Learn

How mechanical keyboards actually work, in the order that makes sense.

11 articles

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

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

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 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.