Whether you've heard their clickety-clack sounds in a working space or stumbled upon the trending “typing test” videos on social media, mechanical keyboards are getting the attention of many Indonesians.

“I was brainwashed by this friend of mine into liking it,” joked fresh graduate Hilman Rafid, who was introduced to mechanical keyboards last year in university. “I tried my friend’s mech [mechanical keyboard] and it felt nice, so I bought a cheap one first […] but now I’m addicted,” he said to The Jakarta Post on Feb. 10.

A mechanical keyboard is not something one usually finds when buying a personal computer or laptop. The one consumers get is almost always a “membrane” or rubber-dome keyboard with its slim and flat keycaps, given the hardware industry’s trajectory toward simpler and sleeker designs.

Mechanical keyboards, on the other hand, have switches deep under their keys that make them thicker, sound deeper, last longer and for many, feel better.

“Typing on a laptop keyboard is like sleeping on a mat,” Rafid compared, “while typing on a mechanical keyboard is like sleeping on a bed.”

Latest pandemic craze: A look of Hilman Rafid's personal collection of mechanical keyboard. (Courtesy of Hilman Rafid) (Personal Collection/Courtesy of Hilman Rafid)

Sleeper hit

Mechanical keyboards themselves are not something new — the product is as old as IBM personal computers, dating back to the 1980s. But the latest retro-futuristic hype has turned them into a hobby.

“The furthest that I’ve been modifying [my mechanical keyboard] is taking off the aluminum bezel side, sanding it and repainting it with spray paint, just like you do with a motorcycle’s frame,” 25-year-old Rachmat Iman Lazuardi told the Post on Feb. 10.

When he first bought a mechanical keyboard based on his friend’s suggestion in mid-2021, Lazuardi did not realize he could customize it to his desire. And then, YouTube algorithms kicked in.

“There were many video recommendations and reviews on YouTube, so I tried them out. Initially, I only changed the caps and then the switches inside,” Lazuardi said.

Months went by and his keycaps collection has now grown extensively.

“If I want to add to the collection, I usually decide what colors I want: bright ones, variations of blue or a gradation like I’m using now,” he explained.

Retro collection: The setting of Rachmat Iman Lazuardi's work desk with his personal mechanical keyboard. (Courtesy of Lazuardi) (Personal Collection/Courtesy of Lazuardi)

As a collector’s item itself, mechanical keyboards took a long time to get to Indonesia.

“The keyboard has been around before the 2000s, but it seems like it only started to enter Indonesia around 2010s when brands like Donkey started popping up,” YouTuber and tech enthusiast Louis Christian said to the Post on Feb.13.

“Then it got a small Indonesian following in [the online community website] Kaskus, and in 2013 the community moved to Facebook. Then it was 2020 when it really blew up,” Louis said.

He believed that the pandemic drove the sudden trend as more people were working from home and tried to look for the best and most comfortable work set-up.

“The most ergonomic solution people found during the pandemic was to get a laptop stand, so the screen matches your eye level,” Rafid said, noting his own experience. “But it became hard to type from that height, right? So people looked for an additional keyboard.”

And like his friends, Rafid did not want a disposable, take-what-you-can-get keyboard. He wanted to invest in the best one that he could modify as he wished.

“Those who wanted more from a keyboard, then, will buy the mechanical ones. That’s why they got so popular recently; more people talked about them on YouTube and Instagram, and more new brands started to get into the Indonesian market, especially in late 2021,” Rafid said.

With a sudden boom in the mechanical keyboard community online, Rafid has found it easier to interact more with other enthusiasts. So does Louis, whose YouTube videos on his CrankyTechID channel now raking up thousands of views.

“The Facebook group [for mechanical keyboards enthusiasts] in Indonesia itself has reached over 63,000 members now. And there are 5,000 to 10,000 members on each Discord server out there," Louis said, adding that they would have a “keyboard meet-up” every now and then.

“So if someone has a particular mech, we would meet up and go, ‘Can I try my hands on your keyboard?’” he said.

Customizable: Hilman Rafid' s mechanical keyboard is made complete with various switches. (Courtesy of Hilman Rafid) (Personal Collection/Courtesy of Hilman Rafid)

Productivity boost

Many might wonder: What do people get from a better-looking and better-feeling keyboard, anyway?

“Actually, the reason I bought a mechanical keyboard, aside from playing games, is so that I could be motivated to finish my final project,” Fauzan Abdurrahim, an Industrial engineering and management student, told the Post on Feb. 14.

He first found out about mechanical keyboards last year as an undergraduate student. Now, with his fast-track degree programs, he hopes to get his master’s degree this year.

“My mechanical keyboard really helps with [my studies] because I can type faster now, especially as the sound it produces just sounds so good, so it gives me this desire to keep typing and finish my report,” he explained.

More than just the sounds, the feel of a mechanical keyboard also plays a huge factor for him.

“Sometimes when I use the usual keyboards I don’t feel the keycaps [on my fingers]; they're too light. That’s not the case with mechanical ones,” Fauzan added.

Some, like Lazuardi, even see the health benefits of using them. His journey of finding out about mechanical keyboards came from a painful experience.

“One weekend in July last year, I woke up with my entire body hurting, especially my backbone,” he recounted.

But after replacing his old mattress and fixing his sleeping positions, the pain remained.

“So I tried to see my working positions, and I realized where it went wrong,” he said.

After almost two years of working from home in front of his laptop, he realized the dire need to have an ideal sitting position.

“Diving into the world of mechanical keyboards made me aware of my working setup, so I’ve tried to keep it as ergonomic as possible,” he said.

But in the end, they became more than just a keyboard for them. Those who buy mechanical keyboards chase after their singular style; the “one” that describes or speaks to them.

“Since I love all things Japan, the keycaps must have Japanese letters on them,” Fauzan said. “And I keep it simple; I just go for a black-and-white setup.”

As for Lazuardi who opts for various colors, the many possible options are the factors that convinced him to get into this hobby.

“The keycaps have different heights, colors and materials. Even if it’s plastic, the plastics also have different variations,” he said.

“That’s what makes it all the more addicting; the variations of mechanical keyboard parts out there are virtually limitless.”