also hotswapable so very beginner friendly when you’re trying to find switches you like. Here’s a sound test of all 3 switch options for the Keychron V6. There’s not a huge difference to me but I’m also just on mobile right now. With your budget you can also choose to try other switches too. You can use the stock switches as a starting point to see what type of switch best fits your needs. For example, note the force used to actuate (activate) the switch. If it feels too light, find a switch that has a higher force. Videos can help to identify which sound nice but keep in mind that the keyboard will also impact the sound.
Lastly the V6 can be used via Bluetooth or wireless USB for a cleaner look. I didn’t see gaming as a requirement so the lower latency over wireless connection should be fine.
There are other Keychron keyboards too if you want other options. The Q6 is very similar but is entirely made of metal, thus increasing the cost to $205 for a fully assembled board. Hippyo has an informative video on building and modding a custom keyboard using the Keychron Q6 as a base model.
Ok, honestly, this does look perfect. Thanks a lot for the specific recommendation. I’ll leave this post up for a bit in case someone comes up with something better. I’m willing to build one, but for the budget and features I need this seems ideal.
I am a big fan of Ducky, and I’d recommend you to look at their popular One 3, or Shine series.
I have not used a Shine in many years, but I am daily driving the One 2 series, the One 3 has replacable switches, RGB and a good design.
As for what switch you should get…
MX Brown are tactile, so no deliberate click, but just about any mechanical keyboard will make some noise depending on how you type.
With replacable switches you can get other switches if you find the default not to be to your liking.
My one 3 is terrible. Keys dying after 2 or 3 years.
Thanks. The replaceable switches could mean a lot. At the least, I could try to resell the ones I don’t like.
I use a keychron at work and it’s very good for the price. Not a heap to choose from in the 100% range but all very reasonably priced. If you’re after serious quietness you probably want linear switches but these are often pretty polarising to people. There’s no tactile click at all when you’ve activated the key. You might be surprised what you can get away with on VC though, I use a condenser mic and a keyboard with blue keys and generally have no problems with people hearing it. Good mic positioning on a boom helps a lot, and some new noise cancelling technologies are pretty excellent at blocking clicks. With a headset mic it would be really unlikely to be heard.
I’m stuck on a desktop condenser mic and don’t have a boom, so that really factors in. I should have added that to the post. That means that not only the clack of the keys is important, but also the vibration they may cause. Modern noise filters can do a lot, but I’m not sure if they can do that much. I’ll check out keychron stuff - thanks!
If you have the room for it and don’t already, you should see if you can get a shock mount for the mic if you can’t put it on a boom. It would make a big difference for those vibrations!
I have boom stands from just casually having a full PA system, but this mic isn’t really compatible. I’m now thinking of fabricating some kind of bracket that will hold it 🤔
I’d say a Keychron board with either Gazzew U4 or Zeal Zilent V2 switches. Their plastic frame keyboards are a great value and high quality. The Gazzew U4s are an absolutely amazingly quiet switch with a perfect bump at the very beginning of the press.
Thanks a ton for the links! Plastic frames are fine for me since, I don’t intend to twist or bend a keyboard ever. I’ll look into this.
Editing to add: Keychron seems to be completely sold out of 100% boards. That’s disappointing :( Edit on top of the edit: The site just doesn’t work well with my browser. I have to search for the model individually.
Keychron site is a pain (to use).
Someone sent me this link as I was looking for a keyboard, so I’ll pass it on. Set region to where you live and select keboard, then go through the vendors listed and see if you can buy the Keychron you like from there.
Also, depending on your lighting situation, you might want to think about shine through keycaps or not.
Shine through keycaps are a lot brighter. For me, I had shine through first and when I switched to non-shine through, I was surprised by how much more I had to turn up the back light to see anything in the dark.
Realforce R3 45g is probably the quietest you can get.