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Molek FMLocal Content Creator ShuFaye Customises Mechanical Keyboards To Look & Feel Amazing
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You might’ve noticed this new trend popping in and out of your feeds. Custom mechanical keyboards now are all the rage, climbing the ranks into being one of the top hobbies while staying at home.
JUICE had a chat with local Twitch streamer and recent keyboard enthusiast, Shu Faye, who started out her interest via her brother who swayed her into the “keeb community”.
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“I have been using a mechanical keyboard for about 4 years already, but they were all pre-built with zero mods. My brother started showing me videos of ASMR keyboard videos and it sparked my interest in how to improve the sound and feel of your mechanical keyboard.
“I think custom keyboards give you a whole new level of comfort whether you are typing or gaming. We spend most of our time in front of a computer, and we all need a comfortable keyboard that can carry out our daily tasks.
“In a way, it is a creative outlet for people who are interested to change up their keyboard once in a while. You have the freedom to build something that you can call your own,” she told JUICE.
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ShuFaye loves doing before and after sound tests, as you may have seen on her Instagram stories.
“When I see the changes being made and the results after the many hours of hard work, I get that sense of accomplishment! I feel very happy when I see others satisfied with the keyboards I built for them too.”
Shu Faye learned how to build her keyboards through watching YouTube videos, paired with the help of her brother who is familiar with the process.
“I’m able to master my craft because my friends trusted me enough to build custom mechanical keyboards for them. In a month I was able to build and mod 4 keyboards.”
The content creator walked us through the full process of building one of these bad boys, mentioning details like keycaps, switches (that register keystroke), colour schemes, and pricing.
“Usually I would let my “clients” pick out the aesthetics that they want, and I’ll pick out the switch that I feel would suit them (between clicky, tactile or linear mechanical switch) based on their preference and typing style. Personally, I’m currently using Akko’s Ocean Blue switches (#TeamTactile hehe) and they feel and sound amazing!
“The most basic modification is lubing the switches, which is simple but tedious; you disassemble the switches and separate the parts, lube them each and reassemble them. This process can take up to 4-9 hours alone.
“Next, comes foaming, which means putting foam into the keyboard case to make the keyboard sound less hollow while typing. And to finish it off, I just pop on the switches onto the plate and plug it to the computer to check whether every key is working. If it is, then the last step is to align the keycaps. Viola, your keyboard is done!”
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“There are many levels of customisation to a mechanical keyboard. However, if you want to build one from scratch, I would say the tightest budget you would need to have is… RM400? Premium custom keyboards can cost up to thousands. It is an expensive hobby. You are, however, getting your money’s worth when you invest in a more expensive keyboard.”
Phew, that’s an insane amount of time and work to go into a keyboard. I have a new-found appreciation to all keyboard enthusiasts out there for sure.
Speaking of, here’s a list of Shu Faye’s honourable mentions to her friends in the keeb community. Catch some of their keyboard building streams on Twitch too!
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