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Since January 2019, AKB has been designing premium custom mechanical keyboards and keyboard accessories, with a focus on fusing timeless, classic design with modern technology and refined functionality.

Formed at the start of 2019, Alchemist Keyboards (AKB) is James, a designer hailing from the East Midlands, UK.

AKB designs premium custom mechanical keyboards and keyboard accessories, with a focus on fusing timeless, classic design with modern technology and refined functionality.

Updates:

(last updated 16th January 2023)

OGR:

Both the OGR & the OGRN will come with their own bespoke carry cases! Further update details can be found on the homepage. More updates very soon!

Caerdroia:

The first TKL from AKB – MX, Alps & Topre compatible – USB 2.0 HUB. More details soon.

Aella:

GB extras are now in stock with CannonKeys, Proto[Typist] and iLumkb!

DCS Alchemy:

Now in stock at various vendors! See here for further details.
 

CannonKeys Announcement:

With the mystery revealed on the Caerdroia layout, I have another bit of news that has been brewing for a little while now.

Cutting to the chase – **I’m happy to announce that I am working full-time for CannonKeys (CK) as a Project Manager and Designer.**

I’m sure this will come with a few questions from some so I’ll try and get ahead of the curve with this announcement, but if there’s anything else that I’ve missed please feel free to ask in the #general-chat channel.

Why?

As some of you may know, I started working in keyboards full-time in April 2021. Although this change improved my quality of life and general happiness as I genuinely enjoyed my work, it was a truly stressful and humbling experience. I was working 80+ hours a week hustling to keep my head above water and making sure I had enough work to keep the dream alive but in hindsight this wasn’t sustainable; I’d be frequently burnt out and would find myself taking regular breaks to try and build myself back up.

Once the OGR group buy happened (and happened again shortly after), I was approached by the good folks at CK who were impressed by my management of the rocky situation and things just snowballed from there. By taking on this role I already feel like it legitimises my prior choices and all the hard work I’ve put in so far. So by CK providing this opportunity it grants me the ability to work in a role that I genuinely enjoy and also in a hobby that I’ve truly grown to love during the last 5+ years.

Will this affect AKB and/or the OGR group buy?

Not at all! AKB will remain its own entity and the folks at CK have in fact graciously assisted with suppliers and logistics behind the scenes on the OGR, so no the timelines will not change.

What will change from this point forward?

Naturally, I will likely run most AKB sales through CK in the future as I want to be able to maintain a comfortable work/life balance, and given that CK has a great team throughout it will only help the sales run more smoothly and deliver the best possible customer experience.

***With this in mind, CK will be hosting an exclusive sale for the Caerdroia in the coming months. More details to follow soon.***

Given the existing framework within CK, it will also provide more opportunities to bring a wider range of products from AKB in the future. Something to think about there… 😉

What will remain the same?

I have existing arrangements and relationships with multiple vendors and those will not change with this development. A good example of this would be the recent launch of Vero, which was the beginning of a great partnership with the guys at Antipode and over time I would love for that relationship to grow stronger still. I also have multiple commissions that will reveal themselves over time and I will continue to develop and evolve those projects until completion. In short – it is up to me to balance my own time with external projects and as long as there isn’t a clear conflict of interest I have total freedom to pursue whatever opportunities that present themselves to me.