You were supposed to be a gift...the TKD Cycle 7

This post is going to be different from the usual keyboard review. The review is still ongoing, and the next keyboard on the list is the notorious AULA F75, aka "The Gateway to the Mechanical Keyboard Hobby"! Stay tuned for that one!

There are some keyboards you buy because they make sense.

Then there are keyboards you buy because they quietly set up camp in your head and refuse to leave.

For me, the TKD Cycle 7 was one of those keyboards.

TKD Cycle 7 barebones kit

What initially attracted me to the keyboard was its form-factor. It's a 70% FRL (function-row-less) TKL (ten-key-less) keyboard. But that was all. I moved on and continued my journey into this hobby.

The days passed, and I'd be having various conversations and the Cycle 7 would be name-dropped, and in good stead. I continue watching various videos on the hobby, and again, the content creator would nonchalantly talk about the Cycle 7 in passing. I notice how they talk about it like a fond memory, like a positively pleasant experience.

After weeks of reading Discord discussions, watching typing tests, browsing build photos, and consuming far too many opinions from the mechanical keyboard community, I knew I wanted one. 

Then one appeared.

A lavender TKD Cycle 7 was listed on one of the UK aftermarket Discord channels, and the moment I saw it, I immediately thought of the KeyKobo Monet Psychedelic keycap set I had bought a few months earlier. It felt like it was meant to be! The keycap set was something that I knew I wanted to own the moment I saw it. And so I did. I bought the base set and all the child sets. I have the complete keycap set.

There was just one issue.

The keyboard had some scuff marks.

Little scuff marks

Normally, that would not bother me too much. Keyboards are meant to be used. A few marks here and there can even add a bit of character. But this particular keyboard was originally intended to become a gift for someone. Because of that, the scuffs gave me pause. If I was gifting a keyboard to someone important, I wanted it to feel pristine.

So I hesitated.

Then life happened.

Things eventually turned sour with the person I had intended to gift the keyboard to, and naturally the idea of buying it no longer made sense. But despite all of that, the keyboard itself stayed in the back of my mind.

For several days, I slept on it.

During that time, I fell deeper into the Cycle 7 rabbit hole.

I watched reviews from the usual suspects. Alexotos. Captain Sterling. Various typing tests from creators all over the world. Different plates. Different foam configurations. Different switches. Every build somehow sounded good. This was a properly decent keyboard that warranted its reputation!

But the review that really stuck with me was from BlackSimon.

His verdict on the Cycle 7 was simple but devastatingly effective. He said the keyboard punches well above its weight. That it sounds better than some keyboards three times, five times, even ten times its price.

Then he delivered the line that completely destroyed whatever resistance I had left:

“Do you design keyboards? Buy this. So you know what you’re up against.” - BlackSimon

During this time, I got into a conversation with a nice fellow (hobby mentor?) on one of the Discord channels. It was a short, albeit unintentionally somewhat deep conversation that offered a different perspective, something we usually don't think about when buying things.

The conversation goes that everyone and everything has a story. Yes, we'd love to have something new that's all shiny and pristine when we get it, but a keyboard?

There's an argument to be made that when a keyboard has some marks, minor blemishes, or imperfections, suddenly that keyboard has its own story to tell, and in this hobby, it's usually not a simple case of not taking care of the keyboard.

That was it.

I was sold.

I contacted the seller and made the deal.

Because it was the bank holiday weekend, there was a bit of waiting involved, but the keyboard arrived earlier this week, and honestly? It was in much better condition than I expected. The previous owner had clearly looked after it. The only thing I noticed immediately was that the stabilisers probably needed a bit of cleaning and tuning.

Nothing major.

Now came the fun part.

I already knew what switches I wanted to use. HMX Cthulhus.

Not only do these switches sound good, they look the part too! I loved taking photos of them.

Partly because I had been looking for an excuse to finally use them in a build, but also because they perfectly suited the lavender and purple theme I was going for. Deep purple switches inside a lavender aluminium chassis paired with Monet-inspired keycaps just felt right.

I also ordered a matching deskmat featuring Claude Monet’s 1897 painting, The Cliff near Dieppe.

The Cliff near Dieppe by Claude Monet

At this point, the entire setup was becoming less of a keyboard build and more of an atmosphere.

When everything finally arrived, I sat down and built it.

Switches installed.

Keycaps mounted.

Deskmat laid out.

Purple coiled cable plugged in.

And then I just sat there admiring it all.

She's a beaut, ain't she?

Sometimes things simply come together in a way that feels strangely complete.

The keyboard, the colours, the deskmat, the painting, the cable, the soft lavender tones across the entire setup. Every individual part was nice on its own, but together they created something far greater.

It reminded me of the old saying:

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

I love it when that happens.

What surprised me most, though, was how personal this keyboard ended up feeling.

If you saw me walking down the street, I probably do not look like someone who would own a lavender keyboard covered in impressionist-inspired keycaps.

I’m a fairly large bearded metalhead. Most people would probably expect black keyboards, industrial aesthetics, sharp edges, and enough RGB to illuminate a small village.

And to be fair, I do love all of that too.

But this setup feels peaceful.

It reflects another side of who I am.

I believe in kindness. I believe in creativity. I believe in diversity of thought and expression. I think people are far more complicated and layered than the stereotypes attached to them.

This keyboard somehow captures that feeling perfectly.

The Monet keycaps. The lavender aluminium. The painting. The soft colours. The brutal metal music probably playing in the background while I type on it (I've been thoroughly enjoying MØL's latest album, most especially!).

It should not work.

Yet somehow, it absolutely does.

And perhaps that is why this build means more to me than I originally expected.

What was once supposed to become a gift for somebody else ended up becoming something unexpectedly reflective of myself instead.

Funny how things turn out sometimes.

And genuinely, thank you for taking the time to read this.

I appreciate it more than you know.

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