Thats a very interesting aspect.
Because you are more in the group of people that actually love to design (create something new) and enjoy the building process, puts you into the “luxary” of not feeling bored or even empty with this hobby.
You are right. If someone would just collect, for what ever reason, the Law of diminishing utility would kick in almost for sure.
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Cool topic! This is why I am glad I’m not the collector type. I aim to have as few things in general as is practical, giving a little stretch to hobby areas. But not much.
I used a full sized Filco with MX blues and/or a 1995 Model M for years with not much interest in branching out. Eventually I got into small boards for the sake of portability/desk space (I record music and am often changing recording locations). I sold my bigger boards and only owned a MiniVan for some time.
I’m at a bit of a fun “expansion” phase now, exploring ortho as well as more compact layouts, but always with the intention in mind to keep one board for home and one for travel.
I own three boards as of now and feel mighty uneasy because of it LOL. Anyone want a variable weight 87U with some extras? 
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I can definitely relate after being in the hobby for about 4 years.
And:
- Yes, it’s mostly about acquiring stuff—at least initially
- Yes, it will absolutely suck your wallet dry, as do many hobbies
- Yes, FOMO and scarcity will mind f*ck you into purchasing more than you need or even want. After being in the hobby long enough I’ve found they have basically gone away
- Yes, the excitement I get from each additional keyboard purchase diminishes, but NOT the enjoyment
- Yes, I sometimes look at my unreasonably large collection of keyboards and the practical side of me questions my sanity. It can sting a bit.
Mostly, this hobby has brought me profound contentment, nostalgia, fulfillment, challenge, camaraderie, inspiration and optimism. I think those things make it worth it. Collecting keyboards is my only vice, and a profoundly guilty pleasure.
@ChrisSwires summed it up best when commenting on his keyboard collection. “They are my crowning glory. And my greatest shame.”
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I’ve been in the hobby for a few years now, but I’ve never really had the resources to spend as much on it as I wanted to (1 income, 2 kids, etc.). I don’t enter a ton of group buys and I don’t buy a ton of new stuff and that’s created some FOMO for me in years past. At the moment I only have 5 boards and two of those are for sale. I have gotten a bit into artisans in the past couple of years, so that soothes the collector side of me and minimizes my desire to collect a bunch of boards.
I think that’s part of the beauty of this hobby though - you don’t have to spend a ton of money to be able to enjoy yourself or the things you build. For me, it’s about trying new things and learning new ways of doing things. I’ve even gotten into building my own cables, which is incredibly tedious, but can be a lot of fun.
I work in the information technology world, so I sit at my desk for many hours every day using one of my boards. Being able to use something I created in my hobby as a tool to do my job is incredibly rewarding for me.
I have to agree with @macclack, the excitement I get from buying something new might be diminished over time, but the enjoyment I get from using something that I built specifically to suit my tastes never goes away.
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I think the initial point you make is correct, but ultimately not the right way to look at it.
There is a diminishment in happiness from each additional purchase, but the reason people stick around isn’t because of the purchase, but the happiness that comes afterwards. The happiness of experiencing the keyboard.
The act of clicking “join GB”, or the paypal icon when paying was once new, novel, and exciting. Now it’s just a chore to remember to check my paypal balance first. There was a diminish on the ‘fun’ of shopping, but in our community for many people who stay in it, they find their fun in many of the experiences they have.
Repeating an action can diminish its ‘fun’, ‘utility’, or uniqueness, but it’s best to analyze what you’re actually repeating.
I may be purchasing multiple keyboards, but the only part that is actually repeating is the fact I’m “buying” something, but everything else about the experience is unique like having different layouts, different keycaps, different switches, different ways to experiment with keyboards and learn about them. None of those repeat that often compared to the simple act of “shopping”.
If I only used 60%s my whole life, and continued to continually buy 60%s with the same layout and same switches, I believe then yes, a low of diminishing utility would come into play with respects with 60% layouts in that same layout every single time if I refused to make any changes from purchase to purchase.
For many people, they continue to purchase because they continue to want something new to quench that thirst they have for knowledge and new experiences. I didn’t just buy two keyboards, I purchased two unique experiences to me.
At least that’s how I view all of this. As someone with over 50 keyboards, they’re all unique and different to me. They all tell me their own story. I didn’t repeat the same thing over 50 times. I had over 50 new fun experiences of trying out different layouts, keycaps, colors, switch components, lubes, and more.
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Necro’ing this ol’ thread.
I recently took a couple weeks to completely zone out from online keyboard things—no discord, forums, shops, videos, etc. And I’m happy to report that I’m grateful that I did so.
I wouldn’t say that my habits have been irresponsible or extreme or anything, but after stepping away briefly I feel that (1) I’ve been appreciating what I’ve collected so far much more, and (2) I don’t need to convince myself to pass on things that are on sale.
On the latter point, it’s more a reinforcement of the perspective that missing out isn’t a big deal—there’s time to develop your collection/interest how you want. The former point is coincidentally a supporting point for the second paragraph in Huey’s comment above.
Anyway, if you’re ever feeling like you’re in unhealthy place with this hobby (or just want to reset your reference point(s)), I can attest to the value of stepping away for a few moments 
Hope this helps someone somewhere!
