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Topic Starter
Did someone just say Gateron BROWNS????Nameless wrote:
It's just an Anne Pro 2 with Gateron Browns, and the Akko World Tour keycap set but I think it looks pretty nice. I just wanted something that fit nicely in my setup, is all. Don't really wanna invest heavily outside of that right now because of budgetary reasons (and me just not needing anything nicer)
...
Aesthetics wise, personally not a fan of the keycaps but it's quite nice.
It's still a very clean looking keyboard and it fits your setup very well.
It has a 60% form factor, which is too small for me. Tbh, I don't really care about saving spaces on my desk so I don't see the point of 60%. And they are very annoying to use to me. However, since form factor is a very subjective thing, I won't fault it for that.
Nothing much to say about build quality, quite standard for modern mechs.
The keycaps are dyesubbed PBT made by Akko. Tbh I think Akko makes some of the better stock keycaps. I quite like their caps. Too bad they often stick to the more fruity colours, which I'm not really a fan of. They have a classic set that is based on the Cherry 9009 keyboard though and that one looks pretty good.
Back to topic, they're dye subbed, so they're of high quality and the legends will never fade away. They also use a normal font and the position of the letters are in the correct position, which is a plus.
Now, on to the bad stuffs.
Fucking Gateron Browns.
So, Gateron shit, which is brown... I mean, Gateron Brown which is shit is a clone of Cherry MX shit, which is brown... I mean, Cherry MX brown, which is shit.
As you may have noticed, by copying shit, you produce shit.
But yes, Gateron Brown is a light linear switches that gets very scratchy at the middle of the key travel. And because of the scratchiness, some people, and in fact, even manufacturers, claim that the switch is actually tactile.
Honestly, this is a quite nice keyboard, but the browns kinda ruined it.
6/10
DeletedUser_4310508
The worst part about this is that I'm in complete agreement on browns. I wish I had gone for another switch and *man* I cannot be assed to solder better switches in. Will just have to live with it until I get my next board I supposeTad Fibonacci wrote:
Did someone just say Gateron BROWNS????Nameless wrote:
It's just an Anne Pro 2 with Gateron Browns, and the Akko World Tour keycap set but I think it looks pretty nice. I just wanted something that fit nicely in my setup, is all. Don't really wanna invest heavily outside of that right now because of budgetary reasons (and me just not needing anything nicer)
...
Aesthetics wise, personally not a fan of the keycaps but it's quite nice.
It's still a very clean looking keyboard and it fits your setup very well.
It has a 60% form factor, which is too small for me. Tbh, I don't really care about saving spaces on my desk so I don't see the point of 60%. And they are very annoying to use to me. However, since form factor is a very subjective thing, I won't fault it for that.
Nothing much to say about build quality, quite standard for modern mechs.
The keycaps are dyesubbed PBT made by Akko. Tbh I think Akko makes some of the better stock keycaps. I quite like their caps. Too bad they often stick to the more fruity colours, which I'm not really a fan of. They have a classic set that is based on the Cherry 9009 keyboard though and that one looks pretty good.
Back to topic, they're dye subbed, so they're of high quality and the legends will never fade away. They also use a normal font and the position of the letters are in the correct position, which is a plus.
Now, on to the bad stuffs.
Fucking Gateron Browns.
So, Gateron shit, which is brown... I mean, Gateron Brown which is shit is a clone of Cherry MX shit, which is brown... I mean, Cherry MX brown, which is shit.
As you may have noticed, by copying shit, you produce shit.
But yes, Gateron Brown is a light linear switches that gets very scratchy at the middle of the key travel. And because of the scratchiness, some people, and in fact, even manufacturers, claim that the switch is actually tactile.
Honestly, this is a quite nice keyboard, but the browns kinda ruined it.
6/10
I also should probably get at least a 65% board. Programming without dedicated arrow keys is a little annoying, so if anyone passing by this post has recommendations of good 65%s and above at a reasonable cost that have a white case, lemme know I guess
Topic Starter
For 65%, I think the GK64 is a pretty good choice.Nameless wrote:
The worst part about this is that I'm in complete agreement on browns. I wish I had gone for another switch and *man* I cannot be assed to solder better switches in. Will just have to live with it until I get my next board I suppose
I also should probably get at least a 65% board. Programming without dedicated arrow keys is a little annoying, so if anyone passing by this post has recommendations of good 65%s and above at a reasonable cost that have a white case, lemme know I guess
You can get it with or without switches, alu plate or plastic plate, plastic case or alu case.
And you can make it have a split spacebar if you want.
It also have hotswap so you can try out different switches on it.
The only downside I can think of is that it's a tray mount keyboard, which can make the keys where you screw the plate in feels very hard.
Just make sure it's a normal model and not a optical switch model if you want to use different switches on it.
DeletedUser_4310508
Cheers pal, that's very helpful <3Tad Fibonacci wrote:
For 65%, I think the GK64 is a pretty good choice.
You can get it with or without switches, alu plate or plastic plate, plastic case or alu case.
And you can make it have a split spacebar if you want.
It also have hotswap so you can try out different switches on it.
The only downside I can think of is that it's a tray mount keyboard, which can make the keys where you screw the plate in feels very hard.
Just make sure it's a normal model and not a optical switch model if you want to use different switches on it.
Topic Starter
Np mate, glad to be of help.Nameless wrote:
Cheers pal, that's very helpful <3Tad Fibonacci wrote:
For 65%, I think the GK64 is a pretty good choice.
You can get it with or without switches, alu plate or plastic plate, plastic case or alu case.
And you can make it have a split spacebar if you want.
It also have hotswap so you can try out different switches on it.
The only downside I can think of is that it's a tray mount keyboard, which can make the keys where you screw the plate in feels very hard.
Just make sure it's a normal model and not a optical switch model if you want to use different switches on it.
heyo Tad,
here's my first ever mech that I bought new.
Rakk Illis, red outemus, hotswappable with other outemu switches.
and it cost me only 2k PHP ($40)!
I don't have a quiet place where I can do a typing test, so here's a typing test of the same keyboard:
here's my first ever mech that I bought new.
Rakk Illis, red outemus, hotswappable with other outemu switches.
and it cost me only 2k PHP ($40)!
I don't have a quiet place where I can do a typing test, so here's a typing test of the same keyboard:
Topic Starter
That's a very nice layout.Lapizote wrote:
heyo Tad,
here's my first ever mech that I bought new.
Rakk Illis, red outemus, hotswappable with other outemu switches.
and it cost me only 2k PHP ($40)!
I don't have a quiet place where I can do a typing test, so here's a typing test of the same keyboard:
Aesthetics wise, it looks nice and clean. I especially love the layout. I have a similar board with basically the same layout, but it have Cherry blues in it. Although, I wish the gaps would've been a little bit thicker, since they kinda thinned them out on this board so the key blocks looks a bit squished together.
But overall, not a bad looking keyboard.
Build quality wise, again, it's pretty standard at this point. However, one thing to point out is that the upper case, including the high bezels is a separate piece and can be detached or switched out. That's actually a pretty nice touch especially if you want to customize your board. If you want a high profile board, then just leave it as is. If you want a low profile board, then just remove the top.
However, I'm not sure if having such a removable top case would compromise any ruggedness. Having the top case built like that might make it more of a show piece than an actual functional layer of protection. But again, this is just me guessing, it might still be able to provide the same protection as a traditional case.
The keycaps listed on their website said that they're ABS double shots. Which means they're very durable and the legends will never fade away. Although I'm guessing this is a different model since the caps on their website looks nothing like the caps in your picture. Which is a good thing since the caps on their other models looks fucking hideous with their stencil and square gamer fonts. These caps uses a normal font with no stencil. Which is a good thing. They looks way better than the ones on their older boards.
I'm guessing they're made out of doubleshot PBT.
On to the switches. Outemu reds are similar to cherry reds. They're both a light weight linear switch.
Their light weighting is nice, but it's a pain for me to use them to type since they're too light and I makes a lot of mistakes using them.
Nothing really special about them really.
Although I found on Rakk's website that they also sell models with Gateron yellows and I think that's a much better choice. Sure, that model doesn't have hotswap like the model you got. But Outemu's hotswap sockets are only compatible with other Outemu switches. And in my opinion, Outemus aren't that interesting or good enough to be considered compared to other switch makers. So I'd rather use Gateron yellows permanently on my board than to have hotswap that only works with Outemu switches.
Oh and I forgot to mention, in the typing test, I can't not notice the horrible stab rattle.
Those sounds fucking horrible. But since it's a hot swap keyboard, replacing or modding them shouldn't be too hard I think.
Overall, a quite decent keyboard. Although with a quite limited choice in switches.
6/10
great writeup!
although I'd like to point out that I couldn't find any stores that I know selling gateron yellow versions for the new version of the Illis (idk why tho, maybe the oem doesn't manufacture them anymore?), so I just chose the outemu reds. plus, I like the hotswap feature so that I can just replace switches that would break.
regardless, I myself am still pretty happy with this keyboard considering the price that I got them at.
although I'd like to point out that I couldn't find any stores that I know selling gateron yellow versions for the new version of the Illis (idk why tho, maybe the oem doesn't manufacture them anymore?), so I just chose the outemu reds. plus, I like the hotswap feature so that I can just replace switches that would break.
regardless, I myself am still pretty happy with this keyboard considering the price that I got them at.
Hi can you r8 my 30 dollar keyboards pls thanks https://www.ipictek.com/products/pictek-tkl-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-87-key
Topic Starter
Nothing much to talk about.Bambinex wrote:
Hi can you r8 my 30 dollar keyboards pls thanks https://www.ipictek.com/products/pictek-tkl-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-87-key
Looks pretty okay. Although, really generic.
Decent build quality.
Keycaps are ABS doubleshot so they're durable, but the letters are stenciled, which is ugly af.
Switches are "professional equivalent switches"... Whatever that means.
The site does mention that it uses blue switches, so I'm guessing it uses a cherry blue clone.
The sounds produced by those switches are fucking horrible.
Also, half of the description about this keyboard is about the RGB for whatever reason.
Overall, a cheap functional mechanical keyboard.
5/10
Actually I like the sound of the switches lmaoTad Fibonacci wrote:
Nothing much to talk about.Bambinex wrote:
Hi can you r8 my 30 dollar keyboards pls thanks https://www.ipictek.com/products/pictek-tkl-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-87-key
Looks pretty okay. Although, really generic.
Decent build quality.
Keycaps are ABS doubleshot so they're durable, but the letters are stenciled, which is ugly af.
Switches are "professional equivalent switches"... Whatever that means.
The site does mention that it uses blue switches, so I'm guessing it uses a cherry blue clone.
The sounds produced by those switches are fucking horrible.
Also, half of the description about this keyboard is about the RGB for whatever reason.
Overall, a cheap functional mechanical keyboard.
5/10
But just for asking, what would a 10/10 keyboard be like?
most likely something like thisBambinex wrote:
But just for asking, what would a 10/10 keyboard be like?
Topic Starter
NoHydreigon wrote:
most likely something like thisBambinex wrote:
But just for asking, what would a 10/10 keyboard be like?
Legend has it that a 10/10 keyboard is yet to be made
Can you rate this keyboard too (bonus edition) if this doesn't get 10/10 I don't understand what will
Topic Starter
Since this is not an entry of anyone here, I will refrain from reviewing it in details or register a score for it.Bambinex wrote:
Can you rate this keyboard too (bonus edition) if this doesn't get 10/10 I don't understand what will
But if I were to rate it, it will not be a 10/10.
