Thoughts on... and not reviews?

So, I’ve now published quite a few articles here with titles that start with “Thoughts on…” and I don’t really talk about them as being reviews. Why do I do that? It’s mostly that I think of these as being shorter summaries rather than more fleshed out reviews. That’s not to say I don’t think of them as being very much in the vein of reviewing the product in question. Instead, I feel it gives me room to continue to analyze them and, if I want to do a much more in-depth article (or video) in the future that can be properly referred to as a review.

I think it’s mostly an issue of semantics at this point. I have been getting better at writing about things, such as switches. Going more in depth in design, features, construction, materials, et cetera. In that regard, I think my article on the Kailh HUSH switches is much closer to being a proper review than my earlier articles. That’s the nature of writing. I improve and hone the craft more as I do it more. Perhaps some time I might refer to them as reviews. I’m constantly updating and learning and adapting and I expect this repository to do so as well.

I mentioned videos because I feel like that, as a form of media, offers so much when it comes to reviews. Text and graphs, and even photographs, offer static views of things. Video however allows for sound and moving imagery that are so far beyond what text can provide. Text has its place though. It allows for a more neutral tone and lets the reader determine the pace. It also is so much easier to search through versus scrubbing through videos. I feel they are complimentary to each other and that both have their place in providing information. And that’s why I feel like I would enjoy doing videos in the future in order to provide that different view and perspective.

I think that sound in particular is important for keyboards. People, myself included, love hearing different keyboard setups. The difference between switches and keycaps can be so nuanced and describing that through text can be quite difficult compared to simply recording a sound test and uploading it as part of a review video. In my case I would like to do that, provide review videos but also offer sound test only video clips to make it even easier to search through for switches. It’s of course difficult to do given that keyboards, switches, keycaps, and even modifications to the keyboards can so dramatically alter the sounds of the keyboard. In that respect, I like the idea of having a stable platform for reviews. A keyboard that doesn’t change even if my daily keyboard does change. A keyboard that I don’t change or modify and instead just use it as a review platform for switches and keycaps. It still isn’t a neutral platform, but it gives a single base to compare between rather than a constantly changing range of keyboards.

At this point most of my switch thoughts have been on three different keyboards: my Portico, my older Tofu 60% with aluminum frame (that I need to get another PCB for), and most recently with my Keychron Q7. Another thought I’ve had is to use two boards for sound for two strikingly different sound profiles. In my case I’d go for the Q7 as a good mid-range aluminum build and my Portico as an entry-level polycarbonate build. They also happen to both be my favorite keyboards I’ve used so far but I’ve also had tremendous pleasure in trying out other boards. Sometimes they surprise me in being better than I expected, like my RK68. Other times I’m left wanting for better, like my Epomaker Mini Cat64. But that’s the nature of any hobby. You’ll have times where you’re surprised by the quality of the products and other times where they are more in line with what you were expecting based on your past experiences.

In any event, that’s kind of where I am now here. I am doing more with this blog to improve what I’m doing and am using it to help me get more experience in writing. I love writing and love sharing my thoughts on all sorts of things so to provide those to people via this platform right now is great for me. I look forward to continuing to improve and hone my skills and to help people make better and more informed decisions for themselves. Nobody likes to waste money and I firmly believe in helping everyone in that regard.