- Joined
- Dec 13, 2005
- Location
- Right Here Right Now
To start I'll give @infinitevalence a shoutout for chiming in my thread, he's obviously a pro at this.
So a brief run down on my first keyboard build. Took me longer than expected to actually get it together, but after doing so and playing with it for a bit I felt like I should put something together.
For starters, who wants to see a $350 keyboard?
My desk is a bit of a mess right now, so cropping FTW.
For starters I got this through Drop, formerly MassDrop. Starting with the backboard I went with a TKL CTRL V2 "floating key" board. I wanted a nice TKL board to save space on my desk, and thought the "floating keys" gave it a nice futuristic look. (Ok, I'm just a slop and thought it'd be easier to clean.) The neat thing about the CTRL V2 panel is it has multiple firmwares available - QMK, VIAL, and VIA. If this is over your head, don't worry. I pulled up YT vids on it and was left picking my nose. But otherwise it is a solid keyboard base. USB-C input and output, individual key lightling plus LED halo, and full metall construction with magnetic feet. Drop's software is a little basic, but it is a solid base to build upon.
On top are one of Drop's basic cap sets, an Ortho set of MT3 white-on-black doubleshot keycaps. I'll admit this is my first time using MT3 profile caps. Supposedly they are intended to replicate older terminals. As I'm a middle millenial I got "into typing" after this style of keyboard faded. I'm finding myself mistyping more than I used to, the keys are slightly angled and elevated. But the more I use this keyboard the more I get used to it. What I like about these keycaps, however, is the final rigidity with a bit of texture. Yeah it's ABS, but there's a tight tolerance on the keystem, it doesn't wobble, and a big thing is - it's doubleshot. That means the lettering isn't going to fade as there's an inner and outer shell to each key.
Finally, the keys themselves. I went with Holy Panda X handlubed switches. These are my hardest adjust. My last keyboard was a CODE with MX Clears, which had a very distinct tactile bump. This may be due to the lubed new keys but I'm not really detecting the 'bump' and to my layman hands they just feel like linear keys with higher actuation force. Not bad, but they take some getting used to. Most def a high quality key though, a buttery smooth action with a clean bottoming out clink. Just not the mechanicle, "bolt action" press I'm used to from unlubed keys.
So to summarize -
CTRL V2 backboard - 5/5 - Solid, good features, Drop software a little weak
Drop MT3 W-o-B Caps - 5/5 - Solid classic feel, will outlive me, only downside is they aren't backlit
Holy Panda X Handlube - 4/5 - Smooth, clean, nice thunk when bottoming out, but hard to detect the tactile "bump"
So a brief run down on my first keyboard build. Took me longer than expected to actually get it together, but after doing so and playing with it for a bit I felt like I should put something together.
For starters, who wants to see a $350 keyboard?

My desk is a bit of a mess right now, so cropping FTW.
For starters I got this through Drop, formerly MassDrop. Starting with the backboard I went with a TKL CTRL V2 "floating key" board. I wanted a nice TKL board to save space on my desk, and thought the "floating keys" gave it a nice futuristic look. (Ok, I'm just a slop and thought it'd be easier to clean.) The neat thing about the CTRL V2 panel is it has multiple firmwares available - QMK, VIAL, and VIA. If this is over your head, don't worry. I pulled up YT vids on it and was left picking my nose. But otherwise it is a solid keyboard base. USB-C input and output, individual key lightling plus LED halo, and full metall construction with magnetic feet. Drop's software is a little basic, but it is a solid base to build upon.
On top are one of Drop's basic cap sets, an Ortho set of MT3 white-on-black doubleshot keycaps. I'll admit this is my first time using MT3 profile caps. Supposedly they are intended to replicate older terminals. As I'm a middle millenial I got "into typing" after this style of keyboard faded. I'm finding myself mistyping more than I used to, the keys are slightly angled and elevated. But the more I use this keyboard the more I get used to it. What I like about these keycaps, however, is the final rigidity with a bit of texture. Yeah it's ABS, but there's a tight tolerance on the keystem, it doesn't wobble, and a big thing is - it's doubleshot. That means the lettering isn't going to fade as there's an inner and outer shell to each key.
Finally, the keys themselves. I went with Holy Panda X handlubed switches. These are my hardest adjust. My last keyboard was a CODE with MX Clears, which had a very distinct tactile bump. This may be due to the lubed new keys but I'm not really detecting the 'bump' and to my layman hands they just feel like linear keys with higher actuation force. Not bad, but they take some getting used to. Most def a high quality key though, a buttery smooth action with a clean bottoming out clink. Just not the mechanicle, "bolt action" press I'm used to from unlubed keys.
So to summarize -
CTRL V2 backboard - 5/5 - Solid, good features, Drop software a little weak
Drop MT3 W-o-B Caps - 5/5 - Solid classic feel, will outlive me, only downside is they aren't backlit
Holy Panda X Handlube - 4/5 - Smooth, clean, nice thunk when bottoming out, but hard to detect the tactile "bump"