For $2,100, you could buy over a dozen upper-quality mechanical keyboards. Alternatively, you could buy just one mechanical keyboard kit. Costing the same as a desktop computer, The Icebreaker keyboard commands one of the highest price tags you'll see for a keyboard, and that's more due to its appearance than its capabilities.
The Icebreaker, spotted by Tom's Hardware, became available for preorder on Thursday. The prohibitively priced peripheral is the primary product from Serene Industries, which founder Denis Agarkov describes as an “outlet for creativity, love of materials, experimentation, and an endless exercise in learning new things."
In a February interview with Design Milk, Agarkov said that the profile view of New York City’s Flatiron skyscraper inspired the keyboard’s design. The building opened in 1902 and measures 285 feet tall with a steel frame and distinct prism shape.
In turn, the Icebreaker’s profile view shows a sharp wedge shape that’s uncommon, but not unheard of, in keyboards striving for a striking appearance.
"Viewed from the right angle, it seems to be as flat as a sheet of paper," Agarkov told Null Society in January ahead of the keyboard's launch.
Serene heavily advertises the aluminum build of the keyboard, saying that it's a "fully CNC'd, solid block 6061 aluminum" alloy chassis. The Icebreaker isn’t an outlier in using aluminum; numerous companies sell aluminum alloy keyboard cases for a few hundred dollars. An alternative to cheaper plastic, aluminum is popular for keyboard durability, weight, and custom touches around details like the case's finish and color. The Icebreaker case, being a unified block rather than a top and bottom piece fused together, makes for a unique, massive (17.7×1.7×0.9 inches) look.
The keycaps, which Serene sells separately for $415, are “fully aluminum with about 800 micro-perforations that make up the legends," Serene's website says, "allowing the LED light to pass through.”
The holes are 400 microns in diameter, per the company's Instagram page, which suggests that users can feel the holes with their fingertips. Using tiny holes to construct key legends is something I haven’t seen in mechanical keyboard kits before. It gives the Icebreaker's keycaps a digital vibe that seems tedious and costly to make, contributing to the keyboard's price. Despite the openings' tininess, I'm still worried about dust and debris with a keyboard littered with holes.
What's interesting about the typing feel of this keyboard is the use of low-profile keycaps despite the keyboard supporting full-height mechanical switches. I'm curious if the pairing results in the keycaps feeling too thin or unstable while typing.
Other Icebreaker specs include a “silicone dampener integrated into the bottom lid both supporting the PCB and doubling as non-slip feet,” per Serene.
There's also a 4,000 mAh battery and “1/4-20” threads for professional accessory mounting, such as Picatinny rails.” One could also use the threads for mounting the keyboard onto monitor arms and hand grips.
And like many high-priced keyboards to come out in the past couple of years, the Icebreaker includes a rotary encoder dial. The dial is programmable, like the rest of the keyboard’s keys, with the Via configurator.
The Icebreaker starts at $1,500 with a clear-colored base, hot-swappable switches, and USB-C cable connectivity. It goes up to $2,100 if you get in black and with Bluetooth connectivity or Hall effect switches, which actuate through the use of magnets. Notably, the Bluetooth version of the keyboard only seems to have one Bluetooth channel, compared to cheaper wireless keyboards that let you pair and toggle across multiple, simultaneously paired devices.
The lavish side of mechanical keyboards
Ultimately, the keyboard's unique construction, design cues, and lack of mass production contribute to a four-figure price tag that'll shock those not accustomed to the overly luxurious side of mechanical keyboards. Agarkov told Null Society that one of the biggest challenges with making The Icebreaker was "balancing the design with practical considerations."
"For instance, the keyboard is intentionally heavy and large, which, funny enough, was a point of confusion for the manufacturers," he added.
As you may have determined by now, The Icebreaker's price is more about style and clout than advanced features or high-end typing. In fact, you don’t even get a numpad or switches at this price. For comparison, Angry Miaom is no stranger to outrageously priced keyboards, but as of this writing, its only keyboards with MSRPs over $1,000 are split keyboards:
Still, The Icebreaker is an example of how dedicated, artistic, and daring mechanical keyboard enthusiasts can be and how much time, effort, and expense can impact crafting a one-of-a-kind keyboard that’s sure to get people talking.
In the world of mechanical keyboards, unreasonable luxury is par for the course. For the avid collector out there, The Icebreaker can make for one expensive trophy.