What Happened to Keycult Keyboards?

I'm not a hater I promise x
A little look into the history of keycult keyboards - the result of the tfue commission on the hobby as it is today and the drama that followed keycults commission service.
A little tangent at the end about the state of the hobby, but I am always interested to hear others opinions on this, so do drop them in the comments!
Photo Credit:
1:26 - Julian Chang keyboardcentral.net/
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[@moonlightfilms5279]

Ok now do Rama Works😢

[@eduardoluna5386]

😢

[@hidde1638]

Your wish has been granted

[@phlooke]

You mean you aren't in line to pre-order the $700 RAMA toilet keyboard with a special planter cut-out for putting dirt and seeds in it so kids can grow grass and flowers in their keyboard ...and say they've "touched grass" today as they're typing and gaming? 😂 I'm not going to lie...I was so close to placing an order for their new custom profile keycaps and $80 stackable keycap case...that wasn't optional until the community went apeshit and then they just made them a separate purchase. That was several years ago...I wonder if those keycaps ever came out...since i can't say I've seen any video or mention of them despite the hype and pricing and insane 3D renderings of them, that made GMK keycap prices seem like a super budget friendly price 😂

[@fakecel]

i remember keycult and RAMA being 2 of the biggest players in the hobby right around the time i took a break from keyboards, and when i recently started getting back into them i found out both had a sort of fall from grace. I was never too into keycult, but i remember really being amazed at what RAMA did with their products, although the baseball bats, chess sets and weird model cars were maybe a bit too "out there". i mean even looking at their site right now they're selling jumpsuits (even with one of the patches bearing what looks like the keycult logo lol). maybe a video on RAMA next?

[@ianlangmaid6608]

When got into keyboards I heard good things about rama and I really liked the zenith and it's a pretty good keyboard and I was looking forward to see what they do in the future but it seems like they aren't doing anything involving keyboards like why are they selling a bat? or a fucking lighter case????WHO NEEDS CASE FOR THEIR LIGHTER??? and it's $82 dollars! Why are they doing these things? It makes no sense to me

[@hatdog703]

now they're 2 of the infamous ones lol

[@ksaweryglab]

This is exactly how I feel. I was first blown away by Rama keyboards, he was obviously heavily inspired by Dieter Rams, but you have to give it to him, Rama keyboards (at least M60, U80 for me) look amazing. I even ordered a U80-B in August 2022 and still waiting for more than a bare minimum update that they keebs are in production (without time stamp and same message for more than 3 months). The way Rama treats his community is shit - there are a lot of messages that people's questions on instagram are ignored or go missing, rama reddit community is just rampage with people trying to get an update on the keebs they ordered over 2 years ago, etc. There was also a bit of drama about Rama splitting with his girlfriend and Wilba who was responsible for PCBs etc but his current design - bats, silly duck figures, a fucking lighter, some cards just annoy me to no end. Like just give me a U80 I ordered over a year ago and then let me forget about you since clearly you are no longer interested in making awesome keyboards. And as for the keycult - some of their keyboards do have an appeal to me, but a lot of it in the community is just big hype train.

[@Eyez023]

I was unfortunate enough to join a private group buy for the RAMA Pen which I thought would be a high quality, good writing pen which will last me the rest of my life. As RAMA doesnt ship to the UK me and 3 other people put our money together and pay the shipping fee. When I received the pen it was a basic alu pen with a rough finish. After writing one sentence with the pen it started to rattle and the writing experience was horrible. I also coudnt reach out to RAMA becasue of their dog shit customer response and we ordered together therefore it wasnt an issue with a single product but the entire order. Thats £70 I will never get back for a useless pen. Fed up with RAMA, since the hype has worn off people are realising that their designer range of goods are just cash grabs for the dumb (me)

[@bakeraus]

RAMA products is still one of the best building experience I have had in the hobby. They are designed well, but I wouldn't join one of his groups buys due to the very long delays.

[@geonfeetpic]

I love these documentary type videos! Keep up good work Charo!

[@Charo.mp4]

Glad you like them!

[@_ExTitus]

thank you for making these informative videos. It really helps refresh my mind about some of the details

[@Charo.mp4]

Glad to hear it!

[@TimKeyLess]

Very nice and comprehensive video. The amount of research and participation you partook in the hobby is apparent. Looking forward to your next video!

[@Charo.mp4]

Thank you sir!!