It'll sit somewhere in the 8 or mid 8 score.
The reason is that 1st of all, it's a very expensive keyboard and is more akin to a luxurious product.
I can see the money spent to make it is mostly invested into the build quality and aesthetics of the board.
Which in of itself, isn't a bad thing, but to me at least, custom boards like these doesn't have a good sense of identity.
Most of them sound virtually the same and have the same type of aesthetics.
Now, let's compare this $850 keyboard to for example, one of the highest rate keyboards I've rated here - abraker's keyboard, the Steelseries Apex Pro.
Aesthetics wise, both boards looks pretty good, but the Mode 80 does look better imo because of the thick bezels.
Build quality wise, of course the Mode 80 would win again. It's literally a block of machined metal.
Now, switches. Does the Mode 80 have better switches than the Steelseries? No.
The Mode 80 uses contact based switches, which inherently require a scratching motion to actuates. Whereas, the Steelseries uses contactless hall effects switches, which are inherently smooth.
You can also change the actuation point of the Steelseries board since it's a analog switch, which you can't do on the Mode 80.
Not to mention durability.
Contact based switches all have their life span at around 50 million keypresses,and some could reach 80 million.
But hall effects switches life span can potentially reach billions of keypresses. So basically, hall effects switches are immortal if you're using them normally.
Okay, so what about special features?
The mode 80 in the vid have hotswap and key mapping. And that's about it really.
The Steelseries have changable actuation point, as mentioned before, it has a LED screen that you can fuck around with and yes, the switches are clip in, so you can replace them, lube them or clean them very easily if needed.
Tldr: Yes, the keyboard in the video is a very good keyboard.
But it doesn't do anything well enough to be considered as a "perfect keyboard".
Also, my scoring is only my opinion. And you can agree or not agree with them. What matters is what you think.
If you think the keyboard in the video deserves to be a 10/10 keyboard then it is a 10/10 keyboard to you.
D65 w/ unlubed Gat INK Blacks
Case: Alu
Plate: Brass
Stabs: lubed & clipped cherry screw-ins
Mounting style: Gasket
Switches: Gateron INK Blacks
Keycaps: SA PBT DYE-SUB
Case: Alu
Plate: Brass
Stabs: lubed & clipped cherry screw-ins
Mounting style: Gasket
Switches: Gateron INK Blacks
Keycaps: SA PBT DYE-SUB
I recently purchased this board after desperately trying to find a good 65% board that was in stock. It was a little more expensive than the other ones that I was viewing at the time (nk65, kbd67mII, etc), but I was fine with spending a little bit extra since I’ve been waiting so long to find something in stock.
The variant that I bought is the Aluminum case in e-white with a brass plate. The board is a gasket mount system with screw-in stabs. It comes with cherry stabs, which I find to be acceptable.
The build process was fairly simple, only took me about an hour or so. I clipped and lubed the stabs then screwed them in. Then I put on the foam gaskets. Next step was to install the standoffs then mount the pcb to the plate. After that I placed the dampening foam, put the switches into the pcb, then sandwiched it inbetween the top case and bottom case. Then I screwed it all together and put on the key caps.
The keycaps I purchased for this build are temporary, as I’m currently in a Group Buy for a nice set of ePBT Soju’s that will be here next year. Nonetheless, I wanted to get something nice that would last until then. I bought a set of SA profile PBT keycaps. The images and marketing make them out to be violet/purple, but in reality, they are more blue than anything. I honestly think the blue looks better anyways, so I’m glad it is how it is.
This is my first time using a premium linear switch. The only type of linear I had used before this were Cherry Reds. I am honestly astounded at how good Black Inks are stock. Compared to the other switches I have used, they feel like they are already lubed, that’s how smooth they are. I’m excited to actually lube them and see how they feel, but I think I’ll use them stock for a bit.
Topic Starter
Owh noice.Penguin wrote:
D65 w/ unlubed Gat INK Blacks
Case: Alu
Plate: Brass
Stabs: lubed & clipped cherry screw-ins
Mounting style: Gasket
Switches: Gateron INK Blacks
Keycaps: SA PBT DYE-SUB
I recently purchased this board after desperately trying to find a good 65% board that was in stock. It was a little more expensive than the other ones that I was viewing at the time (nk65, kbd67mII, etc), but I was fine with spending a little bit extra since I’ve been waiting so long to find something in stock.
The variant that I bought is the Aluminum case in e-white with a brass plate. The board is a gasket mount system with screw-in stabs. It comes with cherry stabs, which I find to be acceptable.
The build process was fairly simple, only took me about an hour or so. I clipped and lubed the stabs then screwed them in. Then I put on the foam gaskets. Next step was to install the standoffs then mount the pcb to the plate. After that I placed the dampening foam, put the switches into the pcb, then sandwiched it inbetween the top case and bottom case. Then I screwed it all together and put on the key caps.
The keycaps I purchased for this build are temporary, as I’m currently in a Group Buy for a nice set of ePBT Soju’s that will be here next year. Nonetheless, I wanted to get something nice that would last until then. I bought a set of SA profile PBT keycaps. The images and marketing make them out to be violet/purple, but in reality, they are more blue than anything. I honestly think the blue looks better anyways, so I’m glad it is how it is.
This is my first time using a premium linear switch. The only type of linear I had used before this were Cherry Reds. I am honestly astounded at how good Black Inks are stock. Compared to the other switches I have used, they feel like they are already lubed, that’s how smooth they are. I’m excited to actually lube them and see how they feel, but I think I’ll use them stock for a bit.
Aesthetics wise, it looks pretty good.
It has decently thick bezels and a blocker for the arrow keys which breaks up the board a bit and makes it look nicer.
And it serves another function which makes the arrow keys easier to find by touch. On boards which have the layout squished together, I always have to look at it whenever I use the arrow keys, so I like boards that do something to make them stand out a bit more than usual.
Although, it's a bit weird that the blocker is of another separate piece though. I get it's for customizability and you could swap them out with different accented pieces, but I don't think most people are gonna do that. And having a separate piece would leave a pretty noticeable seam which looks a bit weird ngl.
But overall, a very aesthetically pleasing keyboard. The only thing that would make it better imo is that the 3 keys on the right would also be separated since it will look better that way and it'll make the backspace stand out more since not having the backspace at an edge is a bit weird and would take a bit of getting used to, at least that's the case for me.
Build quality wise, yeah, it' very good.
The board is literally a block of metal. It also have a brass plate, which probably would increase the weight even further.
Although, the weight would be a downside if you want to bring it anywhere with you I suppose.
The keycaps are dye subbed PBT SA profile caps.
They're dye subbed, so they should be of high quality and very durable.
This set looks pretty nice too, as far as I can see, there isn't any defects or misalignment on the caps. Which can happen pretty regularly on cheaper dye subbed sets. (or even more expensive ones)
SA is a pretty cool profile also. It stem from a vintage keycap profile often found on the keyboards of old.
It's very tall though, so if you're used to OEM or Cherry profile, you'll need some time to get used to it.
Although in this case, aesthetically speaking, they look fine, but their colour scheme makes the board looks a bit bland.
And since they are very tall and thick, they kinda covered up the brass plate, so you can barely see the plate at all.
Imo, you should use a cap set with a more contrasting colour, or goes with the colours that would match well with the brass.
The switches are Gateron black Inks.
They're of a mid to heavy weighting linear switch that's made by Gateron with a "mystery" blend of plastic that makes it smoother than usual.
And indeed, it's a very smooth switch, with a very nice sound profile. The sound is not as clacky as some other linear switches, but they are pretty deep and nice. But in this case on this board, they sound a bit high pitched. I'm guessing it's because of the brass plate. Brass plates are heavier, denser and harder than aluminum, which is why they tend to make switches sound higher pitched. But I bet the sound can be improved significantly if you were to lube the switches.
And although, Gat ink blacks are very smooth, they're not as smooth as some of other competing linear switches out there.
For example, JWK switches are often smoother than ink blacks. Although, JWK switches often sound more high pitched and not as nice as ink blacks, so it's up to you which aspect is more important I guess.
This board also have hotswaps, which is a nice touch as well. It takes less time to build than a normal custom that requires soldering and it's just more convenient overall to have hotswap since you can modify the board anytime you want pretty quickly and you could try out different switches also.
Overall, a pretty good luxury custom mechanical keyboard.
8/10
Topic Starter
It seems that abraker have been dethroned of having the best keyboard in this thread.
Although tbf, he still have the first place, but now it's a shared one.
Although tbf, he still have the first place, but now it's a shared one.
wait wut
Wonder how this’ll be rated
Edit: nvm I didn’t read the header post carefully my bad
Edit: nvm I didn’t read the header post carefully my bad
Tad Fibonacci wrote:
Although, it's a bit weird that the blocker is of another separate piece though. I get it's for customizability and you could swap them out with different accented pieces, but I don't think most people are gonna do that. And having a separate piece would leave a pretty noticeable seam which looks a bit weird ngl.
I actually plan on buying a green colored blocker to match my soju keycaps once I get them. Also, I don’t really have a preference when it comes to seams and whatnot. I think KBs with seams can look just as good or better than ones without. I like how it looks with this KB.
Yah, it’s heavy as fuck lol. I bought a nice carrying case for it, so it won’t be bad to transport it.Tad Fibonacci wrote:
The board is literally a block of metal. It also have a brass plate, which probably would increase the weight even further.
Although, the weight would be a downside if you want to bring it anywhere with you I suppose.
I really like the simple color scheme that I have going on. I prefer a nice cohesive look rather than having massive contrast. Also, I don’t really plan on matching to the brass plate. It’s not too noticeable as is and even when I do notice it, it looks fine.Tad Fibonacci wrote:
Although in this case, aesthetically speaking, they look fine, but their colour scheme makes the board looks a bit bland.
And since they are very tall and thick, they kinda covered up the brass plate, so you can barely see the plate at all.
Imo, you should use a cap set with a more contrasting colour, or goes with the colours that would match well with the brass.
I think I’m gonna buy some Tangerines and try them out. I think they would sound really nice and clacky with my brass plate.Tad Fibonacci wrote:
For example, JWK switches are often smoother than ink blacks. Although, JWK switches often sound more high pitched and not as nice as ink blacks, so it's up to you which aspect is more important I guess.
Hi, since this is a keyboard thread, I'm gonna put my question for tad here
Is this keyboard a good deal? Because I'm searching for a keyboard with cherry mx red and this one seems really cool. is it worth the 160 dollars ? And if no, do you have any advices on chat keyboard should I choose ?
https://fr.steelseries.com/gaming-keyboards/apex-7-tkl?language=french&switch=red
Is this keyboard a good deal? Because I'm searching for a keyboard with cherry mx red and this one seems really cool. is it worth the 160 dollars ? And if no, do you have any advices on chat keyboard should I choose ?
https://fr.steelseries.com/gaming-keyboards/apex-7-tkl?language=french&switch=red
Topic Starter
I actually rated this board in this thread before.Bambinex wrote:
Hi, since this is a keyboard thread, I'm gonna put my question for tad here
Is this keyboard a good deal? Because I'm searching for a keyboard with cherry mx red and this one seems really cool. is it worth the 160 dollars ? And if no, do you have any advices on chat keyboard should I choose ?
https://fr.steelseries.com/gaming-keyboards/apex-7-tkl?language=french&switch=red
It's here: community/forums/posts/7914278
Basically it's okay, but there are better choices out there, especially at that price point.
Edit: For suggestions, in that price point, I think the Razer Huntsman TE is a much better choice. It comes with Razer optical contactless switches that are butter smooth and is kitted out with Razer's doubleshot PBT keycaps.
