>

Are they more Thocky or Clacky?
What stabilizers does the community recommend right now? I have heard Durock V2s are no longer "the thing" and have heard TX V3s and Staebies come up often. Doing a Mode Sonnet build with tactile switches and a POM plate if that were to affect the answers. >

Honestly there are "it was perfectly fine" and "it was an absolute nightmare" stories for all of those, so my recommendation is get whichever is more accessible/fits your color scheme better and just be sure to balance the wires before assembly + don't over-mod to start (just wire balance+lube is enough in most cases) + test them on the PCB before installing the plate/all the switches. >

Oh wow just looked up wire balancing. Never heard of that, thank you! >

Hi y'all. I've posted about this a couple of times now, and I appreciate the guidance I've gotten so far. I'm looking for a high quality (comparatively), wireless 1800 keyboard that's either prebuilt or barebones and requires only keycaps and switches. I've gone through quite a few, but it's hard to get an idea for the quality of a lot of these, especially when I can't find much coverage on some. Here's my shortlist so far, and I'd love any feedback on these, or additions to them:
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Keebmonkey 1800 V2.0: Barebones, wireless, backlit, seems to be well made. My gut says I'd prefer something not plastic, but I know that's not necessarily an indicator of quality.
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Yunzii IF98 Pro: Again, the only knock on this is that it's a plastic body, and I don't know if that should count as a knock. I also don't love the white body, but the others are transparent and that's not my vibe.
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Ajazz AK966: This one seems good, but it's probably the one I've done the least reading on. Another plastic body.
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Dareu A98 Pro: I can't find *anything* about this board. It seems nice, and I'm intrigued by the LED screen. Plastic body (I think).
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Everglide SK98: Another barebones, I think this one ticks all of my boxes, as it's the only aluminum board on my list. But it's more than $200 just for the barebones kit, and that seems pretty steep. I can't find very much about it, but if the quality really is that much better than these other options, I'd consider it.
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Akko PC98B Plus Air: I know a lot of folks speak highly of the 3098B, and this seems to be very similar. Maybe it's a slightly newer model? Not sure. I like the aesthetic of this better than the non-Air version. Another plastic body.
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Leopold FC980MBT: This one isn't backlit, which is pretty high on my list of priorities, but I included it because every single person out there says that Leopold makes the best prebuilts. If it's head and shoulders better than these other options, I'd consider it despite the lack of backlighting. 
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The only other consideration I'm making is that I know I want to install Kaihl Box Jades on whatever board I end up getting, and I haven't confirmed yet whether all of these would be compatible with that. To be honest, I'm not sure how to go about confirming compatibility with switches. Thanks for any insights! >

What about the Keychron K4 Pro? Ticks all the boxes including hotswap, barebones, 1800-layout and wireless to boot. >

I’d looked at that, and the V series as well, but I like the Q series so much better. And I know that if I get something in the range of the K series, I’ll end up being restless and wanting to upgrade sooner than later. I’ll say this, if Keychron would make a Q5 Pro, like they’re currently kickstarting the Q1 Pro, I’d buy that in a heartbeat. >

I wouldn't be surprised if a Q5 Pro came along very soon TBH. Nothing wrong with waiting for what you want to buy if you don't need one right now. >

That’s where I’m leaning right now, actually. At the rate they have been releasing new boards, I wouldn’t be shocked it it happens this year. And it feels like sort of a given that it will happen eventually. >

Hi, new to mechanical keyboards and looking to pick one up that's versatile for work (Mac) and games (PC). I don't plan to go down the hobby rabbit hole.

size: not a concern as it'll stay on my desk, thinking maybe 75% or 80%/TKL, and I figure if I really want a numpad in the future, I could get one separately
budget: ideally the best value I can get <$250 CAD but open to stretching if there are great options
layout: I'm considering a split keyboard but haven't tried them before... was looking at the Moonlander and Dygma Rise but maybe in the future.

Must have:

Mac and Windows support
swappable USB cord
prebuilt/no soldering required
number row

Nice to have:

hot-swappable switches
Bluetooth/wireless support
detachable wrist pads
RGB
rotary knob
QMK/VIA / doesn't require brand-specific software
white color