[@j___7052]

man you deserve way more subs, quality content as always!

[@Charo.mp4]

Proper appreciate it, thank you!

[@DustinVang]

Expected a hit piece but this was well done, really appreciate that abundance of knowledge share with a final main point/conclusion. Keep up the great work my friend :) you are overflowing with greatness.

[@Charo.mp4]

Thanks so much!

[@Doboruchi]

My Man! Always slaying about keyboard histories! Great video as always!

[@Charo.mp4]

thanks so much!

[@ktaeoh]

Rare sight seeing one of the 500 view videos KZbin recommends everyone nowadays actually being good content, nice vid.

[@Charo.mp4]

Thank you!!

[@zaphyy]

Love you videos on keeb history! Newish to the hobby so it's coole to hear about things like this

[@Charo.mp4]

Thanks so much!

[@hamajineo]

great video man, was actually wondering about this. glad it popped up it ny recommended

[@Charo.mp4]

Thanks man, appreciate it!!

[@CookieCurls]

Great video! I hope to see Keycult release something new and exciting some day 🙏

[@Charo.mp4]

You and me both!

[@8abydogg]

another nice post. thanks Charo!

[@Charo.mp4]

Thank YOU!

[@HipyoTech]

It's crazy to me that people would even still want a keycult in 2023 - they are fine keyboards but sheeesh the options have expanded waaay better.

[@Extra_ChrisB]

Self-reporting here: lots of people chase hype. It's fun to show up to a meetup and be the person that has the keyboard that others are super jealous of. That doesn't make you any less correct though. 😅

[@aftl_ryz8549]

Tbh, the no1 was great, a classy gasket mount and it looked great, but the no2 is such a bummer, the gasket mount isn't much changed, it's still stiff af, and the keyboard is incredibly tight designing, which doesn't leave much room for any sound to developed, also, im designing boards by myself and i would be extremely pissed, if i spend 600+ and get a alu "weight"

[@albertko1]

@@Extra_ChrisB exactly! just like for many other hobbies like sneakers or collectibles, there definitely that element of "clout-chasing"... it just seems like the hobby is in a great place with the pace of innovation and releases at a very decent clip.

[@Donbros]

Ah i am better buying iron 165 btw rn it is last sale. 700 usd for ce/fe and i get some bad ass copper base

[@sixxtylol]

Really enjoy your conveying of this information and wording used. Your speculation on the state of the hobby right now was well put and for me personally, I would consider all of the above for the seeming decline of the hobby, but mainly the financial climate. Looking forward to the next videos 🙏

[@Charo.mp4]

Thanks so much!!

[@ImOnMy116]

really loving the content Charo!! To be honest, I find that plate mounted gasket is among the less interesting mounting styles. Even ignoring the qc /queue times controversy, I haven’t been too interested in their boards. I’d take a plateless pcb mount or gummy o ring (probably even top mount) over plate mounted gasket almost all day.

[@foggytypes]

love your videos, keep up the awesome work

[@Charo.mp4]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed!

[@joebunn4034]

Great video as always🐐

[@Charo.mp4]

My mannnn 🖤

[@alieffauzanrizky7202]

I think the increasing quality of pre-built custom keyboard that's been gone up recently also play a huge factor, making a lot of new poeple who;s new to this prefer to choose that and be happy with it or mod it in the future. I'm not saying that pre-builts are better than custom, but seeing the convenience and price of those making it easier to pick for new people.

[@jakobb11]

I agree, paired with people who were stuck at home now are out spending money on different things, paired with a recession aren’t exactly the best conditions for a consumption hobby to thrive. Me personally I think that Keycult has just been living on their name for way longer than they deserve. I mean $600+ for a sandwich mount with no unique features. The enthusiasts who are willing to spend that amount of money would much rather turn to the likes of Singa, TGR, Matrixlab or even geonworks.

[@wagonet]

you have great content documenting the history of this hobby. great video. at one point in this hobby i really wanted a Keycult, now, no way. after what i saw with mechmerlin's board especially. Nowadays the cost to get a nice quality board is so cheap.

[@Charo.mp4]

Thanks so much!

[@Haris_C]

I've been in and out of the hobby for like 15+ years. I've really been enjoying your videos and learning or re-learning about things!

[@Charo.mp4]

Thanks so much!

[@steins3699]

15 years???