Although, you don't get the niche screen of the Steelseries, but tbh they aren't that useful to begin with.
Topic Starter
I'm gonna bump this thread with a mini switch review.
So I've been using the new Jwick switches for a few weeks now. They came up in the market pretty recently, and became extremely popular.
They're pretty cheap too, only around the price of Gateron yellows, which is a really good price for a budget switch.
They're dubbed the "Gateron yellows killer" and people have said that they're a much better switch for the same price, but are the rumours any true?
Interestingly enough, for such a popular switch, there is close to no info about them out there whatsoever. I've tried to look for more information, but there are close to none. I couldn't find any force graphs, actuation force or anything really. The only review I've found on Youtube for it was in Malay(?) or Singaporean or something.
It's quite a mysterious switch despite how well known it is. The only information that I've found floating was more or less a rumour because the sites list them as "supposedly produced by JWK". Which is weird since they're branded as "Jwick" but whatever.
So I ordered around 90 switches. I got the Jwick red switches because why not? Tried them out for a while, then lubed and filmed them, and then tried them out again.
I've also been comparing them with my Gateron milky yellows which are also lubed and filmed.
They're both lubed with Krytox 205g0 and filmed with Kelowna films.
Stock wise, I'd say, they're definitely a better switch than Gateron yellows.
Right out of the box, you can tell that it's smoother than stock Gateron switches. But this is quite expected since unlike Gateron yellows, the Jwick switches are in fact, factory lubed.
The quality of the factory lubing is quite good as well. Honestly, I think it's quite a good stock budget linear switch if you don't care to mod switches yourself. And tbh, they're even better than some of the more premium linear switches stock. The lubing was quite consistent, and in a batch of 10 switches, I only got 2 to 3 switches that aren't on par with the others. Overall, a pretty good switch. I'd say, if you don't care about lubing or filming your swicthes and you want a good budget linear switch, then you should definitely get these.
After using them stock for a while, I've also lubed and filmed them. At first I wasn't gonna film them, but since I'm gonna compare them to my batch of Gateron Yellows which I've filmed, I thought I should film them also just so that they're on the same level.
And what I found is that after being lubed and filmed, the Jwick switches performed roughly the same as the Gateron yellows. The Jwicks are slightly smoother, but not by a whole lot.
The biggest difference I can feel was that the Jwicks was significantly lighter than the Gateron Yellows, though that's because I got the Jwick reds instead of Jwick yellows.
Weighting wise, I think The Jwick reds are around the same as other red switches like Cherry reds.
The Jwick yellows are not the same as Gateron yellows though. Only the bottom out force is provided, so I don't know how much force does it take to actuates the switch, but the Jwick yellows bottom out at 65 grams while the Gateron yellows are around 62-63 grams. So it's only 2-3 grams of difference so idk if it's noticeable.
Keep in mind that although the Jwick reds bottoms out at 60 grams, the actuation force is around the same as cherry reds, so it's a pretty light switch and I made a lot of mistakes using them at first since I wasn't used to the light weighting.
So if you wanted a switch with similar weighting to Gateron Yellows, get the Jwick Yellows. Although they're not the same weighting and the Jwick yellows are slightly heavier than Gateron Yellows.
Overall, I think it's quite a decent switch.
I'd say given the choice between these and Gateron Yellows, I'd definitely pick the Jwicks.
They're smoother and nicer. Although after being modded, they're not that much better. So if you're already using Gateron yellows, I don't think it's necessary to throw them out to buy the Jwicks since they won't perform that much better.
Another difference is the sound though. The Jwick reds are much more clackier than Gateron Milky Yellows.
The gateron milky yellows are quite muted after being lubed and filmed, but the Jwicks are still quite loud and high pitched.
Sound test:
Tad Fibonacci wrote:
Hmmmm...
I don't really think that Jwick switches will be popular at all in NA for quite some time. The shipping that we would have to pay to buy those switches kind of eliminates the cost efficacy that those switches are known for. It would cost just as much to get premium switches from an NA vendor as it would to order Jwick switches from foreign vendors. With that being said, it's possible that if Jwick switches gain a lot of traction and are extremely popular in South-East Asia, then maybe an NA vendor will buy some and distribute it in NA for an affordable price for us.
As for a status on my builds.. I've made some changes to my boards over the past few months. First of all, I bought some Box Navy switches and have been using those in my GMMK TKL as my daily driver. I sort of enjoy clicky switches, but Navys are not really the smoothest and kind of bind when pressing on the edge of the keycap. It might be due to the absurd force curve that Navys have, or it just be a bad batch, who knows.
I also ordered a PBT Cherry profile keycap set (PBT Notion from NK) and put my Glorious Pandas into my D65 board instead of the Black Inks.
I believe that the Glorious Pandas work very well on the brass plate of my board. I like the sound signature a lot more than the Black Inks on brass. Black Inks would work a lot better on a PC plate since are known for being a muted low pitch linear, which is what I intend on using them for once I receive my KBD67 Lite that I ordered in group buy.
Also, extras for the Portico Keyboard from TKC just went live a few days ago, so I ordered one of those along with some Infinikey BoW PBT keycaps. It has been shipped and should arrive in anywhere from a few days to a week. I've been lubing my Tangerine switches and plan on using those in my Portico Build. I've been using my old GMMK TKL as my daily driver, but I will most likely switch to the Portico once I build that.
Also, I've been reading a lot of good things on the new switches from Kinetic Labs. The most popular of the bunch being their "Penguin" switch, which is sold out. They also have a "Hippo" switch, a "Salmon" switch, and will soon have a "Husky" switch. I plan on buying a batch of all 4 of these and trying them out. The Salmon and Husky switches have Symmetric Long Springs which seems very interesting.
As for a status on my builds.. I've made some changes to my boards over the past few months. First of all, I bought some Box Navy switches and have been using those in my GMMK TKL as my daily driver. I sort of enjoy clicky switches, but Navys are not really the smoothest and kind of bind when pressing on the edge of the keycap. It might be due to the absurd force curve that Navys have, or it just be a bad batch, who knows.
I also ordered a PBT Cherry profile keycap set (PBT Notion from NK) and put my Glorious Pandas into my D65 board instead of the Black Inks.
I believe that the Glorious Pandas work very well on the brass plate of my board. I like the sound signature a lot more than the Black Inks on brass. Black Inks would work a lot better on a PC plate since are known for being a muted low pitch linear, which is what I intend on using them for once I receive my KBD67 Lite that I ordered in group buy.
Also, extras for the Portico Keyboard from TKC just went live a few days ago, so I ordered one of those along with some Infinikey BoW PBT keycaps. It has been shipped and should arrive in anywhere from a few days to a week. I've been lubing my Tangerine switches and plan on using those in my Portico Build. I've been using my old GMMK TKL as my daily driver, but I will most likely switch to the Portico once I build that.
Also, I've been reading a lot of good things on the new switches from Kinetic Labs. The most popular of the bunch being their "Penguin" switch, which is sold out. They also have a "Hippo" switch, a "Salmon" switch, and will soon have a "Husky" switch. I plan on buying a batch of all 4 of these and trying them out. The Salmon and Husky switches have Symmetric Long Springs which seems very interesting.
Topic Starter
I see. That makes sense I guess since most of the Western sites I've seen that have them on their listing are almost always sold out.Penguin wrote:
I don't really think that Jwick switches will be popular at all in NA for quite some time. The shipping that we would have to pay to buy those switches kind of eliminates the cost efficacy that those switches are known for. It would cost just as much to get premium switches from an NA vendor as it would to order Jwick switches from foreign vendors. With that being said, it's possible that if Jwick switches gain a lot of traction and are extremely popular in South-East Asia, then maybe an NA vendor will buy some and distribute it in NA for an affordable price for us.
That sounds kinda weird. Box switches don't really bind in my experience. I have tried Box navies before and I don't think I've encountered the binding you've mentioned. Although I didn't used it for any extended amount of time so I can't really tell either. But my Box jades doesn't have any binding issues.Penguin wrote:
As for a status on my builds.. I've made some changes to my boards over the past few months. First of all, I bought some Box Navy switches and have been using those in my GMMK TKL as my daily driver. I sort of enjoy clicky switches, but Navys are not really the smoothest and kind of bind when pressing on the edge of the keycap. It might be due to the absurd force curve that Navys have, or it just be a bad batch, who knows.
But yeah, Box switches aren't that smooth. Even if you lube them. I lubed my Jades and after lubing they feel exactly the same. Although the sound is a bit better, it's crisper and less pingy but I think that's just the spring so I think lubing the springs only would be a better option since it saves a lot of time, effort and lube.
But yeah, I think smoothness isn't as important on a tactile switch like Box Navies or Jades compared to a linear switches and Box switches aren't scratchy switches to begin with, so I personally think they're fine. They're smooth enough so that your experience with them is still a good one.
Damn those Glorious Pandas sounds so muted. Did put any foam in the keyboard?Penguin wrote:
I believe that the Glorious Pandas work very well on the brass plate of my board. I like the sound signature a lot more than the Black Inks on brass. Black Inks would work a lot better on a PC plate since are known for being a muted low pitch linear, which is what I intend on using them for once I receive my KBD67 Lite that I ordered in group buy.
Also Idk if it's the sound of the switch and keycap itself or the stabs but the spacebar is making a high pitched metallic sound. Sounds kinda like stabs ticking or rattle so you might want to take a look at it.
Yeah the spring seems interesting. Maybe I should get a bag of those and see how they perform.Penguin wrote:
Also, I've been reading a lot of good things on the new switches from Kinetic Labs. The most popular of the bunch being their "Penguin" switch, which is sold out. They also have a "Hippo" switch, a "Salmon" switch, and will soon have a "Husky" switch. I plan on buying a batch of all 4 of these and trying them out. The Salmon and Husky switches have Symmetric Long Springs which seems very interesting.
The Penguin switches sounds pretty nice when lubed also.
Topic Starter
You gotta provide more info before I can judge it properly.-Flaky- wrote:
Found this cheap optical keyboard on shopee.
Maybe name the keyboard model or post the site that you bought it from.
What's an optical keyboard lmao
moneysing
Took this picture from the amazon listing, which is here
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FXDHOKC/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=216160fea37d83039cd348b07fbec0c8&hsa_cr_id=9407479210401&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=84a609fa-e288-40df-8af4-6976732b9352&pd_rd_w=C8n25&pd_rd_wg=L8R12&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_1_title
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FXDHOKC/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=216160fea37d83039cd348b07fbec0c8&hsa_cr_id=9407479210401&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=84a609fa-e288-40df-8af4-6976732b9352&pd_rd_w=C8n25&pd_rd_wg=L8R12&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_1_title
Topic Starter
Optical keyboard probably isn't the correct terminology but, it basically means that it's a keyboard which uses optical switches.bambinex wrote:
What's an optical keyboard lmao
Most "normal" mechanical keyboards uses contacts to trigger and actuates, whereas optical switches uses a laser to register a key press. Optical switches are usually more durable and smoother since the triggering mechanism doesn't require a rubbing motion like normal contact based switches.
Welp if that's the keyboard you're using,moneusing wrote:
Took this picture from the amazon listing, which is here
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FXDHOKC/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=216160fea37d83039cd348b07fbec0c8&hsa_cr_id=9407479210401&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=84a609fa-e288-40df-8af4-6976732b9352&pd_rd_w=C8n25&pd_rd_wg=L8R12&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_1_title
Aesthetics wise, it looks okay. Nothing much to be said. Although the keycaps could've been better.
