The Deskthority

[webwit]

Sponsored by:

Voters have a chance at winning a WhiteFox keyboard and GMK Carbon keycap set from Massdrop!

Winner:
Please give special attention to this award, the heavyweight "super category..."

Who is The Deskthority champion of 2016? What did the community consider extra special? The official nominees were:

• The Model MF team for the Model MF kit
• Daniel Beardsmore for Deskthority Wiki work
• Chyros for his videos and majestic voice
• XMIT for bringing back Hall Effect
• Ripster55 for spreading his knowledge on reddit

It was a very strong, much debated lineup, and a tight race right until the end! The Golden Wingnut, as voted for by the keyboard community, goes to...

Spoiler:

The Model MF team for the Model MF drop-in kit
Model M lovers spent years staring at their keyboards' standard layout, iconic aesthetic, and adequate membrane design. They dreamt, however, of something more. What would a Model M with capacitive buckling springs be like? That dream is now a reality thanks to the fantastic Model MF project, a classic "by us for us" group buy. It provides a drop-in, modernized Model F replacement for Model M and SSK internals. This project is not only a great contender this year, but stands tall among the best hardware projects on Deskthority.


The result of stunning craftsmanship, knowledge, sweat, and strong dedication.

Runners-up:

Spoiler:

2nd place: Ripster55 for spreading his knowledge on reddit
After being BANNED for shenanigans in the early days of the mechanical keyboard renaissance from, more or less, every keyboard forum in the western spiral arm of the Galaxy, Ripster55 didn't rest on his laurels, but triumphed by erecting r/MechanicalKeyboards. It developed into the largest online keyboard collecting community, and it essentially did so overnight. No small feat! Last year he continued to, as the nominator described it, "spread his knowledge on reddit and general shitposting." Ladies and gentlemen: Ripster55!



3rd place: Daniel Beardsmore for his never-ending work on the Deskthority Wiki
If you are a regular Deskthority visitor, Beardsmore needs no introduction. You know why he deserves your vote. If you don't know him, he is the wiki. Every time you visit the wiki via search or link, the page you're seeing is most likely written by Beardsmore. And, if not, he probably set the editing standards or the layout. He is the most dedicated researcher and wiki editor on Deskthority. The legendary first conqueror (and survivor) of the Alps Vortex, this year he didn't rest... In fact, he may have upped his pace!

Honorable mentions:

Spoiler:

XMIT for bringing back the Hall Effect switch type
Hall Effect keyboards are extraordinarily reliable, with an expected lifetime measured in billions of key presses. Usually reserved for military and aerospace applications, the keyboards weren't marketed to consumers due to their expensive silicon. XMIT, in cooperation with a Chinese manufacturer, managed to bring a full line of affordable Hall Effect keyboards to a wider audience, complete with design changes and optimizations from beta testers and previously obtained knowledge. How cool is that? Top points!

Chyros for his YouTube videos and majestic voice
A previous silver Wingnut winner for his excellent, informative, detailed, and funny keyboard review videos, Chyros didn't Gollum over his Wingnut and hide in a cave. Instead, he upped the ante in 2016 by releasing a new review at least once a week! And while the earliest videos were from someone new to keyboard collecting, he's now reached an expert level. Clearly these are the best, most addictive keyboard reviews on the Internet. Will he win gold this time? He certainly deserves it. Did I mention the Voice?

[Hking0036]

Congrats to the MF Team!

[seebart]

Congrats to the MF Team!

Yes congrats, very much deserved!

[chzel]

Congratulations to the Project MF team again!

[002]

Congratulations MF team -- a well deserved win.

[vivalarevolución]

Congrats to the MF team.

Good run by Ripster, kept it close.

[Halvar]

Typing this on my FEXT: Congratulations to the awesome MF project!

[Wodan]

What a race!
Aamzing how Beardsmore claimed third place from the Wikis Changelist

[E TwentyNine]

Congrats! Well deserved!