Clojurians Log v2

Okay, so I figured I'd give this a shot and share my thoughts here because I can't think of a better place. In a nutshell, finding the perfect keyboard switches can lead to absolute euphoria. I poured in a ton of time and dime trying to max out my board's potential. Gradually, I realized my dissatisfaction with my Kinesis 360 was due to the default keyboard switches just not being my cup of tea. Taking the plunge, I shelled out quite a lot more to get another board, investing in all the gear needed for soldering, then by messed up my older Kinesis Advantage (I first tried swapping the switches on it, as I didn't want to risk the same fate for my 360.) That's when it hit me. Instead of buying a new board and sinking so much time, I could have just bought a switch tester and pinpointed the switches I preferred. I shifted from being too clicky and a bit heavy (~70g actuation force) to the other extreme. I ordered Pinks with super low actuation force (around 20g). Let's just say the first week was rough. I kept bottoming out and the simplest misalignment caused typing errors. But it did teach me a thing - to embrace different layouts. Specifically, I shifted frequently used keys like parenthesis, minus, plus, underscore, equal sign, all closer to my home row. This simple adjustment made all the difference and even though the switches initially gave me a hard time, I felt less awkward and tired after a week. The downside? A slight decline in my typing accuracy. Then began my quest for similar, lightweight switches compatible with Kinesis boards - I landed on Gateron Clears. They're still light, but not as airy as the Pinks, and I first tried soldering them on my older Kinesis Advantage II. If you've never soldered before, it's surprisingly not as hard as it seems. Admittedly, I've soldered in the past, I just hadn't done it with keyboards. Turns out, desoldering PCB components is way more challenging than soldering them on. Long story short, I finished, plugged in my keyboard, and nothing. Apparently, Kinesis has an unusual setup with their switches, which includes diodes built in. The ones I soldered on didn't have these, who knew! Then I found this helpful chap, Robert. I reached out and forwarded my Glove80, which I'd newly purchased. After messing up my older board (at that time still not knowing why), there was no way I was gonna risk soldering on my own again. The Glove80 community on Discord pointed me his way and he delivered. His service charge was a laughable $15 or so, and I tipped him a bit more. After getting back my upgraded Glove80, I shipped him my Kinesis boards. Just received my 360 with Gateron Clears… and wow, this is a game changer - so much better. I fully endorse trying out different switches. And if you're anxious about making changes yourself, give Robert a shout.

Here he is. Tell him it was me who told you. https://discord.com/channels/@me/1176982626825928868