Nothing much can be said about build quality either. It's a standard plastic case with a metal mounting plate.
The keycaps are doubleshot, which means the legends will never fade away and it should be quite durable. I'm not sure if it's made with ABS or PBT though, the site doesn't really specify. Although the font they used is pretty ugly.
The switches are Outemu blue switches. Outemus are Cherry MX clones and they perform more or less the same as Cherry MX. I don't really consider one better than the other. However Outemu blues have a even worst sound than Cherry MX blues so there's that. Feel and performance wise, there isn't any tangible difference though. All and all, it's a cheap, okay switch. Nothing write home about.
This board also have hotswap. Although from the pictures, I think it's Outemu hotswap sockets. So basically those sockets will only fit Outemu switches and nothing else, so even though it's hotswap, your choices in switches are still limited.
But I guess it's a point towards serviability in the event that one of your switch breaks or simply cleaning you can just take them off.
Overall, a cheap, okay mechanical keyboard.
5/10
Tad Fibonacci wrote:
You gotta provide more info before I can judge it properly.-Flaky- wrote:
Found this cheap optical keyboard on shopee.
Maybe name the keyboard model or post the site that you bought it from.
https://shopee.co.th/SIGNO-KB-718-%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%94%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B4%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87-TKL-Mechanical-Keybord-Optical-Switch-2-%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%9A-Blue-RED-i.5325496.8415667557
this is where i brought from. It's signo KB-718 (Red optical switch)
Topic Starter
Aesthetics wise, I like it. It looks nice and simple. Not too showy or try hard. However the logo above the arrow keys looks a bit ugly in my opinion. Although it's not a ugly looking keyboard at all.-Flaky- wrote:
Tad Fibonacci wrote:
You gotta provide more info before I can judge it properly.-Flaky- wrote:
Found this cheap optical keyboard on shopee.
Maybe name the keyboard model or post the site that you bought it from.
https://shopee.co.th/SIGNO-KB-718-%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%94%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B4%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87-TKL-Mechanical-Keybord-Optical-Switch-2-%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%9A-Blue-RED-i.5325496.8415667557
this is where i brought from. It's signo KB-718 (Red optical switch)
Build quality is again, average. It has a plastic case with a metal mounting plate.
Although on the products page, it's said that the board weighs only 670 grams, which is pretty light for a TKL keyboard. I would've prefered a more chunkier board.
The keycaps looks to be doubleshot, but I'm not sure about it since I can't find anything about the keycaps on the site. It's stenciled so the font isn't the best, however it's still miles better than the gamer fonts that so many boards has. The legends are also in the correct spot, the top left, instead of being in the middle like most backlit keyboards, which is a plus.
Honestly, the keycaps looks actually quite nice with the sub legends on them. Pretty cool looking in my opinion. Although the branding on the spacebar looks fucking hideous. They already have their branding on the case already so I have no idea why they thought it'd be necessary to have another branding on the spacebar.
The switches are optical red switches. I'm not sure who made those switches and the site doesn't specify either. But regardless, since the switches are optical and does not rely on contacts to actuates, I think it's safe to assume that the key feel is quite smooth. Although I have not tried out this board myself so I can't really tell how smooth it is.
And another feature of being a contactless switch is that the life time of the switch is also very high. And indeed, on the products page, it listed the switch as having a life time of 100 million key strokes. But I think the real number could be much higher, and the reason why it's only listed as 100 million was because just to have the switches be tested to 100 million key strokes would have taken years already so they probably just pulled the plug after they've reached 100 million.
It also have N key rollover, 1000hz polling rate yadi yadi yada if you care about that.
Overall, quite a nice keyboard for it's price. Pretty cheap, but seems like quite a competent keyboard.
6/10
Topic Starter
For now I don't think there are any licensed Hololive keycaps just yet.Meah wrote:
I want to buy one with hololive keycaps
But yeah, it would be cool if we have a set.
Also I dont really know what these colored switches mean lol
TKC Portico w/ Lubed Tangerines and Infinikey BoW PBT Keycaps
(my shift is misaligned in this photo, but I fixed it afterwards)
(my shift is misaligned in this photo, but I fixed it afterwards)
I kind of entered this hobby doing the complete opposite of what people normally do. I first bought a shitty prebuilt keyboard (GMMK TKL), which is normal and what a lot of people usually start out with. But then I went all out and spent an absurd amount of money on my first build (D65). Now, I'm just chilling and buying some entry-level boards because I think they are cool and whatnot.
The Portico was in group-buy about 6 months ago. Extras for this keyboard recently came out a few weeks ago. Since I'm interested in entry-level keyboards at the moment, I immediately purchased this kit. There was no way in hell that I would let this opportunity slip by me. Also, the fact that I purchased an "extra" meant that it would ship immediately, which is really nice. I mean.. who wants to sit around for months waiting for the keyboard they purchased? Definitely not me.
waiting for R2 KBD67 lite to ship intesifies
Anyways, I decided to put in my Tangerines that I bought a while ago since I wasn't using them in my D65 anymore. I'm really glad that I decided to use Tangerines because they sound and feel really nice in this board. As for the build process, it was fairly quick and easy since I have previous experience. I lubed the Tangerines over the past week with Krytox 205g0 and the stock C³EQUALZ stabs with Krytox 205g0 as well. I accidentally installed one of the stabilizer stem legs backward and didn't realize until I screwed the case together, meaning that I had to completely take it apart to fix the stab.. not fun.
I'll make a sound test video later, but for now, it pretty much sounds identical to this video. I'm using the same exact keycaps, switches, lube, and stabs. The only difference is that I'm typing on two desk mats, so there's less reverberation with my keyboard and it's a little bit more muted.
Topic Starter
Aesthetics wise, I like it. It looks quite simple and clean.Penguin wrote:
NEW KEYBOARD ALERT TKC Portico w/ Lubed Tangerines and Infinikey BoW PBT Keycaps
(my shift is misaligned in this photo, but I fixed it afterwards)
I kind of entered this hobby doing the complete opposite of what people normally do. I first bought a shitty prebuilt keyboard (GMMK TKL), which is normal and what a lot of people usually start out with. But then I went all out and spent an absurd amount of money on my first build (D65). Now, I'm just chilling and buying some entry-level boards because I think they are cool and whatnot.
The Portico was in group-buy about 6 months ago. Extras for this keyboard recently came out a few weeks ago. Since I'm interested in entry-level keyboards at the moment, I immediately purchased this kit. There was no way in hell that I would let this opportunity slip by me. Also, the fact that I purchased an "extra" meant that it would ship immediately, which is really nice. I mean.. who wants to sit around for months waiting for the keyboard they purchased? Definitely not me.
waiting for R2 KBD67 lite to ship intesifies
Anyways, I decided to put in my Tangerines that I bought a while ago since I wasn't using them in my D65 anymore. I'm really glad that I decided to use Tangerines because they sound and feel really nice in this board. As for the build process, it was fairly quick and easy since I have previous experience. I lubed the Tangerines over the past week with Krytox 205g0 and the stock C³EQUALZ stabs with Krytox 205g0 as well. I accidentally installed one of the stabilizer stem legs backward and didn't realize until I screwed the case together, meaning that I had to completely take it apart to fix the stab.. not fun.
I'll make a sound test video later, but for now, it pretty much sounds identical to this video. I'm using the same exact keycaps, switches, lube, and stabs. The only difference is that I'm typing on two desk mats, so there's less reverberation with my keyboard and it's a little bit more muted.
The blocker for the arrow keys definitely makes the board looks classier too. And it makes it easier to feel the arrow keys. the transparency case is okay in my book. I personally don't mind it, but some people really love it and some really hates it.
Although I kinda hate the RGB look of this board. It looks like rainbow vomit. I'd keep it off if I were to use it.
This board is also in the 65% form factor, which means, it's basically a 60% but one unit row longer so it fits the arrow keys and some other keys from the nav cluster.
It's quite a popular form factor amongst keyboard enthusiasts and I can see why. It's small, space saving, looks nice and it still holds all of the basic functions that you'd want on a keyboard. It's the same idea as the 60% form factor. However, it's better since most people really wants to have the arrow keys, so the 65% form factor only makes the board slightly bigger than a 60% but makes it a lot easier and more comfortable to use.
Personally, I'd prefer a bigger form factor, but that's just me and form factors are very much based on taste.
Build quality wise, it's not as good as metal custom boards. However, the plastic still look quite thick so the build quality is still pretty good. I'd say it's above average in terms of build quality compared to other modern pre built mechanical keyboards.
One advantage of a plastic case however, is that it makes the board sounds much better than a metal one. Since a metal case is very thick and dense, the sound would be very muted and high pitched. Of course not all boards are like that, but that's just a trend that I see for myself. Some people even put foam in their keyboards to dampen the reverbs, but I think on an already thick keyboard it makes the sound of the board even more muted and flat.
So for sound, in my opinion, a roomy plastic case would sound better than a thick metal one. Especially for clicky switches.
The keycaps you're using on this board looks pretty nice and clean. I like it. It's actually looks almost identical to the keycaps I'm using I think minus the Japanese sub legends of course.
It's made out of thick PBT, so it won't yellow overtime, and it's dye subbed so the legends will be very durable.
The font looks pretty nice as well.
Overall, it's a clean and nice looking keycap set.
The switches are Tangerine switches. I personally have tried them out before, however I haven't used them for an extended amount of time and my memories aren't pristine so some aspects that I remember about them might be incorrect.
When I got to try them out, they were pretty nice and smooth. It's of course not as smooth as contactless switches. However, when I tried them out side by side with some contactless switches, although I can feel more friction from the tangerines, the friction in the tangerines itself is smoother than the little friction found in contactless switches.
So it's a pretty smooth switch. But one thing to note that the sound of those switches aren't very good. Especially on a dense keyboard, they sound super flat. So if you're a person who really cares about how your keyboard sounds, I suggest looking into a different switch.
That isn't to say that the switch can't sound good of course. But compared to other switches, it just doesn't sound as good.
But then again, sound is super subjective so you might still like the sound that they produces.
However, in this chassis, the switches doesn't sound bad at all. It sounds super clacky so if you're into that kind of sound profile, I think this is a pretty good combination.
Personally I prefer a deeper sound when it comes to switch sounds.
This board also have hotswap, so it's very beginner friendly. It also comes with pretty decent stabs so that's pretty nice.
7/10
also, I put on my spacebar upside down because it was having issues with the stabilizer the normal way. Works perfectly fine when it's upside down for some reason though.
Just bought the Keychron k8 with Gateron red
This is a good picture I found of it
This website list the spec of the one I bought
https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32018252988505
This is a good picture I found of it
This website list the spec of the one I bought
https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32018252988505
Topic Starter
Oh yeah, Keychron have been quite popular for a while.ShinRun wrote:
Just bought the Keychron k8 with Gateron red
This is a good picture I found of it
This website list the spec of the one I bought
https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32018252988505
It's quite a affordable and decent hotswap keyboard.
Aesthetics wise, it looks pretty nice. It have a very minimalist look and a very clean looking keyboard.
The colour of the keycaps fits it well and it looks quite nice.
However, one thing I don't like about it is that the construction of the board made it so that the aluminum bezels are raised slightly surrounding the board. But there's no bezels on the gaps on the face of the keyboard. So the whole thing looks like a bowl kinda.
I would prefer if it had a more traditional looking bezels.
This board is the K8 version, which means it's a TKL. Keychron also offers other models with basically the same functionality but in different form factors, such as in 65% or 75%.
