sources

where we got the facts

Citations and references collected from every article. Honesty about where we got the facts.

thock cites external references inline as citations, markedrel="noopener". The "view at vendor" button on group-buy cards, and named-part mentions that resolve to a vendor page, are separately flagged with rel="sponsored" so a reader can tell the two apart. Below: a per-article tally, then the full per-citation index — article, quote, URL, deduped.

News

The Blaine V2: SE puts three mount systems in one kit and asks the buyer to pick1 cite
GMK CYL Masterpiece R2 closed at KBDfans, finishing the Katakana argument R1 started3 cites
GMK CYL Pandemonium: the eclipse-themed keycap set that closed on a plateau2 cites
DCS Dolch closed at Divinikey — a computing-history colorway's first DCS-profile run1 cite
GMK CYL Ramune is the pastel pivot the CYL catalog needed4 cites
GMK CYL Selene closed at KBDfans with the sub-line's first material-first colorway1 cite
Keychron's Q Ultra ZMK series brings 660h battery to the prebuilt-premium tier2 cites
GMK CYL Prussian Alert closed at KBDfans, capping the loudest GeekHack IC in the CYL sub-line's recent run1 cite
GMK CYL Ishtar R2 closed at KBDfans with a second-and-likely-last shot at the lapis Mesopotamia palette1 cite
GSK Sweet Nightmare ran a four-day window at KBDfans with an eight-variant matrix1 cite
Mode Sonnet R2 opened at CannonKeys1 cite
GMK CYL GREG returns for round 2 at KBDfans1 cite
GMK CYL King of the Seas opened at KBDfans in two colorways at once1 cite
The Nyawice puts a leaf-spring F1 mount under a friction-fit-cat-ears Alice1 cite

Trends

Ideas

Deep Dives

Guides

Citation index

Every external URL cited across thock, deduped and grouped by the articles that linked it.