I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the options out there so I decided to narrow down by brand instead and am currently deciding among Keychron, Akko, and Nuphy (open to others). I'm currently leaning towards Keychron (Q, V or K Pro). Heard great things about Akko and Nuphy too but heard the software isn't that great, and Keychron uses QMK/VIA which is open source.
Among Keychron's series, I like how Q has knobs and a white option, but no RGB or bluetooth (although I heard it's not great anyways) and a lot more expensive. V and K are cheaper and have RGB, but are kinda ugly -- can I buy other keycaps and switch them? Thoughts on what keyboards to narrow down to? >

the other post mentioned "split 75% doesnt really exist," but depending on how long you're willing to wait the Keychron Q11 is going to be a split version of their Q1, just with an extra knob & some macro keys on the left side. I think slated for Feb or March release?
Q also does have RGB, just not shine-through keycaps ("enthusiast" tier buyers tend to not want those because shine-through plastic feels/sounds bad in comparison generally). For V and K* Pro (and Q), yeah you can definitely change the keycaps. You can even get a barebones version that doesn't come with switches/keycaps to save the trouble of removing them, if you want. 
*I think some of the K series, especially the low-profiles?, may have issues with stabilizers on standard keycaps, but K Pro should be fine except again maybe the low-profile K3 Pro. (You probably want K Pro anyway since it doesn't really cost much different and has QMK support)
Also note that the Q boards have a Shell White option for case/keycap color, it's just somewhat hidden on some models behind picking the right top-level option (like "Fully Assembled Knob" for the Q1).
There's also the current "kickstarter" (really just a preorder) for the Q1 Pro, which is offered in a white case option, that is Q1 but with bluetooth. >

Thanks! Where can I see more about the Keychron Q11? Tried to search but didn't see anything. Macro keys would be useful for me too but I didn't mention that as I haven't seen mkbs with them (besides gaming ones). >

They post upcoming stuff in the discord sometimes, but just there and not like "officially" on the website/social media until dates and such are set in stone (since the general audience is more likely to make angry posts about delays or whatever, which aren't uncommon given the covid situation, chip shortages, etc).
They have some other boards with macro keys as well if you're interested I guess, like the Q10/V10 and Q65. (technically any key/key combo can be a macro key with QMK/VIA, but just speaking about standalone macro keys) >

How do I choose keycaps? Im new to custom keyboards, so I dont really know what I like. I'm planning to get a white monsgeek m1 with alpaca switches, what would be an appropriate budget for keycaps with that in mind? Is there any objectively good things I should be looking for?
I like the look of the YMDK matcha keycaps, as well as the artifact bloom series black on back. Are these valid options?
Thanks :) >

It's all preference and you won't know what you like until you try it. That being said, cherry is a safe profile, it's the most popular for a reason. >

should I buy the Keychron Q1v2 now or wait until the Q1 Pro gets enough reviews and buy it if it is worth it? >

Do you really need Bluetooth? If not, get Q1v2, if yes - wait. >

This is probably a really weird query. I love the layout of a 75% keyboard so much, but I can't work around the the right shift key being smaller from the left.
My muscle memory always uses the right shift, and because of my hand placement I almost  always hit the arrow up key than the shift. Is there or has there been any keyboards in a 75% layour with a longer right shift key? >

Not really, because the arrow keys go there. There were some exceptions tho - Mammoth 75, but it was a GB. I'd suggest either going with TKL or trying to slowly get used to the smaller shift :/ >

The Mammoth 75 is EXACTLY what I was imagining. Aw man. >

See r/mechmarket, might get lucky and find someone selling one >

akko has their own software to program the keyboard. i haven't used it myself yet so maybe someone can confirm;   i'd imagine download this and you will find the options your looking for >

big tip: check your stabilizers of they lubed em from factory. 
I thought my Enter button keycap/switch was defect, but it was too much lube on the stabilizer that was making it mushy.
Removed a bit of lube with paper & a world of improvement. >

Did you have a question? This is a questions thread. >

What are the differences between stabilizers? Are some better when used with certain switches? >

not switch related. but the quality of the stabs make a huge difference. some of the most popular ones right now are:   aeboard stabies, tx stabilizers and owlstabs >

Hi everyone,
I am looking to build, yet another, keyboard. I am looking for an ortholinear (or staggered from left to right, not sure the terminology for this) keyboard with “ergonomic” form. Unfortunately the person I am making it for will not go with what I think is superior, a split keyboard. I have not been active in the keyboard making world so I no longer know where to look for a PCB with the layout I have in mind.
Could someone mention some PCBs I should look for? To be clear, I am thinking something like the Malicious Ergo but with ortholinear instead of the standard keyboard stagger. 
Alternatively could someone tell me how difficult it is to make a split keyboard into a single board?
Let me know if I could be more clear somehow.
TDLR; Where to buy PCB like the Malicious Ergo but without standard stagger. >

Planning to build my second keyboard, which switches should i choose?
My first keyboard have Holy Pandas X hand-lubed, which i really like (much more than the blue cherry MX, which were my first)
The options are:
Drop + Invyr Holy Panda,
Everglide Aqua King,
Drop Halo,
Gateron Oil King >

I love the Oil Kings, Im planning on getting some soon. I tried them at a keeb store a while back and liked them immediately