Wow, thank you!!! I think the reason why most product reviews out there don't go as deep is because the type of reviews I make take a lot longer (and a lot more work!) to produce. But yeah, I wish I could find in-depth reviews for all my expensive purchases as well... That would make any buying decision so much easier and safer…

Seconded. There's no one even in the same category.

Thank you my friend!!! We shall definitely keep this thing going! Stay tuned! ;)

Hey Kevin, thank you so much for the nice words man!!! I’m so glad to get feedback such as yours, which proves that my videos’ approach (to produce content that helps and welcomes everyone, and not just “veteran hobbyists”) has been the correct one from day one. While producing the type of content I do in this channel is much more difficult, expensive and time consuming than just making meme infested “speed run” product showcases, you can count on me to keep putting the same amount of care and effort in all videos I make for as long as this channel lasts! Hopefully, as I improve my video production skills in 2023, I can finally improve the video release cadence of this channel to have more quality content more often!

Hehe... Thanks for the patience, Nathan! I know it took forever... But I'm getting better at this video production thing, so my pace is starting to pick up in 2022! You can expect more regular videos going forward as well... And thank you so much for sticking with the channel for all this time! Highly appreciated!!! 🙏🏼

@@IOSam take your time! I appreciate that you put more effort into each video than of rushing them out

Thank you so much Andhika!!! Your nice words are very much appreciated ma' man! Another doozie (over 50 minutes! 😂) dropping in the next few days… Possibly my most elaborate video ever produced on this channel! Stay tuned…

Ma' man AtomicWeazel!!! Nice to see you back here my good Sir!! Highly appreciated words (as always)! 👊

Happy to know this video was helpful my friend!!! Helping newcomers to this hobby is what this channel is all about! :) Thank you for your feedback, and remember: there is no reason to be nervous about building your first mech! The best part about the KBD67 Lite for first time keyboard builders is how easy it is to put it together. You got this! 👍

Thanks Derrick!!! Always nice to read that from my viewers! I really go out of my way to make these reviews as comprehensive and useful as possible... And as long as that is working out well for viewers, I believe the subs, likes and views will come with time. ;)

Hehe... Thank you so much!!! Detailed videos chockful of relevant information is the name of the game around here! :)

Wow, thank you Dave!!! Awesome feedback! Welcome to the channel and you can rest assured there are a lot more videos with the same production quality on the way!

Hey Jennifer! Thank you so much!! And I'm happy for you and your new custom board!!! If this is your first custom kit (or even if it is just another member of the "growing family" :), congratulations! Please report back here (or on the r/iosam subreddit) on how your build went (and which switches and keycaps you picked)... And if you can post a picture of the finished board for our enjoyment, even better!!! ;)

Thanks my friend!!! While I'm obviously biased, I tend to agree! This style of video should at least be more digestible than hours long Twitch VODs, right? 😂

@@IOSam twitch vods can be nice, but these are just different. in a way, you're able to cover *more* ground than a lot of streams could in a lot less time. attention to detail like the via lighting issue, that's rarely brought up.

@@coluzea You're spot on! A "pure KZfaq approach" gives you the option to script, shoot and edit your videos in a way that VODs (even edited ones) cannot do. As a result, you can cover far more ground than you could ever do on streamed content. Not to mention the tighter script (without rambles, dead spaces, uhms and ahs), close-up shots and other analytical information (that one cannot research and present in a live setting). And that is basically what I’m going for here. While people tell me that long form videos don’t work well on KZfaq, I tend to disagree. Sure… it doesn’t work for the majority of KZfaq viewers, but then I’m not after those viewers. I’m after Twitch viewers! If people are willing to sit for hours on live streams and VODs, they could probably enjoy a tight and well researched 30 to 60 minutes video like the ones I’m making here. And while I don’t give the “live element” of asking questions, I can do another thing most KZfaqrs don’t do: answer questions in the comments section. So, let’s see how this strategy goes… So far, it seems to be working… Slow, but steady!