TKL is usually prefered by gamers who wants a functional keyboard but without the numpad so that their mouse have more space.
Build quality wise, it's pretty good compared to most other mainstream mechanical keyboards.
The case itself is made out of plastic, and it has a metal mounting plate. Which is standard for modern mechanical keyboards.
However, the sides of the board also have rails that you can mount aluminum plates on.
These plates serves as the keyboard's bezels and they slightly increase the build quality and the keyboard's weight.
So even though it's not as good as a full metal case construction, it's still a level higher than most other keyboards with plastic cases. So I'd say it's somewhere in between.
The keycaps on this board is probably it's worst feature so far.
they're made out of lasered ABS, which produce a very sharp looking legend. However, they aren't very durable, they attracts dirt and dust quite a bit and it doesn't take too long before they shine up as well.
Although aesthetically, they don't look bad and definitely fits the board well. But I'd definitely switch to a better keycap set if I were you.
On to the switches.
Gateron reds are a clone of Cherry MX reds, which are a light linear switch.
Gateron is better than Cherry MX in my opinion. However, Gateron reds aren't that interesting to begin with. But since this keyboard is hotswappable, it's not that big of a problem.
You can always switch them out for a more interesting switch.
Keychron also offers this board with optical linear switches, which is definitely a better choice in my opinion if you don't care about trying out different switches.
Optical switches doesn't rely on a physical contact to actuates, meaning they are inherently smoother than contact based switches.
They are much more durable also.
Extra feature wise, this keyboard have wireless bluetooth, so if you hate wires, this can be very useful. According to the people who have used Keychron boards, their bluetooth is pretty good and doesn't have a lot of problems. Which can't really be said for boards in a similar price range like the NJ68.
The USB C port is located on the left side of this board instead of being in the back like most other keyboards. This can be an advantage or a nuisance depending on your setup. This is why I think that boards with cable gutters are quite nice since with gutters, you can basically route the cable to any direction you want that fits with your setup.
Other than that, this board also have RGB, Mac support blah blah blah.
Overall, a pretty good keyboard.
6.7/10
Tad has the weirdest rating I've ever seen.
My KBD67 lite shipped, so it should be here in a week or so. I'm gonna spend that time lubing the rest of my Ink Blacks for when my board shows up.
My KBD67 lite shipped, so it should be here in a week or so. I'm gonna spend that time lubing the rest of my Ink Blacks for when my board shows up.
Topic Starter
wdym by weird?Penguin wrote:
Tad has the weirdest rating I've ever seen.
My KBD67 lite shipped, so it should be here in a week or so. I'm gonna spend that time lubing the rest of my Ink Blacks for when my board shows up.
GK61X RGB with a panda keycaps
I was suppose to change the switches on my old keyboard but that keyboard played a prank on me. When I bought the old keyboard it said that it was "HOT-SWAPPABLE", so my dumbass went ahead buying it without reading any review on it nor watch any videos on it until last week when my switches arrived.
I was so happy while I was working that day, so after work I could swap them out. When I got home I went on discord and vc with Shinrun. I was pulling so hard on it that I got so pissed and gave up and said "why is it so hard to pull out?!" and he replied and said "Your pull out game is weak, that's why." It pissed me even more.
Then I pinged Penguin and Tad on the OT!NEOS discord server. Then Penguin told me that I bought it before they released the hotswap version. My face went from happiness to blank.
So the next day (last week) I bought this keyboard and today it arrived and it feels so nice. I'm really satisfied with this purchase.
Sound Test
Thank you for your time.
Topic Starter
Nice build.Asian Warlord wrote:
GK61X RGB with a panda keycaps
I was suppose to change the switches on my old keyboard but that keyboard played a prank on me. When I bought the old keyboard it said that it was "HOT-SWAPPABLE", so my dumbass went ahead buying it without reading any review on it nor watch any videos on it until last week when my switches arrived.
I was so happy while I was working that day, so after work I could swap them out. When I got home I went on discord and vc with Shinrun. I was pulling so hard on it that I got so pissed and gave up and said "why is it so hard to pull out?!" and he replied and said "Your pull out game is weak, that's why." It pissed me even more.
Then I pinged Penguin and Tad on the OT!NEOS discord server. Then Penguin told me that I bought it before they released the hotswap version. My face went from happiness to blank.
So the next day (last week) I bought this keyboard and today it arrived and it feels so nice. I'm really satisfied with this purchase.The Total cost was $156 both the switches and the Keyboard + Keycaps.Sound Test
Thank you for your time.
Aesthetics wise, it looks okay I guess. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Panda keycaps, but I don't think they're a bad looking keycap set either. I think the GK61 case itself isn't a very aesthetically pleasing case since they have a very thin bezel. But yeah, it's not a bad looking keyboard either.
Although aesthetics is very subjective, even more so than other categories so don't take my critics too seriously.
This board uses a 60% form factor, which is a very small "space saving" layout. It basically removes the numpad, Nav cluster and the F keys row so you're left with only the alpha block.
I personally don't like 60%, but a lot of people really loves the layout.
Nothing much to comment about build quality. It's pretty standard. The plastic case is a bit flimsy and thin, but since the board have a metal mounting plate, it's still sturdy enough.
The keycaps are made out of dye subbed PBT, which is a high quality printing method so they're going to be very durable. The font is pretty clean as well. Although one thing to point out that, dye sublimation only works well when using a darker coloured dye onto a brighter coloured surface. Which is why on the dark grey modifiers, the legends are black, which isn't a very contrasting colour and it's pretty hard to see the legends. Although it's only the modifiers so it's not too bad. iirc, the black model of the Realforce keyboard uses a dye subbed black PBT keycap set, which might as well be blanks lol.
Kailh BOX Jades are a clicky switches with a very big and satisfying tactile bump.
They're from the BOX line of switches, and I think they're excellent switches.
The click, although louder than MX blue and it's clones, sounds a lot more metallic, sharp and satisfying. It still can be too loud or annoying to some people. But I'd take Kailh BOX Jades sounds over Cherry MX blues any day. MX blues are rattly, high pitched, grainy and plasticky, and not at all a pleasant sound.
Especially with the keycap set you're using, the Jades sounds pretty nice and deep.
The Gk61, or at least the newer models - have the ability to be changed into a split spacebar, which is a nice addition if you're into split spacebar or you want an extra button to work with. One popular layout I've seen people doing is that they make the left side spacebar a spacebar, but the right side is the backspace key.
Overall, quite a nice board.
6.7/10
Topic Starter
Yeah, keyboard wise, yours is better since yours have better build quality and a better layout (although this is subjective).ShinRun wrote:
Ha
Mine is still better
Although, Asian Warlord's board have better switches and keycaps.
So if you let the board as is with no changes, I still think right now, Asian Warlord's board is better.
The reason why it's scored lower than yours is because yours have the potential to be better.
Actually, I think because of that I'm gonna make you have the same score as Asian Warlord's board.
I might update the scores if you guys decide to upgrade your boards or something.
So yeah, I'll lower your score to 6.6/10.
Oh you son of a b
Yeah I was planning on getting better switches but I’ll still decide on which one
I did get the optical red switch btw
Yeah I was planning on getting better switches but I’ll still decide on which one
I did get the optical red switch btw
Topic Starter
Wait, you got optical reds? Not Gateron reds?ShinRun wrote:
Oh you son of a b
Yeah I was planning on getting better switches but I’ll still decide on which one
I did get the optical red switch btw
YeahTad Fibonacci wrote:
Wait, you got optical reds? Not Gateron reds?ShinRun wrote:
Oh you son of a b
Yeah I was planning on getting better switches but I’ll still decide on which one
I did get the optical red switch btw
Topic Starter
bruh.ShinRun wrote:
YeahTad Fibonacci wrote:
Wait, you got optical reds? Not Gateron reds?ShinRun wrote:
Oh you son of a b
Yeah I was planning on getting better switches but I’ll still decide on which one
I did get the optical red switch btw
Although since it's an optical switch version, you have less choices of the switches you can use so I guess I'll still leave you where you are. But I'll adjust the scores of a few other people.
And btw, since you got the optical version, you can only use other optical switches. Is it Gateron optical reds or some other optical switches? If it's Gateron then it's interchangable with other optical Gateron switches. But if not then it's pretty much only can be switched out with the same switches or the switches of the same manufacturer.
If you don't know which type you have then take a picture for me of a switch without the keycap on.
Topic Starter
Actually, I think I'll adjust both yours and Aisian Warlord's scores instead.
Topic Starter
I don't rate laptop keyboards.igorsprite wrote:
I have the keychron optical red
I don’t plan on switching out my keyboard often so I don’t care about the restriction on optical switches
I don’t plan on switching out my keyboard often so I don’t care about the restriction on optical switches
Topic Starter
Yeah, you can only change them with other Keychron optical switches I think.ShinRun wrote:
I have the keychron optical red
I don’t plan on switching out my keyboard often so I don’t care about the restriction on optical switches
Although those are contactless, therefore, really smooth, so it's not a bad switch to be stuck with.
😔Tad Fibonacci wrote:
I don't rate laptop keyboards.igorsprite wrote:
detach keyboard and ducktape it onto cardboard
might trick tad into rating it
might trick tad into rating it
KBD67 Lite R2 w/ Stock Salmons and EPBT Keycaps
WOW WHAT A SURPRISE, YOU GOT ANOTHER WHITE 65% KEYBOARD!
shut up
(THEY SENT ME A WARPED CASE. It's not that bad to be honest, but now that I've noticed it, I will never be able to unsee it..)
shut up
(THEY SENT ME A WARPED CASE. It's not that bad to be honest, but now that I've noticed it, I will never be able to unsee it..)
Hmm, where to start.. First off, I forgot that this was being delivered soon, so I didn't take the time to properly lube switches. I just threw in some of the Salmons that I recently purchased without even lubing them. I really enjoy the Salmons so far. They are lightly lubed stock and feel decently smooth and nice to type on. They don't sound too scratchy either, but I can tell that they could use a little bit of lube. They have a similar bump to the Holy Panda/Glorious Panda but have a symmetrical long spring which makes the topping out sound even nicer.
When it comes to the keycaps, I just bought some cheap EPBT keycaps that were available for purchase alongside the keyboard. They are fine for now, but I will most likely replace these eventually. I enjoy typing on PBT keycaps, so I might just buy a modifier kit and keep these alphas and numbers.
The build process was really fast since I've already built a few keyboards in the past. I honestly got really lazy this time and didn't spend too much time perfecting the stabilizers, but luckily they seem to be great. I think I'm just getting really good at building keyboards lol. Anyways, this keyboard came with KBDfans PC screw-in stabilizers. A lot of people say that they aren't the best and it would be better to buy Durock stabs or something similar, but I haven't had any problems with these stabs and they sound just like the rest, so I'll be sticking with these.
The top case seems to be slightly warped, as seen in the last picture. It's not terrible, but it's still annoying. I tried unscrewing the entire case and redoing it to get it more aligned, but nothing seemed to work. I definitely prefer the TKC Portico build quality and case more than the KBD67 Lite.
As for the sound profile, this board is considerably louder and thockier than my TKC Portico. The sound profile is pretty nice but has a slightly hollow sound to it. The sound profile doesn't sound very "luxurious" if you know what I mean. It sounds similar to something that you can get from a cheap Chinese plastic board (which KBDfans kind of is lol), but better. It's not necessarily a bad thing, I personally think it sounds decent.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention before, both the TKC Portico and the KBD67 Lite come with a carrying case. I like the appearance of the TKC Portico carrying case better, but the actual inside of the KBD67 Lite feels nicer.
