Mechanical Keyboard Sound Isn't That Simple
Figure 1: I couldn't think of a more literal way to represent this article if I tried... Looking back just a few years ago, there’s no doubt that the huge influx of people that joined the hobby at the peak of the COVID pandemic were drawn to keyboards by way of YouTube, TikTok, and other audio-visual content platforms. Even as the output from these content creators has waned in recent months, their collective impact and legacy on the keyboard hobby is rather firmly etched in the history books. As a result of all of their sound tests, build logs, and opinion videos, the message is clear to any new person joining the hobby: mechanical keyboards are all about the sound. Thock this, clack that. Whether it’s keyboards, keycaps, or even singular switches, seemingly everyone new to the hobby meticulously pores over each component of their keyboard not in an attempt to figure out how it will feel in hand, but how it will sound as they’re furiously grinding their way out from...
Mar 27, 2024
Sorry for long story, but it was a fun experiment. engtaobao.com acts as a translation/filter/user-account for taobao international orders, and does a pretty good job, although the product descriptions are still mostly in Chinese, making it hard to find things. After lots of random searching and google translating back & forth, I found the front/"side"-printed keycap set and purchased 2. My bank called within minutes warning me that my account was being used in Shanghai. I asked them to unblock the transaction because it was indeed me ordering something. Once purchased, I translated the order details and it said "Out of Stock...Do Not Shoot!!" which I assume means do not order. It was too late since I had already paid. I logged in each day to see if the order was canceled and if I could get my money back, but it acted like nothing was wrong and was delivered in about 3 weeks. Strange bonus is that they were PBT instead of ABS as it stated in the product description. Shipping was ~$30 I think, which is fairly steep but worth it for something I couldn't find anywhere else.
I would hope massdrop customer support helps you out. I got in touch with them because one LED died on my varmilo va68, and they asked me if I would rather have 5 dollars or if I wanted to return the board, as the manufacturer didn't have extra single LEDs. I basically wrote the whole thing off and didnt answer the email, it wasn't worth the effort to me.
Interesting thing is that when my last varmilo drop arrived, I also received an entirely new va68 in addition to the two va87s I had ordered... Thanks massdrop! <3