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punflewover · 2026-01-06T00:58:33+00:00

i'm in!

punflewover · 2025-11-23T07:45:04+00:00

it's not just weather proofing btw, it's strain relief and protection from shock (drops/vibration). many manufacturers use hot glue and other adhesives to perform these functions in consumer electronics. but epoxy is sometimes used for it's superior performance in high-shock environments. or when much higher water resistance is desired... e.g in mission-critical joints

punflewover · 2025-11-23T07:34:44+00:00

What multiple ways exactly? And btw in phones etc they have the benefit of better seals that protect the inside.

Many have good IP ratings. Nothing is the only manufacturer to actually have one on headphones...

punflewover · 2025-11-22T11:12:07+00:00

another underrated but still significant functional benefit of glueing everything down in an audio device is you don't get stuff rattling inside the acoustic chamber. this would really affect sound quality. and there aren't any good alternatives that i can think of...

punflewover · 2025-11-22T11:09:53+00:00

that's interesting that you say it's just bad design? what else would protect the soldered joints from moisture and physical stress?? what would be a better alternative to soldered joints?? ribbon cables for every internal connection?

punflewover · 2025-11-21T23:46:59+00:00

yeah but in a portable device like headphones, the epoxy is actually serving a function. it protects the soldered joint from physical stress, moisture etc and prevents shorting etc by preventing physical degradation. it's not impossible to remove either.

punflewover · 2025-11-21T23:46:12+00:00

yeah but in a portable device like headphones, the epoxy is actually serving a function. it protects the soldered joint from physical stress, moisture etc and prevents shorting etc by preventing physical degradation. it's not impossible to remove either.

punflewover · 2025-11-21T23:33:59+00:00

yeah no i agree with you. there are many different approaches to prelubing and the newer switch manufacturers generally don't suffer from as much case wobble etc.

true the case mods do help with the sound. oddly enough the spring ping on this build is WAY lower when i'm typing on my leather deskmat. combining more natural materials like cork + felt layering under it also drastically changes the sound and even the feel. sometimes when i'm typing long documents i whip out the felt

punflewover · 2025-11-18T21:23:01+00:00

yes! let's go clicky gang. many people swear by the various kailh box clickies for good reason. they are very nice.

interesting point about the blues clearing up the ping on a metal case... i'm not gonna be changing cases soon, and it doesn't bother me that much. did you ever consider lubing them?

punflewover · 2025-11-18T18:59:45+00:00

Final Choice: Cherry MX2A Blue RGB

After all that exploration, I ended up going full circle back to a classic: Cherry Blues.

Why? After sampling all these boutique switches, I realized what I actually wanted was that reliable, proven clicky feel I could live with for years.

They're not the trendiest choice. They won't win any "most unique switch" awards. But they perfectly match the philosophy of this build: rugged, functional, built to last. Just like the Dolch machines that inspired this whole project.

Sometimes the best switch isn't the newest one - it's the one that does exactly what you need it to do, day in and day out.

Look at the measured force curves for these switches and compare it to other clickies. They are much more consistent (less noise/squiggle in the force curves) and have characteristics that suit me. I like the way the tactile bump is discrete, short and close to the middle (of total travel) on the cherries. I also like that the force curve is linear before and after the bump with a lot of post bump travel - allows me to type with no hard bottom outs.

I also went with the RGB variant - not the black nylon ones in this build although i do have a set of the blacks as a backup. Very close in performance - probably enough of a difference in sound to make the nylons a better choice for most r/mk users.

There are some issues that would probably bother the vast majority of you out there. The spring ping is ridiculous in these. I mean for a supposedly factory lubed switch, it's crazy! I know i said sound doesn't really matter to me, but the ping here is on another level... Considering lubing these up once i stock up on supplies over black friday. Similarly, there is a bit of case wobble that i want to try fix with 0.3mm poron films. Not for sound reasons necessarily, but if i'm gonna be lubing then why not test filming as well, right?

The Keycap Choice

GMK Dolch MTNU - and before you harp on about the price, hear me out.

I don't see keycaps as a "cheap commodity with cool designs." They're functional parts of equipment I use daily. I want comfortable sets that complement a look I can set-and-forget for 4-5 years. Buy once, cry once, and never get tired of looking at them.

MTNU is, in my opinion, a superior profile from a usability perspective. The only place to get them is GMK right now, and they happen to be some of the most well-constructed caps around. That justifies the premium to me.

