inside the world of mechanical keyboards

Mechancial Keyboards. What's the big deal? In this video, Taha explores the world of custom and luxury mechanical keyboards, talks to Taeha Types and Glarses about the hobby and history of mechanical keyboards, and learns how to build his very own keyboard. Welcome to the rabbit hole that is mechanical keyboards! Hopefully this servers as a beginner's guide to mechanical keyboards!

SUPPORT US ON PATREON

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

SOCIAL MEDIA
Sabrina
Melissa
Taha

CREDITS
Produced by Taha Khan
Video Editing by Joe Trickey
Motion Design by Olivér Varga & Krisztina Varga

Special Thanks to Taeha & David (aka Glarses) for being in the video.
Special Thanks to ThereminGoat for fact checking the script.
Special Thanks to Iz, Johnny, Ali, Gordon & Ayaz for logistical support.

MUSIC

RECOMMENDED WATCHING/READING:

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - CLICK CLACK, WE BACK
00:12 - *seinfeld voice* what’s the deal with keyboards?
01:07 - uh oh, turns out i can’t just google it
1:49 - i am a? keyboard beginner?
3:20 - now THIS is a keyboard
5:05 - the anatomy of a keyboard
6:20 - my favourite new app
7:41 - the origins of mechanical keyboards
8:23 - why membrane keyboard are bad
8:56 - the rise of the modern keyboard hobby
9:37 - the more nerdy version of frankenstein
10:43 - here come the GAMERS
11:27 - the rise of boutique switches
12:35 - CRIME DOES PAY
14:00 - today’s keyboard scene
14:39 - taha becomes a keyboard connoisseur
15:44 - how to build a mechanical keyboard?
17:45 - we have reached keyboard nirvana
19:16 - THE KING OF MECHANICAL KEYBOARDS
19:56 - why would anyone spend $1000s on a keyboard?
20:41 - custom vs generic keyboards
21:12 - the popularity of mechanical keyboards
21:59 - keyboard growing pains
22:52 - the future of keyboards
23:13 - keyboard meetups
24:29 - so is it worth it?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to the joke under the fold!

Why did the keyboard and mouse get married? They just clicked!

Leave a comment with the word CLACK to let me know you were here ;-)

[canonogic]

Wow, you actually managed to get Glarses to sit still and be serious for more than a minute

[HipyoTech]

Great to see keyboards on such a well edited stage!!!

[TaehaTypes]

Thank you so much for having me! Loved the animations and look forward to your collection growing :D

[bettsdn]

Taha: "And that was the end of my keyboard journey"
Glarses: "this is the *START* of your keyboard journey"

[kholozondi]

This is considerably more crossovers over genres than I ever expected out of an Answer in Progress video and I love it

[KharmaMedic]

the editing, the quality, the research, the clips, just stellar. banger

[khalilahd.]

As a pre medical student I spend most of my time studying and ngl study tube YouTubers has made me want to get one for such a long time. Glad you’re covering this before I actually bought one 😅

[Mokeysniper]

Beyond the incredible writing, editing and how you structure and present your Videos. I can not help myself to again point out Your motion Design. It's soooo insanely well done. Even knowing, when to use fancy graphics vs whipping out Photoshop to "amateurishly" move around layers, shows a phenomenal understanding of how to communicate with your audience. Outstanding work. Olivier and Kriztina deserve a huge pat on the back.

[exquisitelyrad]

as someone who fell into the mechanical keyboard rabbit hole (I’m nearly done building my first custom) i can say it absolutely does not make sense. Yet, I think the reason why i put so much time and effort is for a higher quality of typing since i do it everyday, its a smooth sound to ease your brain while utterly failing to write a comprehensive essay (been there). Its also just nice using something that feels better, especially if you build it yourself

[jetkirby]

There's an underlying message here about how the copyright for a great product expiring lead to a boom in creativity and amazing designs. Imagine if copyrights weren't so pervasive and ended after 1-2 generations rather than entire lifetimes so the people who grew up seeing what works and what doesn't work would be open to innovate based on those great ideas.

[Ulto]

Thankfully as the hobby expands, the price ranges of these products spans as well.
Not every custom keyboard has to be $1000 anymore. You can get really good switches, nice keycaps and a good Case/Plate/PCB kit all around $300 total.
I know you can buy a Razer or Steelseries keyboard for under 200, but between Hotswap sockets to change switches, no concerns about keycap compatibility, complete control and customization of your components, and the personal satisfaction of taking parts and constructing something by yourself, for yourself, is so much more enjoyable for the enthusiasts.

[MatthewEncina]

Thanks for the fantastic history lesson. The animated sections were my favorite parts!

[matthias]

There are so many niche and not-so-niche hobbies out there that encourage creativity and customization. I personally am into collecting playing cards, with thousands of commercial options available, not to mention the various Kickstarter options out there. I was amazed that there are other people who like the variety a deck of cards can offer. Things like card stock and card finish can massively change how a deck of cards feels, much in the same way as a mechanical keyboard, I'd imagine. But there is also something really satisfying about finding a new deck which reflects a part of your own style or personality. So if any of the Answer in Progress team is reading this, I'd recommend at least taking a quick look at the world of playing cards and how we got to where we are with the modern deck. It might be worth a video.

[poundlandvodka]

I spent way more money on my custom board than I expected to (after watching too many Glarses and Hipyotech videos) but I don't regret it for a minute. Like David says, it's something that you made yourself exactly how you want it and you use it every day. Nothing feels better than having that kind of ownership.

[auroricaura]

I was NOT expecting this channel to dive into one of my deep hobbies lmao. It's especially weird because I lived through this time period, when I got into mechanical keyboards in 2015 we hadn't really gotten to customs yet outside of the super hardcore people on forums.

[pluspiping]

What a delightful video about "you should enjoy using the objects you interact with" hosted by three charming people. What a treat. <3

[blob]

the more interview-driven video was a fun change from the usual book report + interview format of the channel ! (although i do love those, means i don't have to read the book, and it's usually one i wouldn't have thought about reading otherwise)

[vsMankind]

it’s exactly like introducing someone to 144hz+ monitors in person, it’s such a quality of life change that needs to be seen first to get the bigger picture

[Ddddddddddd]

for me, it's an engineering project. I find it fun to find, source, buy, and put together the keyboard. It's taking a hell of a lot of time (and money unfortunately), but I will come out of it with a product that speaks to me and my design choices and desires. My board is nowhere close to being done, but by the end of it I will have something wonderful

[MewChocolateLuvHeart]

I feel like the experience building your own custom keyboard is similar to that of building your own PC! I wanted an all-white setup and couldn't find a pre-built one within my budget, so I dove head-first into learning, sourced my own individual parts, and ended up with something I was really proud of! There's just something about building your own X that's just so satisfying, it feels like an accomplishment~