The Rama Works U80-A is an endgame keyboard — a {custom} keyboard so completely attuned to my precise wants that it ought to be the final keyboard I ever want to purchase.
At almost $900, totally constructed, the Rama Works U80-A is the fruits of a journey that started with the primary low cost, generic keyboard I laid fingers on, and that advanced right into a unending hunt for the proper sound and really feel. My pre-built keyboards hardly ever keep put collectively for lengthy, as I pull them aside, strip them down, and tune them with the most recent mods. I’ll be sincere — ‘endgame,’ for me, is a delusion, and I wouldn’t have it some other manner.
Over the final two weeks, I’ve assembled my ‘holy grail’ keyboard: The Rama Works U80-A, which is a tenkeyless {custom} equipment fabricated from aluminum, brass, polycarbonate, and ardour — from each the designers and myself. Like so many different {custom} keyboard fans, I spent weeks planning and prepping for the construct — after which I constructed it, took it aside, and rebuilt it till I used to be constructive each half was completely excellent. The last construct value $863, and it was price each penny for the ultimate product: a flagship, showpiece keyboard that matches me completely.
You is perhaps questioning why anybody would spend this a lot — and even half this a lot — on a keyboard. Here at Tom’s Hardware, we’ve made some extent to cowl as many {custom} and customizable mechanical keyboards as potential, however even that protection barely scratches the floor of the {custom} keyboard interest. But let me introduce you to my construct — and provide you with a peek into the world of a {custom} mechanical keyboard fanatic.
Everyone begins at sq. one, and, throughout the mechanical keyboard neighborhood, often follows a well-recognized path. Your first keyboard is an adjunct — perhaps extra like an afterthought. It’s constructed into your laptop computer, or it’s a producer freebie packed along with your PC, or it’s one thing customary and black from the IT division. At some level you hear good issues about mechanical keyboards and also you choose one up for gaming (or work), however you don’t in any other case dwell on it.
Later, one thing prods you to dig just a little deeper and clicking round lands you on a YouTube video exhibiting off a next-level keyboard — or perhaps an Instagram submit with a elaborate keycap set. You resolve to attempt new switches or keycaps. Before lengthy, you’re frequenting r/mechanicalkeyboards and making an attempt a number of mods. Eventually, you make the leap and construct your personal {custom} keyboard. Then you construct one other — costlier. Then one other.
The mechanical keyboard neighborhood exists in a state of fixed anticipation. New switches are launched almost each week. Interest checks on new initiatives drop nearly as typically. Group buys and restricted in-stock gross sales are perpetually biking. Content creators get early prototypes and produce movies and streams on the most recent and biggest kits, and every one is exclusive and completely different and pulls you deeper into the nuance that every keyboard offers.
Each vendor has its personal Discord server the place they privately announce sale instances to a whole bunch — or 1000’s — of energetic members and also you’d higher transfer, transfer, transfer as a result of it’s first-come, first-serve and the most well liked kits promote out inside minutes. Those identical servers ring out with celebratory messages from those that “received the W” and upset followers who “took an L” and who desperately need one other probability.
There’s one thing lovely on this cacophony: a shared camaraderie amongst what remains to be an insular however rising neighborhood. Everyone relates, as a result of all of us share this identical quirky curiosity. We are the few prepared to take a position more money for a particular sound or really feel {that a} specific keyboard or swap offers. We’ll meticulously take aside, lube, and reassemble dozens of switches only for the subtle-but-significant improve in smoothness. We perceive and care in regards to the distinction between steel and plastic instances, and we’ll argue in regards to the deserves of keyboards with foam and people with out.
We do unusual issues — line our circuit boards with masking tape and bits of bandaid, and crow about how a lot better the sound and really feel is (and it’s). And if we have now a ratty stabilizer key, we’re undoubtedly going to lube it — most likely with a syringe.
