Six Years of Keyboards but They Get More Expensive

Saw a couple shorts with this format, and I figured it would be fun to have a comparative sound test of my boards in their current configuration. Apologies about the highway noise in the clips, my window was open lol

A main takeaway for me is that there are so many more options now for fully built keyboards with all the bells & whistles while being under $150-200--especially during sales. Keyboard building is arriving at the same place as PC's I feel, where vendors are offering better prices than what I could get by buying parts individually.

I also used this video as a reason to account for how much I've spent over the years, and I was surprised at the price for something like the Stacked75 which is a budget acrylic kit. For anyone wondering, I have spent about $1.50/day on keyboards & keyboard related accessories (including soldering tools) over my time in the hobby.

My keyboard choice awards:

Kits - Divinikey/KBDFans
(honorable mention w/ RNDKDB)
PCBs - Canonkeys
Stabilizers - Designer Studio v2's
(honorable mention w/ Durock)
Deskmats - Novelkeys
(honorable mention w/ logitech)
Sound Dampening - PE foam
(honorable mention w/ teflon tape)
Keycap producer - Tai-hao
(honorable mention w/ Keykobo)
Keycap profile - MT3
Config - Plateless + polycarb anything

Clicky - Buckling springs
(honorable mention w/ alps blue)
Tactile - Gateron Type R
(honorable mention w/ AE Naevies)
Linear - PrimeKB Alpacas
(honorable mention w/ Gateron Smoothies)

My favorite newer configuration:
DZ60 hotswap PCB, plateless, ADK64 case from RNDKBD, stock Gateron smoothies on the alphas & Type R on modifiers, Designer Studio v2 stabs, and MT3 keycaps. It sounds great in an alu case too, I love it.

Runner-up config:
HHKB, it's the only board I use for traveling & work given its compact footprint, lightweight build, mac compatibility, and wireless connectivity. Topre is also a pleasant, unique switch to type on, but I'm waiting for it to get better with age.