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Not close to the space … but I think I noticed this too.
I’d guess a dynamic is that things went a bit mainstream which focused things on pre-built products.
I’ve certainly gathered that younger types on TikTok are into “thocky” sounding keyboards and the general aesthetic aspect of the experience … not so much the DIY & customisation aspect.
I think a big thing is that good prebuilts are now readily available: hot swap, foam layers, PCB stabilizers, CNC aluminum cases, a mounting system more sophisticated than tray mount, decent firmware (often properly released QMK/VIA, but at least VIA), and fun features like lighting or encoders. A late as 2022, this would have been a wish list on an interest check for a $400+ kit; now it’s a baseline to charge three digits for a prebuilt MX board.
There are still many group buys going on at the high end (geek hack basically exists as an IC/GB publishing platform at this point), and a lot of boards are available bare bones, but when a newbie comes along for a recommendation, no one has to feel bad recommending some pre-built that would make a Pok3r look like a joke as a value proposition.
Haven't been really into the scene much in a few years, but this seems to track.
Over the years I've built several kits, and a couple of partial / fully custom boards (including one hand wired), but my current daily driver is a Keychron, and I'm super happy with it: Between the build quality, case and switch options, QMK, hot swap, backlighting, etc, I really haven't missed my older boards (although I still want to build a split 1800ish layout someday), and I'm sure I'll dump more money into caps at some point.
The economy happened.
Big keyboard sales apocalypse happened and there no longer the volume of GB buys to make most of them profitable, took out a bunch of GB runners (as did exit scams) and a whole bunch of stores. Any gap filled in at the bottom and middle by better quality prebuilts.
Come to 40%s, we still have plenty of GBs, plenty of innovation with layouts and mounts.
I am very interested in 40s. I've been looking at the Epomaker th40 since group buy options still seam too expensive to me. I just so happen to like the keycaps and switches so I won't feel the need to replace them as well, I'm especially glad about not having to replace the keycaps. I don't understand how keycaps can be so much more expensive than switches despite being much simpler in design.
Epomaker th40
Yeah that's one cheap board, rapidly entering the price point that it would be given away in a box of cereal. The detour I ordered last year was about three times that price without caps or switches and I consider than a bargain for a metal keyboard.
It seems to support Via, which you will find very useful to tweak the keymap to suit how you use a keyboard, using a 40 is all about getting the right map for your personal style.
Keycaps can be cheap, its like anything including the actual keyboard, you tend to get what you pay for, even if the increase in price is exponential. Signature Plastics keycaps typically cost me £200 ish for a full set to cover a 40 due to the non standard mod key and space bar sizes. I can buy a cheap set for like £20 on aliexpress, do I expect the same quality? Do I expect them to fit my boards that have unusual layouts? Absolutely not.
Thats the other thing with 40s, while boards exist that have full sized mod keys like the equinox, plenty do not. There are the compatibility three caps that tend to get added these days, that covers a lot of the more normal layouts. Having to get extra caps because you want to use less caps is irony at its finest.
I have never understood how switches can be so cheap full stop, especially ones with pre applied lube.
Yeah that’s one cheap board
For what I'd be getting it seems like a really good deal, 2.4ghz wireless and Bluetooth. Sounds good too (imo). It also has two pre-lubed linear switch options but they both seem very similar. It's a plastic case but I don't have a huge issue with that, and at this price point a metal case is just impossible.
Perhaps the cheapness of switches shows how much we are being scammed on keycaps. Maybe keycaps are just expensive because of the group by system and most keycaps being produced in relatively small batches.
Nothing wrong with plastic, I own a lot of plastic boards of one sort or another.
I think you hit the nail on the head when it comes to volume as a big part of the reason, especially either side of the bubble when keyboards were very popular. I own 40s add on sets for things like GMK Coral that something crazy like only ten of were made.That coupled with being made in Germany for GMK or the US for Signature Plastics (SP), you get far higher manufacturing costs.
I think discounting the higher quality of GMK or SP vs. a really cheap set is a mistake. I think its fine to say that the significant jump in price isn't worth it for you, but the quality is noticeably better in all areas. Couple that with GB sets offering proper 40s support, which if you have a board that needs it is a deal breaker without.