Waxing

The Middle Market Renaissance

Originally posted February 2021

As I sit down to write the first article for my new website about mechanical keyboards, I reflect on what my priorities have been in the mechanical keyboard space thus far. When I began, I went pretty much as cheap as possible, just so I could see what the fuss was about without too much commitment. Heh…

Sold under many names, the sticker on the back says “EasternTimes Tech I-500”

My new VicTsing EasternTimes Tech TOMOKO Amazon Spicy Fried Chicken Biscuit TKL was the best darn keyboard I’d ever used, and its crunchy blue switches were just so satisfying after the slippery, flexible, gummy mush that had inspired me to buy the thing in the first place. “If the lowest-end is this good,” I thought, “I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.”

And here we are.

Only in the past few months have I genuinely been dipping my toes in the high-end custom realm (switches excluded). For most of my journey so far, I’ve been focused on the lower-to-middle-end; if only because any true middle-market was at worst a scarce and barren space, and at best boring – at least in the West. Its few interesting examples often significantly flawed, missing the mark, or surrounded by a haze of unpalatable drama.

Thankfully, that’s no longer the general state of things. In fact, I think we’re seeing something of a middle-market renaissance here in early 2021.

NK65EE “Fire” with Tangerines

The most obvious herald of this is of course the NovelKeys NK65EE, or Entry Edition. While certainly not cheap at $95 bare-bones, it’s extremely competitive when it comes to features and quality in the price range – at least, for the moment. While for a brief time it appeared this board held absolute dominance in this emerging higher quality middle-market, many competitors have risen to fill the adjacent space – and that’s awesome.

NK65EE & KBD67L, with MT3 Susuwatari and White on Black respectively

There’s the TKC Portico, Idobao ID series, the newer generation of Keychrons, the GMMK Pro, and my personal favorite, the KBDFans KBD67L, or Lite.

Every one of these options offer features that used to be the exclusive domain of high-end, low production run customs. No mistaking, these aren’t high end, low production run customs – but they’ll get you much closer for your dollar (each in their own ways) than most anything that came before them. I think this is generally good not just for the hobby, but for the casual consumer who just wants a really nice keyboard (and not a new hobby).

A closer look at MT3 keycaps on the KBD67L

Now, for what a “high end” gaming keyboard from Big Box cost just a year or two ago, you can get a big heavy aestheticc wedge – or a nuanced mounting system that reduces fatigue – or some really dope switches that feel better than anything in the store.

A sea of Kiwis

This also appears to be having the effect of bringing prices down in the adjacent market of gaming keyboards. Thanks to the rise of streaming in general and TaeHa x Tfue specifically, there are a lot of former Logitech, Razer, and Steel Series customers hopping on NovelKeys.xyz for those sweet scratchy Creams – and an NK65 while they’re at it. I guess that means the Big Box brands are having to respond in the only way they can at the moment. Small violins for them, another boon for the consumer.

From the ready availability of smooth, middle-priced JWK’s to the meteoric rise of Gazzew’s boutique line of tweaked Outemu switches, the middle-market for switches has been flush lately as well. Maybe a little too flush. But hey – it beats having to pick between Cherry Reds and Kailh Reds and what the hell is a Holy Panda?

Gazzew is blowin’ up like bubble gum, and rightfully so. Seen here, a collection of his “Bobagum” silent linear switches.

We’ve got silent switches that aren’t awful, and don’t cost an arm and a leg. Even Hall-effect and optical switches are making a real come-back. We’ve got Gateron Caps bringing linear Thock to the masses, low-profile switches that aren’t the devil’s bottom, and even color-matched stabilizers and special edition switches for popular keysets. The middle-market for keycaps is still a fairly iffy place – but there’s gold in them there hills if you have patience and persistence.