Hey level1techs, i recently purchased a new keyboard on massdrop.
The E-Element Hot Swappable RGB Keyboard:
I chosed the black one pictured above. but mine came with an annoying emblem on the top right.
Also they advertised ALPS stems on these switches but i got cherry mx (thank god, alps keys variety are non-existent)
aside from the weird product pictures vs reality, i got off relatively luckier than some other buyers
wrong keyboards and some not even hotswappabled
massdrop = gamble
you can pull the switches right out with the tool they provide you
to open the actual switched i used a metal spudger i got from ifixit, tried using a sculper tool but it was too thick to get under the clip on the switch (outemu blues by the way) you can also use a prying pick like the one pictured but it was too flimsy and i could tell it couldnt do a whole keyboard without wearing out to uselessness
tools
since the switches are outemu blue switches, which are cherry mx blue copies, the spring actuation force is around 60-65g's
the springs we are replacing them with are some gold plated 80g springs (also picked up on massdrop, but you can find them on mechanicalkeyboards.com) essentially i'll be turning these blues into greens
first order of bussiness is to get the switch open, you do this by getting under the clip and lifting it up by either lifting or turning the spudger
do this to both sides and the switch will open up, be careful cause the spring is loaded and the two halves can come flying apart, you can see the bare metal 60g spring
replace it with the gold 80h spring
push them back together, be careful about the orientation, i got first few switches mixed up and ended up messing up the internal contact plates
there you have it a new 'green' switch, you can see the switch pull out tool
now it's just a matter of putting the switch back on - if you have problems putting them back, make sure the check that both clips on the side of the switch is engaged.
then top it off with some new front printed keycaps with some 50a o rings i picked up perviously 
Very nice. These are a great option to be able to try everything and customise them on the fly.
I have been building a board for quite a while now that is not swappable switches, but the LEDs are, but intended to include a spring swap guide as well, that will get here eventually it is very long winded.
How are you liking the heavier switches? I got the same bags of 80g springs for some swaps and the aforementioned project. I have a smaller board with 100g springs in it but the switches are linear in that, it does not feel that tough at all. The tactile clears with 80g feel as heavy or heavier than the linear 100s.
Yeah massdrop has a spotty history. Sometime it is fine and other the menus are confusing, drops are not kept up to date or orders go out all messed up on either massdrop or the manufactures end. Thankfully I have never had an issue with them, only ever bought things that I can't get elsewhere.
same reason i use massdrop, i try hard to find it elsewhere cause the shipping times are insane. i only get stuff i know is hard to find anywhere else.
at first, coming as a blues lover, the keys were very heavy! but i loved how tight the switch feels. and after a few days typing on it i think i can actually type faster, with the 80g clicky, your fingers can really 'go for it' and just shoot out fast and press the key. but i think i'll stick with blues or maybe experiment with a slightly heavier than blue keys. i think the contact plate plays a big role in the feeling of the keys.
there was one switch that i damaged the contact plates by closing the switch wrong, i tried to bend it back as well as i could but the switch is noticeably softer than a non damaged one.
so at this point im done with the top and right side, esp the enter key area, notoriously cramped,
i pulled off the rest of the old keycaps and started drinking, this takes quite some time.
(having liquids nearby is probably a bad idea fyi)
starting to put "new" switches in
the spludger started wearing out, so i took it to the sharpening block, wasnt really sure what i was doing, but i ended up with this shaped that made opening the switch so much easier, sit slid right inbetween
slowly started changing springs and putting the switches back
all the switches done!
add new keycaps with o-rings
and im done.
hope you enjoyed, gona try to figure out how to get rid of the top right logo
forum cuts off the right side of the pic, so sorry ocders, full picture after the click
I have another board I need to take from MX reds to 80g linear. Though I am seriously liking the tactile clears in my CPSQ. They are Gateron as opposed to cherry. One of the clones that has gotten to be regarded as better than the original and cheaper. The stems are a little looser in the housings and wiggle around a bit more than Cherry but they are super smooth from the start, no wear in time. So I prefer them now.
The 100g linears are Gateron yellows, identical to blacks but I like the colour yellow and they offer it. The tactile clears are a bit odd, a community shop, Zeal PC, had gateron make tactile clear clones as gateron only had brown and not the bigger harder clears, the Zealios switches are purple. Being a community switch they are expensive, enter a small Korean shop that happened to get a hold of a short run of Gateron clears, not purple zealios. So gateron were undercutting a partner making the same switch in a different colour and selling them at half the price. They were short run for a reason. I managed to grab up a bag of them before they disappeared again and they are so good. Super smooth like vintage cherry but got that fresh out if the box tactile bite to them.
im hearing gateron makes better pbt keycaps too. the front printed ones i got from max keyboard leaves a littler to be desired
uneven coloring, back of the keys have bad plastic marks from injection mold process
ahahaha, god damn i hate massdrop, looks like alps key stems tho
yeah I don't shop on Massdrop any more because a week after closing a buy I found my last 2-3 items would pop up there for the same price or less. I just use it for research on neat gear and hunt it down other places.
PBT is my go to now. Though I have never had a good quality ABS from the likes of GMK so in would like to try some of them at some stage. PBT is only good when thick, thin is not much better than thin ABS. But PBT can be dyed, this is what I get them for in plain white.
The NPKC, Gateron, Enjoy PBT all look to be from the same source and are all good stuff. PBT naturally tends to warp when it shrink so not many do them, even signature plastics stays away from them for the most part but their PBT is thin and not very nice.
I have gotten the blanks from massdrop twice now and both have been perfect, though different molds used on the sets even though they were the same drop and company just months apart.
yeah, i got the blank black ones for my work keyboard and i love them.
wish i ordered more
They come back up every now and then. They are pretty popular.
This is where my particularness becomes a problem. ISO, big enter key, punctuation in different places. There are so many nice sets that look great or I can do all sorts of stuff with but it wont fit my board. I do have one ANSI board but it is much smaller and all ready has a theme, so I don't need more caps. It is also why I buy blank keys, easier to mix and match no fonts to match.
But I will pick up a nice ISO set sometimes just to have because they are nor so common or cheap.
But wait... I might actually need to get a few of these small sets.
And I found a bunch of full sets so I will be able to get some pieces I am missing and even make up a new colour scheme or two.