Constellation I posted:

Sound is really dependent on a number of factors. Material and construction of the case. Material and construction of the plate the switches are on (hell, maybe plateless even) Dampening if any on the case, keyboard placed on a desk mat, etc. Then you go on to switch types, and whether they're lubed (spring, leaf or stem), filmed etc. The Womier looks to be all poly, so it'll sound different from the all metal case linked in that video.

As for GMK keycaps, the answer is yes. It's really high quality thick ABS plastic with excellent legends and colour options. It'll eventually shine though since it's just how it is for ABS keycaps. (PBT keycaps should eventually shine as well, just takes a whole lot more use)

But they're not your only options. If you don't mind OEM profile, then TaiHao keycap sets are of good quality and available for cheaper. Vortex/iKBC as well, but much more limited colour options.

Cherry profile PBT keycaps from the likes of EnjoyPBT can be slightly cheaper as well. There's also "knockoff" GMK called JTK which are fairly similar quality, but slightly worse legends (might be a lot better these days). Though I think their prices are creeping up to "might as well get GMK" these days.

There's also other options from AliExpress and Chinese vendors, but you really have to check out which individual sets are good as there's a lot of garbage out there.

EDIT: Also look out for group buys for keycaps to see if any of the cheaper ones catch your attention. There's so many new manufacturers and vendor collabs out there that it's hard to keep track. But if there's reasonable demand and hype around it, should at least be decent quality. Again though, these typically aren't cheap keycaps but there's definitely reasonably priced ones. mechgroupbuys.com is a good site to use.

GnarlyCharlie4u posted:

whoo boy okay...
Constellation I pretty much covered everything. There are a lot of factors that go into making a keyboard 'sound good'.

Think of a keyboard as though it were an instrument. Like a guitar. You can change the strings; nylon, steel, brass... and it will change the sound. But you can also use those same strings on a variety of guitars and they will all sound different; steel guitar, acoustic, solid body electric, hollowbody.
And don't forget that the sound you're hearing is being recorded by someone else's microphone and being processed through their recording software before being reproduced by your device playing it back through your speakers or headphones or whatever you're listening on and in fact it's really not at all how it's going to sound in real life.

99% of this hobby is just a rabbit hole of preference. But that's actually kind of the point. There is no endgame ultimate keyboard. The fun of keyboards as a hobby is actually going down that rabbit hole; trying different things and finding what you like. It's just a bunch of people experimenting with different things to achieve different results and determining if they like it or not. Much like people trying different combinations of pickups or electronics or effects on guitars to achive their "perfect tone." There's no right answer, just the answer that is right for you. That being said, there are definitely a lot of wrong answers and misinformation.
Very little of it actually has to do with actual functionality so bear that in mind and take every bit of "advice" or "review" you hear with a grain of salt.

I'd recommend starting on the cheaper end of switches: get some Gateron KS3's from Kinetic labs. Maybe some different weights of springs while you're there. Pick up a variety of switch films and some lube and just have fun modding switches. See how each of the little tweaks changes the feel/sound and assess if each change is sending you down a path that looks like it will lead to something you will ultimately enjoy, or if it might not be your preference.
Maybe spend some time hanging out in keyboard related discords (we have one too). Ask questions, see what people are talking about, get to know them and their preferences and objectives and understand not just what it is they are doing but why they are doing it.

When you do decide to buy another board the one most important piece of advice I can offer is, don't buy the hype. Try to understand what it is about that keyboard's design that makes it good and ultimately how you think it will perform based on the knowledge that you've gained. Lots of boards are just people making some sweet looking renders in CAD, making a board that is gasket mount because gasket mount is popular, not taking the time to develop a decent plate, throwing PC plates out there as an option for their hotswap board, and not actually doing any prototyping, or just prototyping to determine their chosen manufacturer's level of quality/finish rather than assess how their design works.

Zarin posted:

mariooncrack posted:

How's the quality on the Womier/GamaKay? I was considering their 65% board. I think I read a review where the switches don't snap into the keyboard so if you flipped it upside down they would fall out.

Nam Taf posted:

Wrong and bad opinion. Clicky is supreme.

Matt Zerella posted:

Anyone want to try to talk me out of the KBD67 R2 set?

I have caps and can grab yellows for ~15$

No, forget it. I'm not going to spend the money. NO.

mariooncrack posted:

Depends on the keyboard but there's usually some shortcuts using the function button.

Womier TKL might be a good option too: https://smile.amazon.com/Mechanical...443&sr=8-1&th=1

This one comes with red switches. Can change out the switches if you don't end up liking them.

alg posted:

What's the Discord link?

LionArcher posted:

Too heavy.

Duck and Cover posted:

The Wormier isn't a solid chunk of metal capable of beating someone to death without breaking but I'm not sure that I'd consider it flimsy.

Anyway I finally decided to order some testers from kbdfans (clicky and textile). Can't wait to drive myself crazy and deciding why yes I'll just keep using the yellows (or go back to the zealios I used before).

Duck and Cover posted:

Can't wait to spend like $160 on keycaps and like $50-$100 for key switches for my $85 keyboard!

Ringo Star Get posted:

Anyone try out those Akko switches? I’m tempted to get a set, particularly the tactile blues, which aren’t clicky.

Hoop Dreams posted:

I recently got a k61 which is a cheap hotswap board that came with gat yellows which are good but got boba u4t to try and they are great. I probably wouldn't have tried new switches if it wasn't hot swap because I'm too lazy to learn to solder.

So hot swaps are good if you are a beginner and want to try different switches.

Epsilon Plus posted:

I got a Facebook ad for the Mojo68 and while it's cute, I don't want a keeb that small.

I -do- want whatever keyset is on the "Plastic" colorway they're showing - the one with the Enter key that says "REPEATER". Does anyone know what it is? I assume it's from a GB the same company did, but I looked through what they had on their site and couldn't find it.

GnarlyCharlie4u posted:

I mean... it's not over yet.
Cannonkeys is doing extras for the deskmats soon I think...

MKEU still has preorders open...
https://mykeyboard.eu/catalogue/category/keycaps/epbt_221/

Z the IVth posted:

I didn't know creamy could be used to describe keyboards.

interrodactyl posted:

If you don't need them to be silent, I think the U4Ts are strictly better, and if you really want to ball out, my favorite tactile is still the holy boba.

LionArcher posted:

https://shop.wuquestudio.com/products/ikki68-aurora-r2?variant=41700227842218

A great board is up again for group buy.

LionArcher posted:

I just bought this GMMK Pro, built it a week ago, and said, it's amazing, and now I don't need any boards for years!


But here's the thing. The stabs (not the space bar strangely, but enter for sure) does indeed suck. And yes, I have new stabs to throw in it, and lube now. But that involves me taking apart the whole board right? Ugh. And I thought I'd love the scroll wheel, that was the main reason I didn't go Keychron!

Expect it turns out, I really use the function keys to play pause music, and turn the volume up and down.

So then I look at the board I posted and go, it's a better company, it's lacking the function row but has four keys I could use for media controls and I have an external volume wheel I could use, and it's cheaper and...

Oh God, just when I thought I was out, I may still be in right?

Also, I do know from this GMMK pro that the Bobba U4T's are amazing, amazing switches and my favs for sure. No lube needed.

I think I'll just suck it up, and over Christmas vacation take this GMMK PRO apart and lube the good stabs I have (C3's? I know they work with the GMMK PRO plate). Honestly, other than me supporting a lovely company, and not having better control over the RBG, and a volume knob I don't actually use, I really like this board. It feels miles above even my Turgod that I was replacing with Cherry Browns.