Keebs

For a little over a year, I've been typing on a gergo keyboard. It took some getting used to, since it's a) a split keyboard, b) ortholinear, c) low-profile, and d) a 40% keyboard (I think).

Switching keyboard layers is kind of a trip, but once I got the locations of the keys figured out (and the layers) it was a lot easier. I still kind of struggle with the low profile switches sometimes, because they are not clicky at all and offer little resistance. I guess I have heavy hands, because I'm constantly sending accidental keypresses.

This year I wanted to get another keyboard with my Christmas money from my parents, but G Heavy Industries (where I got my gergo) was having some issues (both personal and supply-side), so I expanded my search a bit and one of the keyboards that was listed as gergo-like was the Iris from keeb.io.

I've always been nervous to solder, but they have such a nice how-to video that I thought I might give it a shot. But, the keyboard was back-ordered and there was a mailing list you could get on to be notified when it came back into stock. While there, I saw that the rev6 board doesn't require any soldering, as it has hot-swap sockets on it. Worth the wait, in my opinion. I guess I could learn to solder some other time. I got on the wait list and proceeded to look around the website.

That's when I saw the Dilly. It's for low-profile switches, but I have experience with those, now. Plus, I could order clicky switches, which tickled me. It's cheap...$15. And it's super simple. I figured it would be a good practice keyboard for learning to solder. Fifteen dollars didn't seem like too much of an expense.

So I bought it.

Fifteen minutes later, I get an email that the Iris was available, too.

So I bought it.

After shopping for switches and keycaps for both keyboards, it so happened that the switches and keys for the Iris would arrive a week after the Dilly...which was actually kind of perfect.

The Dilly and its related parts arrived and I had my first soldering experience on a keyboard...and I think I might be addicted. It all went so well. I regret not getting the leds for the board, because that would have taken the whole thing to the next level, but the satisfaction of soldering the board together and having it actually work was so nice.

The Iris came, and I kind of went all out on it. MX Cherry Blue switches, steel plates, and a frosted acrylic mid-layer makes the keyboard beautiful to look at. I picked up a keycap set called "matcha" (because of the nice green coloring) off of Drop, and it only took about an hour to assemble the whole thing.

Not quite as fulfulling as soldering it myself, I guess, but no less satisfying in the presentation.

So, now I've got 3 unique mechanical keyboards, and I'm looking for excuses to build more, because man...it's addicting.