The stage of creativity on this interest is each sensible and inventive. Your keyboard is the primary manner you interface along with your PC; your keyboard expertise is the bodily interpretation of your computing expertise. Customizing every element so it appears, feels, and sounds precisely the best way you need enhances your work day and makes you wish to kind extra. If you’re employed on a PC a lot of the day, a {custom} mechanical keyboard can completely enhance your high quality of life.
Artistry comes into play with the keycaps and modifications carried out through the constructing course of. Choosing the precise keycaps is likely one of the most essential elements of constructing your personal keyboard, and hobbyists put a whole lot of care into crafting a singular aesthetic that ties their construct collectively.
If you didn’t know higher, you would possibly mistake the mechanical keyboards subreddit for a images neighborhood. It’s not unusual for members to pose their keyboards in clever environments and carry out little photograph shoots. One of the primary posts I encountered on the subreddit was a keyboard with pink keycaps perched on a blooming cherry tree. I can not discover it, however there are many similar examples. It’s amusing, imagining builders hauling DSLRs to a park and ready for golden hour simply to {photograph} a keyboard, however why shouldn’t they? After hours of planning and constructing this instrument that you simply’re pleased with and that’s uniquely yours, exhibiting off your creation is each rewarding and enjoyable.
These customizations are troublesome, however not not possible, to do with out constructing a keyboard from scratch — and that itself is one other facet of the interest: taking present keyboards and renovating them with new keycaps and mods to make them compete with {custom} keyboards. Some creators, resembling Keybored, have made a reputation for themselves exhibiting fans how one can apply completely different mods and improve the sound of their keyboards — any keyboards, {custom} or pre-built.
The mechanical keyboard neighborhood has exploded during the last 12 months, due to widespread streamers resembling Taeha Types, Alexotos, and YouTuber Badseed Tech. The interest is nearer to mainstream consciousness than it’s ever been. Independent storefronts have come and gone, a flourishing aftermarket has arisen, and community-favorite creators have been discovered.
Rama Works, the Apple of the Keyboard World
Rama Works is a type of creators. Founded in 2015, the corporate has specialised in designing premium {custom} keyboard kits and specially-made artisan keycaps for a lot of widespread keysets. It’s grow to be a neighborhood darling during the last seven years, releasing a few of the most iconic and well-received keyboards within the interest. This contains the M60, a compact 60% keyboard styled after the basic Happy Hacking Keyboard, which took over the mechanical keyboards subreddit after its launch.
Rama Works is the Apple of the mechanical keyboard world — in one of the best ways potential. Their merchandise are designed round a minimalist aesthetic and construct tolerances that purpose for perfection. As Rama, the founder and lead designer, described to me, “by tearing away all gildings, the eye to finer particulars is admittedly highlighted.” And it’s true.
Rama Works keyboards are easy and alluring, beckoning you to take a better look. When you do, you see the exact engineering and machining, the best way by which strains move seamlessly from one to the subsequent, in addition to smaller particulars — the proper chamfers round the important thing areas, and the truth that the entire fasteners are custom-designed and machined by Rama Works itself.
Rama Works focuses on mechanical keyboards, however Rama describes the guts of his firm as being about design and engineering. They see different merchandise, outdoors the world of keyboards, and make their interpretation of it. You can see this in a few of their facet initiatives: the Chess Set, XO Pen, Film Canister, the lovable little Nemo determine.
This emphasis on design is clear in Rama Works’ advertising supplies. Other corporations, together with devoted keyboard makers, promote their keyboards as peripherals, however Rama Works’ keyboards are standalone merchandise. Scroll by their Instagram feed, and also you received’t even see a sliver of a PC. It’s clear that these keyboards are luxurious merchandise. They’re not marketed towards avid gamers and so they don’t emphasize options resembling RGB backlighting. The pictures spotlight design and emphasize aesthetic for the sake of aesthetic — the identical manner Apple would possibly current its newest iPhone to the world for the primary time.