[@Haris_C]

geekhack has been around since 07 lol@@steins3699

[@bltzcstrnx]

@@steins3699likely from the very beginning where keyboard hobby means finding & collecting old vintage boards from thrift stores or recycler.

[@MoonsOfEmpire]

Another quality history lesson for a newb like me cheers

[@Charo.mp4]

Thank you!!

[@JordanDoesKeebs]

Banger video as always

[@Charo.mp4]

Thank you man!

[@springpocket6941]

ive been in this hobby for roughly 2 years now and have tried quite a few boards in the USD500-800 dollar range so i'm familiar with the range of sounds at this price point. Im always wondering how KC and Singa make their boards such that they have that ultra premium clacky sound? Is it the case material or they actually studied how the sounds bounce off the case and tuned their design according to it?

[@TaehaTypes]

Really enjoyed this video!

[@Charo.mp4]

Thank you sir!

[@lazypanda1493]

Whoever don’t respect their customers will be abandoned by their customers

[@HubertTheMad]

Thanks for the vid!

[@Charo.mp4]

Thank YOU!

[@TmgtchRyu]

Keep 'em coming!!!

[@Charo.mp4]

For sure!

[@_IanOfEarth]

lmao, what a day to drop a keycult build video

[@Charo.mp4]

😭😭

[@shadowasii4492]

I once really wanted a keycult. I wonder what theyll do from now

[@samgao]

I have U-80A seq2 in sage green for sale! Less than… gosh.. I almost never used the board… so less than 1 hour of actual usage since I had it?

[@MagikCS]

What's the FRL TKL keyboard @9:20?

[@smigglesmiggles614]

1:08 and 9:22 Which keycap set are those?

[@ripstikgod]

Been waiting three years for my commission to come in 😢

[@JojoDigitalArtist]

It's weird how just this year alone the mid price for a good custom keyboard has lowered like 3 different times

[@bakeraus]

I was lucky to win two KCs raffles (2/65) and they are incredible quality, great sound and amazing keyboard experience. Honestly one of the best keyboards I have had, the ano on the 2/65 and design is top-notch. It will forever be the highlight of my keyboard hobby adventure.

[@Charo.mp4]

Two wins? Very nice!

[@prokopf-9332]

@10:00 honestly gmk will drop hard in pricing. They scaled up whole production during the covid hype, but even collectors dont need 20+ keycapsets. And most people need less then 10, and many only 1. So there was a huge surge in demand, but thats satisfied now, there arent coming any new people. Many non GB GMk sets will pile up at vendors, as we already are seeing. Im quite sure GMK will scale down production quite soon. And many vendors will have to sell gmk setrs at 50% off MRSP

[@hermv9994]

You should talk about the scam vendors next

[@MrSkullhead0]

I feel like the new/ remaining “grail” designers are Singa, Monokei, Ori, Geist, Werk Technica, Matrix, and even Geon. I guess being a grail is subjective to a point. These would be mine I guess

[@Cellu1053]

not sure on Ori but yeah they good

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Cool, may keyboard makers like the amazing Royal Kludge (best sounding name in the business) brand have this industrial design with lots of embossing, RGB and quality but with Royal Kludge prices (it's quite kind of just right and feels quality, like the amazing RK98 which has a numpad for games like GTA though numpads and arrows keys should be on the left (leftie) better yet it's best to have a good separate arrow keys, numpad and function keys cluster which you could put anywhere (on top right) and you're left with a very small keyboard if you need to just type on the go. What's your favorite keyboard, keycaps right now sir Charo? God bless.

[@luljk2740]

Rumor has it they’re still spending time with their families 😂

[@joonminaa]

I'm happy with keychron

[@shinyuta]

Unfortunate timing for my keycult as I was able to get in on the jan 2023 preorder. Still exicted for the board though, but mostly only for hype and exclusivity. These days, the hobby has evolved so much that there are plenty of better and much cheaper options to go for.

[@isvovk]

What do you think about geistmachine? Is it a new keycult?

[@Charo.mp4]

I honestly really like their stuff! I’m not sure if they’re a new Keycult or whether we are just in a new era for the hobby in terms of branding and “design studios”, but their brand identity and board design as a whole is top notch

[@dieg0posada]

Good vid

[@sntxrrr]

Nice video, I bought my No 2/65 one or two years ago, after trying for years, through their in-stock raffle system. And that worked fine, once you pay they send the board in a few days and the quality of this non-commission board was fine. The quality issues you mentioned probably explains why they switched to a lot of powder-coated releases. Their boards are still very high quality but like you said in the video, there have been a lot of cheap high quality releases since then and they just aren't that unique anymore. I'm still glad I got mine though.

