loading
Ideas
Parts pairing for a split build: two independent halves, two independent decisions
A split board is two keyboards that happen to share a keymap. Most builders still buy parts for it like it's one — matching switches, ordering a single sculpted keycap set, and never touching the left half's tuning differently from the right's.
thock9 min read
Week 36 / 2026
open trends tracker →Trending — what's moving on the tracker
Latest
By pillar
Deep Dives
Long reads worth your weekend
Deep Dives
What a silent switch actually silences — and what it can't
Every keystroke lands twice — once on the floor, once on the ceiling. Cherry molds an elastomer pad onto the stem to catch both; Gazzew fits a silicone one. The undamped Boba U4T shows what either approach is buying — about 14 dB on one tester's meter — and what it costs in travel, rebound, and a bump with nowhere left to go.
thock10 min read
Deep Dives
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
A stabilizer has to be loose enough to slide and tight enough to stay quiet, and those two requirements contradict each other at three separate interfaces. Every rattle, tick, and clunk on a spacebar is one of those interfaces losing the argument.
thock10 min read
Deep Dives
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
Material and profile get the attention. The mold, the second shot, the transfer press, and the shrinkage table are what set the price, the lead time, and whether the legend is still there in ten years.
thock10 min read
Not sure which switch to try? Find your switch — or find your keycap set — answer 4 questions, get your top matches. Browse all interactive tools — quizzes and comparison tables in one place. Or browse the parts catalog — every switch, keycap set, and board in one place.