In August 2020, I bought my first mechanical keyboard: a Keydous NJ68 from Aliexpress

  • 68 keys(5 rows typewriter, with arrows and a few editing keys)
  • PBT keycaps, with nice, simple lettering, Cherry profile
  • Cherry Brown switches
  • RGB backlight with lots of patterns, etc
  • Hot-swapable switches
  • Bluetooth or USB-C, with big battery

I am very pleased with the way it works. A few months later, I bought another, this time with Cherry Blue (noisy) switches. I use the noisy switches in my home office, and the Brown switches in my open-plan office at work.

About annually, I do a scout around of mechanical keyboards to see if anything interests me. Then I realise that, for me, a keyboard is a tool, not a hobby. I have plenty of other hobbies to consume my money.

Part of me would like to build a wooden housing for the keyboard. I have few nice chunks of wood (kwila, acacia, beech) and it would be an interesting winter project.

These are my thoughts about the decisions I would make if I were to choose again

  • Mechanical keys are nice
  • Clicky (blue) keys are great, but tactile (brown) are less offensive for others trying to sleep
  • TKL (84 keys) might be better than 68 keys
  • Bluetooth is not worth it if you have a BIOS password; unique keyboard dongle is nice as it keeps the desk clear.
  • RGB backlighting is pointless
  • Don’t worry too much about programmability, it is easy to learn new muscle memory – unless you have different keyboard that you use simultaneously

Details

  • I really do prefer the feel of the mechanical keys, and that is worth paying some money for.

  • I like both the clicky (Blue) and the feely (Brown) switches. I would probably get the Browns as the noise from the Blues does affect others at home.

  • It is nice and heavy, so it stays put on the desk.

  • I would probably choose a TKL (87 key) keyboard. This keyboard is big enough that there are not too many second-layer keys

    • I have learned where the most common editing keys are.
    • But the [`/~] key is on the right hand side so that the [Esc] key can be close to its normal position. This is unnatural.
    • The TKL layout is not much bigger, and I am not particularly limited in my desk space.

  • I would not choose Bluetooth.

    • I used to use a Logitech wireless keyboard, and do prefer to not have a cable lying on the desk.
    • I cannot use Bluetooth. For Various Reasons (TM), I have an encrypted disk and need to enter a password before the OS has booted. The BIOS on my PCs does not support Bluetooth, so I have to have either a wired keyboard, or one with a dongle that pretends to be a keyboard.
    • The battery lasts about a week, so I had to plug it in periodically anyway; I could get into the habit of hunting around for a USB cable to plug it in on Friday afternoons.

  • I really like the idea of swappable keycaps. However, in 2 years, I have not felt the need to change them.

    • I used to change keyboards when the bumps on [F] and [J] key wore off, usually after 3–4 years.
    • After 2 years, the [J] key is wearing down a bit; [F] is still ok.
    • I really do like some of the other colour options available.
    • I am not prepared to spend $100–$200 (or much, much more) on keycaps alone. This is not a hobby.

  • Don’t bother with hot-swap switches. It has been 2 years now, and I have not felt the need to change them. This is not a hobby.

  • Don’t bother with RGB backlighting.

    • I found the flashing patterns to be very distracting; I did rather like a dim cyan colour
    • I often accidentally hit the magic key-sequence to select another pattern, or to change the brightness, then I had to find the user guide to work out how to reset it
    • The light does not shine through the double-shot PBT keycaps; it only comes through the gaps between the keys
    • I have subsequently re-configured the keyboard to disable the pattern-change key-sequence.

  • Don’t bother with programmability (QMK, etc)

    • I keep the same keyboard long enough that it is easier to re-learn where the hidden keys are, rather than re-program the keyboard to suit my muscle memory.
    • This keyboard uses a proprietary, Windows-only application to re-program the keys.
    • I have only used it work around accidentally changing the backlighting; if there are no annoying colour patterns, and enough keys that second-layer keys are easy to learn, then there is no need.

Nice keyboard colour schemes

Despite having said that keycaps are too expensive, there are some really beautiful colour schemes out there that might be contenders when the [F] and [J] finally do wear out. My current favourites are

  • GMK Birch
  • GMK Green Tree