artistic noodz

Well, i finally tripped into that rabbit hole and completed my first build, and my god did it go well. Ive had a 'mechanical keyboard' before, it was a corsair k70 gaming keeb with mx browns. never knew about lubing switches and they came pre-soldered to the board so I used em dry for like 2 years. never knew what I was missing till I heard a typing video that sounded like heaven. after that my corsair never sounded nice to me again. Ive been a jeweler for most of my career, but ive been transitioning into the software industry and as a result have spent the last 2 years typing a LOT every day. I decided it was time to upgrade my keyboard to something less annoying sounding and hopefully more pleasant feeling. Also just turned 35 today so i wanted to treat myelf.

The hunt for parts:

So after like 2 months of research, i was looking for a 75% but i ended up falling for the simple looks of the Tofu boards, and realizing i only needed the keys of a 65% plus the f row and the tilde key for some programming stuff, so i decided to go for the EXTREME(to me) change from a 100% to a 65%. So for Xmas i ordered the Tofu Jr in E-Lake (Kind of a Tiffany blue/green color) with the POM plate, after the GB had finished so I didnt have to wait too long. Got some Boba U4Ts, and some Durock V2 screw-in stabs to replace the cherry ones that come with the kit. The stabs are that miami turquoise too, with gold wires, vs the cherry in black with silver, so they match the case more and add some flair.

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the build:

lubed and bandaid modded the stabs, lubed and filmed the U4Ts with 205g0 and durock clear switch films. I used all the foam that came in the kit: case foam, pcb foam, and a paper-thin 'sound modifying' pcb sheet. I'm still waiting on some Jasmine Mt3 keycaps, as well as the standard BoW, to come in from drop. In the meantime, i cannibalized some keys from my old corsair just to try out the board and setup the maps for keys i needed that werent on the smaller 65% layout. had to use a shift key for the spacebar cuz i dont have a 6.25u lol

wearing the corsairs cheap caps. they sound pretty great. so im hopeful this board can sound even better with some decent keycaps.

the result:

My god does it sound good. Its deep and thocky, not silent but fairly quiet, not loud enough to annoy anyone around me. i was honestly nervous about whether or not the sound would be something i liked, as this board has come in at around $400 when you add it all up including shipping. a big jump from the $100 corsair, and a full half the cost of my MacBook pro lol. Lucky for me, the sound and feel are practically ideal. I dont even have good keycaps yet but this baby already feels endgame quality to me. The switches are tactile heaven compared to the mx browns i used before. I keep finding myself just typing to enjoy the feel of it. ive got two research papers to write ive been putting off. can't wait to get into it now. this keeb is incredible. Also, its SO heavy. its probably only 40% of the size of the corsair but weighs significantly more. you have to give it quite the nudge to move it on the desk. i think this probably is part of the reason it sounds so good. the case was hefty by itself, obviously very thick aluminum in some places, but the steel weight on the bottom really makes it stable. I like the layout. i actually find using fewer keys and more layers fun. now im thinking, maybe i COULD use one of those crazy 40%s.... like i said, im in the rabbit hole now. Ill update when i get the new keycaps, and try to get a sound test but i dont have a decent mic or anything so well see.

TLDR;E-Lake Tofu jr, black bottom weight. Assembled with full foam, POM plate, Lubed and Filmed Boba U4Ts w/ 65g springs, Lubed and Holee modded Durock V2 Stabs. sounds and feels like a keyboard given to me by an angel.