I'll make a sound test later, I'm too lazy right now.
Oh oh rate mine next please
its kinda not showing up but its this:
https://imgur.com/a/9PkiDyy
Sound test:
https://youtu.be/N8TGt9jN0Ak
its kinda not showing up but its this:
https://imgur.com/a/9PkiDyy
Sound test:
https://youtu.be/N8TGt9jN0Ak
I use a Razer Blackwiddow Elite with Razer Yellow Linear switches, and it's decent for me. It's made in China (Which I don't like), but QA is tested by Razer themselves.
Topic Starter
Aesthetics wise, minus the defect, it looks pretty nice.Penguin wrote:
NEW KEYBOARD ALERT KBD67 Lite R2 w/ Stock Salmons and EPBT KeycapsWOW WHAT A SURPRISE, YOU GOT ANOTHER WHITE 65% KEYBOARD!
shut up
(THEY SENT ME A WARPED CASE. It's not that bad to be honest, but now that I've noticed it, I will never be able to unsee it..)
Hmm, where to start.. First off, I forgot that this was being delivered soon, so I didn't take the time to properly lube switches. I just threw in some of the Salmons that I recently purchased without even lubing them. I really enjoy the Salmons so far. They are lightly lubed stock and feel decently smooth and nice to type on. They don't sound too scratchy either, but I can tell that they could use a little bit of lube. They have a similar bump to the Holy Panda/Glorious Panda but have a symmetrical long spring which makes the topping out sound even nicer.
When it comes to the keycaps, I just bought some cheap EPBT keycaps that were available for purchase alongside the keyboard. They are fine for now, but I will most likely replace these eventually. I enjoy typing on PBT keycaps, so I might just buy a modifier kit and keep these alphas and numbers.
The build process was really fast since I've already built a few keyboards in the past. I honestly got really lazy this time and didn't spend too much time perfecting the stabilizers, but luckily they seem to be great. I think I'm just getting really good at building keyboards lol. Anyways, this keyboard came with KBDfans PC screw-in stabilizers. A lot of people say that they aren't the best and it would be better to buy Durock stabs or something similar, but I haven't had any problems with these stabs and they sound just like the rest, so I'll be sticking with these.
The top case seems to be slightly warped, as seen in the last picture. It's not terrible, but it's still annoying. I tried unscrewing the entire case and redoing it to get it more aligned, but nothing seemed to work. I definitely prefer the TKC Portico build quality and case more than the KBD67 Lite.
As for the sound profile, this board is considerably louder and thockier than my TKC Portico. The sound profile is pretty nice but has a slightly hollow sound to it. The sound profile doesn't sound very "luxurious" if you know what I mean. It sounds similar to something that you can get from a cheap Chinese plastic board (which KBDfans kind of is lol), but better. It's not necessarily a bad thing, I personally think it sounds decent.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention before, both the TKC Portico and the KBD67 Lite come with a carrying case. I like the appearance of the TKC Portico carrying case better, but the actual inside of the KBD67 Lite feels nicer.
I'll make a sound test later, I'm too lazy right now.
Looks quite simple, elegant and classic.
This board is in 65% form factor. So basically, a normal 65% but with arrow keys and a few extra keys.
It's quite a popular layout amongst keyboard enthusiasts.
Build quality wise, it's okay. It doesn't have a metal mounting plate and everything is made out of plastic, so it's not that well built. But I understand that the plastic plate is used for better switch sound and a softer feel, and the plastic they used looks quite thick, so even though they didn't use a metal mounting plate, the build quality isn't that bad even compared to boards that do use metal mounting plates.
The keycaps looks very nice and elegant. I really like them a lot.
They're made out of dye subbed PBT, so it will be very durable.
You say that you intend to change out the modifiers but in my opinion, it's not necessary since the keycaps on the board right now looks very nice and clean.
The print quality is very nice as well, even on the zoomed out pics, the legends are still very sharp, it almost looks like it was doubleshot.
I don't really have much to say about the switches since I have not tried them out myself yet.
But the spring on those line of switches does seems quite interesting.
This board also have hotswap so building it would be very easy, so for a beginner this would be a pretty good keyboard.
6.7/10
Topic Starter
I don't rate laptop keyboards, sorry.NotRaffi wrote:
Oh oh rate mine next please
its kinda not showing up but its this:
https://imgur.com/a/9PkiDyy
Sound test:
https://youtu.be/N8TGt9jN0Ak
Topic Starter
Aesthetics wise, it looks okay.Neigdoig wrote:
I use a Razer Blackwiddow Elite with Razer Yellow Linear switches, and it's decent for me. It's made in China (Which I don't like), but QA is tested by Razer themselves.
It have that "edgy gamer" look if you're in to that stuff.
This board is a standard full size keyboard with some media keys and a roller.
The roller itself is quite useful, but the way it stick out, even though it makes it easier to use, makes it look a bit ugly in my opinion.
Build quality is standard amongst modern mechanical keyboards, so nothing much to say about.
The key caps have a normal font, which is a good thing. However, on the site, it says the keycaps are "standard ABS keycaps". So they're not Razer's doubleshot PBT caps.
I don't know the printing method, but from the look and the description, I'm guessing it's lasered ABS, which isn't very good. It attracts finger oils, dirt and dust like crazy and it's not very durable.
The switches are Razer's yellow linear switches. They are a light linear switch, similar in weight to a Cherry MX red.
However, it have a shorter travel distance and a higher actuation point compared to cherry MX reds and it's clones.
I have not tried them out myself yet, so I can't comment on the smoothness, however, in my opinion, these switches aren't very interesting.
This board also have RGB if you care about such thing, macros which is a pretty useful feature, but it's locked under Synapse which is shit.
It's an okay keyboard. But for the price, you could've gotten better boards.
For $130 you could have gotten the Razer Huntsman TE, so $20 cheaper than the Razer Black Widow Elite. It's a TKL with Razer's optical linear switches. They are very nice and smooth, and they are also quite light with a heightened actuation point if that's what you want. It also comes with much better keycaps which are much more durable and nice.
Although that board doesn't have media keys or the volume wheel and of course, it's a TKL instead of being a full size.
5.5/10
Topic Starter
I'll need more info than just a picture to be able to rate keyboards accurately.fat pear wrote:
Please provide more information, such as the name of the keyboard, the switches it's using etc.
I use gk707 with Kailh box white from AliExpress. All switches and stabilizers are lubed. Keycaps are fake PBT but it's better than standard abs (I think complect abs are so bad, but abs can be good). Standard low budget keyboard lol.
Topic Starter
Aesthetics wise, it looks okay.Vaniels wrote:
I use gk707 with Kailh box white from AliExpress. All switches and stabilizers are lubed. Keycaps are fake PBT but it's better than standard abs (I think complect abs are so bad, but abs can be good). Standard low budget keyboard lol.
Pretty clean looking, but a bit bland.
This board is using the TKL or "Tenkeyless" layout. So basically a normal keyboard layout, but without the numpad on the right, so there's more space for your mouse.
Build quality again, is standard. However, the plastic bit looks a bit flimsy. But it's just from the photos alone, so I'm not sure if it is flimsy or not.
This board have something called a "floating switch design", which means, there are no tall bezels surrounding the switches and the switches are visible from the sides.
Some people really like this kind of design, but I think it doesn't look as good as having tall bezels.
The keycaps you're using aren't stock keycaps, and by your description, you say that it's "fake PBT".
Well, I have no idea what fake PBT is, but I'm just going to assume it's just regular PBT caps.
This keycap set have a printing style called "ninja print" which means the legends are in front of the keycap instead of being on top. Some people really like the stealthy look that this printing method gives, but personally I would prefer the legends to be in a traditional spot.
One advantage of this style of printing though, is that it doesn't matter what kind of printing method you use, since your fingers aren't gonna rub onto the legends themselves, they would practically never fades, unless you purposefully scratch on them. So even if they are lasered, pad printed or just stickers, they should last you for quite a while.
Aesthetically though, not my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of the colour schemes nor the ninja print, but that's just me.
Now on to the board's biggest strength: It's switches.
This board comes with Kailh BOX switches in either red, white or brown. Kailh BOX reds are decently smooth, but you can't really lube them. Technically, you can, but it will feel exactly the same so, it's not worth getting if you want a decently smooth linear that you can mod. The same can be said about Kailh BOX browns, they are better than Cherry MX browns, but their tactility is still very lackluster. So the most interesting switch of the three in my opinion is Kailh BOX whites.
They are pretty good clicky switches. Tactility wise, they're not that strong, around the same level of Cherry MX blues.
However, they don't rattle like MX blues, instead, they make a very sharp metallic click that is very satisfying. It also doubleclicks, once when pressed and once when released, unlike MX blues which only click on the down stroke.
It also have hotswap, so you can try out different types of switches on the same board if you want to.
6/10
It's removable. And after removal it's really flimsy.Tad Fibonacci wrote:
However, the plastic bit looks a bit flimsy. But it's just from the photos alone, so I'm not sure if it is flimsy or not.
6/10
Ducky One 2 Skyline TKL Double Shot PBT Mechanical Keyboard with Red switchTad Fibonacci wrote:
I'll need more info than just a picture to be able to rate keyboards accurately.fat pear wrote:
Please provide more information, such as the name of the keyboard, the switches it's using etc.
Topic Starter
Aesthetics wise, it looks pretty good.fat pear wrote:
Ducky One 2 Skyline TKL Double Shot PBT Mechanical Keyboard with Red switchTad Fibonacci wrote:
I'll need more info than just a picture to be able to rate keyboards accurately.fat pear wrote:
Please provide more information, such as the name of the keyboard, the switches it's using etc.
The board looks clean and the colour scheme is also quite nice.
Build quality is quite standard for modern mechanical keyboards, nothing to write home about.
The keycaps are doubleshot PBT, which is the most durable material with the most durable printing method, so it will be very durable. The colour scheme of the caps are pretty nice as well. It's a pretty nice keycap set, although it would have been nicer if the legends were placed on the top left of the cap instead of being in the middle.
On back lit keyboards, having the legends in the middle matches up with the back lit LED, so the positioning makes sense on those. However, this is not a back lit keyboard, there is no RGB or LEDs, so having the legends in the middle is pretty pointless.
Bute overall, still a aesthetically pleasing and durable keycap set. Quite nice.
The switches is probably the board's weakest point though.
Cherry MX red is a light linear switch manufactured by Cherry. I myself think that the light weighting is pretty nice, however even with time to get used to it, I still do a lot of typos with them since they're so light and accidental triggers are so easy on them. This is the same problem I have with the Jwick Red switches too.
Cherry MX reds themselves also aren't very interesting. They are not very smooth, and is almost out matched by other linear clone switches.
And because this board is not a hotswap keyboard, switching them out would be harder since you actually need to desolder every single switch.
Overall, an aesthetically pleasing board with decent build quality but disappointing switches.
5.5/10
Topic Starter
Aesthetics wise, it looks quite okay.Dial wrote:
HyperX Alloy Origins Core Aqua switches (A few white hyperx pudding keycaps aswell)
The board have a pretty sleek and clean design.
Build quality wise, this board seems pretty good. The case is made out of aluminum, although it's not very thick, it's still better than most other keyboards out there.
Although, one thing to mention, that this board have a floating switch design. Which means, it doesn't have high bezels like a traditional keyboard and the side of the switches are exposed.
Apparently this was done as a fashion thing since a lot of people seems to like the look of a floating switch design. However, having the switches exposed would make them vulnerable to side knocks, so if you drop your keyboard, the switches may still be broken if the board was hit on the sides.