@@IOSam you should keep at it, i think it'll pay off. many non-keyboard channels were treated very nicely by the algorithm for having longer, higher effort content

Nice!!! You're very much welcome! And don't worry... You got this! This is a very user-friendly kit to put together! Have you picked switches and keycaps for your build yet?

@@IOSam Yes I have! I’ve got a couple of boards that I mixed and match. But for that one, I’m planning on mounting the KTT Rose and Drop MT3 Dasher first ☺️ Maybe I’ll try on the Holy Pandas and the Akko ASA Black and Pink!

@@sainturiel I love MT3s and I also have an Akko ASA kit in PBT here that is really nice (I'll feature it on my Keychron Q1 video)! And your choices of linear and tactile switches are really good too! Either way you'll have a really nice and thocky keyboard! :)

You'll like it. As an early keyboard enthousiast this board unfortunately directly became my endboard.

@@IOSam Thank you kindly for your response! This validation means so much as a beginner 😩💛

Wow, thank YOU for your nice words my friend!!!

Hey Ben, nice to read your comment man! So happy to know this was helpful to you!! And by the way, I 100% understand your use case!!! As someone who’s also always on the road, I also have the need for a good and light mech to have on my bag (I can’t stand laptop keyboards 😂). And glad to know you were able to find an R3 with the look you wanted, since it is becoming difficult to find those out there at this point.

Hey Patrick! Thanks for your comment! Could you elaborate a bit more on how you modded your KBD67 Lite with poron gaskets (if I understood correctly)? I’d be curious to try this myself.

😂 Thank you!!! (and yeah... "Save to Watch later" is probably my most used KZfaq feature!)

The PE foam pads definitely worked very well in the KBD67 Lite! Although it is bit of a shame KBDFans didn't already include them in the package (which I think they should). At any rate, you can still get them directly from KBDFans or Divinikeys in the US (links in the video description).

​@@IOSam Ohh wow man, you deserved a +1 sub. In just few minutes I got a new tips from you, faster than google search. :D

​@@juanwanderer Haha! Thanks man!!! That's what we're here for! :)

@@IOSam alright man, keep it up and more power to you.

Hi Nicholas!!! Thanks for the awesome feedback man! Really appreciated! And I know where you’re coming from, since for most of my life I was also the guy looking for the best in-depth written reviews I could find, from the most reputable sources out there, before I would commit to buy something (specially a tech product of any kind). So, when I decided to build this channel, this was my source of inspiration: I wanted to create videos that felt like those amazing written reviews I used to read in my “tech formative years”, from legendary websites like AnandTech, Tom’s Hardware, HardOCP, Tech Report, PCPer and so many others from that golden era of tech sites between 2005 and 2015. Obviously, most younger folks looking for video reviews nowadays, don’t have that frame of reference… And are much more attracted to quick, superficial reviews that are more loaded on the entertainment side than on the informational side. So, I get it that my channel does not have mass appeal in its current form. But that is Ok for me! I don’t have any ambition to be a million subs channel… My ambition here is to be the guy who can make a KZfaq product video review to feel like an Anand Shimpi, a Kyle Bennett, a Scott Wasson or a Ryan Shrout written article. And your (and so many others’) feedback seems to confirm I’m going in the right direction based on my original goal (and that makes me very happy!!! :).

Yooo, thank you man!!! Appreciated!!!

Hey Enrique! Thanks man!! Always nice to get feedback like this!!! In my opinion, the best 60% keyboard I have ever used is the CannonKeys Bakeneko60 (case: cannonkeys.com/collections/keyboard-kits/products/bakeneko-60 and PCB: cannonkeys.com/products/bakeneko60-extra-pcbs?variant=40604277571695 ). It is a full-blown custom that will not break the bank (for a custom keyboard, that is) at roughly $180 (for the case + hotswap PCB) plus switches and keycaps. It is a full metal encased board that types and sounds wonderful! For a production 60% keyboard, my recommendation nowadays is a Ducky One 3 Mini (which is hot-swappable, where the One 2 Mini was not) for a regular mechanical keyboard and the Razer Huntsman Mini w/ red switches for a silent optical board. But honestly, if you already have an Anne Pro 2 and a Kemove 61, I don't think another production board will be much of an upgrade to you at this point, since the functionality will be basically the same (Ducky would give you an additional notch or two in terms of quality, but still not enough to justify the cost if you already have an Anne Pro in my opinion).

