A couple of months ago, I decided to build an all-Corsair PC build by bringing all of my existing parts, including the best AMD CPU and best graphics cards into an exciting DIY PC. In fact, I made it an effort to not look at any guides online, and I was very impressed with the results. However, I then turned my eye at building my own keyboard too.
I've had plenty of experience reviewing various keebs, from the RGB delights of the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro and 75% models, to the magnetic keys of the Turtle Beach Vulcan II TKL Pro, and all the way to the excellent masterpiece that is the ASUS ROG Falchion RX. But, building my own keyboard gave me all of the options to switch and customize however I wanted.
After speaking with a member of Glorious' excellent PR team, we worked together on a feature about building my own keyboard. Using a variety of Glorious' products, I went on to finally create my personalized keeb, and the results have made it difficult to return to pre-built keyboards in the future.
While the task of building a custom keyboard is daunting, Glorious' options make it very easy. You could go down the route of building from scratch, including buying PCBs (the motherboard of the keyboard, so to speak), Glorious makes it a lot easier. You need to buy a barebones keeb, which includes the essential PCB, and then purchase your desired switches and keycaps.
My build comes with the GMMK Pro. It's the most expensive keyboard in Glorious' portfolio of products, as the barebones version will set you back $169.9 / £199.99, and that's without any of the keycaps or switches. However, for the price you're getting per-key lighting, an aluminium body, the ability to customize it with ease, and just a great bit of hardware.
The design of the GMMK Pro is second-to-none, and while the price will be out of a lot of people's budgets, it's a hefty bit of tech that feels that it will last for years. Fortunately, the hot-swappable switches also gives it longevity, something that a lot of pre-built keyboards may not have.
Next up are the switches. I went with the Lynx Linear switches, which have a nice and quiet thock to them, something I appreciate as I work remotely, although I may switch (pun intended) them for some Cherry MX2A Reds in the near future. They require a little bit of force to enter each socket on the PCB, but its relatively easy. Just, make sure you don't push them too hard like I did with my left shift key, or face the consequences of a bent pin.
Finally, the keycaps, which were the new limited-edition Kabuto keycaps. These are my favorite keycaps that I own, delivering a black-and-red color scheme with a Japanese theme, offering different Samurai helmets for special keys like your delete / page up functions or, if you're like me, in place of the arrow keys which I rarely use. I've since switched out the esc key for the Destiny 2 Artisan keycap from SteelSeries, but the rest of the set is still absolutely impressive.
Unfortunately, the Kabuto keycaps are now unavailable, due to the fact there were only 1000 on Glorious' website. However, Glorious releases a new set of limited-edition keycaps each month, and there are standard options across the store that never leave. Many of which offer PBT, giving a very high-quality typing while protecting the legend on the keys from fading over time.
Assembling my personalized keyboard took some time (mainly as I made a few mistakes, including ordering an ANSI set of keys for my ISO keyboard layout. However, the overall experience was fairly easy. A lot of people will see tech, and PCB boards, and worry about breaking things. But, if you take your time and enjoy building it, there's nothing to be concerned about.
Since completing the build, I've really come to respect the balance that Glorious is making with its lineup of products. Sure, die-hard mechanical keyboard enthusiasts will likely construct their own keyboard, making sure everything is perfect to the precise details. But, Glorious almost gives you a LEGO-style approach to creating a keyboard. You can decide to go for the set approach, buying a keeb that's already built how you want, or open up that box of random LEGO bricks and build something you love.
I'm pretty certain I'll change the design of my custom-built keyboard in the near future. But, it's truly an impressive piece of hardware that feels even better because it's something I made myself. I'd love to build a low profile keyboard next, so hopefully Glorious will bring a set out soon.
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