The Keyboard Enthusiast's Journey: From RGB Gamer to Topre Connoisseur

Description

A three-panel meme using Wojak characters to illustrate the evolution of a person's relationship with computer keyboards over time. The first panel, labeled '10 YEARS OLD', shows a happy Wojak exclaiming, 'Woah! So cool!' at a flashy, colorful RGB gaming keyboard priced at '$35'. The second panel, '30 YEARS OLD', depicts a stressed, disheveled Wojak, smoking a cigarette and wearing headphones, deep in the throes of the custom mechanical keyboard hobby. He's surrounded by obsessive thoughts like 'Maybe I'll try an SA profile next,' 'God, the stabilizers are terrible,' '$120 keycaps? What a bargain,' and 'I just need one more,' while looking at a display case full of various keyboards, with a price of '$???'. The final panel, '40 YEARS OLD', shows a calm, confident, bearded 'Chad' Wojak next to a simple, professional, black Realforce keyboard. The text describes it as 'Made in Japan', 'Made for professional typists', and durable enough that 'At 50 million key presses, you will die before it does'. This meme satirizes the common lifecycle of a tech enthusiast, who often starts with flashy, entry-level gear, dives into an obsessive and expensive hobbyist phase, and ultimately matures to appreciate high-quality, functional, and minimalist professional tools

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Comments

Anonymous ★ Top Pick You know you've achieved senior status when your keyboard is worth more than your first car, but has fewer lights and makes a sound that's been described as 'a gentle rain on a tin roof,' which is perfect for drowning out the Jira notifications

Anonymous ★ Top Pick

You know you've achieved senior status when your keyboard is worth more than your first car, but has fewer lights and makes a sound that's been described as 'a gentle rain on a tin roof,' which is perfect for drowning out the Jira notifications
Anonymous

My keyboards evolved exactly like our architecture: started with a flashy monolith, burned VC money on a zoo of exotic “micro-boards,” and eventually landed on a stoic Topre - because after enough 3 a.m. incidents you discover reliability thocks louder than RGB
Anonymous

After 20 years and $50k spent on custom keyboards, you finally realize the Dell membrane keyboard from 2003 in your server room has outlived three startups, four framework migrations, and still types your SSH commands just fine - but at least your HHKB makes a satisfying 'thock' during production outages
Anonymous

This perfectly captures the mechanical keyboard journey: you start thinking RGB makes you type faster, spend your 30s in an endless loop of group buys and switch testing (convincing yourself that 0.0027% less tactility is a dealbreaker), and finally achieve enlightenment at 40 with a Topre board that costs more than your first car but will outlive your career. The real endgame isn't the keyboard - it's accepting that there is no endgame, only the next artisan keycap drop
Anonymous

At 30 you’re debugging stabilizers and hunting a 1.75u shift like a missing env var; by 40 you buy a Topre because its MTBF beats your SLOs and the only thock you care about is CI going green
Anonymous

Mechanical keyboards are architecture choices for your hands: you start with RGB microservices for dopamine, spend your 30s yak-shaving stabilizers and SA tape mods, and end up shipping a boring Topre monolith with five-nines uptime that no one files a ticket about for a decade
Anonymous

Keyboard modding: the second system effect, where post-RGB bliss, every stabilizer swap demands heroic effort for 0.007% 'clack' nirvana
@a125x_a 2y

>for professional typist >horizontal staggered
1. Deleted Account 2y
  
  Are curved keyboards really that much better?
  
  @Araalith 2y
  
  I tried one for a few years. Nothing special.
  
  @a125x_a 2y
  
  pretty much so, especially if you have rsi not as good as splits though
  
  @Hangeranto_sneedturiei_1987 2y
  
  convince me that splits arent a meme
  
  @CcxCZ 2y
  
  Huge difference for my wrists, especially for more compact layouts. I only have experience with Natural 4000 but I'm strongly considering getting ErgoDox.
  
  @a125x_a 2y
  
  no offence but i don't really care what are you using tbh yet if you want to prevent rsi there's simply no better choice than ortho or vertical staggered splits
@realVitShadyTV 2y

I use keyboard for $4 and I love it. Best keyboard ever.
@Araalith 2y

I'm 40+ and I have a keyboard from the 1st picture.
1. @chupasaurus 2y
  
  I'm 35 and still have this as a backup
@SamsonovAnton 2y

Real professional keyboard should be white.
@Agent1378 2y

Logitech K120 and that it
1. Deleted Account 2y
  
  Real chad's choice
@chupasaurus 2y

(it's a decent membrane PS/2 keyboard from 2005 or so)
@Danich 2y

Logitech k280e ftw
1. @Diotost 2y
  
  I am using Genius k632
@ahmubashshir 2y

I want a space cadet...
@Stepan_Poznyak 2y

Topre kbds nowdays are moving from the third picture to the second
@FirokOtaku 2y

I'm thinking about buying this
@CcxCZ 2y

I was never really into that RGB junk or fancy decor. I guess I became that Unix guy from Dilbert when I was about 16. (-:
1. @mokurin000 2y
  
  I just want a good keyboard for Muse Dash, but I find it hard to get one without RGB
  
  @x4erem6a 2y
  
  Just buy an RGB one and turn it off
  
  @CcxCZ 2y
  
  I just want good keyboard for Vim. 🤓
  
  @mokurin000 2y
  
  any QWERTY one if not, configure it as it is
  
  @CcxCZ 2y
  
  ctrl—caps swap helps immensely, otherwise any layout is fine really. It's more matter of whether my hands will hurt after hours of touchtyping every day, week after week.
2. @FirokOtaku 2y
  
  buy a RGB keyboard then turn the light into white color
@callofvoid0 2y

which keyboards are easier to use and hurt your wrist less ?
@RiedleroD 2y

my highly controversial opinion on this divisive topic of keyboards: I typa de keys
1. @RiedleroD 2y
  
  sometimes I also pressa de touchpad
@pixelsex 2y

let the flamewar commence!
1. @CcxCZ 2y
  
  Nice if it works for you. My wrists would kill me with this narrow keyboard. I need either wide one or, preferably, split.
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  splits are fine too!
  