@@IOSam Thank you so much for the quick and detailed response. I have checked the bakenoko, but it lacks a key feature, wireless connection. Due to the configuration of my office, I have the PC tower in a relative awkward far position, is no negotiable. Anyway, thank you again for the information and we will be eagerly waiting for the next one. Best from Spain ;)

@@ennanco Ah, if you need wireless, then it is indeed very hard to beat the Anne Pro for the price (there is a reason why this is one of the best-selling mechanical keyboards of the last 2 years on Amazon)! The EPOMAKER GK64XS was another very good 60 percent(ish) wireless board, that even had a metal case option at some point, but has been discontinued for a while now. For some reason there aren't many wireless 60% boards in the market nowadays. I suspect that the reason for that is the fact most manufacturers are focusing their efforts into the 65% layout now, which probably has wider appeal (because of the addition of the arrow keys). Most interesting premium 60% boards I’ve seen in the last year or so, were all small group-buys on Geekhack (and very few with wireless in them). It seems that premium 60% boards are becoming an enthusiast niche nowadays. Meanwhile the vast majority of 60% boards on Amazon are basically the same product (GK61) sold under a myriad of different brands.

Yeah, that is totally normal of course, since there is no way to isolate the case and feet softness when pressing down on the keycaps. I don't put a lot of pressure when shooting these profile shots, but it obviously puts more force into the board than just regular typing (especially if one is a light typist like me)... So, the silicone feet will always sink as well. But regardless of what you can see in terms of flex, the KBD67 Lite is not a stiff board. It might not be as soft as other "trampoline" keyboards out there, but its silicone damper still does a decent job to feel and sound good for normal typists (that don't hammer keys when typing).

✌😎 Thank you Maroun!!! Nice to see you back here!

Thank you Eugene!!! Appreciated, my good Sir!

Thank you so much my good Sir!!! Your nice words are highly appreciated! And I'm happy to know this video was useful to help you on your next mechanical keyboard chapter! :) And by the way, if you're in the US, you might want to take advantage of Divinikey's current Fall 20% Off sale for the KBD67 Lite Kit (among other products) happening this weekend: bit.ly/3MNKmmH (use my IOSAM code for an even better deal).

@@IOSam ahh unfortunately im in scotland so I'd have to be ordering from KBDfans website. Cant find any UK retailers with it. Fun fact their shipping rates to the UK and US are prettymuch identical lol 100% recommending this channel to my friends though Thanks again for the help! Subbed

​@@TheAdaoo7 KBDFans has a comprehensive shipping agreement with DHL and FEDEX, so their shipping rates are standardized and actually pretty decent to Europe/US. (Thanks for the sub man!!!)

Oh, I tried to get one of these, but it has been out of stock for ages now... Not even sure if Akko intends to ever sell these again... Where/when did you get yours?

@@IOSam I ended up getting it from eBay unfortunately, though - they have been available on the Akko webpage now and again, including last week, and this week

@@TheBeat16 Ah, ok... Cause I have seen some of those on eBay, but the prices were outrageous... But nice to know that Akko is still restocking these every once in a while. I'll start to keep an eye on their web store from now on. As for how it compares to the GMMK Pro or the Keychron Q1, have you ever tried any of those two to see how the Akko board compares?

I couldn’t agree more with your statement! In fact, the more keyboards I review, the more what you wrote makes sense to me! Sure, there are a million other much more luxurious keyboard kits out there for 2 to 5 times the price of the KBD67 Lite… But, if all you’re looking for in a custom keyboard is the best typing experience for the least amount of money (and easy availability), then the KBD67 Lite is the absolute king of the hill!

