I think for me it was when I commissioned a Keycult No 2 Rev 1. The guys from Keycult brought a few to the Bay Area meetup several years ago and after trying one I transformed into Gollum from lord of the rings. My precious…
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My biggest FOMO purchase was definitely the GoCF Heavy Grail. I hadn’t even ever used an HHKB when I bought it (aside from typing on one at a meetup), but Norbauer is legendary and after hearing he was putting Topre behind him I decided I wanted to have one.
I still haven’t received it yet, but I do have 2 HHKBs now. I like them, but that was a lot of cash for an impulse buy 
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Norbauer closing up Topre line at the end of last year pushed me into a FOMO purchase or 2 
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I liked the layout and the board enough that I would probably give an aluminum version a try.
I have now been in the hobby enough that I am learning about the “upgrade pathway” of keyboard purchases. I have turned my charcoal Ikki68, and my Dreamscape Ikki68 into a Monokei Hidari, so in the end it will all work out I think.
The Aeboard raeds are on of the hype switches I never pulled the trigger on. I have been waiting for them to go 5 pin as I was thinking of using them on a plateless build.
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I have only started looking at Topre boards, so it sounds like I saved myself some money 
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For me it was def EPBT Ramenstop, all my friends bought it so I said why bot ajd got obe for myself, after many setbacks in the shipping date I have now started to not like it as much
Setbacks in shipping definitely have an impact on my interest in some of the things I have purchased. KAM L’il Dragon was a keyset I was excited for, and now looking at the timeline for production, I am not so excited, and will probably try to find someone else who would love it more than I will anymore.
Yeah, also wait until you hear news about the stem, you want to hear that it doesnt snap anymore. That is a very common problem with raeds, i have snapped 5 stems now using my board casually.
Edit: about the upgrade path it also worked out for me - traded a vast60 and gmk katakana for an e8.5 with l/f bobas.
On Thanksgiving day I ordered a Norbauer product. The next day, after much waffling, I canceled that product in favor of another, bespoke option. A week later I realized I had no need for it and was just FOMOing my way through the stress of the holiday season and asked them to cancel my order.
I am very thankful they didn’t hold me to it. I love their products and am privileged to own more than one, but I especially appreciate their customer service.
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I can relate to this one. I started this hobby April 2021 just after one year of Covid. My interest in this new hobby, I know looking back now, was boosted by some of the stress and emotions of a full year of Covid.
I think some of that is still around, though now I am more aware of it when I am about to make an emotion-driven purchase that I don’t really need.
lmao might as well join the Norbauer confessionals. major props to @Orrnnery for putting up with waffley emails from yours truly re: the last Topre housings of 2021-22.
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Satisfaction75 or Sirius for me. Satisfaction75 was so hyped and it was mid at best. Sirius was also super hyped as “the best feel and sound ever” but what no one mentioned was that POM feels awful as a case plastic in hand and like maybe it sounded/felt marginally better than a post mount? Def not worth it for how bad it looked/felt as a case.
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Probably not the biggest FOMO purchase, but my most recent is the GMK Beta JS set by hineybush. I don’t know how I missed the group buy, but I was fortunate enough to snag a JS set this morning on Oblotzky. Big oof on that one, being international shipping. Still better than r/mm.
Good to know. I think the Sirius was still for sale right when I got started. I remember looking at it, and it intrigued me because the case material was different than everything else I had seen.
I have had ok luck with mechmarket so far. I have grabbed two artisans and my Hidari for retail. Lots of insane stuff for sure, but I have done well.
Mine is quite different experience. Of the Hype type: I’m not a wealthy person, indeed all my keyboards (3 and 1 numpad) were built by me to save money, all cases made by myself. This christmas I decided to buy my first ‘’‘high-end’’’ keyboard, a Preonic (notice that I live overseas which means I paid over 60$ in addition to its price for shipping and customs).
I really enjoyed it until the second week when suddenly it stopped working, despite Drop saying that would send me a replacement in some weeks, that completely ruined my day.
One month later I write them asking for my replacement, then they tell me that it is discontinued and refund my money, but lossing the 60$ of shipping and customs.
That completely changed my mind about all the high-end keebs buying thing and everything. I’m far happier with my kits, handwires and 3D printed cases now. Also building a Lumberjack with a 2nd hand chunky aluminium case that will be my most high-end keeb maybe forever.
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I love that you are building keyboards on your own. That is on my list as it seems like an interesting and challenging experience.
I feel like I have accomplished something when I build a keyboard from a kit I have purchased, I imagine that feeling will be amplified if I am creating the keyboard I am building.
Sucks about Drop. The need to buy extra parts for custom kits is a cost I hadn’t included when I got started, but now I have started including it in my budget. I always purchase a second PCB if I’m not sure if they will be available in the future, and it is expensive.
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those are good stories but something i appreciate most in this hobby. i haven’t taken the plunge yet into handwiring and 3d printing or woodwork but as far as my dream keyboard goes, it’s something I have in my mind that probably won’t ever exist in a community GB and will be something i have made on my own.
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I bought the green IKKI68 Aurora, not because of hype [although it helped to promote it], but because of its dampening. All that material it ships with allows you to make a quiet keyboard, which I had a need for.
The hype only eased the purchase. I had to wait a long time, which was annoying, but Aurora is one of the few boards that’s ready-to-go with dampening that works.
I sometimes think of getting a soldered edition in some future round.
GMK Beta is tempting me. I wonder how it would look on an R1 gray-green NCR-80.