The keycaps are made out of PBT and is doubleshot. So it's very durable and the legends will never fade. However, I'm not really a fan of the pudding keycap. I know, if you like RGB and such it shows off the RGB, but in my opinion, it's quite ugly.
The stock keycaps of this board looks better in my opinion.
The legends aren't in helvetica but in a square gamer looking font, but it's not as ugly as some other game fonts out there.
The switches are HyperX own line of switch, called the HyperX Aqua switch.
It's a light tactile switch with the weighting similar to Cherry MX reds. I have not tried these switches out yet, however, from the force graph, you can tell that it's not a very tactile switch. The tactility is somewhat on par with Cherry MX brown.
I have not tried them out yet, so I won't give a definite judgement on them, but from what I see, they aren't very interesting and looks like a Cherry Brown recolour to me.
Overall, a quite sturdy keyboard, but with a lackluster selection of switches.
Although I think if it's modded to use different switches, then it'd be quite a good keyboard.
6.3/10
Topic Starter
I'm gonna 'necro' this since I just got a new board in a while.
This is the Akko Mod 005. An ENthUsIAsT full aluminium hotswap keyboard.
It's made by Akko, and it's quite similar in idea to a GMMK Pro or a Keychron Q1 in a sense that it's made out of aluminium, weighs a ton, gasket mounted, easy and convenient to build for newbies, doesn't cost as much as most other limited enthusiast keyboards and you don't have to wait for group buys to get one.
First impression was really good, it came in a large box that feels premium and was well protected by thick, high quality foam. Inside was the board itself, a pretty nice coiled cable, an extra FR4 plate and gaskets (or at least I think it's Fr4, I'm not sure what material it is) and the user manual.
The keyboard itself is obviously very hefty and dense. I don't have a scale to weigh it, but it's heavier than one of my fullsized keyboard (and that one wasn't poorly built either), and I'm pretty sure that you could bash someone's head in with it so build quality wise, it's excellent and it's one of the main reason you'd pay for a board of this nature.
Fit and finish was very good as well, I don't see any major marks on the board, although there were a few small anodizing error marks on the aluminium plate. Not like it matters too much though since you don't really see them when switches and keycaps are installed, but just thought it's something worth mentioning.
There were no visible mark of any kind on the case that I can see.
The stabilizers were pre-lubed, however the quality of the lubing is quite frankly, shit.
I literally thought they were dry when I tested them but looking closer, they were definitely factory lubricated. Not like it matters too much though since most people buying boards like these tend to lube their own stabs so not a problem.
However, I haven't actually lubed them myself, since the board is held together at the back by hex screws and my hex screw screwdriver is fucking garbage, I haven't been able to open the board yet.
That also means that I haven't been able to try out the Fr4 plate either.
One big selling point of this keyboard is that it's a gasket mounted keyboard, meaning the plate is held together between the case and small pieces of foam gasket. This mounting method is supposed to make the typing feel less hard and easier on the fingers, more springy. After some testing, I can confirm that the plate do flexes quite a lot more than a regular aluminium plate and it can visibly sink a bit while I apply force to the plate (note that the the ammount of pressure I apply to it is much higher than how one would exerts while normally type, so it's not like the board bounces around while you type or anything).
So yes, the gasket do work. Although personally, this is my first gasket mounted keyboard and I got to say, I don't really see the point of this mounting method since I don't think the typing feel is that much different from other mounting methods. Maybe to some people, it is more apparent, but to me, the difference is minuscule at best. Maybe the effect would be more apparent if I switch the aluminium plate out for the Fr4 plate, but I think that's more to do with the material of the mounting plate itself rather than to the mounting method of the keyboard.
Right now I'm using Kailh Box Jades on the board and there are 2 reasons why.
First is because I love kailh Box jade and it is one of my favourite switch ever.
And second, is because I can't open the board yet to lube the stabs, the clicky switch would be able to mask any rattle coming from the stabilizers lol.
Another thing to mention, according to the manual you can modify and make your own RGB pattern in the keyboard software, but there's no mention of being able to remap the keyboard. This can be a problem if you are into custom layouts and such and is a big downside of this board since most premium enthusiast keyboards supports remapping by softwares like QMK or VIA. Although I haven't checked out Akko's driver yet so maybe it does support remapping via the app but just doesn't mention it in the manual.
Overall, I'm quite happy with the purchase, it's a very nice and hefty board and doesn't cost a ridiculous amount as some other enthusiast keyboards can cost. Although feature wise, it is quite poor. It's basically just a well built mechanical keyboard with RGB and none of the more cool features like remapping or macros.
Sound demo coming soon™
Edit: Just want to mention that yes, you can remap the keyboard and add macros using Akko's app, however the app is really shitty and confusing to use with no tutorials or any guides and after 30 minutes of playing around with it, I did managed to add macros and remap a few keys, but some of the macros doesn't work at all, and I still can't figure out how to put the key I sacrificed back into the board on a separate layer so I just gave up.
This is the Akko Mod 005. An ENthUsIAsT full aluminium hotswap keyboard.
It's made by Akko, and it's quite similar in idea to a GMMK Pro or a Keychron Q1 in a sense that it's made out of aluminium, weighs a ton, gasket mounted, easy and convenient to build for newbies, doesn't cost as much as most other limited enthusiast keyboards and you don't have to wait for group buys to get one.
First impression was really good, it came in a large box that feels premium and was well protected by thick, high quality foam. Inside was the board itself, a pretty nice coiled cable, an extra FR4 plate and gaskets (or at least I think it's Fr4, I'm not sure what material it is) and the user manual.
The keyboard itself is obviously very hefty and dense. I don't have a scale to weigh it, but it's heavier than one of my fullsized keyboard (and that one wasn't poorly built either), and I'm pretty sure that you could bash someone's head in with it so build quality wise, it's excellent and it's one of the main reason you'd pay for a board of this nature.
Fit and finish was very good as well, I don't see any major marks on the board, although there were a few small anodizing error marks on the aluminium plate. Not like it matters too much though since you don't really see them when switches and keycaps are installed, but just thought it's something worth mentioning.
There were no visible mark of any kind on the case that I can see.
The stabilizers were pre-lubed, however the quality of the lubing is quite frankly, shit.
I literally thought they were dry when I tested them but looking closer, they were definitely factory lubricated. Not like it matters too much though since most people buying boards like these tend to lube their own stabs so not a problem.
However, I haven't actually lubed them myself, since the board is held together at the back by hex screws and my hex screw screwdriver is fucking garbage, I haven't been able to open the board yet.
That also means that I haven't been able to try out the Fr4 plate either.
One big selling point of this keyboard is that it's a gasket mounted keyboard, meaning the plate is held together between the case and small pieces of foam gasket. This mounting method is supposed to make the typing feel less hard and easier on the fingers, more springy. After some testing, I can confirm that the plate do flexes quite a lot more than a regular aluminium plate and it can visibly sink a bit while I apply force to the plate (note that the the ammount of pressure I apply to it is much higher than how one would exerts while normally type, so it's not like the board bounces around while you type or anything).
So yes, the gasket do work. Although personally, this is my first gasket mounted keyboard and I got to say, I don't really see the point of this mounting method since I don't think the typing feel is that much different from other mounting methods. Maybe to some people, it is more apparent, but to me, the difference is minuscule at best. Maybe the effect would be more apparent if I switch the aluminium plate out for the Fr4 plate, but I think that's more to do with the material of the mounting plate itself rather than to the mounting method of the keyboard.
Right now I'm using Kailh Box Jades on the board and there are 2 reasons why.
First is because I love kailh Box jade and it is one of my favourite switch ever.
And second, is because I can't open the board yet to lube the stabs, the clicky switch would be able to mask any rattle coming from the stabilizers lol.
Another thing to mention, according to the manual you can modify and make your own RGB pattern in the keyboard software, but there's no mention of being able to remap the keyboard. This can be a problem if you are into custom layouts and such and is a big downside of this board since most premium enthusiast keyboards supports remapping by softwares like QMK or VIA. Although I haven't checked out Akko's driver yet so maybe it does support remapping via the app but just doesn't mention it in the manual.
Overall, I'm quite happy with the purchase, it's a very nice and hefty board and doesn't cost a ridiculous amount as some other enthusiast keyboards can cost. Although feature wise, it is quite poor. It's basically just a well built mechanical keyboard with RGB and none of the more cool features like remapping or macros.
Sound demo coming soon™
Edit: Just want to mention that yes, you can remap the keyboard and add macros using Akko's app, however the app is really shitty and confusing to use with no tutorials or any guides and after 30 minutes of playing around with it, I did managed to add macros and remap a few keys, but some of the macros doesn't work at all, and I still can't figure out how to put the key I sacrificed back into the board on a separate layer so I just gave up.
how many kb do you have
Topic Starter
A few.Patatitta wrote:
how many kb do you have
I can not confidently say it doesn't deserve that rating. At least the expanded variant with the numpad. For some reason the numpad switches are glitching, barely registering input. Oddly enough the 2 keys I use for mania don't have this issue as much. So maybe it's dust? Even the omnipoint switches I rarely press dont have the issue, so dunno.Tad Fibonacci wrote:
abraker's steelseries reviewIt's one of the best in production stock keyboard that you can buy right now, yes.abraker wrote:
One of the best keyboards you can get
Look wise, even though I don't like floating key designs and gamer keyboards, it looks pretty clean ngl.
Build quality is again average for a modern mechanical keyboard with metal mounting plate and braided cables.
The most interesting thing about the whole board though are the switches. The switches on the alpha block on this board are hall effects switches, which means they're contactless switches and therefore super smooth.
I don't have this keyboard but I've tried it on keyboard meetups before and the key feel is one of the smoothest I've felt. And because the switches are hall effects, the life time could potentially reach billions of keystrokes before you wear out one switch. So durability wise, it's literally imortal, unless you deliberately want to break it.
Being hall effects switches also means that you could set the actuation point of the switch so, despite it being light like cherry MX reds, I don't get nearly as many typos on it as I do with MX red switches. So that's one of the board's best feature imo.
There's also a screen on this keyboard that could display game related stuffs or animations or sruffs that you draw on it which is a nice touch.
Now on to the downsides.
First of all, the price. It's pretty pricey. With the same price you could get several other keyboards.
And there isn't a wide variety of switch choices either.
You can only get linear switches on this board. Although admittedly, they're one of the best linears out there.
The 2nd downside is that only the keys on the alpha block are hall effect switches. The others are normal mechanical switches.
Though this is a bit disappointing but I guess it's understandable since it'll be ridiculously priced if the whole board were to use hall effects switches.
I'd rather have the board only have hall effects on the alpha keys and stay at a reasonable price than to add more to the already high price tag.
3rd downside is the keycaps.
You'd think for the price they'd give you decent keycaps, but no they're just keycaps coated in black paint and then lasered.
This makes for very sharp looking keycaps and it makes the back lighting shines through quite well, but these caps aren't very durable and can wear off relatively quick, turning into blobs of light depending on how often you uses it.
Overall, a pricey premium keyboard but it actually have interesting features to back up it's high price.
8/10
Topic Starter
Well that's probably because the numpad switches aren't hall effect switches.abraker wrote:
I can not confidently say it doesn't deserve that rating. At least the expanded variant with the numpad. For some reason the numpad switches are glitching, barely registering input. Oddly enough the 2 keys I use for mania don't have this issue as much. So maybe it's dust? Even the omnipoint switches I rarely press dont have the issue, so dunno.Tad Fibonacci wrote:
abraker's steelseries reviewIt's one of the best in production stock keyboard that you can buy right now, yes.abraker wrote:
One of the best keyboards you can get
Look wise, even though I don't like floating key designs and gamer keyboards, it looks pretty clean ngl.