With the exception of the KARA, every little thing Rama Works makes is pricey. This isn’t stunning — the keyboards are boutique and produced in restricted qualities. The clients shopping for these keyboards spend giant elements of their lives on computer systems, Rama defined to me — he supposes it’s not in contrast to a author investing in a top-quality pen. They wish to spend money on one thing that makes their life higher, fits their house, and, sure, that may be proven off after it’s constructed.
Given the value and the restricted amount of every new keyboard, Rama Works merchandise nearly immediately grow to be collector’s objects. With correct care, these keyboards retain and even develop in worth over time. A fast scan of r/mechmarket reveals the U80-A, which we’re taking a look at right now, has bought for costs starting from $500 to greater than $800 by this 12 months — and that doesn’t embody switches or keycaps.
Rama Works is just one participant within the rapidly-growing discipline of {custom} mechanical keyboard corporations, however they’re additionally one of many oldest, well-known, and revered within the enterprise.
Rama Works U80-A Specs
| Switches | None included |
| Lighting | Per-key RGB |
| Onboard Storage | 4-16 layers |
| Media Keys | Secondary layer |
| Connectivity | USB Type-A |
| Cable | 3ft braided |
| Additional Ports | None included |
| Keycaps | None included |
| Software | QMK/VIA |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 15.2 x 6.4 x 0.8 (entrance), 1.7 (rear) inches |
| Weight | 7.02 kilos |
The Rama Works U80-A: What Is It and What Makes It Special
The U80-A is Rama Works’ tenkeyless keyboard and has been profitable sufficient to undergo two manufacturing runs. Recently, the corporate up to date the design with a brand new versatile polycarbonate plate (the U80-A comes with brass), a flex lower PCB, and a {custom} sheet of PE foam, which provides a poppy sound and bouncier really feel to the typing expertise. This new model is the U80-B, and can probably go on restricted sale within the coming months to share out any “extras” that have been manufactured past the fulfilled orders.
The U80-A is essentially related, however lacks the PE foam, flex lower PCB, and has a brass swap plate. It started at a worth of $400 and scaled upward relying on the end you selected (kuro stealth, moon stealth, sage, yolk, or soya). The U80-A I used to be despatched was the soya model, which bought for $480. A polycarbonate plate is now accessible for this keyboard and prices an extra $38.
At first look, the U80-A seems quite simple. Look just a little deeper, nevertheless, and also you’ll rapidly start to see how the U80 stands out. It follows a conventional tenkeyless design (no quantity pad) however has medium-sized retro-looking bezels on all 4 sides. Flip it over and also you’ll discover a gleaming, mirror-finished brass weight that wraps across the sides. It has an eight diploma typing angle, however sits pretty excessive, so it’s a very good match for a wrist relaxation. On the again there’s a easy emblem embossed in regards to the USB cut-out. It appears easy, but it surely’s elegant and meticulously refined.
The case is constructed from milled aluminum, and it’s heavy. Fully constructed, the keyboard weighs simply over seven kilos. It’s a bit surprising, the primary time you maintain it — and that’s with out switches, keycaps, and different inside parts. If you affiliate weight with high quality, that is one spectacular keyboard.
The machining and colorizing are impeccable. The soya colorway is utilized by electrophoresis, in any other case referred to as e-coating, for added sturdiness, and there are not any imperfections anyplace — it’s constantly and completely performed. The identical is true of the milling — no machining marks mar the pristine, creamy end. You anticipate perfection on the worth this sells for, and Rama Works delivers.
One of the distinctive methods this keyboard has up its sleeve is its Mute mounting system. The Mute mount is a cross between a gasket mount and a sandwich mount (see here for extra info on keyboard mounting types). It works utilizing a {custom} molded silicone insert that matches between the plate and PCB. Other keyboards have used silicone right here, however Rama Works’ Mute extends past the plate, the place gasket tabs would sometimes go, and is held between the 2 halves of the case. This offers a a lot quieter and softer typing expertise however one which has much less flex than a conventional gasket mount. Acoustically, it quiets switches, but additionally provides them an acoustic poppiness. It sounds and feels fairly good, and eliminates any hollowness that may in any other case come from the keyboard.
