Are you a mechanical keyboard freak like me? I have boards with all kind of switches: blues, reds, browns, topre, etc. Personally, the topres and browns are my go-to for everyday battle, though I like to bring out the blues if I want to upset the neighbors.

Imagine my surprise when I tracked down Hawk (real name), the designer of the new Lenovo Y900 laptops and all of Lenovo’s reborn gaming/performance laptop line. He’s a seriously passionate dude, in a way that makes you realize the Y900 series isn’t just some specced-up laptop to appeal to twitchy gamers, but a love-letter to the high performance mobile PC crowd.

I think I must have been the first person to talk to him at CES. And I was definitely the first person to get all geek crazy when he popped a keycap off the Y900 laptop to show me the mechanical laptop switches. I had to take pics and see what this was all about. For full-size nerditry, right click the image below and open in a new tab.

Earlier, I had managed to snag some personal time with the Lenovo 17” Y900. Immediately, I could tell the keyboard was something special. The keys felt similar to the Cherry browns. Now, this isn't the first laptop with mechanical keys. The MSI Dominator Titan GT80 (thanks for the correction, late CES nights) uses actual Cherry switches in a "laptop" that's barely a laptop, more like a mobile screen with keyboard attached. The Lenovo, however, is a legit laptop albeit on the large size, but something I could see using as my main mobile rig.

After trying the Y900, I was on a mission to find the story behind these keys. So I tracked down Hawk.

With Hawk, I went all geek on the keys and asked him to tell me everything. He said a new company -- not Cherry or Kailh or any of the usual suspects -- designed these switches and Hawk knew they’d be a hit with our crowd.

Interestingly, the keycaps can be replaced, though they use a different low profile stem and not the typical MX stems. Lenovo will offer some additional keycaps, but mostly for gaming layout (think WASD). I told him we need more options. Who wants a custom keycap set? This guy. Hopefully the design company will release the 3D files to let the pros at Signature Plastics, Vortex, Tai-Hao, GMYK GMK (dreaming of those GMK CMYK caps, ya know how it is) and others go to town.

For me, the typing experience was a mobile dream. The Y900’s keys felt similar to the brown switches,maybe reds, clearly with less travel, but with the mechanical magic. I got lost in my personal little typing test in a way that felt like I wasn’t compromising much of the tactical good stuff. Sure, I’d like to be on my topre with PBTs board, but we’re talking laptops with replaceable keys, guys, this is a big deal.

Aside from the keycaps, this is one of the best laptop typing experiences I’ve had, in part because Hawk paid special attention to the arrow keys to give you hands some space to do their work. If you’re a touch typist like me, the latest laptop keyboards are a mess with all the keys (including the ten keys) packed in there so tight it’s impossible to get a sense of placement without looking down.

Additionally, Hawk added an integrated wrist rest that isn't for show, it's super plush. Why aren’t more people doing this? It’s some kind of soft touch rubber stuff that, while not very thick, is just right. Lenovo Y900, I need you in my life.

So expect to see an early review of the Lenovo Y900 and its mechanical keyboard goodness right here on GameCrate. Mech RGB super high performance laptop? Hawk, my man, keep it coming.