Yeah, I can definitely say the same thing! I was really surprised by how well KBDFans executed on their entry-level board! They're on a roll in the last couple of years!!!

That's how we roll over here... You know it! XD Nice to see you around here again Ivan!

As someone who has tried all of these entry-edition boards (NK65, Portico, Ikki68 and KBD67 Lite), I have to agree with you. This board brings the best balance of price, performance, and ease of building. And it is by far the easiest one to "get right" out of the box with no major modding (and Mrs. I/O here has also been eyeing my orange board with KAT keycaps for a while now 😂). The Tiger80 is definitely another very enticing "EE" offer from KBDfans, at least for those of us who love TKLs! :) As for the R3 translucent colors, they certainly have a 90's vibe that is quite appealing. The only potential issue is that I feel that translucent ABS plastic can be a bit more brittle than either opaque ABS or polycarbonate. But as long as one takes decent care of this board, that shouldn't be a problem for the vast majority of users.

@@IOSam interesting piece of information about the translucent ABS being more brittle, I didn't know that. I'm basically trying to decide if I want a bigger board, since I'm so used to 65/75%. Thanks for the informative video by the way!

Thank you so much AzureZinc!!! Really appreciated the feedback!!! About your Domikey set, I'm so sorry that you got a bad set! Do you mind me asking you where did you buy it (KPrepublic directly/Amazon/AliExpress or Drop.com)?

@@IOSam Oh my reply didn't send, I got mine from the Krepublic vendor on aliexpress

​@@azurezinc Yeah... KZfaq comments is a broken system... So many comments get lost in it! Which is why I'm starting to promote my own sub-reddit for people to reach out to me with questions going forward: www.reddit.com/r/IOSam As for your Domikey set, your answer confirms a suspicion I had when you mentioned your problem in your first comment: it turns out that KPrepublic is one of the shadiest players in this hobby! Their rap sheet is long and pretty much every one I know in this hobby had issues ordering products with them (including myself, who had to open a complain case with PayPal last year to get my money back from an order KPrepublic didn’t ship almost two months after placed). While I don’t know how exactly Domikey is affiliated to KPrepublic (the later seems have some level of ownership in the former), what I do know is that you cannot get Domikey sets from anyone else other than KPrepublic… Even when you buy those from Drop.com (as I did), Drop is still buying these sets from KPrepublic. But because Drop has a very tough Quality Assurance clause in their contract with the manufacturers they bulk buy from, I suspect KPrepublic ships their A-tier best production batches to Drop and then sells the B and C tiers on their own stores on AliExpress and Amazon. While this is just a theory, it seems to fit KPrepublic’s way of doing business. Besides, I bought 2 Domikey sets on Drop and both came absolutely perfect.

Got the DMK WoB. Colors are inconsistent. One key is like a dark grey. Some are darker than the rest.

That is a very good TL;DR!! 👍

I know... The last two years felt so weird with everything that happened with the world... Somethings in our lives feel like they happened in a flash, while others feel like they evolved 10 years in 2 (like the mechanical keyboards hobby for example).

Yeap... I'll get a retail one for the channel, so you can expect an in-depth review of that one here too. I intend to cover (in-depth) all entry-level boards here. While my channel is not large enough yet for some of these vendors to seed me prototype units, you at least know that what you'll see here will be an actual retail sample (which is always preferable anyway ;).

Thank you!!! A lot of work and care is put into these videos, so it is really nice to get such positive feedback! Highly appreciated my friend!!!🙏🏼

Hey Benjamin! Yes, you’re right on both accounts. In the beginning there, what I actually meant [but failed] to say was that it was a plastic keyboard with a polycarbonate plate. On the second account, it is true that ABS will discolor over time, but that effect is usually more visible in lighter colors of course. As for its support of both ANSI and ISO (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bbFgaJlo0LuZknk.html ), it is one area where KBDFans indeed still beats other vendors out more often than not. Having ISO support is always a nice thing to see! And yes, not only being able to change the case, but having the option to do it on the cheap (if you go with the plastic case) or even to go with a more premium option (if you go with the Alu case) is a fantastic bonus!