The U80-A was accessible with hot-swap swap sockets or with a solderable PCB. It options south-facing switches for broad compatibility with aftermarket keycaps and screw-in stabilizers, that are favored by the fanatic neighborhood. The PCB additionally helps programmable RGB backlighting that’s managed utilizing hotkeys. How vivid it will likely be will range relying on the colour of your Mute and whether or not you retain the inventory brass plate or buy a polycarbonate plate individually. Using the translucent Mute and plate allowed a stunning quantity of RGB to shine beneath the keycaps, even with completely opaque switches.
The case additionally encompasses a devoted slot for an add-on weight or silicone dampener to be hidden beneath the keys. These inserts are bought individually and each influence the sound of the keyboard. Since the keystrokes are already dampened by the Mute, the U80 doesn’t want both, however I did want the acoustics extra with the silicone insert put in.
Like most {custom} keyboard kits, the U80-A can also be totally programmable utilizing QMK or VIA. This open-source firmware lets you create a number of layers of keymaps, which is ideal for having {custom} layouts for various video games or purposes. Since TKL keyboards have devoted buttons for many keys already, the secondary layers are freed up for options like RGB controls, media controls, and macros. QMK is wealthy with potential, which suggests the U80 is wealthy with potential, and lets you make the keyboard uniquely your personal.
Building the $863 Keyboard
With background out of the best way, let’s speak about how I turned this $480 DIY equipment right into a keyboard valued at almost $900. One of probably the most interesting elements of the interest is planning and designing precisely how you want to your keyboard to return collectively. That begins with feel and appear.
Plate: One of the primary selections any keyboard builder has to make is what plate to make use of. The plate is what the switches snap into and immediately impacts typing really feel: a firmer plate ends in firmer typing, whereas a softer plate provides softness beneath your fingers. The U80-A comes with a good looking brass plate that could be very agency and delivers the next pitched typing sound. I needed a softer typing expertise, so opted for the polycarbonate plate for extra softness and deeper typing sounds.
Switches: For switches, I went with the brand new Gateron Oil Kings. These are linear switches that come pre-lubed from the manufacturing facility. The prime housing is fabricated from nylon and the underside is similar proprietary plastic Gateron makes use of for its widespread Ink switches. The stem is fabricated from polycarbonate. Combined with tight tolerances, these switches have a lightweight and poppy typing sound. They have an actuation power of 55 grams, so are heavy sufficient to keep away from further typos however mild sufficient to keep away from finger fatigue over a full day of use. They’re additionally utterly opaque and can restrict RGB shine-through.
Keycaps: Keycaps have been one of the crucial difficult facets of the construct. The beige tone of the soya colorway is surprisingly exhausting to discover a good match for! Normal white and black didn’t match nicely, so I tapped into my inside Tolkien-fan and picked up the MT3 Dwarvish (opens in new tab) keycaps from Drop. I additionally picked up the Durin’s Forge (opens in new tab) add-on set for some orange accents, and topped it off with the The One Ring – Mount Doom (opens in new tab) artisan key, which is a collaboration between Drop and Dwarf Factory.
These keycaps are tall and extremely sculpted, however are extraordinarily comfy to kind on as their curvature guides your fingers towards their heart. Their thicker plastic and tall form give typing a lower-pitched sound that works very nicely with the PC plate and Mute. If you just like the retro look of tall, spherical keycaps, MT3 is likely one of the finest profiles you’ll discover.
The Dwarvish keycap set is expectedly dwarf-themed with earthy colours and fantasy legends. The alpha keys are beige alpha and have pink English legends alongside black Dwarven runes. The modifiers are all an earthen brown and solely function runes on their face (many have English side-legends). Not solely do they give the impression of being nice, however the MT3 Dwarvish set is likely one of the few MT3 units constructed from thick PBT plastic, which received’t shine over time, and in my view, sounds higher than ABS plastic. Together with Durin’s Forge and the Mount Doom artisan keycap, they arrive collectively to look, sound, and really feel unbelievable. My solely criticism is that as a result of the legends are utilized with dye sublimation, they’re not as crisp as a few of the doubleshot keycaps available on the market.