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My approach to this hobby is to basically force myself to use the aftermarket. I make a spreadsheet and take note of the GBs I think I’m interested in, and color code them based on how initially excited I am for them. I come back a few months (or longer) later to see what’s delivered from my list, and see if I’m still feeling excited enough to actually take the effort to find and/or wait for them to pop up in the aftermarket + buy at aftermarket prices. The added waiting and friction makes it easier to just say NO to a lot of purchases.
This usually helps me cross out about 90% of the stuff on my list, and I compare how much I would have wasted had I bought into all the GBs vs going aftermarket (I take some pride in the savings). It hasn’t failed to save me a lot more money…that’s for sure.
I use a similar method for my other hobbies (watches, menswear, audio, etc etc). Sit down on purchases I’m planning for 3-4 weeks, and see if I’m still torn about them. If I’m not, then they were just momentary whims. Whatever makes the final cut, gets bought after some final deliberations.
The whole point though is to actually make buying a chore. To hate the purchasing process itself, there are many people from my other hobbies, and probably many in keebs who just want the “high of the buy.” The moment your brain starts associating the dopamine hit of clicking “add to cart” or “buy now” then that’s not a good sign (Shopping addiction is real). GBs are particularly problematic because of this, and the false pretense that you’re “saving money” by buying at a lower price vs later is, imo, usually what gets people to vastly overspend.
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You see, i have a different problem. You guys have problems with too many keyboards, i have a problem with not enough funds since Im 14. So i have come to learn my preferences pretty early as well, but that is because i did tonnes of research so that i knew that i would at least like it when it came and not have to sell it on mechmarket to get a board i want.
My preferences are:
- Form factor: anywhere from 75% - 96%, but my favourite is tkl.
- Switches: Smooth linears and heavy tactiles. The two ends of the spectrum, but i like it, so i like it.
- Sound: You can't beat clack, reason why i went with aeboard raeds for my daily driver.
And that's after building 3 keyboards and owning 4, and currently having 2. And i disagree with diminishing returns, but i guess thats since i have only ever owned 4 boards.
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I’ve found some interesting hobbies within the hobby at this point. What ways can I find to better keep records/inventory? How can I maximize storage? What’s the most efficient way to keep stocked for builds (lube, stabilizers, switches, plates, PCBs, etc…)? What’s best practice for rotating keyboards so that I have time to build new and still enjoy/revisit old builds. When do I take time to look through discord servers and social media?
I feel more like I’m running a shop at this point.
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What have you found on this aspect? I don’t have that much, but I just try to switch it up every couple weeks. Be back in the office might change things up a bit too, since I can have a home board and a work board.
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I can’t say that have a final solution, but there is a process.
Weekdays are for keyboard rotation and organization. I hardly ever build a keyboard during the week, unless it’s a hotswap board and I have absolutely no other commitments. I reserve weekends for building, rebuilding, or fixing keyboards. This is also when I might lubricate switches. I like to have a full day set aside for these long tasks.
I try to never have more than 2 unbuilt keyboards at once. This can sometimes be tricky because I might be waiting on a certain new switch to show up. However, my stockpile of unused switches easily numbers multiple thousands at this point. I have switches, I just don’t want to put in the time. It forces me to confront my habit of procrastination.
For rotation, I generally pick a new keyboard every day or every other day. This ensures that I can wrap my hands around every board I own and evaluate/re-evaluate it’s worth. This has helped me to spot and fix many issues. I’ve desoldered 3 keyboards just this year to fix things that irritate me. Unfortunately, I haven’t sold any keyboards. (This is 100% an issue that continues to cause issues for storage). And no, it’s not precision work. I know for a fact there are a few keyboards I haven’t used in the past year.
The exception to the rotation routine is after I build a board. After a new build, I generally keep it on my desk for a minimum of 3-4 days. I found that’s enough time to get used to new spring forces or layouts or anything else that is different from previous builds. In that time, I also start to notice issues like crappy stabilizers, squeaky springs, rough switches, etc… I generally don’t fix these yet. Fixing generally happens on the weekend. One thing I often do is use this time after a new build to try different keycap profiles and colorways. This is often when I take photos for Instagram, too.
If I’m pleased with the build after 3-4 days, I’ll sometimes keep it on my desk the rest of the week.
Anyway, this is a process that I’ve developed over time. It’s always in flux and never perfect. However, something along these lines helps me to keep myself focused on what I want to do with my time.
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I have too many keyboards and too many keyboard things to do.
I have far surpassed diminishing returns, and now feel somewhat diminished by what feels like a gargantuan task ahead of me. Maybe 3 years ago I would be extremely excited to have so much to do for the sake of having things to do for stream or videos, but as I’m taking a break from those all of these keyboard tasks instead start to unironically feel like chores. Not the fun "let’s do some keyboard chores! 
" kind. It’s more like the, “oh the garbage disposal isn’t working? Okay let me deal with it.”
Maybe once I find the drive to start working on more keyboard content it won’t seem like such a mountain to do, but otherwise I think I should start selling for my own sanity 
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This thread is so great – and I take all the above comments to heart.
From someone with a very modest collection, I can’t say enough how much I love stumbling across the boards you all post. They’re truly inspiring and a huge part of what keeps me interested. Just know that while you’re finding your best hobby/life balance, the boards you’re sharing keep things spicy and are making an amazingly positive impact on the community.
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I just sell or give them away when I get too many.
I should probably start a real business around this someday.
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