Blaze ma' man!!! Thank you!!! Always nice to see you chillin’ around here!

Thank you!!! 😎

Thanks Fayaz!!! Appreciated man! As for your question on the Logitech's new MX low profile Mechanical keyboard, from what I've seen from initial reviews, it will be (as per Logitech's usual ways) very difficult to mod, since it is not hot-swappable (which will get in the way of lubing switches and stabilizers). And it seems they even went through the trouble of making the spacebar mounting holes non-standard (so you wouldn't be able to find a replacement for it on aftermarket keycap kits out there, as you can see here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p7iPZLh0tKqWg6M.html ). So, it looks like getting one of these with the intention to mod it later might be a problem (specially considering how expensive it is). I know there are a few interesting (and cheaper ) new choices arriving in the market soon for low profile mechanical keyboards that don't have those issues such as the Azio Cascade Slim (www.aziocorp.com/collections/keyboard/products/cascade-slim-75-wireless-hot-swappable-keyboard ) and the Kemove K68 Butterfly (www.kemove.com/product/k68-butterfly ). Those are hot-swappable, come with better keycaps and seem to use standard keycaps mounting systems that should allow you to replace them later if you chose to. Of course, they don't offer the hardware/software ecosystem integration you get with Logitech, Razer, SteelSeries and Corsair. So, if that is something important to you, then your choices are naturally much more limited. But if all you want is a good wireless low-profile mechanical keyboard, it seems you are about to get many good options in the very near future!

Hey Rockstar!!! You’re welcome! And thanks for the nice comment! While I haven’t reviewed the Tiger80 here in the channel yet, I can tell you that these two keyboards are very different in more ways than just the layout. But the first, and most important, think to consider in my opinion still is the layout. If you’re more of an old-style keyboard user like me, and feels more comfortable in a classic and traditional TKL layout, then go with the Tiger80. But if you’re more into the new small form factor modern keyboards that are better suited for gaming in crowded desks with giant mousepads, then go with the KBD67. Having said that, the second most important thing to consider is if you like super bouncy keyboard plates (which, I’m sure you have already noticed, that most “keyboard influencers” out there are really into what I call “trampoline keyboards” 😂). If you want to try something like this for yourself, then the Tiger80 is probably one of the “bounciest” keyboards in existence at its price point. It is my opinion that super flexy plates might make more of a positive difference to heavy typists that use a lot of force on each keystroke. If you are a trained typist that doesn’t apply excessive force when typing, then plate flex becomes less relevant (as it is the case for me). Just to be perfectly clear here, the KBD67 Lite with its silicone “faux-gaskets” DOES OFFER a decently flexible plate, which is more than enough to not feel harsh and stiff when bottoming out. But the Tiger80 with its spring-leaf mounting system is on a completely different level of plate flex (it feels at least twice as bouncy) than the KBD67 Lite. But, if you’re more like me, who don’t necessarily care too much about trampoline keyboard plates, then just go back to the previous layout decision making process and choose the one with the layout that fits your workflow better. At the end of the day, the layout will affect your day-to-day experience far more than the plate flexibility of your keyboard. And lastly, I can tell you that both the KBD67 Lite and the Tiger80 Lite offer basically the same level of build quality, which is pretty good for an entry level custom keyboard. So, I think build quality is not a factor when deciding between the two.

Congrats on your new keyboard!!! I love the look of the slightly pastel colors in the 4th revision of this board. Looks super classy! As for your question, yes. I believe all KBD67 Lite kits have standard 1.6 mm PCBs. And thank you for dropping by (and for your lovely feedback)! So happy to know my review was helpful!!!

