HWM Singapore – June 2019

scales at 5.2kg and I’m pretty sure
you can knock someone out with it.
One thing you’ll hear a lot of
keyboard enthusiasts ask about
is the plate. The Rama Works
keyboards have super thick 4.5mm
plates (usually plates measure just
1.5mm thick) made of either brass or
aluminum, which produce a singular
sound when bottoming out. After all,
sound travels faster through denser
material, which results in a higher
pitch. In addition, the greater volume
of material available helps dampen the
sound produced.
A look at the geekhack forums also
reveals intriguing new designs by
members. A lot of what makes this
space so fascinating is that these
custom keyboards are designed by
keyboardloversforfellowmembersof
thecommunity.Whiletherearelarger
outts likeRamaWorks,youcanbe

sure that they all love their keyboards.

This isn’t just a company looking

to market some vapid new feature.

Instead, they have their  nger on

the pulse of the community and hear

clearlywhatit wants.

Oneofthemoreinterestingboards

I’veseeninrecentdaysis theSiriusby

geekhack member one venine.

This is a full POM board with

an optional PVD brass weight, a

notable departure from the more

common aluminum. This board is

unconventional to say the least, but

POM is a hard, dense plastic that

produces a distinctive, low-pitched

sound that some people crave.

In fact, it seems like we’re

moving beyond a keyboard merely

looking good and focusing on

designs that produce a more pleasant

typing experience and sound. For

example, there’s the Think6.5°, which

was originally supposed to be a full

polycarbonate board that the designers

felt provided just the right degree

of  exing and sound optimization.

However, aluminum and brass options

were added later in response to

demand from the community.

Add on to that a range of other

gasket-mounted keyboards and

unique designs, and I’m almost certain

you’ll be able to  nd something to

tickle your fancy. There’s also a mind-

boggling number of keycap sets these

days. Nephlock’s GMK Metropolis and

Rensuya’s GMK Mizu are some of the

most popular sets in the past month,

with Metropolis selling over 1,000

base kits, an impressive feat for a

 rst-time designer.

Better still, individual designers

are working with each other to make

their respective offerings better. For

example, nephlock teamed up with

KeyForge to make Metropolitan-

themed artisan keycaps, while

Rensuya did the same with

Rama Works.

Many of these designers also have

their own Discord servers, so you can

hop on and talk and get help from

like-minded folks. It’s a friendly

community with a genuine respect

and appreciation for these people as

artists, and it looks set to only get

more exciting.

RW-M60

Think6.5o

Metropolis Mizu

JUNE 2019 | HWM 39