i have two hands and a keyboard addiction
the most useless, hyper-niche hobby that has me fully in its clutches
Like many others, I have picked up quite a few hobbies since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a much needed distraction from being stuck inside quickly turned into an uncontrollable need to spend copious amounts of money on pretty looking hobbies. The hobby I’m most annoyed I picked up? Mechanical keyboards.
It’s not the keyboards itself that has me upset, but there’s many layers to what at first seems like an aesthetic hobby. Did you know a keyboard has like… 5 different layers to it, not including modifications? Or that there’s three different types of keyboard switches and many different makes to them, or what a switch even is?
Honestly, this commitment to what may be the least helpful and most expensive hobby ever started back in November 2020, when @aeyoungie on TikTok posted an unboxing of her mechanical keyboard. I had seen keyboards pop up the previous months and while I was very interested, I was not yet invested in entering the hobby myself.
But then my fyp page did its thing and suddenly all I was seeing was mechanical keyboard videos. Seeing those short clips soon was not enough for me, and I went to YouTube and found :3ildcat’s channel.
:3ildcat’s channel is well known in the mech keeb (mechanical keyboard) world. His videos cover a variety of topics, including unboxings, model reviews, modifications, typing asmr, keycap profiles, and lubing switches (yes, you actually use lube. but ones made for keyboards). Needless to say, I fell down that rabbit hole pretty quick once I binge-watched some of his videos.
Next thing I knew I had purchased two different keyboards and a keycap set. I started to follow more keyboard content creators and was following group buys, which are pre-production orders you can place and once the production threshold is hit, that group of people can receive the product they had ordered in like…. 9 months.
Now I had never actually ordered from a group buy before. I was still a baby in the community even though I had diligently followed all the new products dropping. The reason being was that I was afraid to commit. Buying these things meant I was 100% investing into this niche hobby that no one in my network was into. Also, these things are not cheap. A pre-built custom mechanical keyboard could easily run you $1k. The custom build I had considered buying all the parts for totaled around $600, not including the keycaps. Group buys can be upwards of $800 if you want the complete set from that drop (keycaps, coiled cable, and desk pad).
And that brings us to the inspiration behind this issue. I had texted my friend about a group buy that had caught my eye and was debating on buying. This wasn’t the first time a product had grabbed my attention and potentially my wallet, but I normally give myself some time to decide if it was worth it. What generally happens is within the time I give myself, I forget about it so by the time I remember its existence I only get slightly sad when I realize I can’t buy it since orders have ended. It’s no biggie and wasn’t meant to be.
Well, unfortunately for me I didn’t forget this time.
Yeah, I literally bought a damn keycap set for $150. That I probably won’t see until next spring. Fuck this hobby.
…I’m joking I literally love this hobby and all the cool stuff that comes with the territory. But I swear, tred lightly when it comes to mechanically keyboards because once you’re in, you can’t escape. Then suddenly, you spend $150 on something that just looks nice. Even if you have to wait so long that you’ll probably forget you even ordered it.
But in my defense, it was for this drop:
According to kbdfans.com, the KBDFANS D60 x GMK Daifuku is themed around daifuku:
“Daifuku (大福餅) is a popular traditional Japanese sweet; it is soft mochi stuffed with sweet red bean paste. A popular spring dessert, Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku) is a soft and chewy mochi stuffed with fresh juicy strawberry and sweet red bean paste. Indulge yourself with this beautiful and delicious set! Knowing that, this set is a reference to the Strawberry Mochi. (why would you want any other flavors) It captures the light of a fluffy pink strawberry to a slightly darker sweet red bean paste.”
Now I’m not being sponsored by plugging this drop but you cannot sit there, reading MY newsletter, and not think about how ME this color way is. It’s beautiful. I literally HAD to have it okay? A cute, pink keycap set that’s inspired by a tasty strawberry dessert? Count me in.
That’s all I got for this issue so to end it off, here is an hour long typing ASMR to put on when you’re falling asleep:
Catch y’all in your inboxes next time :)
Follow me on twitter @jessicakuma_ for shorter bits of useless commentary or to tell me what you thought about this issue!