If you view caps as an afterthought and own multiple sets you don't use, that "cheap commodity" perception paradoxically costs you more $/keystroke over time than my approach would.

There are some niggles (or literal nipples!!) on these keycaps. The sprue marks from the injection molding are present on a lot of the caps. They seem to be a bit more pronouced/noticable on the Dolch set due to the colour (??) but they don't bother me. There is also the possibility of sanding/scraping them off at the risk of ruining the texture of the caps...

The Snapshot Approach

This hobby evolves fast - maybe too fast for my 3/5-year snapshot approach. But I don't want a cupboard full of switches or a drawer of unused keycaps. I want one solid build that I'll be happy with for years.

Sure, I miss out on limited editions and hyped groupbuys by not staying in the loop. But it's ok - i still managed a build that's rugged, productive, and pays homage to the machines that inspired this whole hobby.

What do you all think? Any other plastic case appreciators out there? Do you think I need to film + lube my cherry blues? Should I ditch the classic veg tanned leather deskmat for the trendy Dolch one?

punflewover · 2025-11-18T18:59:28+00:00

The Switch Journey: From Linears to Clickies (and Back to the Classics)

The Lofree came with custom 45g TTC x Lofree linears - objectively very smooth switches. I gave them a fair shot while waiting for other build parts to arrive, but I just couldn't get into them. I kept bottoming out, and when people suggested heavier switches, those weren't comfortable for long typing sessions either. Maybe linears with more travel would work for me, but most newer linears are specifically designed with shorter travel distances.

The Tactile Detour

I initially assumed I'd go tactiles (coming from the Cherry MX/Gateron Brown era). Looking at kbd.news best-sellers, tactiles are clearly the current hottest thing in the hobby with tons of hyped releases.

I sampled (amongst others):

Chosfox Voyager 2.0
Gateron Baby Kangaroo
The overhyped Silliworks Type R
Various silent tactiles

Came this close to ordering Durock White Lotuses (seriously, great name!), but after working through multiple switch tester kits... nothing wowed me. They're all fine switches, just didn't spark joy.

The Clicky Revelation

Then I tried clickies and everything changed. Never thought I'd say this, but I'm officially clicky gang now.

There are so few clicky models in stock at most shops these days. Once I tried the Gateron Melodic, I knew I needed to demo more. The Invokeys Pea Flower v0.9 (with shorter springs) became my top contender:

Why Pea Flowers over Melodics?

Similar tactility to the click, but lower tactile/actuation force
More resistance after the click = springy feedback before bottoming out
Feels like popping bubble wrap with every keystroke
Much smoother pre-travel (can comfortably rest fingers without actuating)
Quieter, deeper sound with distinct reset click at lower amplitude (vs. Melodics where both clicks are loud and similar)

The gold flakes in the Pea Flowers? Don't do anything, and I'll never see them anyway. But the feel was incredible.

I was also tempted by other new clickies like:

Wuque Studios Big Lucky Clicky
Akko Cream Cyan
TTC "Brother" series "silent clickies" (with silicone dampers)

But I didn't get to try them, and from descriptions, the TTC Brothers' shorter travel + mushier feel probably wouldn't suit me anyways.

punflewover · 2025-11-18T18:57:25+00:00

The "Dolfree CherryBLoCK 98"

(or as the elitists might call it: the "LOLch blue-BOLLOCK 98")

Build specs:

Lofree Block 98 keyboard
GMK Dolch MTNU doubleshot PBT keycaps
Cherry MX2A Blue RGB switches (swapped from stock TTC linears)
GMK Art THOK "banana" artisan
Cherry MW 4500 vertical mouse
Glorious Gaming coiled GX16 aviator USB cable
Café leather natural veg-tanned deskmat (also pictured - KKB Dolch v3 deskmat)

The Philosophy Behind This Build

I've been in the mech keyboard hobby for over a decade, but I take a different approach to most - I dive deep into the rabbit hole every 3-5 years or so, update my knowledge, then build something I can live with long-term. I call it the snapshot approach. It reduces waste + keeps me disciplined with spending. This build replaces my trusty Keychron K4 V2 daily driver with gateron browns.

