What is Endgame to me?

Learning and discussion Custom keyboards
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Warning! Lengthy Post! But maybe you feel the same too? Maybe my definition will change some day too :smiley:

Summarizing / TLDR

  1. I am not picky about switches and identified my preferences (Cherry MX, Inks, Aliaz)
  2. I have too many boards in GB - just too many boards!
  3. I am not too picky with mounting styles (just no tray and integrated) as long as there is some cushioning (flex / bounce - whatever pple get agitated about)
  4. I am not super crazy about designs now (it’s a rectangle and for so many boards they almost all have similar side profiles, weight, and accent pieces at the end of the day)
  5. I started designing my board to what I want and enjoyed the overall experience and process
  6. I love basic keycaps (WoB, Dolch, and beige/CRP) so I am cool with these :stuck_out_tongue:

Long Version
After being in this hobby for more than a year as of writing this. I have gotten into many GBs for boards and keycaps, spent quite a lot of money, and overall saw many GB / In-Stock boards come and go in the scene.

These days…I don’t find myself feeling much excitement/FOMO for pretty much any new boards, keycaps or switches anymore. But let me share more below!

For Switches
My taste for switches has also come to more or less a few - MX Blacks, MX Browns, Inks, and Aliaz. I am pretty much a basic switch bitch.

I realized that at the end they all are feeling pretty much the same without much differences (to me at least) because for smoothness-wise, I am not that picky too because although “scratchy” - the cherry mx switches aren’t that scratchy that I can really notice them.

Sound-Wise, I really love MX Blacks on alu plates - that pop and clack is really nice. Having tried like creams and other jwks, I think those just aren’t my type of thing - not that they are bad but just not for me.

So after awhile, I just think frankenswitches or any other new ones coming out are just maybe tweaking stuff a little here and there but not that significant improvement in the overall quality of life for me.

For Boards
This one is quite interesting because of these reasons:

  1. I have really decent boards at this moment (Freyr TKL, Savage 65, KBD67, Kara, HHKB Pro 2) - These boards look and feel amazing to me. Again, I think I am not that picky too, I think these boards do have some nice softer bottoming out than integrated plate (the ID80 which I sold off). Which I think a nice amount of softness is good enough for me. But I see many people going nuts about flex/bounce - at the end, can’t we just enjoy those 2 variables as 1 variable known as “Cushioned Bottom Out”? and make peace with each other to not fight over the definition of them?

I also figured for mounting styles - at the end of the day as long as there is some sort of cushioned bottom out, I will be happy enough. I don’t need that fancy this and that mount. Top mount can have a cushioned bottom out too if we know how to tune the mounting points.

  1. Joined too many GBs!! The thought of having more boards (abt 8-10 more) just makes me more stressed and having to wait that long is not helping too! So I think this factor that made me a little more turned off. It’s not adding joy but adding the “clutter”, and now I gotta think how I would store those boards - especially if I like them all and wanna keep them! :stuck_out_tongue:

  2. “Designing” my own board! After figuring out how to design boards on fusion, watching streams on what “good internals” of boards are, and learning where to get manus (alibaba of course). I realized that I can basically make any boards I want any time - as long as I am ready with the design files I have, and feel like making them. Mounting styles can be the good old top mount that can still feel really damn good.

Then it dawned upon me that this could be making my own board could be end game because it’s really more satisfying to design your own - that level of control, that process of crafting it in fusion, then discussing the quotation and material with manu is really exciting too! And the adrenaline when you pressed the order button is really quite hard to explain unless you have done it but gotta say it’s satisfying once again. Also, though more expensive but I gotta say it is worth it for the experience I mentioned above. Plus I get to have my board in about 2-3 weeks time which is definitely better than getting on a GB that could last a year, and by the time it comes, I am not sure I will be that excited anymore.

Here is a little render of a board I just ordered a proto recently!

Mach 60 (side left)
Mach 60 (side left)1920×733 26.8 KB

  1. Rectangle with Almost Similar Designs? After awhile I just feel like there is so many people can do to the design of keyboards. It’s koala sides, the OTD/Jane sides, the seamless sides, the seamed sides, the jagged sides, the shiny SS/brass weight or sandblasted SS/brass weight. Once you looked from the top when typing, it’s pretty much the same for all boards?

Hmmm…at this point I think can probably make my own because there is only so much to a “clean” design that I like.