  @itsapumpkinpiee 2y
  
  It looks interesting. But why do you need a keyboard like that?
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  officially to have a columnar staggered keys and minimize palm movements while being able to adjust hand position. i just think it looks cool and using RJ45 cable to connect the splits is funny. the yellow one is more useful cause it's bluetooth and portable
  
  @itsapumpkinpiee 2y
  
  reasonably
  
  @CcxCZ 2y
  
  I'll probably end up with mx brown ErgoDox one day. Only shame it doesn't have trackpoint.
@anatoli26 2y

Trying for a month Corsair K70 with CherryMX brown.. not bad after getting used to it (from a Logitech membrane one). Still had to figure out how to change its rgb settings from Linux
@BenKillsYouu 2y

I used to my phone's keyboard and connect it to pc via Bluetooth. It was easier to me as a guy who called "The Chatter Man" in school lol
1. @pixelsex 2y
  
  mind-blowing how fast some chatters are. one guy doubled my keyboard WPM with a single thumb and phone
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  damn, how many WPM do you have?
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  not a lot tbh, around 80 - https://t.me/klava_lova/340 i might have overexaggerated a bit about doubling tho yeah :3
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  huh, I think I'm around 80 too. which website is that again?
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  monkeytype.com. try "read ahead" mode there, fun stuff
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  68WPM 💀 readahead is impossible for me lmao, I can't do it
  
  @CcxCZ 2y
  
  Tried Plover / stenotyping with it? The keyboard seems almost made for it.
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  huh, indeed! had no idea. steno stuff feels pretty hardcore so far - i struggled with colemak already, chording will be a hot mess i bet
@JManray 2y

I almost got sucked into the keyboard building world. Built one and never will again. I use it just to justify it's existence but at work I just use the shit ass $5 dell and it's been doing pretty good
@ArtemVoikov 2y

k270 one love
Deleted Account 2y

how much for the 40+ keyboard?
@AnarchistForLife 2y

I didn't even buy my current keyboard, I got it off my cousin who doesn't have pc anymore.☺️ Works beautifully
@pnr36p 2y

I'm 45, love my IBM Model M from 1991 :)
1. @pixelsex 2y
  
  the Holy Grail, wish I could get my hands one one. the buckling spring sound is so unique
  
  @pnr36p 2y
  
  It's expensive right now but not so expensive, about $100 for one in decent condition. I bought a pair about 20 years ago for $10 :) BTW, ANSI variant more convenient (I have both ANSI and ISO)
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  20 years and looks this mint? bloody 'ell that's a durable piece! suppose i could buy it but i feel it has to find me first, preferably as inheritance from some old sysadmin wizard on his deathbed
  
  @pnr36p 2y
  
  It's extremely durable, I know a person who have one since 1989 (c++ dev) and the only visible wear is slightly polished top of keycaps without wearing out of markings. And he still have original keyboard cover! :) My keyboard used mostly for typing, I have another keyboard for gaming as Model M is 2KRO.
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  yeah, i can see why! i had neighbours complain when i used clicky box jades, I imagine gaming on buckling spring switches will be a straight criminal offence
2. @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  I HAD ONE JUST LIKE THAT
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Combined with BMW PC case and Windows XP with custom black shiny theme
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  This looked better in my 14+ year older memories lmao
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  i bet the disk load blinkers doesn't work on this one
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Why? Also when I had it it had beige disk drives and hot swap HDD case💀💀💀😂😂😭😭
  
  @qtsmolcat 2y
  
  PC with a Mohawk, nice
  
  @ercolebellucci 2y
  
  is that bmw pc? can he hurt you?
  
  @pixelsex 2y
  
  in another 20 years it can be exchanged for a car, i'd imagine
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  💀💀💀😂😂😂
@RiedleroD 2y

I tried again 80WPM on 30 time english 72WPM on 30 time german pretty meh, but ok enough for writing on a standard laptop keyboard imo
1. @pixelsex 2y
  
  p good for german tbh, you must use it a lot. i get 60wpm on a good day in other languages. i feel like it's the fastest i can get on qwerty, colemak is much faster but getting there is a journey in itself
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  I'm a native german speaker lol
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  I should try italian or such, but I gotta tend to the groceries now
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  54WPM at time italian
@RiedleroD 2y

that's on mobile, isn't it?
1. @sylfn 2y
  
  yes
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  yeah I doubt I'll even be close on mobile
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  on mobile time english: 35wpm with both thumbs 33wpm with one index finger 39wpm with two index fingers it's really mostly the accuracy. I need to fix words all the time because I miss keys so often. Also because I usually write with swiping, and the website just doesn't support that at all.
@sylfn 2y

oh well this was the wrong mode...
1. @sylfn 2y
  
  "failed: slow timer" understandable have a nice day
  
  @sylfn 2y
  
  my pc is very fucking slow so please ignore the peak at 0 seconds
2. @pixelsex 2y
  
  punctuation and capital letters is so much harder, ppl just go english 30 just to flex the max speed, all the other modes humble them down :D
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  I got 72wpm on english quotes, I don't find it harder at all tbh
  
  @callofvoid0 2y
  
  is that on mobile?
  
  @RiedleroD 2y
  
  no, desktop
  
  @callofvoid0 2y
  
  ah

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The Keyboard Enthusiast's Journey: From RGB Gamer to Topre Connoisseur

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