(Switch and Click's keyboard-size breakdown)
switchandclick.com/keyboard-sizes
Keyboard layout sizes, compared: 60% to full-size, which fits your desk
Wooting's Jade listing
wooting.io/product/gateron-magnetic-jade-switches
Gateron Magnetic Jade: the Hall-effect linear built to be argued about like a mechanical one
retail listing
rndkbd.com/products/gateron-magnetic-jade-he-switch
Gateron Magnetic Jade: the Hall-effect linear built to be argued about like a mechanical one
comparison table hlplanet compiled from Gateron's listings
www.hlplanet.com/gateron-magnetic-switches
Gateron Magnetic Jade: the Hall-effect linear built to be argued about like a mechanical one
comparison post
www.gateron.com/blog/detail/gateron-magnetic-switches-gateron-magnetic-jade-pro-switch-vs-gateron-magnetic-jade-pro-switch-vs-gateron-magnetic-jade-max-switch
Gateron Magnetic Jade: the Hall-effect linear built to be argued about like a mechanical one
Jade Mini E listing
keeb-finder.com/switches/gateron-magnetic-jade-mini-e-switch
Gateron Magnetic Jade: the Hall-effect linear built to be argued about like a mechanical one
side-by-side with the KS-20 Dual-Rail Orange
lumekeebs.com/blogs/blog/gateron-magnetic-jade-vs-gateron-ks-20-dual-rail-magnetic-orange
Gateron Magnetic Jade: the Hall-effect linear built to be argued about like a mechanical one
60HE compatibility guide
www.hlplanet.com/wooting-compability-guide
Gateron Magnetic Jade: the Hall-effect linear built to be argued about like a mechanical one
product page
www.keychron.com/products/keychron-q1-he-qmk-wireless-custom-keyboard
Gateron Magnetic Jade: the Hall-effect linear built to be argued about like a mechanical one
Switch and Click's U4 review
switchandclick.com/gazzews-boba-u4-silent-tactile-switch-review-silent-uprising
What a silent switch actually silences — and what it can'tThe Boba Family: One Housing Blend, Five Switches, and the Sound thock Is Named For
Cherry's MX2A Silent Black product page
www.cherry.de/en-us/product/mx2a-silent-black
What a silent switch actually silences — and what it can't
Cherry's MX Silent line
www.cherry.de/en-gb/product/mx2a-silent-red
What a silent switch actually silences — and what it can't
ThereminGoat's U4 review
www.theremingoat.com/blog/boba-u4-switch-review
What a silent switch actually silences — and what it can'tThe Boba Family: One Housing Blend, Five Switches, and the Sound thock Is Named For
Click and Thock's Boba U4 review
www.clickandthock.com/silent-switches-1/gazzew-boba-u4
What a silent switch actually silences — and what it can't
the same site's U4T review
www.clickandthock.com/tactile-switches-1/gazzew-boba-u4t
What a silent switch actually silences — and what it can't
Protesilaos Stavrou's notes on the MX2A Silent Black
protesilaos.com/keeb/2025-05-17-cherry-silent-black-switches-thoughts
What a silent switch actually silences — and what it can't
Deskthority wiki
deskthority.net/wiki/Stabiliser
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
Geekhack thread that reverse-engineered it
geekhack.org/index.php
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
his 2024 write-up
ryan.norbauer.com/journal/the-stabilizer-problem
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
HilPCB's footprint guide
hilpcb.com/en/blog/keyboard-pcb-layout
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
Divinikey's listing
divinikey.com/products/tx-ap-stabilizers-rev-4
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
Chosfox's listing
chosfox.com/products/owlab-owlstabs-screw-in-stabilizers-v3
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
Divinikey
divinikey.com/products/c-equalz-screw-in-stabilizers-v3
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
Omnitype
omnitype.com/products/durock-stabilizers-v2
Why stabilizers rattle: the engineering behind a smooth stab
— five more than ANSI, four more than ISO
switchandclick.com/ansi-vs-iso-layout
ANSI, ISO, or JIS: a practical layout buying guide
Matt3o on MT3
matt3o.com/about-mt3-profile-and-devtty-set
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
Deskthority: GMK
deskthority.net/wiki/GMK
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
GMK keycap FAQ
www.gmk.net/en/service/faq-keycaps
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
GMK CYL
www.gmk.net/en/products/keycaps-keyboards-accessories/cyl-keycaps
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
PBTfans doubleshot
kbdfans.com/pages/about-pbtfans-doubleshot
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
PBTfans dye-sub
kbdfans.com/pages/pbtfans-dyesub
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
Injection-molding shrinkage chart
www.cnclathing.com/guide/mold-shrinkage-chart-formula-calculation-plastic-shrinkage-rate-injection-molding-shrinkage
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
Plastics Technology
www.ptonline.com/articles/hitting-the-numbers-part-2
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
Deskthority: double-shot moulding
deskthority.net/wiki/Double-shot_moulding
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
Keyreative on KAT
keyreative.store/blogs/news/introducing-kat-profile-keycaps-by-keyreative
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
Wuque Studio
shop.wuquestudio.com/blogs/news/introducing-ws-doubleshot-pbt
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
Signature Plastics designer page
spkeyboards.com/pages/submit-your-double-shot-design
How keycaps are actually made: double-shot, dye-sub, and the processes in between
the standard cantilever formula
