Keycap Kevin: The Sound of Mechanical Keyboards – Episode 3

The beauty of custom keyboards is that they not only come in full format or tenkeyless, but also in unusual form factors. Here you can see what they can look like, and above all, hear how they sound.

Class65

I’ll start with something a little less fancy. The Class65 is a 65 per cent keyboard with a macro row on the left-hand side. But it’s wide edges make it stand out from the crowd. The casing is made of aluminium. Inside there’s a brass weight which should also improve the acoustics, i.e. less reverberation. It’s a so-called Leaf Spring Gasket Mount keyboard. In this case, the circuit board is clamped between the two casing parts at the leaf springs using rubber seals. This isolates them from the casing and ensures a soft typing feel. What this looks like and more information can be found in this Geekhack Thread. Here are the Class65 specs:

• Switches: Neapolitan Ice Cream (tactile)
• Keycaps: GMK Retrocast (ABS plastic)
• Cover plate material: none
• Insulation material: none

And here’s what the keyboard sounds like:

I particularly like the retro design of the Class65. It just made sense to have retro-style keycaps too. The set I’ve put on is based on old handhelds. An alternative would be the GMK DMG set, which is based on the original Game Boy. But I like the contrasting colours of this one. The artisan keycaps in the style of an old tube television gives the whole thing even more retro flair.

Cycle7

The Cycle7 from TKD is regarded as the device that turned the custom keyboard market on its head. It offers an enormous amount for the price. To put this into context: I paid 160 euros for mine (without keycaps and switches). A few years ago, a comparable aluminium keyboard would have cost at least twice as much. The 70 per cent keyboard – a tenkeyless without the function row at the top – is a classic gasket-mount keyboard. The cover plate and PCB are clamped between the upper and below casing sections and held in place with gaskets made of Poron foam. Here they’re gripping to the cover plate. If you want more info on the keyboard, you can find it in this Geekhack thread. Here are the Cycle7 specs:

• Switches: Mode Tomorrow (linear)
• Keycaps: Hammerworks CRP (PBT plastic)
• Cover plate material: polycarbonate
• Insulation material: PE- and plate foam

And here’s what the keyboard sounds like:

What I particularly like about the Cycle7 is its elongated look. The 70 per cent-er is significantly less bulky than the TKL form factor. I used to look at these keyboards with envy because the navigation keys are a great place to collect artisan Keycaps. Hence why I’ve decorated my Cycle7 with several of them. Due to this colourful mix and the special case colour of my model, I opted for a classic look for the keycaps.

Wind X

The very guy who says the number pad is superfluous actually still has a keyboard with one. The reason for this being: I like long and narrow keyboards. The Wind X is basically a 65 per cent keyboard with a number pad on the right-hand side. The keyboard consists of three aluminium parts and an internal brass weight visible from the outside. It’s a classic gasket-mount keyboard. If you want to know more about the Wind X, you can read about it in this Geekhack Thread. Here are the specs:

• Switches: Prevail Epsilon (linear)
• Keycaps: GMK Nuclear Data (ABS plastic)
• Cover plate material: POM
• Insulation material: PE- and plate foam

I’ve changed the keycaps on the Wind X more often than any other keyboard. I like the bright green, but it’s difficult to match with. After trying plain white, grey and then purple, I’ve landed on green. But I’m still unsure whether I’ll leave them like this. I might change again when I get the chance, although I really like the keycap set.

And here’s what the keyboard sounds like:

Voice Mini

Strictly speaking, the Voice Mini from Owlab isn’t a fully fledged keyboard, but a macro pad with seven keys and a rotary wheel. Like the other keyboards in this article, the Macro Pad is made of aluminium. The design of the keyboard corresponds to a classic tray-mount keyboard. The circuit board and the cover plate rest on the lower part of the casing. Here are the specs:

• Switches: Rebult Harimau (tactile)
• Keycaps: Osume Tsukimi (PBT plastic)
• Cover plate material: aluminium
• Insulation material: PE- and plate foam

Although I don’t write articles on the Voice Mini, I still use it every day for media control – or to shut down my PC at the end of the day with a single, pleasant press of a button. I originally wanted to change the keycaps so I can put my many unused ISO escape keys on them – for all my keyboards, I use the ANSI standard. Yet I’ve still had the same ones on since the very beginning. The colours just work well together.

And here’s what the Macro Pad sounds like:

Which keyboard do you like best? Do you have one you’re particularly proud of? Then share it in the comments. I’ll show you four more of my keyboards very soon.

If you want to check out the other parts of my series before then, you can find the keyboards I’ve presented so far here.