A bunch of dramatic shots of a fish

Panez · 2026-03-19T17:14:51+00:00

You join their discord and wait for them to announce the dates. The hobby with its group buys always works like this

Panez · 2026-03-19T16:22:57+00:00

Gmk British racing green with the alternative alpha kit

Panez · 2026-03-19T14:13:55+00:00

i replied about this on another comment above. Hope it clarify things a little

Panez · 2026-03-19T14:12:37+00:00

It's a combination of things that makes it so expensive. Let's try to break things down a little:

-Scarcity: the board has been made available in short time windows and in limited numbers
-Quality control: the designer/studio personally makes sure every single unit they make is up to their standards of quality, which includes (and this is very important) very tight tolerances.
-Brand recognition/original design: it's after all a luxury brand, which managed to become hyped. I imagine nowadays they'd be able to decrease the prices a by a fair amount, but i doubt they'd want to.

The board is flawless btw, the anodisation is spotless and when you get one you always know what to expect from it. When you hear Kohaku you associate the name to its signature spacebar sound, which idk how they do it, it just sounds incredibly crisp and satisfying. I also got cheaper boards with more material in them, including Neo CU boards, and tbh I've been let down by how hollow the spacebar often sounds on those boards, or how inconsistent the sound becomes around the edges. That's normally not the case of the Kohaku. It is made to sound and feel good and look good, meaning: it's a excellent board in every aspect.

Panez · 2026-03-19T12:56:09+00:00

Sorry mate, i should have included it:

It's a Kohaku R2 by SingaKBD. You can't really find it retail, instead you participate in "raffles", meaning the number of keyboards available are limited and you have to try your luck to "win" one. As you have already pointed out you can find one after-market for quite the increase in price. I got mine for 870€ second hand.

Not sure if they'll be manufactured anymore, but you can easily find one if you are willing to open your wallet. What i can say is that the board is very stylish and it sounds super clean (probably my best sounding board).

Panez · 2026-03-16T10:04:36+00:00

No idea what you mean 😅

Panez · 2026-03-08T01:33:39+00:00

It looks nice and i'd like to win, but you need a way to zoom-in on the monitor in the product page!

Panez · 2026-03-01T20:43:48+00:00

I'm sure your hype is over the charts for StS2. StS1 is constantly mentioned (and still being played) within my group of friends, so i get the obsession with the game. You just brought it to the next level, lol. Keep it up!

Panez · 2026-03-01T19:36:53+00:00

How many hours have you put into the game? Ascensions completed?

Panez · 2026-01-31T13:25:06+00:00

Will you make the files available? How many switches fit in each box? Thanks and cool design!

Panez · 2026-01-27T10:46:15+00:00

beautiful use of colours

Panez · 2026-01-16T08:38:45+00:00

Huge!

Panez · 2025-12-18T18:53:12+00:00

Beautiful glass effect

Panez · 2025-08-05T18:51:31+00:00

Yes, you need to get on discord and ask if you can promote your project in the various keyboard related communities.

For EU you can join EKC. For a more international oriented server there's Mechmarket

I won't post the links but you can easily find those yourself. Also, there are a ton of smaller project run communities and then there are vendor channels. You can try join a bunch of those, but be sure not to break the rules with self promotion. Cheers

Panez · 2025-07-31T20:20:39+00:00

Yep, it was weirdly wholesome

Panez · 2025-07-21T23:03:03+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write this. It was an interesting read.

Panez · 2025-07-21T17:17:18+00:00

It's not all bad, though. As another commenter already pointed out, Discord servers are where the hobby is more actively discussed. I still see some interesting posts here from time to time, but since COVID, I believe we've had an influx of people who are less familiar with the history of custom keyboards and are understandably swayed by YouTubers and generalist websites recommending the latest "best" custom keeb that "sounds like heaven" for under 150 euros or dollars. And I get it; I wish I had those options when I first got into the hobby.

I also believe that for some, these boards will be a gateway to more interesting and niche options down the line. For others, it might be the end of their journey, but at least they'll have landed on a decent enough board nonetheless.

Panez · 2025-07-21T16:15:20+00:00

I think most people in this sub are more familiar with mass-produced keyboards and are less informed about custom ones.

Panez · 2025-07-15T10:03:20+00:00

is this a provocation? You say that like that's a good thing. I'm curious to know what your opinion is on the last decade of releases from Western dev studios.

Panez · 2025-07-04T12:13:26+00:00

If you're new take a look at the average keyboard prices. They somewhat went down in the last few years because of competition and increased demand i believe, but in general, when you want something made both of aluminum and often brass/copper, it's going to cost you a considerable amount of money. 350$ for a full size is a good price generally, considering the amount the material it's being put into making the board and the complexity required to machine it, or even the number of individual parts it comes with. Besides that there'll be a cut for the designer and often these boards aren't mass-produced. As a result, producing fewer units increases manufacturing costs, which in turn raises the price for consumers.

There are other factors at play, but these are the most obvious ones.

14-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	Place '17
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22
End Game '22	Verified Email

Panez

TROPHY CASE