Prophet by CableCarDesigns. Too bouncy for its own good.

The Prophet keyboard is a 60% keyboard by CableCarDesigns that utilizes a new mounting style called the pin mount. While the design of the keyboard is visually appealing, the typing experience leaves something to be desired.

First, the look and feel of the board is really impressive. The black color is perfect, and there are no anodizing marks or streaks that you might get on some cheaper boards. Since it is a one body design with minimal engravings. There is only one engraving and it resides on the back. Following the same minimalistic design, the board comes in both WK, HHKB, and WKL variants. The feel of the board is really impressive, and has become my gold standard for keyboard anodization (before the f1-8x by GeonWorks). It is really smooth, and almost reminds me of a MacBook. It is also a very very light board, and for the price that you might pay for it, the weight feels a bit cheap. In my opinion, it fits in quite well with the flimsy typing experience for an overall mediocre handling experience. While I was never a big stickler about weight, there are a few who hold such opinions, and it is important to recognize that this is a single piece of aluminum with no weight whatsoever. I would have loved to see a weight, even if it was small and added minimal heft to the board. Just something to cut between the striking black of the board. The seams on the bottom and the silver screws really tied the bottom of the board nicely, yet would have still loved to see something more.

However, not all is perfect. One of the main issues with the Prophet is its excessive flex, and as a result, the typing experience is mediocre at best. The full polypropylene plate, combined with the pin mount, results in too much movement while typing. This can make it difficult to use the keyboard accurately and efficiently. The excess movement makes it difficult to get a proper feel for the keys, which can be frustrating for those who are used to a more stable typing experience. I find myself having to make more corrections than I would with a more stiff keyboard (think of something with a aluminum plate). While the pin mount is interesting, and quite balanced on a symmetrical 60% keyboard, I think there might be some issues with a keyboard of a different size. This might be why after two rounds of this board, there are no other boards really adopting this mounting style. The sound of the board is alright, considering there is nothing inside of the board to block it out. I would definitely recommend using some modifications to make the sound of this board more full. The ones that I personally used were a small T-Shirt, and the tape mod for the bottom of the PCB. It makes a nice difference, and the sound of the board is more full, something that I like. Since it is a one piece design, what you see is what you get, and there are few frills about it. There is little to no customization, and the only thing that you choose is the layout, between WK, WKL, and HHKB.

Photo from the Prophet webpage.

Overall, while the Prophet keyboard may be aesthetically pleasing, its flexy design and mediocre typing experience make it a less than ideal choice for those who prioritize performance and accuracy while typing. It is an interesting concept, but it just doesn't work well in practice. If you're in the market for a new keyboard, I would recommend looking at other options that offer a more stiff typing experience. Usually I wouldn't do something like this and leave a bad recommendation, but this board is just a bit too flexy for my liking. If you do find yourself buying a board like this, it might be best to know what you are getting into.