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflection_(engineering)
Leaf-spring mounts, explained: what a bending metal tab does that a foam strip cannot
eight leaf springs made of beryllium copper
nextrift.com/the-owlab-spring-keyboard-looks-amazing-in-stock-sale-in-february-2022-from-355
Leaf-spring mounts, explained: what a bending metal tab does that a foam strip cannot
plate catalogue
geon.works/products/f1-8x-plate
Leaf-spring mounts, explained: what a bending metal tab does that a foam strip cannot
described it
exclusive.works/blogs/news/e7-v2-gml-isolated-gasket-muted-plate-leaf-spring-structure
Leaf-spring mounts, explained: what a bending metal tab does that a foam strip cannot
SixtyFive build guide
modedesigns.com/pages/sixtyfive-guide
Leaf-spring mounts, explained: what a bending metal tab does that a foam strip cannot
the blocks
modedesigns.com/products/sonnet-mounting-blocks
Leaf-spring mounts, explained: what a bending metal tab does that a foam strip cannot
CannonKeys' page
cannonkeys.com/products/nyawice
Leaf-spring mounts, explained: what a bending metal tab does that a foam strip cannotThe Nyawice puts a leaf-spring F1 mount under a friction-fit-cat-ears Alice
KeebFinder's
keebfinder.com
GMK CYL TA Neo's group buy is closed — here's what a November 2026 ship estimate actually means
Oblotzky
oblotzky.industries
GMK CYL TA Neo's group buy is closed — here's what a November 2026 ship estimate actually means
zFrontier
www.zfrontier.com
GMK CYL TA Neo's group buy is closed — here's what a November 2026 ship estimate actually means
Marklin and Simoneau's posture study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10774127
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
Rempel's 2009 study on split-keyboard geometry
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19308823
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
Deskthority's entry on staggering
deskthority.net/wiki/Staggering
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
when you extend a finger, it doesn't go sideways
www.zsa.io/voyager
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanicsThe split/ergo cohort grew up
columns arranged to minimise sideways finger movements and the compensating wrist "wriggling"
www.moergo.com/pages/glove80-split-ergonomic-keyboard-wrist-hand-pain-free
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
use stronger thumbs rather than weaker pinkies to access heavily used keys like Space, Backspace, and Enter
kinesis-ergo.com/keyboards/advantage360
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
Glove80 technical specification
www.moergo.com/pages/glove80-technical-specification
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
Dactyl
github.com/adereth/dactyl-keyboard
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
PandaKB's spacing guide
pandakb.com/guides/mx-spacing-vs-choc-spacing-what-they-are-how-to-differentiate-choose-for-diy-keyboards
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
Anderson, Mirka, Joines, and Kaber's 2009 learning-curve study
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0018720808329844
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
Rempel's 2007 six-keyboard study
ergoweb.com/keyboard-design-effects-forearmwrist-posture-user-comfort-and-speed
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
Baker and Cidboy's 2006 meta-analysis
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK72285
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
roughly 25 to 30 degrees
docs.moergo.com/glove80-user-guide/customizing-the-tenting-angle
What a split keyboard actually changes: the mechanics
Deskthority's wiki traces the tenkeyless layout's most likely origin to IBM's Space Saving Keyboard
deskthority.net/wiki/Tenkeyless_keyboard
How the 60% became the default custom-keyboard layout
Komar's project writeup, published in January 2013
komar.blog/posts/introducing-the-gh60-keyboard-project
How the 60% became the default custom-keyboard layout
The GeekHack wiki's GH60 page
wiki.geekhack.org/index.php
How the 60% became the default custom-keyboard layout
The project's GitHub repository
github.com/komar007/gh60
How the 60% became the default custom-keyboard layout
splitkb's listing
splitkb.com/products/gazzew-boba-u4tx-thocky-tactile-switch
The Boba Family: One Housing Blend, Five Switches, and the Sound thock Is Named For
RNDKBD's listing
rndkbd.com/products/gazzew-linear-thocky-lt-switches
The Boba Family: One Housing Blend, Five Switches, and the Sound thock Is Named For
Pantheon Keys
pantheonkeys.com/products/gazzew-boba-u4t
The Boba Family: One Housing Blend, Five Switches, and the Sound thock Is Named For
Bobagum
splitkb.com/products/gazzew-bobagum-silent-linear-switch
The Boba Family: One Housing Blend, Five Switches, and the Sound thock Is Named For
Pantheon Keys reviewer
pantheonkeys.com/products/gazzew-boba-lt-linear-thock
The Boba Family: One Housing Blend, Five Switches, and the Sound thock Is Named For
Wikipedia's summary calls it "a non-teasible, snap action, tactile feedback key mechanism of extreme mechanical simplicity and high reliability"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling_spring
How buckling-spring switches actually work
Deskthority's writeup puts the Model F's rated life at roughly 100 million actuations
deskthority.net/wiki/IBM_buckling_spring
How buckling-spring switches actually work
Unicomp was founded in 1996 by Neil Muyskens and a group of former IBM and Lexmark employees
