The goal here is perfection – assembling the best keyboard that'll satisfy my petty and stupidly specific desires:
Custom TKLs are surprisingly uncommon outside of Group Buys. I'm aware of the Phantom PCB + Tex/Filco Aluminum Case TKL custom build, but that doesn't meet my discriminating desires and I'm not particularly interested in super generic configurations. Keep in mind that I already have a semi-custom – a The GMMK TKL – and while I do love me my keebs (#KeebWeebClub!), having a board that has the same features, or that does the same thing as my existing one, isn't all too exciting.
So!
Mode Designs happened to be holding a Group Buy for their Eighty (Pre-Order), and while that one did interest me at first, I later came across their First Edition Eighty. Then my self-control went POOF! And a large chunk of my wallet also went POOF!
Component | Selection |
---|---|
PCB | Mode Designs Eighty Hotswap PCB (MODE80H PCB v1.1) |
Case | Mode Designs First Edition Eighty Case (Dark) |
Plate | Mode Designs Anodized Aluminum Mounting Plate |
Switches (Previous) | Modded BOX Heavy Black Switches |
Switches (Current) | Modded Ink Black (150g) Switches |
Stabilizers | Durock Screw-In Stabilizers (V1) |
Keycaps | EnjoyPBT Blank Black PBT OEM-Profile Keycaps |
Cable | Braided USB Type-C to USB Type-A Cable |
Comfort. Aesthetics. Versatility.
The Eighty #391 satisfies my cavernous desires like no other keeb. The heavy switch demands confidence and deliberate thought behind every keystroke. The clean, consistent color scheme is spartan and modest at first glance, but a closer look reveals an architecture that is equal parts beautiful and thoughtful. And should other keycaps or switches draw my interest, the hotswap PCB and plate layouts are flexible enough to accommodate that whimsical curiosity.
Above all, the Eighty #391 is a personal project first, and a typing tool or desk showpiece second. I mean, I do value my typing experience greatly, and I admit I do like to feed my materialistic greed and vanity sometimes. But this hands-on build was also a valuable learning experience, and fresh, interesting discoveries add that much more meaning to my life. It's one thing to read up on something from secondhand sources; it's another feeling entirely to do it in person.
While I do think Mode Designs' First Edition Eighty is a great keyboard (in my very biased opinion, heh), I did find a few gripes with it:
Most of these complaints are petty little things, but, as noted above, many of them are addressable. That is the beauty of custom keyboard builds – the freedom to build or mod a board that adapts to and evolves with its user's desires.
That customizability is what makes perfection so wonderfully attainable.
Wow what a read, didnt know that there were so few custom TKL boards. This would qualify as a solid sleeper build :d
I usually don't like the mode80's big forehead, but I think it goes nice with blanks. Gives some contrast to the lack of legends.