For Keycaps

  1. Basic Bitch againnnn…Yeah I just love WoB, Dolch, and beige /CRP keycaps at the end of the day. LOL. ok maybe I got some funky ones like GMK Dandy and GMK Striker but those are uniform colours too right :stuck_out_tongue: ? so yeah I am that basic. Not super picky. And waiting so long for GMK caps are so sad for me - I know they have production limitations but I am just sad because of the waiting time no hate towards the manu.

Yeah overall, that is my rant on my endgame. What about yours?

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I made a kind of similar post 15 months ago, and boy have my preferences changed.
But I guess I have found my endgame keeb and switches since then because now I just want to get a bunch of keycaps. :upside_down_face::thinking::grinning:

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haha yeah maybe Endgame is like a journey? constantly evolving… :stuck_out_tongue:

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Ye, I believe you really have to try out different things first to find your preference.

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Try split ortho keyboard, and once you try that you will eventually be stoping yourself from joining most GB

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It’s not the endgame, but different ends to different games

I think it’s great that OP has thought through about their preferences, what are non-negotiables and what they’re indifferent about. Taking that further step to design one’s own board is an amazing touch too!

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The game just keeps going on and on… a carousel of keyboards!

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Endgame for me was literally just a couple nice WKL TKL’s. I have an Infinitum and Classy TKL. Both with Gateron Inks V2. GMK 9009, and GMK WoB respectively. That’s it. That’s all I need.

But it’s not like I stopped there or anything. Like so many others, I have built up a ‘collection’ that includes several keyboards of various form factors that I absolutely don’t need. At least I know that if I needed to, I could sell most of my collection and it would be fine. I just don’t feel compelled to right now.

EDIT: LOL, so I have gone all in on HHKB since making this comment.

EDIT2: Journey before destination.

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Hmm, would you consider an exclusive 8.5 end game material, or just high end.

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Many, many years ago, I learned about Model Ms and I wanted one. But, I had hardly any money. After some more research I learned about Cherry switches and decided I could cut open one of my cheap Dell keyboards, glue the switches in, and solder the wires to the controller. Unfortunately it wasn’t successful and eventually I bought a real Unicomp Model M. A couple years later I was repairing an old Tandy computer and was having some trouble with the ALPS integrated dome switches in it so I researched if I could order new ones. That introduced me to the Chyrosran22 channel and I learned all about vintage keyboards and bought and repaired some including a Wyse WY-60. However there are never any mechanical keyboards at the thrift stores in my part of the country.

I was still upset I wasn’t able to convert my membrane Dell to mechanical. However, I learned about KiCAD and decided to create a PCB for the Dell QuietKey SK-8000 I found at the thrift store. It worked!

So, I’d say the mechanized Dell QuietKey is my endgame, because of the work I put into it, and it is the 2nd rubber dome keyboard ever to be converted into a mechanical one that I could find. If only I could stick a full metal plate into it.

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I’m at the end of my journey. Topre solved the problem. FC660C, minimally modified, stock caps. I haven’t bought or used a new board since acquired it, haven’t been able to justify lubing switches or stabs, haven’t joined a GB in 15 months…

Long and the short, endgame is rubbreh domeh.

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Odd enough, for me too. Just not the FC660C but HHKB. I love the layout, I love the feel.

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HHKB for the last two years for me. No intention of buying anything else.

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re-visiting this post after sometime of not hanging around keebtalk. It’s really cool to see how much I have journeyed in this hobby.

Feel like my take on endgame has not changed much since my original post! Quite cool…

I still find joy “designing” my own board rather than want to buy boards now - though now I have gotten better in the time spent on fusion.

I still love them good old MX blacks on alu - that lil scratch and imperfection, and that unique pop/clack sound on alu plate, which these are what I still like in a board and build config.

Just that now I also like plateless boards with gat cap browns…Really lovely :stuck_out_tongue:

I still really love beige keycaps and WoB…lol

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Dang I didnt know what the quietkey is until I searched it! really cool looking board!

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Well, i now have my E8.5 and it is easily the best keyboard i have owned/typed on.

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wow this one is tough…because everyone has different taste and values for the boards they are looking for!

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Wow really happy for you!! I think this feeling is the best when you own a board that you really like!

For myself, my current daily driver is the Jer1800 and my 2nd prototype of the 60 that I have designed.

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Saw an orthopedic surgeon for removal of a ganglion cyst recently because I thought it was causing numbness and tingling.

He said, “nah, that’s early stages of carpal tunnel.”

I switched to a kinesis advantage 2 immediately. Happy to report, numbness and tingling are gone and no surgery was done. Soo… I got to keep my lumpy wrist.

My body has changed my end game from HHKB to an advantage 2 for me. Thanks body.

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Always good to be able to avoid surgery.