Thank you!!! And yes… This Domikey Cherry set is going for the same price as expensive GMK sets nowadays. I got this BoW with Hiragana for a little less ($96) when I got through Drop.com because I didn’t get a full set (I just got alphas, mods and mod plus), but if you get it through KPrepublic you can only get the full set, that will go for around $127. In my opinion, this Domikey run that Drop.com had, is basically as good as GMK (the legends might not be 100% perfect, but the caps are a bit thicker than GMK, which I like). BUT the problem is dealing with the notoriously shady guys from KPrepublic (which is why I only get Domikey stuff when Drop has it on group buy here in the US, since in that case I don’t have to deal directly with KPrepublic). Besides, I had another viewer commenting here that he got this WoB Hiragana from KPrepublic and he said the legends were not as good as what he saw in my video. And here, again, I suspect the problem is KPrepublic… Drop has very strict quality control with these Chinese suppliers (I believe KPrepublic has exclusive rights to Domikey stuff in most parts of the world outside of the US) and thus these suppliers probably send their A-tier sets to Drop and then sell the B and C tiers to KPrepublic for a lower price (allowing KPrepublic to make a higher profit). As a comparison with Drop’s DCX, while I have not tried those yet, I suspect they might be very similar to the Domikey’s A-tier I got from Drop last year in terms of thickness and quality (I even suspect they might be made in the same Chinese factory). So, if you’re happy with the DCX set for $100 (or even Drop’s GMK WoB for $90! fave.co/3xsfsvr ) it might be a better (and safer!) deal… But if you really want Hiragana legends then I don’t know of any other readily available double-shot ABS WoB with sub-legends other than the Domikey stuff that KPrepublic sells (at least at this moment in 2022). I know KBDfans has a WoB with Hiragana in PBT with reverse-dye-sub (which, while not as sharp as double-shot ABS, is still pretty nice and durable), but those have the sub-legends in red (kbdfans.com/r?id=44s7cl ), which might not be what you want.

Same here! 😁👍

Hehe... Thanks man!!! Nice to see you back here as well!

Plateless??? But are you still using the silicone layer on top of the PCB? How does the PCB not sink into the case (without being attached to a plate)?

@@IOSam the silicone is so thick it kinda works like a plate in a way to keep things relatively in place

Yeap! And I can't believe I missed it when I order my keyboard... 🤦‍♂️ Oh well... It was fun cutting my own silicone slab anyway... XD

In one word: competition. The market for entry level customs used to be a niche thing coming into 2019/2020, where small community players such as KBDFans dominated. But after it blew up during the pandemic, this market eventually got crushed with competition coming from every corner of the world… From insane value pre-builts (with switches AND keycaps) costing the same or less than a KBD67 Lite, to borderline luxury metal kits that don’t cost much more. Does that make the KBD67 lite a bad keyboard in 2023? Of course not. It is possibly one of the best plastic entry level kits ever made! But for its original price, it just doesn’t offer enough value in today’s market compared to the competition. And if KBDFans had to cut its price by at least 2/3 to keep it competitive, they probably would make no money on it. And that is why they dropped it (it makes more sense for them to focus on their Tofu 2.0 entry-level line, that can better compete in today’s market in terms of features and fancier materials, while trying to keep the price/margins a bit higher). Having said all that, IF you can find a KBD67 Lite R3 or R4 for a good price (when compared to other quality pre-builts and metal custom kits in your region), I’d say it can still be worth it… It all depends on the price reality for its more “modern” competitors in the country you live in. If a KBD67 Lite costs you 110 Euros (without too much shipping and taxes overhead), while the closest competitor in price is a Tofu 65 2.0 for, say, 190 Euros (plus the crazy high shipping rates + EU taxes if you buy it directly from KBDFans)… and you’re not willing to pay more for a metal keyboard kit… and you’re not interested in getting a decent pre-built from the likes of Epomaker, Akko or Skyloong… Than I’d say: go for it! As long as you manage your expectations for a lighter plastic kit (which will never feel as premium as a heavier metal one), its typing experience does not disappoint.

thank you for the detailed explanation! I missed that akko was sending to europe. Import duties are hit and miss. You are right about the aluminum, I have a qk65 and the difference is night and day. however, the typing experience is always great with kbd. I already have a kbd67 lite wired, and i’m searching for a light wireless option to take to work. so plastic is the way for me. right now from where I found it, the wireless version costs 130 euros, including shipping and taxes. I also considered keychron v1, i have seen rave reviews. But it’s wired. I’m checking akko now, seems they upgraded their european offerings (I live in Greece), and a 507b plus seems like a very good option…. thank you for your time!

