I got started simply because I had been using the same dirty gaming keyboard for over a decade and it finally died. I knew from peripheral experience that most consumer electronic devices are e-waste so I went the custom route so that I could control the quality.

I settles on a case pretty quickly but couldn't decide on switches. I got a sampler pack but that doesn't really give you a good idea of the full typing experience so I went ahead and just bought 3 full sets of switches.

I quickly got tired of switching the out of the keyboard whenever I wanted to try a different set so I went out and got a second good but not AS good case just to serve as a test bed.

Well that meant I needed another set of keycaps. So I went looking and there was a deal I found for purchasing multiple sets.

If you are counting we are now at 3 sets of switches, 3 sets of caps, and 2 cases. I think you can see where this is headed.

What I ended up learning is that you can REALLY dial in the feel and responsiveness of a keyboard for what you want.

Do you want a commanding, powerful keyboard that feels like you are accomplishing something with every keystroke? Heavy, clicky switches with THICK PBT caps.

Do want a smooth fast speed demon for gaming/typing? Start looking into shirt throw linear switches with choc caps.

Good every day workhorse for all around use? Tactile are a great place to start?

But what case material do I choose? Metal, resin, plastic? Gasket mount pcb? Foam underlayment? What type of Keycap material do I like? PBT, ABS? maybe some resin, or metal even. How about some exotic ceramic keycaps?

How am I going to discover the combo that I like the best? You try them all and end up with a massive collection.