What Is alexotos.com?

Updated

alexotos.com is a personal tech blog and community hub focused on custom mechanical keyboards, run by Alex from Toronto, Canada. It's worth knowing about if you're into the mechanical keyboard hobby and want build documentation, keyboard reviews, and curated resources rather than general consumer tech coverage. The site also offers a paid build service and maintains a keyboard vendor list, so it functions as both a content site and a working hub for the hobby.

Who runs it

The site is written and maintained by Alex, based in Toronto. According to the site's own about section, the focus is custom mechanical keyboard building, framed as more than a peripheral:

"It's a tool we use to interact with others, that we use for our livelihood, and even what we use to express our creativity. It's an extension of us."

The stated goal is to create a welcoming community for like-minded people, and the site backs that up with a Discord server and links out to Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, Reddit, and Spotify.

Two numbers on the homepage give a sense of the author's track record:

Metric Value
Keyboard builds 1,500+
Years creating content 6+

What you'll find on the site

The homepage organizes content into a few clear buckets:

  • Keyboard reviews — hands-on write-ups of specific boards, such as the Ducky Cushion 98, the QK100 Mark II, and the Mode Encore (2026 version).
  • Resources — practical comparisons and roundups, such as "Solder vs. Hotswap PCBs" and "Top 5 Mechanical Keyboard Switches of 2026."
  • Other Stuff — community and event posts, including recaps of the Canadian Mechanical Keyboard Meetup in Toronto.
  • Store / Build Service — a page for commissioning builds, with the site noting "Taking build commissions" from Toronto.
  • Keyboard Vendor List — a maintained list of vendors, useful as a starting point when sourcing parts.

The site describes itself as having "1,500+ stuff I've written," so the archive is deep if you want to browse back through older posts.

What the content is actually like

The reviews tend to include concrete positioning rather than just impressions. For example, the Ducky Cushion 98 review notes it's a compact 98% layout that keeps the numpad and navigation keys of a full-size board while staying close to a TKL footprint, and mentions a starting price of $159. The QK100 Mark II review covers dual displays, tri-mode connectivity, and new ABS/PBT keycaps, with an emphasis on how easy the board is to modify and maintain.

The resource posts are framed as decision aids. "Solder vs. Hotswap PCBs" sets up the tradeoff directly: hotswap gets you a working board in roughly 15 minutes, while solder requires an iron, steady hands, ventilation, and about an hour — then asks which is actually better rather than assuming convenience wins.

When this site is useful to you

  • You're researching a specific pre-built or enthusiast keyboard and want a review that discusses layout, switches, and modifiability.
  • You're deciding between soldering and hotswap for a build and want the practical tradeoffs laid out.
  • You need a vendor list for sourcing keyboard parts.
  • You want to commission a custom build from someone with a documented build history.
  • You're looking for a community — the Discord and meetup posts are a real part of the site, not an afterthought.

If you're after general tech news, phone reviews, or software tutorials, this isn't that. The scope is deliberately narrow: custom mechanical keyboards and the surrounding hobby.