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicomp
How buckling-spring switches actually work
Model F Keyboards manufactures new-built reproductions of the earlier Model F
www.modelfkeyboards.com
How buckling-spring switches actually work
the project's own documentation
zmk.dev
ZMK for wireless and split builds: a practical guideKeychron's Q Ultra ZMK series brings 660h battery to the prebuilt-premium tierZMK is becoming the wireless default for premium prebuilts
ZMK's split-keyboard documentation
zmk.dev/docs/features/split-keyboards
ZMK for wireless and split builds: a practical guide
ZMK repository
github.com/zmkfirmware/zmk
ZMK for wireless and split builds: a practical guide
CannonKeys's product page
cannonkeys.com/products/blaine-v2
The Blaine V2: SE puts three mount systems in one kit and asks the buyer to pick
ThereminGoat's review
theremingoat.com
Why the Durock T1's Bump Feels the Way It DoesWhy the Gazzew Boba U4T Rings Where the Boba U4 Stays QuietGateron Lanes: The Alps-Inspired Tactile Taking Over the Mid-RangeLubing 101: what matters, what doesn't, and where to stopA beginner's guide to picking your first switchWhat gasket mount actually delivers (and what it doesn't)
keycap interest-check board
geekhack.org
GMK CYL OG Extensions climbed eight interest-check weeks, then opened a group buy of its own
KBDfans
kbdfans.com
GMK CYL Masterpiece R2 closed at KBDfans, finishing the Katakana argument R1 startedHow 75 percent became the default custom layout
Prototypist
prototypist.net
GMK CYL Masterpiece R2 closed at KBDfans, finishing the Katakana argument R1 startedGMK CYL Pandemonium: the eclipse-themed keycap set that closed on a plateauDCS Grass Valley closes: what the profile's 2026 run tells usGMK CYL Ramune is the pastel pivot the CYL catalog needed
NovelKeys
novelkeys.com
GMK CYL Masterpiece R2 closed at KBDfans, finishing the Katakana argument R1 started
Bowl Keyboards
bowlkeyboards.com
GMK CYL Pandemonium: the eclipse-themed keycap set that closed on a plateau
Kinesis's Advantage2 product page
kinesis-ergo.com/keyboards/advantage2
Split and ergonomic keyboards: a buyer's guide
ZSA's Moonlander page
www.zsa.io/moonlander
Split and ergonomic keyboards: a buyer's guide
iCUE
www.corsair.com
Gaming Boards Are Winning the Spec War, and Enthusiasts Are Paying Attention
Divinikey's product page
divinikey.com/products/dcs-dolch-keycaps
DCS Dolch closed at Divinikey — a computing-history colorway's first DCS-profile runDCS Grass Valley closes: what the profile's 2026 run tells us
from Wuque Studio
wuquestudio.com/products/ikki68-aurora-r2
Keyboard case materials, compared: aluminium, polycarbonate, and ABS
Divinikey
divinikey.com
GMK CYL Ramune is the pastel pivot the CYL catalog needed
Geonworks
geon.works
GMK CYL Ramune is the pastel pivot the CYL catalog needed
Yushakobo
shop.yushakobo.jp/en
GMK CYL Ramune is the pastel pivot the CYL catalog needed
KBDfans
kbdfans.com/products/gmk-cyl-selene
GMK CYL Selene closed at KBDfans with the sub-line's first material-first colorway
Tom's Hardware's CES coverage
www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/keyboards/keychron-launches-wireless-q-ultra-keyboard-series-with-up-to-660-hours-of-battery-life-with-8k-polling-thanks-to-zmk-firmware
Keychron's Q Ultra ZMK series brings 660h battery to the prebuilt-premium tier
Cherry's MX2A product page
www.cherry.de/en-us/company/news/cherry-blog/article/cherry-mx2a
What Cherry's MX2A revision actually changedWhy clicky switches still have a constituency
GMK CYL King of the Seas
kbdfans.com/products/gmk-cyl-king-of-the-seas
GMK CYL Prussian Alert closed at KBDfans, capping the loudest GeekHack IC in the CYL sub-line's recent runGMK CYL King of the Seas opened at KBDfans in two colorways at once
KBDfans's product page
kbdfans.com/products/gmk-cyl-ishtar-r2
GMK CYL Ishtar R2 closed at KBDfans with a second-and-likely-last shot at the lapis Mesopotamia palette
keeb-finder.com
keeb-finder.com/switches/filter/brand-HMX
How HMX took over the mid-tier linear slot
Modulus of elasticity
www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx
Plate materials, explained: what brass, FR4, POM, and aluminium actually change
Thock King's plate guide
www.thockking.com/blogs/learn/choosing-the-best-plate-material
Plate materials, explained: what brass, FR4, POM, and aluminium actually change
Theremin Goat's studies of switch acoustics
www.theremingoat.com/pdf-archive
Plate materials, explained: what brass, FR4, POM, and aluminium actually change
CannonKeys' build logs
www.cannonkeys.com/blogs/news
Plate materials, explained: what brass, FR4, POM, and aluminium actually change
KBDfans's product page
kbdfans.com/products/gsk-sweet-nightmare
GSK Sweet Nightmare ran a four-day window at KBDfans with an eight-variant matrix
CannonKeys storefront
cannonkeys.com
Mode Sonnet R2 opened at CannonKeys
r/MechanicalKeyboards
www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards
The slow fade of Alice layouts
Mode's Sonnet 2026 landing page
modedesigns.com/pages/sonnet-2026
When customs became vendor-first
Gateron's product page
www.gateron.com/products/gateron-oil-king
Why the Gateron Oil King sounds the way it does
KBDfans's product page
kbdfans.com/products/gmk-cyl-greg-2
GMK CYL GREG returns for round 2 at KBDfans
Theremin Goat's plate-foam comparisons
www.theremingoat.com/blog
Sound dampening, compared: case foam, plate foam, PE foam, and the tape mod
NovelKeys's switch film listing
novelkeys.com/products/nk-x-deskeys-switch-films
Switch films: do they actually do anything?