Stabilizers: For the bigger, stabilized keys I picked up a set of Durock V2 stabilizers from Mode Keyboards. Durock V2s are the gold customary in stabilizers as a consequence of their wonderful sound and stability. They’re costly, although, and begin at $17 a set.
Other Addons: In addition to those core parts, I additionally picked up the silicone dampener from Rama Works to additional tune the sound.
Mods Performed: One of the benefits of an costly keyboard equipment is that it often requires fewer mods to sound its finest. For this construct, I accomplished the fundamentals of lubing the switches and stabilizers (these are core components to constructing a {custom} keyboard equipment and don’t really matter as mods to the keyboard itself). I additionally holee modded the stabilizers and tucked strips of band-aid beneath the wire on the PCB to eradicate any probability of rattle.
Total Cost: $863
Here’s the entire value breakdown:
With every little thing in hand, the construct course of was easy and straightforward. I adopted the official assembly guide, however, in case you’ve constructed {custom} keyboards earlier than, it’s intuitive sufficient to construct with out directions. The total course of took about three hours, together with lubing switches and stabilizers — it was nearer to 45 minutes with out.
One factor I famous whereas constructing was that this equipment’s tolerances have been extremely tight. Everything match collectively completely, with no wiggle room or misalignment. Everything was so straight-on that I didn’t bend a single pin when putting in switches throughout the 4 instances I reassembled the board — a small, however completely spectacular, feat. The solely factor I would ask for can be a number of spare fasteners included within the field in case one goes lacking. There are precisely sufficient for the construct — no extra — so in case you do lose a screw, you’ll must discover a alternative by yourself, and it received’t match the opposite {custom} {hardware}.
Overall, the Rama Works U80-A delivered a stellar construct expertise.
The Final Product
The finish end result: Easily the most effective keyboard I’ve ever used. And I’ve used a whole lot of them. My present assortment accommodates over a dozen {custom} keyboards and the U80-A sounds higher, feels higher, and is sturdier than all of them.
Most of the opposite keyboards I’ve constructed depend on foam or completely different mods (discover out extra about that right here) to sound and really feel their finest, however the U80-A simply has its Mute, which does its job superbly.
Aesthetically, I’ve created one thing divisive — but it surely doesn’t matter, as a result of this keyboard was constructed to please one individual and I find it irresistible. The Dwarvish theme speaks to my inside fantasy nerd and the artisan ties it collectively. But right here’s one other shot with a unique, tamer keycap set:
The whole value for this construct: $863. This doesn’t embody taxes or delivery, which simply push this construct over $900.
Is it sensible? Not actually. Can or not it’s constructed cheaper? Absolutely — but it surely wouldn’t be mine. It wouldn’t be the keyboard I spent hours researching, planning for, and assembling.
That’s the guts of the interest, proper there. We keyboard fans analysis, plan, spend, and craft the best way we do as a result of we’re creating one thing that no person else may have — one thing that might be uniquely satisfying to us, alone. When we’re performed, this inventive creation we’ve assembled enhances our laptop expertise — however the quantity it enhances our expertise isn’t precisely proportionate to the time, cash, and energy we spend.
All in all, it’s decidedly not sensible — however neither is a $765 platinum-coated Montblanc fountain pen or a $9500 Breitling Navitimer chronograph watch. And that’s the place this keyboard, and plenty of others prefer it, exists — and the place 1000’s of keyboard fans like myself select to exist, as nicely.
Endgame keyboards will all the time be for a restricted viewers. Anyone who can afford to spend money on one (or extra…) not solely has earnings to spare, however finds immense worth in what their keyboard creates. I’m an expert author — a pleasant keyboard does improve my work expertise and makes me wish to come again and sit down at my PC. This impact doesn’t need to value a whole bunch of {dollars} — however within the higher echelon the standard distinction is actual, perceptible, and so, so satisfying.