[@chronos1474]

Those league of legends pings gave me ptsd 💀💀

[@owwahow]

day 1 of asking to cover the history of renders in the hobby

[@tianlamian]

dont care for much for their boards aside from the 1/60 rev 1, to date it's the only expensive board i regret letting go of, it really was different different HALI FEATURE #HALISWEEP

[@nixietype]

Hali is the 🐐

[@schtendo4464]

is this coming from a place of research or memory? the video is the same at the end of the day idrc either way, just curious

[@Charo.mp4]

For the most part, I always try and mix a bit of both!

[@Lord_Mad_Dog]

the fact that i can get an akko board and have it sound 99% as good as a board thats 5-7+x the price is a huge thing for a lot of people. group buys in general havent been hitting recently because of the availability of so many layouts from makers like keychron. plus on the more mainstream side, asus, wooting, and razer are gunning for some of that share with their new releases and being able to walk into a store to buy a board from a brand youve heard of for years means a lot to a lot of people

[@333dae]

yeah once bigger manufacturers start making similar quality stuff for much cheaper these brands are only gonna get more obscure, only the most enthusiast of enthusiasts would see the value in them

[@a.caguax78]

The people buying expensive custom boards and those buying Akko are not the same.

[@topofthemorning4959]

i get what your'e saying, but budget gbs definitely have been hitting recently. the cycle is very popular and isnt as foam-reliant as akko boards.

[@springpocket6941]

can't really compare low end akko, wooting, razer boards to the primo ones like KC, singa, geon, etc. Completely different caliber, different quality in the finishings.

[@XtraordinaryTruong]

akko is overrated, for sure.

[@cakeisalie]

Keycult just pulled a Valve no number 3s!

[@lyj6183]

one for the algo

[@Cellu1053]

lmao my icu board have no official communication since 2021

[@skidrenz]

keycult and rama tbh has one the best looking, cleanest boards before. not anymore. there are alot of chinese brands that dish out budget boards that sounds like premium boards.

[@Charo.mp4]

For sure!

[@tamamon8331]

Cycle7 so good 🔥🔥

[@CryoftheProphet]

Hey bro, check out my Cycle7, its sweet, "yeah man, check out my cycle7!" "Did someone say cycle7? I have one too, Hey guys, wanna have a cycle7 meet up? We can all stare at a table and show off how different all of our exactly identical cycle7 keyboards are! "Did someone say cycle7"? This hobby is lame these days..

[@1000deaths]

always thought the 01 boards were ugly lol, but that's just me

[@dinerenblancc]

Its not bad luck, my dude. Its hubris. Two dudes in the US who think they'll be better at manufacturing than a massive factory in China. People who worked with manufacturing know that Made in the US is simply a marketing term. Most industries lack skilled labor in the US. End of the story.

[@mavericksyao708]

Keycult died when it moved from anodizing to powder coating.

[@dislikebutton1718]

The rise and fall of the custom keyboard hobby.

[@regis9596]

Delusional

[@KevinChoii]

Keycult shouldn't have gotten cocky by moving manufacturing to the US

[@barn0wl]

Even at the time I saw keycult as over priced and the hype for them very artificial for what they were. I'm very glad the hobby is shrinking because that covid boom was awful

[@room.a]

Nice informative piece! I notice you have used my photo at 1:26, could you please credit me? Also, it is good practice to credit photos/ videos you used from your fellow content creators, hope you understand!

[@Charo.mp4]

Should have been credited in the video, sorry about that! Added to the description. As with all my other videos images are usually credited

[@incongruous4]

Keycult has a garbage toxic, elitist, gatekeeper community full of hypebeasts who think spending $2k on a keyboard makes them cool and gives them social status to be rude to everyone who isn't in their little circle. Qc being higher than everyone else is pure gaslighting, everyone uses the same factories with the same qc standards. Now that they're trying to manu the boards themselves out of greed, their qc is the worst in the business. Good riddance to them

[@ImJustStandingHere]

Simple. They fell off when they got too full of themselves and thought they could handle domestic production themselves.

[@tinypickle]

Too busy dealing with their families with your stolen money to deliver on commissions 😂

[@ripstikgod]

Three years and counting for mine 😢