/Derivative

Not too long ago, January 2024, to be exact, I picked up a board I'd been eyeing for a while: the Geonworks Frog Mini. As a 60% enthusiast, it was the exact upgrade I had been looking for. My Tofu was tinny, echoey, and most of all, boring. The original Frog TKL had caught my eye when it first released, but when the Mini was announced, I knew I'd eventually make the switch. Its key selling point is the mounting system, top-mounted with rubber pins, aka the Tadpole mount (hence the name).

Right away on my desk, the first thing you notice is the board's bounce. But paired with my switch of choice, Zealios V2 67g, it wasn't the best match. I've always been a fan of tactile switches, but the weight of these didn't complement the Frog's feel. Not that the Tofu did any better; both boards ended up being martyrs for the Zeals. I could never quite get my stabilizers tuned properly either, again, mostly because of those switches. Looking back, I was pretty stubborn about the choice. Yes, I liked the tactility, but everything else suffered because of it.

Fast forward to a month ago, and I had the itch to upgrade again, this time, with the intent to get it right. The truth is, the Frog Mini had only been a distraction from the board I really wanted. Back in 2021, I first laid eyes on the most beautiful 60% keyboard I've ever seen: the JJW Derivative R0.

Elegantly designed all around, there's not a single angle that doesn't do the board justice. The side profile is unique and mesmerizing. The back features its signature symbol, ∂, and the face has a subtle, beautiful curve along the bottom edge. Here's the post where I first saw it: a limited run of just 25 units. Oh well. Still, the image of it stayed with me, lodged in the back of my mind ever since.

A year later, an interest check for the R1 revision was posted, a lovely surprise. But I wasn't ready to commit to a group buy, learn how to solder, or drop the eye-watering amount of money it would take to secure one. So, the Frog Mini would have to suffice.

The R1 restock came in February of this year, but I couldn't snag one. I had a collegiate CS2 match to play, no time to sit and refresh a product page. This drop featured new colorways, the best being Orchid, a muted metallic purple. It reminded me a lot of my iPhone 14 Pro's Deep Purple, which I also love, though I ended up going with Space Black for that. We won the match, at least, but my dream board slipped away again.

Since then, I've gotten into the habit of checking r/MechMarket regularly for any Derivative listings. No Orchid colorways in sight. Listings were rare across the board.

Then, my friend upgraded his own 60% to a Venom60, a hall effect PCB. We assembled the board and tested the switches, but I found the experience underwhelming. I decided to stick with traditional mechanical switches for now. And the very next day, I saw it: a golden listing. A Mercury (Silver) Derivative, built with HMX Macchiatos, a tactile switch, complete with extra hotswap PCBs and a carrying case. The entire set. I messaged the seller, and two days later, it was in my hands.

When the package arrived, I wasted no time, I immediately began assembling the board with the soldered switches. After transferring my keycaps and figuring out the mounting process, everything looked and sounded great... except for one thing: the spacebar.

I've had my share of frustrations with stabilized keys in past builds, but this was a different beast. Once pressed, the spacebar wouldn't return to its original position. Not good. I'd run into this issue before, usually a case of overlubing. So I did what any stubborn keyboard nerd would: I stuck q-tips, tissues, and even toothpicks between the stabilizer housing, poking through the plate from the top trying to remove any excess lube. After giving up the first night and coming back to it the next, it became clear, overlube wasn't the problem.

What was actually happening, I realized, was that the stab placement was squeezing the spacebar in a way that prevented it from fully returning. And since the switches were already soldered in, there wasn't much I could do to fix it. I accepted defeat, said goodbye to the Macchiatos, and swapped in the hotswap PCB with my old Zealios.

Typing with the Zealios again was… fine. Familiar. But that was the problem, it felt like a fallback, not a step forward. Worse, the stabilizers still felt off, especially under the heavy actuation of the Zeals. It was time for something new.

Enter the Gateron Oil King V2s, often hailed in the mechanical keyboard community as a cheat code for a great-sounding, great-feeling board. They're smooth, heavy linear switches, pre-lubed, and exactly what I needed to finally break away from the tactile world. I paired them with a set of lubed DUROCK V3 Stabilizers, which honestly sound spectacular. No ticking, no rattle, the issues that had plagued every build before were finally gone.

Stepping out of my comfort zone didn't stop at switches. Another defining trait of the Derivative is that it's Winkeyless, which I wanted, but still had to adapt to. Let's be real, these boards exist for one reason: aesthetics. And this one nails it. The clean separation of the bottom row sets it apart from your average Tofu clone. To preserve some functionality, I used VIA to remap my PCB: Caps Lock now acts as a layer toggle that turns Right Alt into the Windows key. Not perfect, but it gets the job done.

Here's the current setup:

• JJW Derivative R1, Mercury (Silver), Winkeyless
• Gateron Oil King V2 switches
• DUROCK V3 Stabilizers, lubed
• HammerWorks CRP Tulip keycaps

For longer typing sessions (like writing this post), the heavier actuation does cause a bit of fatigue, but nothing worse than the Zealios. The sound is incredibly satisfying, deep, clean, and consistent. It has presence, but doesn't intrude. Even though I've always leaned toward tactile switches, the Oil Kings bridge that gap nicely thanks to their weight and smoothness. And my CS2 performance? Unchanged, unlike the jarring drop-off I had with hall effect switches.

The Derivative is everything I imagined it would be. I know this sounds cheesy, but I sometimes I catch myself just staring at it. The way it catches the light, the way the curves flow, it's magnetic. After years of dreaming, searching, and fumbling through builds that almost worked, I finally have the board I wanted. No more upgrades on the horizon. No more "maybe this next upgrade will fix it." This time, I really mean it.

I think I've found my endgame.