NovelKeys has the stuff to make your typing experience just the way you like it.
Not many years ago, Mike Sickler, a WVU grad from Philippi, was back home working his parents’ farm in Barbour County when his gaming hobby led him down a very non-agricultural rabbit hole.
Sickler bought a Razer “mechanical” gaming keyboard. It felt better than his run-of-the-mill “membrane” keyboard—more tactile, less “like typing into a bowl of mashed potatoes,” he says. He liked it and, to supply other people who liked the feel of a more responsive keyboard, he started a business he called NovelKeys in his basement in 2016.
It turned out Sickler was good at the business. He found ways to make boutique keyboards more accessible, and he got into original designs. His business grew and grew and, in 2021, he moved it to Morgantown.
NovelKeys sells keyboards, which in this business are the housings without any guts, and keycaps, the parts we strike to type—plus the electronic “switches” under the keycaps, other keyboard guts, and accessories.
Curious? We were, too, so we called Sickler to learn more.
Q: Your website says you’re providing access to “an elevated typing experience.” What are we missing that we don’t even know we’re missing?
Mike Sickler: It’s all about designing your keyboard to your preference, whether you want it clicky, with a bump, or kind of smooth. With a mechanical keyboard, you can take the keys apart, buy different switches, add a little lubricant so it feels smoother—it’s all about how you want it to feel.
Q: What are your most interesting products?
MS: I think the coolest things we do are our licensed keycaps. I have a deal with Disney to do Star Wars keycaps and a deal with Sony where I’m doing Ghostbusters and Breaking Bad keycaps. More recently, we got the license for the superhero show The Boys, and we’re still developing the design for the keycaps. All of these keycaps designs are currently exclusive to us.
Q: What’s the geographical range of your customer base?
MS: It’s worldwide. We ship a lot to Japan, Singapore, Korea, all over Europe. Having the office here in Morgantown has also brought us some Morgantown customers.
Interesting story: I’m a big fan of Breaking Bad—that’s the reason we have that license. A couple months ago, we got a tweet that someone was excited about these Breaking Bad keycaps we made. I looked up who it was, and it was one of the writers from Breaking Bad! We were all stoked.
Q: How many people work at NovelKeys?
MS: Including myself, we have 10 people.
Q: What’s a good first step for someone who wants to try customizing their typing experience with NovelKeys?
MS: Purchasing one of our entry-level keyboards is the best way. Keyboards used to be super expensive to get into, but I’ve worked with manufacturers in China to get an entry-level keyboard that is injection molded but still gives you a good typing experience at a more affordable price. From there, you can customize it the way you like. We use “hotswap” so you don’t have to solder your switches in—it just has pressure points that hold the contacts in—so you can try different types and see what you like.
If you spend a third of your life at a keyboard—you know who you are—have a look at NovelKeys’ website to see if this rabbit hole appeals to you.
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