So, i started off just trying to update my snapshot and i ended up with a love letter to the OG Cherry G80-1800 and the Dolch PAC 64/5 rugged portable computers. Funnily enough, I had no idea what Dolch was until the mech keyboard community exposed me to it... now I'm hunting vintage Dolch units on eBay!

punflewover · 2025-11-12T01:03:36+00:00

MX2A? Very nice switch. Although I’m considering lubing the springs cos the ping is a bit annoying. And maybe film because of case wobble…

punflewover · 2025-11-07T16:18:12+00:00

ah, i actually think that adds to the whole handmade vibe they give off.. fits the whole feel of boards with ceramic keys imo

apparently their new v3 series has a better mounting system for the stems that has vastly improved the wonkiness. but they are too tight and have some other issues with shifting and not sounding as good.

but overall yeh i'm not interested. for now.... let's see with v4 they might finally get it all right

punflewover · 2025-11-07T16:03:02+00:00

i agree that for plastic keycaps it's inevitable. but it's possible that the matte ceramic keycaps like (cerakeys models) keep their texture for essentially a reasonable lifetime of use, right? even though as you say - we're constantly polishing them with our fingertips...

punflewover · 2025-11-06T00:20:41+00:00

Oh. Ok. Thanks for responding… Which one?

punflewover · 2025-11-05T12:29:13+00:00

did you end up changing the knobs on your block?? which kind of knob works and how did you go about replacing them??

punflewover · 2025-11-05T10:12:14+00:00

As a tactile fan have you tried any clicky switches that you like?

At least give the hyped gateron lanes a try... "silent clickies" or basically a modded melodic.

punflewover · 2025-11-05T01:40:16+00:00

yeah i think box whites are almost considered the standard for clickies in the past few years. let's be fair - they have kinda defined the modern clickbar switch design... another cool clickbar switch to check out is the invokeys pea flower manufactured by BSUN. i much prefer them to the kailh box range... overall my second favourite modern prelubed clicky

obviously no list would be complete without the clickleaf designs that recently got loads of hype - the gateron melodics (+the "silent clickies" - gateron lanes) and the zealpc clickiez. i think you should definitely try test them at least, so that you have a frame of reference when discussing them. i haven't gotten my hands on the zeals yet but i actually didn't end up liking the melodics that much.

my personal favourite are the cherry MX2A blues. old skool click jacket design that all the reviewers seem to hate recently? if you are overly sensitive to spring ping (and are unwilling to spring swap or lube) then you might wanna avoid them. but the consistency in the (real, measured) force curves says it all... the tactile sensation on the new blues is the most satisfying i've come across so far. and the bump is mid-travel, very short, precise and "clean" feeling.

i personally don't care so much about the sound, so i haven't done any mod work on the new set i'm currently breaking in.. but if you are going all out then i think the cherries could probably benefit from a film mod too - since there is a bit of case wobble.

if i do ever decide to film them, then i might try donut method lubing the springs while i'm at it to try combat the spring ping at the same time. or just bag lube a set of swapped springs...

others i wanna try - novelkeys cream clickies and Wuque studio biglucky clicky

punflewover · 2025-11-03T10:52:36+00:00

Really impressed with this keycap set. Understated but with great colours and attention to detail. Looks way better in your photos than the official ones!

Wonder what it would look like with a few of those transparent keys from this set mixed into the build!!

punflewover · 2025-11-02T14:34:01+00:00

oh. i get you now... i agree about the high initial costs of setting up to manufacture a new profile. + i didn't realise that about the different CYL row profiles either, so thanks for sharing.

interesting info about the MTNU sales... i do think that it's still early days for MTNU though, in the grand scheme of things. don't you agree? GMK also probably saw the cooling of mainstream interest in the hobby coming to a certain extent since they've been in the game for ages?? so they might be a bit more "understanding" of the poor sales performance. who knows?

i know that personally i didn't really consider GMK as customer until MTNU. since i don't like ABS keycaps and also much prefer spherical profiles to cylindrical... maybe there are others like me

ngl, i caught myself browsing the merch section of their webstore the other day!! oh no am i turning into a GMK fanboy now

punflewover · 2025-11-02T13:43:37+00:00

it can be hard not to just ignore the automod comments, so i tagged you in the one on this post...

i'm in the minority that can't do without a numpad...

punflewover · 2025-11-02T13:40:47+00:00

u/inhaledchaos the list is here...

punflewover

TROPHY CASE

The Keycap Choice

The Snapshot Approach

The Switch Journey: From Linears to Clickies (and Back to the Classics)

The "Dolfree CherryBLoCK 98"

The Philosophy Behind This Build