The hobby, catalogued
Mechanical keyboards,
indexed and explained.
A hand-checked index of the boards, switches and keycaps worth knowing about, next to plain guides on how the parts actually work. No hype, no gatekeeping.
Index
Keyboards
Boards by size, connectivity, mounting style and hot-swap support, each linked to the article that explains it.
114 listed →Index
Switches
Linear, tactile and clicky, with actuation force, travel, housing and stem details.
94 listed →Reference
Glossary
Every term the hobby uses, from actuation to Zealios, in one place.
→Learn
All learn →How mechanical keyboards actually work, in the order that makes sense.
Learn 1
Intro to Mechanical Keyboards
What makes a keyboard mechanical, what is actually inside one, why people spend money on them, and the three ways to get your first one.
→Learn 2
Keyboard Sizes and Layouts
What the percentages actually mean, why layers replace the keys you lose, and the bottom-row differences that decide whether keycaps will fit.
→Learn 3
Choosing a Keyboard Size
Every common size, what you give up at each step down, and which one to buy based on what you actually do at your desk.
→Learn 4
Switches
What a mechanical switch does, the three feels, and how to read the specification sheet so you can pick one without pressing it first.
→Learn 5
ANSI vs ISO Keyboard Layouts: What Actually Changes?
ANSI and ISO keyboards differ in Enter shape, Shift size and key placement. Learn how to identify your layout and choose compatible keycaps.
→Learn 5
Linear vs Tactile Switches
Linear switches move without a tactile bump. Tactile switches add resistance partway through the press. Compare the mechanisms and real indexed specifications.
→Learn 5
Switch Anatomy
The five parts inside a mechanical switch, what each one does to the sound and the feel, and which ones you can change.
→Learn 6
Keycaps
Profiles, plastics and printing methods, plus how to work out which keycap set will actually fit the keyboard you own.
→Learn 7
North-Facing vs South-Facing LEDs: Which Is Better?
Learn how north-facing and south-facing keyboard LEDs affect shine-through legends, Cherry-profile keycap compatibility and your next keyboard.
→Learn 7
Stabilizers
What stabilizers do, the three mounting types, how many your layout needs, and why a rattling spacebar is the most common fault on a new board.
→Learn 8
Keyboard Latency Explained: Polling Rate, Scan Rate and Input Lag
Understand where keyboard input lag comes from, how polling and scan rates differ, and what actually matters when choosing a gaming keyboard.
→Learn 8
Keyboard Mounting Styles
How the plate is held in the case, what each mount does to flex and sound, and why the label alone does not predict how a board feels.
→Learn 9
Plate Materials and Sizes
What the plate does, how each material changes the sound and the flex, and what thickness, flex cuts and half plates actually alter.
→Learn 10
Switch Lubes
Which lubricant to use on switches, stabilizers and springs, what the viscosity numbers mean, and what lubing does and does not fix.
→Learn 11
How Group Buys Work
Why most custom keyboard parts are sold as pre-orders, what IC, MOQ and extras mean, and how to decide whether to join one.
→Learn 12
What Makes a Switch Thocky
Thock is a low, short, dead sound with no ring after it. Here is what causes it, and which indexed switches have the properties that produce it.
→Learn 13
What Makes a Switch Clacky
Clack is high, sharp and slightly ringing. It is a deliberate design outcome, not a fault, and two specification lines tell you whether a switch has it.
→Learn 14
What Makes a Switch Creamy
Creamy describes how a switch feels going down, not how it sounds. It comes from materials and lubricant, and it is the one property you can add yourself.
→Build
All build →Practical procedures: cleaning keycaps, tuning stabilisers, lubing switches and remapping firmware.
Build 1
Lubing Your Switches
The actual process, step by step: what you need, how to open a switch, where the lubricant goes, and how long it really takes.
→Build 2
Fitting and Tuning Stabilizers
How to assemble, lube, clip and fit screw-in stabilizers, and why this twenty minute job does more for a board than anything else.
→Build 3
Remapping a Keyboard with VIA
How to change what your keys do, build a layer and record a macro, with no firmware flashing and nothing to compile.
→Build 4
How to Clean a Mechanical Keyboard
Clean a mechanical keyboard without damaging switches or keycaps: safe tools, a quick routine, careful keycap removal and deep-clean steps.
→Guides
All guides →What things cost and what the specification says, board by board, with dated prices and a source for every figure.
Guides 1
Keyboards Under $100
What a hundred dollars buys in a mechanical keyboard, board by board, with every figure taken from the maker's own page and the date it was checked.
→Guides 2
Best Mechanical Keyboards for Office Work
Compare 10 office mechanical keyboards for quiet typing, spreadsheets, wireless work, Mac setups and low-profile desks, using sourced specifications.
→Tools
All tools →Printables you can hold against a keyboard: a keycap ruler and a layout sheet.
Tools 1
Keycap Size Reference
Every standard keycap width in units and millimeters, which keys use which size, and how to measure a keycap you already own.
→Tools 2
Keyboard Layout Reference
Identify common keyboard sizes, check ANSI versus ISO and keycap widths, and print a scale-checked ANSI 60% layout reference.
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