Wow! How did that happen??? The case has metal threads for the screws precisely to avoid that. Did all the metal threads break too? Do you have this issue documented/photographed anywhere I can see? I’d really like to take a look at this!

@@IOSam i can send a picture if you want. i really have no idea how that happened but I've been seeing others getting the same issue.

I think mine has the same little issue, though its only visual and if you look really close (because i have the transparent black case)

@@justanotherpxrson downside of having these cracks... you fear that it will break if you mod it many more times

@@lollol-mg9cr it doesnt feel like it will break though, thats the thing

I wouldn't say the KBDFans board is "higher quality" necessarily. The difference is in the way these boards are designed, which the GMMK2 uses a more traditional (and cheaper to produce) mounting system (tray mounted), while the KBD67 uses a type of suspended mounting system that produces some "flexing" (that enthusiasts enjoy mostly for its softer bottom-out and nicer sound). The other important difference is the software compatibility, which the KBD67 is VIA compatible (better) and the GMMK2 uses its own Glorious Core app (not bad, but not as versatile as VIA). And then, there is the fact that Glorious produces their boards in higher volume than KBDFans, and thus they enjoy better economies of scale and can be profitable with lower prices than KBDFans. If you care about a softer bottom-out (and the nicer "poppy" sound that it produces), the KBD67 might be worth the price difference. Otherwise, the GMMK2 will be a better deal for you.

@@IOSam thanks for the elaborate answer. Another issue is that it seems that KBD67 is still out of stock here. Odin Gaming Nova65 is in stock though, that board also uses gaskets it seems. Any opinions on Nova65?

@@FiveNineO If you can get the Nova65 for a good price, I'd say get it! It has a metal top frame, it is gasket mounted, VIA compatible and comes with Durock stabs in the box. Can't ask for more than that for Odin's $160 price (definitely worth the price difference with the KBD67 Lite).

For my personal preference I would go with the KBD67 Lite if the price difference for a full build was not a concern (considering how much cheaper a fully built GMMK2 costs). But if I had to pick a more budget friendly 65%, I’d be perfectly happy with the GMMK2 (although I’m sure I’d still mod its stabs :)

I confirmed the whole "final round" thing with them and it seems the word "final" was poorly employed there, since they are not stopping the sale of this board. The "final" there just means it was the last group buy for it. Going forward (after they deliver the 4th round orders) they plan to keep the product in stock on a permanent basis. Let’s see how well that goes…

Considering how good the CIY red switches I tried here were, I'm very curious to try the CIY GAS67 myself (I know it got quite a few good reviews out there). Please let me know how you like it when you get it!

@@IOSam For costing only half as much as the KBD67 Lite, I think I can ignore the toggle switch as the blocker.

​@@jayz9253 What is that toggle switch for? Turning on/off the backlighting?

@@IOSam Win/MacOS, looks less ugly in person than B-rolled.

​@@jayz9253 Hehe... That was definitely an interesting choice they made there! While it would not have been my first choice of placement for such a switch, I don't find it that bad… Especially when considering the price of the kit.

It seems NovelKeys still has one last color in stock (Blumen 👉novelkeys.com/collections/keyboards/products/nk65-entry-edition?variant=36839795589287 ). But once that is over, they're stating it will take about a year for them to get a new batch in all colors... :-/

Not with the Json file provided by KBDFans for VIA. But if you're Ok with reprograming the board through QMK, than yes... You'd be able to set per-key RGB any way you want.

@@IOSam Problem is, i've been reading for hours and hours now about QMK/VIA use, and I can't find one, singular thing about per-key setting.

