At this point, I have personally tried all the Mode keyboards and have built in several
times of each model.
I currently own both the 2020 and 2022 versions of the Eighty, I have the SixtyFive, and now
the newest addition to my collection is the Sonnet.
I love this board and it is great.
As someone who mainly uses TKLs, I have to say, I might actually be stepping down from
TKL and making 75% my main because of this board.
In this video, I’ll talk about the Sonnet as to why I can recommend it, why I’m making
it one of my end-game boards, and of course provide some sound test comparisons.
First thing I want to talk about is the packaging.
One of the strongest points in their brand is really the aesthetics and details to how
well they package and deliver their products.
Packaging is going to be the first impression and I think they did a fantastic job and always
have for as long as I’ve been a customer since the 2020 Mode Eighty First Edition.
So, the Sonnet has already been out for a bit and there are several creator reviews
already and I think they’ve all done quite a good job in providing details.
So, I guess my video here will just add to the list of positive feedbacks.
I’m also not going to regurgitate any specs but rather just list them on screen here for
you to pause or you can visit the Mode website.
The configurations can be done here and you have plenty of options for the top and bottom
case materials and color, internal weights, accent bar, solder or hotswap PCB and of course
the plates.
For my personal build, I went with a grey top case and black bottom case both in aluminum,
FR4 full plate because that’s my favorite in most keyboards, a hotswap PCB because it’s
a lot easier to do multiple sound test comparisons with different switches but I always prefer
a soldered PCB though.
Then I got a multi-colored PVD-coated stainless steel accent bar, and a copper internal weight
because it’s the heaviest option even more than the brass due to material density and
for the same price too.
I want my keyboard to be as heavy as possible for just the right price.
This keyboard can be heavier if I went with say the brass or copper bottom case, but I
just didn’t feel it was worth the $250 upcharge personally and stuck with the base black aluminum
instead.
I also learned a harsh lesson after buying the silver mirror brass bottom case on my
Mode SixtyFive and put a huge scratch on it for not being careful as that was totally
my fault for accidentally placing my keyboard on top of a small screw on the desk that I
didn’t see.
It is a beautiful piece but you just have to be extra careful with handling if this
is what you want.
Now usually, I prefer a more quieter typing experience so as with previous Mode keyboards
and even from other brands, I’ve always opted to buy the silicone base dampener or
some kind of dampening foam if available, but this time I actually didn’t go with
it because I just figured I might be happy without it this time and I can always buy
it separately later if I want.
The other reason why I buy dampeners is to fill out any hollowness I might hear from
a keyboard, but the Sonnet does really well without it and I’m happy to have it this
way.
And having a solid sounding board like this with little to no ping and hollowness is also
another reason why I can highly recommend it.
Additionally, some of you might still want a silicone base dampener to use it as a stack
mount rather than the top mount not just for the sound but rather the feel.
A stack mount will give you a stiffer typing experience as you won’t have room for the
PCB and plate to flex.
At this point, I personally don’t have a preference when it comes to top vs stack mount,
it’s just whichever one sounds best as I’ve learned to love the feel of both stiff and
flexy typing experiences.
The sound test configs I did will feature the Everglide Waterking V3 switches which
are currently my favorite linear switches and the Tungsten switches as well because
long-pole stems seem to be quite popular nowadays so it made sense for me to compare it.
Both switches will have sound test with and without PE foam.
Here are the sound tests.
The PE foam sounds great here.
I actually prefer it installed rather than without.
It does make this keyboard sound a bit deeper.
Something I’ve talked about in a couple past videos when reviewing other keyboards
is that PE foam can be too strong of a mod where it takes away the unique sound signature
of the keyboard and make all keyboards sound too alike.
Now of course you also have to factor in the switches and plates primarily as well to see
the overall results.
But I will say the Sonnet with PE foam doesn’t sound anywhere near like my Mr. Suit and Apollo
Space80 which also have PE foam in them so it’s great to have that difference.
I also do like the Tungsten switches here but they were too loud and harsh for me in
the Sonnet.
I could feel and hear the vibrations regardless of PE foam.
Now I can’t say if I’ll get the same results with other long-pole stem switches, but I
think a silicone base dampener would go better here if I wanted to go this route.
So as originally planned, the Waterking switches are much more to my preference with a softer
sound and I’ll be sticking with them in the final build to keep.
In terms of personal use, I’m still adjusting from TKL down to 75% when it comes to remapping
keys and accessing layers because I do prefer not accessing layers.
Another huge plus on the Sonnet is the frame design with tapered sides so it’s a lot
easier to pick up and I really like that.
Additional reasons why I think the Mode Sonnet is a great custom board aside from the customizations
is the price and availability.
I’ve worked with Mode for just over two years now and I will say not only is the quality
great, but the fact that their fulfillment time is fast and the pricing is well worth
what they put out.
There isn’t really much for me to convince custom keyboard veterans as to why they should
pick up a Mode keyboard, but I can 100% say that for anyone who’s new into the hobby,
Mode Designs is a great place to start if you want to really experience what it’s
like buying, building and using a custom keyboard.
When it comes to layouts, if you want a 75%, yes, I can absolutely recommend the Sonnet.
If you want a TKL, yes, I can absolutely recommend the Eighty.
And yes, I do currently prefer the Sonnet over the Eighty.
The guys at Mode Designs are also extremely helpful when it comes to customer service
and they’ve also built a very supportive community in their Discord server which you
can join and I’ll link that in the video description below.
I also want to note that all the Mode keyboards that I personally own, I bought, none of them
were ever given to me.
I will link my build code in the description as well here.
But aside from that, this is all I have on the Mode Sonnet.
If you have any questions or comments, please drop them down below.
As always, thank you so much for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one.