KBD67 Lite Review
This was my first custom mechanical keyboard. I previously purchased the Durgod Hades 68 which I was and still am very pleased with. However, the two big problems I faced with it were how stiff it felt to type on and how incredibly loud and sharp the typing sound was. So I moved from an aluminum board to a polycarbonate one and from Kailh Box Black to Silent Alpaca switches.
When completely built, the board is extremely light (606g). That being said, the construction is solid and the case has minimal flex to it. It’s strong enough to last through daily usage, but I don’t think it would survive a fall onto something like hardwood flooring. Also the included case is cool. It’s like a mini briefcase. You’d look like a nerdy James Bond pulling up to work with this keyboard in it.
When pushing down on the keys with some force, the gaskets don’t have very much jiggle and secure everything in place very well. The PC plate is slightly flexible even with the dampening silicone. Will probably have a lot more give if the silicone is taken out. But overall, all these things add to the silence of the board. Along with the silent alpacas, this board does not make a lot of noise at all. As you can hear in the sound test video below, everything sounds very muted, deep, and lacks any sounds of reverb or pinging.
The stabilizers come with some lube on the joints but none against the areas where the plastic touches plastic. That being said, I think they sound pretty good for just coming from the vendor, almost to a point where many people will not even want to pull them out and lube again.
All I did was add switches and keycaps, and the board sounds pretty good. This will be perfect for people who just want to throw things in and get started quickly without fiddling around with the extras.
Later on I will make a few modifications to this: spring swap for heavier ones with a slow curve, Krytox 205g0 on the switches, Krytox GPL105 on the springs, and pads under the stabs along with more lube. I’ve just been holding off on this because lubing the switches is said to take around 4-6 hours, and I have not mustered up the courage or patience to do so.