TL;DR Five years ago I ordered a Keychron K6 and thought that was it, I was wrong. I got lost in the enourmously fun rabbit hole of custom keyboards. This overly drammatic anectotal piece is but a love letter to that time, and to what's to come next.
One Hobby Ends, Another Begins.
January 20th, 2021. That's when I ordered my first mechanical keyboard, the Keychron K6. Back then I thought, this is it. I'll order this, get a nice set of keycaps, and then I'm done. I'll be satisfied for years.
As usual, I was wrong.
Over the course of half a decade I dove headfirst into a booming hobby of fantastical typing experiences. At the beginning the excitement felt unstoppable, fueled by a seemingly unfathomable desire for discovery. But just halfway through those five years, a slow and steady decline of interest began to emerge, until I finally reached the bottom.
As one journey came to an end, another began. Like cross-fading tracks on a 90s album. That tingly sensation of the unexpected, that excitement for discovery, resurfaced in the form of split, ergonomic keyboards. If you've been with the channel for a while, you'll have no doubt witnessed my gradual descent into split-sanity. So I thought, what better time than now, while I'm at this peripheral junction, to take a look back, and forward, at the hobby that once brought me so much joy, and the one that replaces it.
A Celebration.
This is in ways a celebration of the recent 50k subscriber milestone, but also a tale of two hobbies. For the former, I'm immensely grateful to you, yes you, who's reading right now.
The question I've been asking myself every day for the past 12 months, the moment my pupils adjust to the rising sun: what the heck is that on my desk? And how did I end up with it?
Was it health? After all, I've become ancient, and everything has begun to hurt, especially in places I wasn't even aware I had sensory abilities in. It would seem so, since health is something often mentioned in conjunction with split ergonomic keyboards, hence the name I suppose. But truth be told, that was never that big of a draw for me. What convinced me in the end, was an entirely different reason. They're fun to type on, believe it or not.
The Slow Drift Away From Customs.
Over the course of the last five years I had the opportunity to use so many keyboards. The early excitement I mentioned was continuously fueled by new and innovative features that entered the market. Various mounting systems come to mind, which were seemingly reinvented on a monthly basis. Likewise, it felt like discoveries on how to improve your sound were being made just as often, to various degrees of success, sometimes splitting hairs or opinions, or both, all in the name of thock.
All of this was incredibly fun, but unbeknownst to me, finite.
My all-time favorite keyboard is the Rama Works TEMPO. No foam, no tape, no fancy mounting system, just an aluminum plate with a bit of flex resting on some pads. Surrounded by arguably one of the best looking keyboard designs ever made. To my eyes and ears, it was, and still is, perfect.
After this, most of the boards I received started to feel over-designed. Like modern blockbuster movies, they tried to please everyone, but ended up not knowing who they were supposed to be made for, and neither did I. Although the designs kept getting more and more extravagant, the realization that most of it was surface level, quite literally, only increased my declining interest in the hobby.
Function With A Purpose.
This stood in stark contrast to ergonomic keyboards. Where I immediately noticed, the focus was entirely utilitarian. Every detail mattered from a functional standpoint, it had purpose.
The first of these boards was a carefully distilled split called the Boardsource Unicorne, which came recommended by one of you, no less. So in many ways, this entire ordeal here is your fault, which means I'm forever in your debt.
Getting off the ground was anything but easy. My skepticism towards the promise of typing bliss proved to be true at first. It was tough, and I would often just resort to using whatever else was lying on my desk, just to get things done. But at times, there was a peek into a future where my fingers were skilled enough to navigate my new device with efficiency. And that peek, always filled me with excitement.
There's a weird feeling, a sensation of freedom every time you break loose of the confinements of inexperience. One that goes beyond what any staggered, single-brick board was ever capable of doing.
Thumbs, Layers, And The Comfort Of Stillness.
In many ways the thumb cluster is to thank for this, giving my stubs more to do than ever before, leveraging their dexterity to maximize input variety. Convoluted sentences aside, I've been outspoken about my use of layers for arrow keys, and it's the most basic execution of the idea. But also a great example of how this forced change of perspective can open up new paths of navigating. The complete lack of physical movement, apart from the fingers of course, to achieve digital movement, is pure convenience.
And then there was more. Unbeknownst to me again, I began doing something I could have done years ago, but only through splits did I finally realize what I was missing.
I was, and am, to my knowledge and self-evaluation, a keen user of productivity tools. I've had the usual suspects for years: Raycast, Things, Mimestream, and many more. But I was only using about 70% of their capabilities, because I never touched the keyboard shortcuts. Why now, then? Well, because I'd experienced the comfort of stillness, and once you've experienced it, you'll want more of it.
Using an app entirely by keyboard feels, for the lack of a better way of putting it, like having super powers. If I could remember the shortcuts. Which I had difficulty with at the beginning. Like a raccoon that just went through the evidence locker of a local police station, I was barely able to string together two consecutive actions from memory. But once I did, I turned into a rocket raccoon.
Trackballs And Other Creatures.
And then there were trackballs, touchpads and other creatures. Apart from the former, I have yet to experience the benefits of the latter. But boy, is it fun if you have a big ball close by. And although it cannot fully replace my primary pointer device, I've begun to rely on it more and more every day. It also, if I may say so, looks pretty cool.
What Customs Still Do Better.
Looks are a precarious topic though. It's the one area where I believe splits are not, and will never be, anywhere near as lasting as customs.
In recent years there has been an influx of newcomers I very much admire. The Protagonist, the Geistmaschine Studio and ADA, Serene Industries' Cleaver, its.hymn's Typebox, the Machina Cloudnine, and anything Atelier Magnus or Werk Technica have ever teased or produced. I'll never not want to own anything they made or make, but I simply do not know how I could justify, nor frame the purchase of any, for a video or personal desires.
They'll forever remain a tease to a hobby that once was. I'll forever hover over the buy button on any of these, and then...
Settling Into The Valley.
I bid farewell to custom keyboards as I fully settle into the valley. The path I have chosen is the one of fun, like it always should be.
Thank you for reading.
