Fjell by Mekanisk

The Context

I have built plenty of keyboards so far, but somehow I never got to ordering a Fjell for myself, even though that was what caught my eye. Until now.

The first round of Fjell completed shipping in 2017 and the one that I bought should be from the sixth round of groupbuy. It is a 60% tray mounted keyboard that ships with either solder or hotswap PCBs. The latter option was really only available recently, likely due to popular demand. (I’m glad the guys at Mekanisk listen to feedback!) I also got myself a carbon fiber plate instead of the usual aluminum one, because aluminum seems pretty boring to me these days. I got a silver anodized one and like all other Fjells, it has a beautiful brass weight that highlights the Fjell mountains. I just wish that the design and the engraving can be seen from the outside too. More on that later.

And of course, I had to build it with Holy Pandas (iykyk). And for that pop of color, any bright and highly saturated color will do. I went with GMK Space Cadet with the blue base kit but I imagine a white-on-black or GMK Red Devil will look nice as well. If you are interested in a soundtest, keep a lookout on my Youtube channel for it.

My thoughts

The Bad

I have been using it for quite awhile now before I penned down my thoughts. The Fjell is a great keyboard, don’t get me wrong but I have to say that my experience has been abit underwhelming.

Number 1. I have built many keyboards but the Fjell remained pretty much unchanged since its inception in 2017. Its stiff tray mount has been quickly overtaken by a lot of other mounting systems which offer a variety of typing feel. There is literally no bounce at all during typing. So for some, it may be boring or even tiring to type on. But to be honest, that’s not what I am bothered by. A tray mount is not as acoustically pleasant and makes alot of switches sound similar. Reverberations and vibrations are tied down plenty so all you will hear is much of the board, and less of the switch or other components that go into it. Not that this is in any way bad, it’s just that the appeal and customizability of this board is more limited than others.

Number 2. I came to appreciate and realize that there is so much more depth to the acoustics of a keyboard. The clacky one in this Fjell seemed outdated by comparison. It’s not a fault of the Fjell’s, I just got to try out more than 10 switches in more than 20 over boards so I am exposed to a wider variety of sounds. I think of it as the filet mignon of keyboards. It wows you on the first bite but it leaves you wanting more flavor. Then you start to seek out the good ribeyes, the good striploins until eventually you forget about the tenderloin. In this sense, I got attracted by the Fjell but this board is definitely not what made me stay. If you are a seasoned builder, you will move on pretty quickly. But if you are new to this hobby, hey, filet mignon is not a wrong choice to get stuck in.

The Good

I really, really, really, REALLY like the Fjell’s aesthetics. It is one that I will never get bored of. I like how a brass weight is the default, no need to choose or pay extra. But the design lies on the inside which cannot be seen after building it. I honestly don’t understand why keyboard designs with such nice art isn’t on the exterior instead. Heck, just have it both inside and out! On the other hand, you can say that it is an absolutely minimal keyboard for those who dislike flowery things.

The chamfers and filets on the edges are also nice and smooth and done very tastefully. It veers away from a standard rectangular cut out but doesn’t try to do too much. In my opinion, it is a design that will age well over time.

Is it worth spending on this? Only you can answer that. In my opinion, if I had gotten to building this keyboard a year earlier, maybe I’d enjoy this keyboard more but hey, it all comes with experience. Thank you, next.