Tuning stabs can be a bit tricky in the beginning, but with a few trial and errors we all get there eventually... How did you lube the stabs housings and the wires tips?

@@IOSam I used 205G0 lube on housing and donut dipped the wire tips. I have holee mod, band aid cotton between the pcb and the wire, balanced the wire.

@@damon920 Ok, you did quite a lot there. A few questions: Are you using the stock plate? Are you getting the tick noise only on the space-bar (if so, one or both sides)? Or on all stabilized keys? When you lightly tap the key on the ticking stab (without pressing it), do you still get the tick? Or only when you fully depress the key?

@@IOSam yes I did all the possible mod there is out there haha. I am actually using RK84 keyboard. There is no tick on my spacebar after the mods. However, the left shift, backspace, and enter keys ticks when I light taps on them. I am also using durock v2 stab set.

​@@damon920 Well, good that you got the space-bar right (usually the most difficult). I think the only thing left for you to try is to place pieces of tape on the edges of the plate stabs cutouts (like what I did here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o6xilNSlvsjDlWQ.html ). This will ensure the stabs housings are not wiggling inside of the plate cutout (which can happen if the cutout is a bit larger than the stab's housing).

Hi Ashkar! According to KBDFans, the only meaningful change between R3 and R4 (at least for the wired-only version of the PCB) was the different colors of the case. Pretty much everything else is the same. So, for that reason, there wouldn't be much point in making another video about the R4...

Nice!!! Please let me know how it goes and feel free to post a picture of it on my sub-reddit (www.reddit.com/r/IOSam ) when you finish your build. Would love to see that!

@@IOSam I’m torn between putting some of the husky linear switches from kinetic labs in it instead of the holy pandas but the keycaps are the simple dye-subbed Japanese from kbd fans

@@amowak While I have never tried neither the Drop Holy Panda X nor the Kinetic Labs switches, I heard good things about all of them. If you already have both sets of switches, you might as well try both to see which type you like the most in this board. I had really enjoyed linears in my copy of the KBD67 Lite, but then when I tried it with the Bobas, I just fell in love with them... XD So, if you're like (who enjoy both linears and tactiles) you never really know which you're going to like more on a given board until you try it, I guess.

@@IOSam the durock stabs don’t work in it at least the space back space and enter the shift is the only one that wouldn’t get stuck

Man, that's rough... Almost half the price of the keyboard itself! What Country do you live? It would be interesting to check if there aren't any regional resellers in your area that could sell you one with better shipping price.

@@IOSam I'm out in South Africa! We have a site that does a few GBs on KBDfans products, managed to pickup a Tiger lite recently & now I'm really wanting a 67 lite xD

@@longneckmatty3137 Have you checked how much would candykeys.com from Europe or divinikey.com from the US would charge to ship one to you in SA?

@@IOSam Thanks for the info! I'm wanting to order from KBDfans so I can get a custom tape mod for my Tiger Lite included in the order. I've just checked Candykeys and they are a little cheaper, I'll be saving $13usd xD Divinikey is just straight ridiculous, they are wanting $80usd for shipping.

@@longneckmatty3137 Yeah, the distance from either China or the US to SA is what makes things crazy expensive. CandyKeys would indeed be the closest vendor to you (outside of a local reseller). And then there is the import duty situation, which I don't know how bad it is in SA (hopefully not as bad as in some parts of South America that I know). In the end, the best way for you would indeed be aggregating as many products as possible in a single order to try to scale down the shipping price per product.

The deskmat is RANDOMFRANKP X NK_ from NovelKeys (novelkeys.com/collections/deskpads/products/randomfrankp-x-nk_-deskpad?variant=36972922339495 ) in the grey color. The mousepad is an X-raypad Gray-black Thor Fast Speed Cloth (450x400x3mm - XL) (shop.x-raypad.com/shop/x-raypad-gray-black-thor-fast-speed-cloth-gaming-mouse-pad/ ).

Yes Sir!!! Alive and kickin'... ;)