I spend way too much time in front of a computer so I thought, why not invest in a good keyboard. It all started with me casually buying a generic mechanical board but before I knew it I was looking at cool artisan keycaps and myriad assortment of mechanical switches. It wasn't long before I knew I had to make one for myself.

The Parts

For the base I went for the Epomaker EP84 with Gateron Red switches. It's a hot-swappable 75% keyboard so function keys but no tenkeys. From my previous purchase I felt that tenkeys weren't useful enough to justify the size they take up but I needed function keys for the key real-estate they provide for coding and general shortcuts. At 7,500 yen as of mid 2022, it's fairly affordable and ready for modding straight out of the box.

For the switches I got the Tecsee Ice Grapes. They're a linear switch with an actuation force of 52 grams so right in-between Gateron Reds (45g) and Blacks (60g). I strongly considered tactile switches since they felt so good when I tested them at the store but I thought linears might be more suited for long-term use over the day. The Ice Grapes are great if you like a smooth travel with just the right bit of satisfying resistance. Finally for key caps I went with the XDA profile Honey and Milk keycaps. The PBT material gives a silky touch and the milky coloring pairs great with the optional honey accent

Tempest Tape Mod

First thing I did after taking out the circuit board (PCB) was to try out the tempest mod. Apparently sticking several layers of masking tape onto the underside of the PCB gives the key-presses a more 'thocky' sound profile. I tried two layers and got a nice creamy effect which I definitely prefer over the higher pitched 'clack' they originally came in.

Lubing is So Boring

I'll spare you the boring details. I disassembled each switch, bag lubed the springs and then lubed the bottom housing and stem, 84 times. This step was just beyond tedium to a level I didn't expect when watching keyboard assembly videos. At 5 minutes per switch it took over 6 hours across two sessions. If I had to do this again I'd seriously consider paying someone but the end result was totally worth it.

The key presses are like gliding a knife into soft butter. It's a smooth sink into a muted tap when bottoming out. It's hard to return to non-lubed switches after experiencing this.

For stabilizers I added some extra lube onto the exposed metal. There was some wobble on the stabilizer casing (the orange parts in the image) but this was easily remedied by wedging in a folded piece of card. The stabs sound … acceptable. They have a slight rattle on some areas and don't sound as clean as they could be so I'll probably get around to them in the future.

Never Mind Totally Worth It

The end result? I'm honestly more than satisfied. It looks, sounds and feels much better than my previous boards and it's feels great to use something I've researched and built myself.

An unexpected side effect is that I'm way more motivated to work with my keyboard whether it be coding or writing these posts. There's something therapeutic about tapping away at the small hours with some music in the background.

Going forwards I'm excited for so many possibilities. Modding the stabilizers, picking up some bright-hued keycaps or maybe even building with a set of tactile switches; However that's all for another day when I have the willpower to lube keyboard switches for 6 hours.