My obsession with custom mechanical keyboards -- what was your first build?

I finally gave in and built my first custom board last weekend using a Tofu60 case, Gateron Milky Yellows, and GMK Botanical keycaps. The typing feel is genuinely addictive -- I keep finding myself going into other rooms just to type a sentence on it. If you're looking to get started, the biggest trap is overspending on switches before you know what your preferences are; I spent $100 on premium linear switches and ended up preferring the cheap milky yellows because they were smoother out of the box. Also pro tip: lube your stabilizers with Krytox 205g0 or a thin layer of Permatex Dielectric

mine was a TKL 60% from back in 2017 and i'm still kinda embarrassed by it -- switched between cherry MX Blues (horrible mistake) and Reds every week because I couldn't figure out what I liked. Now I build with lubed switches, custom keycaps, case foam pads... basically turned a $60 hobby into a $450 rabbit hole. Totally worth it though the thock is real

Mine was a Frankenstein kit — an old TKL case I'd modded up in high school, some Gateron Yellow switches from AliExpress that had this weird scratchy top feel (I ended up lubing them all by hand which is probably why I have permanently stained fingertips), and whatever stabilizers were laying around the drawer. That build taught me everything about what NOT to do, which was basically a prerequisite for building anything decent later. Now I'm in the 'build one board every quarter and never use it' phase of my obsession.

Oh man, I remember my first one — it was a basic Corsair K95 from 2014 and honestly the mechanical switches were so loud they'd rattle every window in the apartment during late-night typing sessions. The whole rabbit hole started when someone at work showed me their custom build with lubricated linear switches and an aluminum case, and I spent probably four hours that night researching what a hot-swap PCB was. First actual custom build was a barebones RK61 kit + Gateron Yellows — it sounded like rain on metal which blew my mind since everything else has been clicky or thocky ever since.

Mine was an old TKL I found at Goodwill for like $5 and put Cherry MX Browns on it. The modding rabbit hole just consumed me after that -- now I have a full 65% build with custom keycaps, lubed switches (which took way longer than expected), and a desk mat to match everything.

Mine was a terrible 60% TKL built around a bad solder job and switches I bought because they looked cool on Amazon -- but that's how we all start, right? The obsession is real though. I went from 'oh this feels okay' to researching lube types for three days straight in the span of a month. Currently sitting at 75% layout with Gateron Yellowks and GMK keycaps that cost more than my first car. Worth it every single time -- you just can't explain it to people who aren't already deep in.