Build quality is again average for a modern mechanical keyboard with metal mounting plate and braided cables.
The most interesting thing about the whole board though are the switches. The switches on the alpha block on this board are hall effects switches, which means they're contactless switches and therefore super smooth.
I don't have this keyboard but I've tried it on keyboard meetups before and the key feel is one of the smoothest I've felt. And because the switches are hall effects, the life time could potentially reach billions of keystrokes before you wear out one switch. So durability wise, it's literally imortal, unless you deliberately want to break it.
Being hall effects switches also means that you could set the actuation point of the switch so, despite it being light like cherry MX reds, I don't get nearly as many typos on it as I do with MX red switches. So that's one of the board's best feature imo.
There's also a screen on this keyboard that could display game related stuffs or animations or sruffs that you draw on it which is a nice touch.
Now on to the downsides.
First of all, the price. It's pretty pricey. With the same price you could get several other keyboards.
And there isn't a wide variety of switch choices either.
You can only get linear switches on this board. Although admittedly, they're one of the best linears out there.
The 2nd downside is that only the keys on the alpha block are hall effect switches. The others are normal mechanical switches.
Though this is a bit disappointing but I guess it's understandable since it'll be ridiculously priced if the whole board were to use hall effects switches.
I'd rather have the board only have hall effects on the alpha keys and stay at a reasonable price than to add more to the already high price tag.
3rd downside is the keycaps.
You'd think for the price they'd give you decent keycaps, but no they're just keycaps coated in black paint and then lasered.
This makes for very sharp looking keycaps and it makes the back lighting shines through quite well, but these caps aren't very durable and can wear off relatively quick, turning into blobs of light depending on how often you uses it.
Overall, a pricey premium keyboard but it actually have interesting features to back up it's high price.
8/10
One down side to the Apex Pro is that only the 61 switches in the alpha block are hall effects and the other keys are all regular contact based MX switches, so your numpad switches probably failed after such a long time playing osu on them.
Nowadays if you want a keyboard with all contactless switches and adjustable actuation point, then the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog would be a good choice. It uses optical switches instead of hall effects like the Apex Pro, but they are functionally similar with similar strengths like smoothness, durability and actuation point adjustment.
Although, the Huntsman V2 Analog is $50 more expensive than the Apex Pro.
I have a second hand membrane keyboard I got 5 years ago which space bars jam if you press it too fast, you cannot baet that
I criTad Fibonacci wrote:
Nowadays if you want a keyboard with all contactless switches and adjustable actuation point, then the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog would be a good choice. It uses optical switches instead of hall effects like the Apex Pro, but they are functionally similar with similar strengths like smoothness, durability and actuation point adjustment.
Although, the Huntsman V2 Analog is $50 more expensive than the Apex Pro.
sorry about the lighting it's a bit shit
kbdfans d84 with milky yellows and akko neons
black and white
black - my first build, simple and unambitious
- Aluminum GK61
- Aluminum plate
- Tealios v2, lubed and filmed
- Stock plate mount stabs, lubed
- Razer PBT keycaps
- WKL KBD8X, gummy worm modded
- Polycarbonate plate
- Ink Black v2s, lubed and filmed
- C3 Equalz v3 pcb mount stabs, lubed, bandaid modded, and holee modded
- NP PBT keycaps (kbdfans)
Topic Starter
Aesthetically speaking, it's a pretty clean looking keyboard.gamer13254 wrote:
sorry about the lighting it's a bit shit
kbdfans d84 with milky yellows and akko neons
Although the keys are a little bit clumped together, I would much prefer if it's an exploded 75% look, but that's just personal preference.
Build quality wise, this board is another full aluminium keyboard so the build quality is obviously very good. It's literally a machined out slab of metal so yeah, it's heavy, thick and you can use it as a makeshift bludgeon weapon.
The keycaps are made by akko, and are PBT doubleshot. So they're made out of the most durable material and with the most durable legend printing method, so they are basically immortal unless you grind on the surface with a grinder or somehow break the stem off or something.
The font is a nice normal font and the keycap set has a very interesting colour way. I personally don't think it's a ugly colour combination, but I would personally prefer something more subtle, but that's just me of course and I can see that the colour scheme can work for certain set ups.
I do notice however, some shining of the keycaps on the Z and C keys. Unlike how alot of people think, PBT keycaps just like ABS keycaps, do shine up with use. However, PBT keycaps takes a lot longer than ABS to shine.
So I guess the Z and C keys were your main Osu keys for quite a while on that keyboard.
Gateron milky yellows are pretty nice budget linear switches. They are a "in between" switch in terms of weighting so they are comfortable for most people. And because of the milky housing, they sound quite a lot better than stock Gateron yellows, a lot deeper and fuller, although they do sound a lot more muted than regular yellows.
The milky housing doesn't really improve the smoothness of the switch over stock yellows either so smoothness wise, they're about the same as regular Gateron yellows.
This board also supports QMK to modify the keys and layouts.
Overall, a solid and sturdy keyboard that's obviously been well loved by it's owner.
7/10
Topic Starter
Aesthetic wise, it looks okay. It's a bit hard to make out how it looks like from the picture you posted but from what I can see at least, it looks quite simplistic, almost to a point of being generic.kaffeine wrote:
black and white
black - my first build, simple and unambitious
- Aluminum GK61
- Aluminum plate
- Tealios v2, lubed and filmed
- Stock plate mount stabs, lubed
- Razer PBT keycaps
Build quality wise, due to the case being made out of aluminum, it's pretty good. However the GK61's alu case is usually thinner than other enthusiast cases and from the picture you can see, or rather in this case cannot see the case bezels at all. So it's well built, but not as well built as most other alu boards.
Razer's PBT keycaps is an interesting choice.
I guess if you want shinethrough keycaps for backlighting RGBs then it makes sense since they are doubleshot PBT, meaning they are super durable and Razer chose to go with a very rational, elegant and good looking font as well, unlike a lot of other mainstream gamer gear brands.
The switches are probably the most expensive component of this build aside from the case itself. Tealios switches are very expensive and smooth premium switches. Their weighting is around mid to heavy and is very smooth and well sought after amongst enthusiasts.
If it's smoothness you're after then contactless switches are still a better investment in my opinion. Although with a board like this you have a wider range of switches to pick from to use.
I'm not sure if this is an old or new model of the GK61, they seem to have quite a number of revisions, but the newer ones tend to have wireless capability, RGB control and several custom layouts to swap to.
Overall, a decent first build.
6.7/10
Topic Starter
This is a pretty good looking board. The colour scheme is simplistic. However, the keycap sublegends makes it looks more interesting and pop out more. The lack of Windows key also makes it looks more retro and nicer in my opinion.kaffeine wrote:
black and white
white - a little more ambitious
- WKL KBD8X, gummy worm modded
- Polycarbonate plate
- Ink Black v2s, lubed and filmed
- C3 Equalz v3 pcb mount stabs, lubed, bandaid modded, and holee modded
- NP PBT keycaps (kbdfans)
No windows keys also means longer spacebar, which is a plus in my book since longer spacebars are more satisfying.
This board is made out of machined aluminum so build quality wise, it's one of the best. It also has a brass weight at the bottom to increase the weight even further, however this doesn't really make the build quality better but is just a way to add weight to this already heavy keyboard to give off a certain premium feel.
I do find it pretty funny how a lot of enthusiast keyboards these days have a literal metal ingot inside of the case to make it heavier though lol.
The keycaps are dyesubbed PBT so they are very durable and should last you for a long time. It's in a profile called NP which I personally have not tried but it looks like another uniformed height keycap profile.
These keycaps looks good, but for me at least I don't like uniformed height keycap profiles like DSA, XDA etc since It's hard to tell which row my fingers are on with flat keycaps and it slows my typing speed down quite a lot.
But it's personal preference of course.
The font aren't really normal Helvetica font but looks more like those fonts on Apple's keyboards. They look fine in my opinion, but not as good as regular Helvetica. The sublegends are in Japanese Katakana and makes it looks pretty retro and interesting.
The switches are Gateron Ink Blacks, which are mid to heavy switches in terms of weighting and they are very popular amongst enthusiasts for their smoothness and sound profile. They are pretty expensive, but nowhere near as expensive as ZealPC's switches. They do sound pretty deep and satisfying, but they are pretty muted compared to other clacky switches so if you use headphones, it's hard to appreciate the sound of the switches.
Overall, a well built enthusiast keyboard with nice switches.
8/10
Topic Starter
NEW KEYBOARD ALERT
It's been a while and ya boy got another keyboard. This time it's quite a special one.
Introducing,
This keyboard probably doesn't need much introduction for keyboard enthusisasts, but for those who doesn't know, this keyboard is a predecessor to the very popular and well respected IBM Model M.
The IBM Model M, considered by many to be "The best keyboard ever" and I do agree to this to a degee. But not many people know that the IBM Model M was actually a cut down, cost saving version of the IBM Model F. So, in many ways, the IBM Model F is a lot better and in some aspect, worse than the IBM Model M.
Overall, the IBM Model F generally has better build quality, switch longevity, key feel and it's also capacitive, so it inherently have N key rollover (Yes, a 40 years old keyboard has N key rollover) unlike the 2 key roll over on the model M.
However, the Model M does have a better keyboard layout, which is basically the classic 101 standard layout whereas you can only find model Fs in AT, XT and 122 layouts. And another advantage of the model M is that you can still get it brand new with USB made by Unicomp whereas Model Fs are always used, unless you get one from the Model F repro project by some enthusiasts, but it costs somewhere around $400 a board and it takes ages to deliver.
I have wanted to own this keyboard since a long time ago. You can say that this was one of my "dream keyboard". It's especially hard to find hardwares like these where I live, since the computer market in Vietnam during the 80s (or even the 90s to a degree), is almost non existence. So my only choice is to either get one from the West, or to get one from other enthusiasts. But since it's very hard to come by and the only people who actually owns them knows what they are, they tend to keep them for themselves and only rarely sell them off, and even when they do it's almost always at a very inflated price.
I got mine for around $140, which is not cheap, but I think I got a relatively fair deal especially for something that I've always wanted.
-----------------------------------------------------
Aesthetically speaking, in my opinion it's a gorgeous looking keyboard. Although the layout is basically only a TKL but switch the Nav cluster to the numpad and put the F keys on the side, it has a very impressive foorprint, it's bigger than some of my fullsized keyboards.
I always loved retro aesthetics and theme and this keyboard just screams retro. It's a beautiful keyboard from the layout, the shape of the case, the feets and the badge, I absolutely love how it looks.
It looks very substancial, impressive and elegant in my opinion.
Well, I think we all know how impressively built IBM Model M keyboards are. Well, this is a model F, so it's even more well built. This one in particular is the AT model, so it doesn't have the metal backplate of XT model Fs, but it's still an extremely well built keyboard. The case is made out of dense plastic and it also has a metal barrel plate that holds the switch assembly in place and a steal plate that holds everything together under the PCB.
The weight of this board is around 2.5 kg. Or in dumb unit, 5.51156 pounds.
So yes, this keyboard is basically a tank.
On the sides are 2 knobs you can rotate to extend the feet of the board. This is a very elegant solution in my opinion since it looks nice and you don't have to turn your keyboard over to extend ot retract them like other implementations of this feature. Although having the knobs stick out like that does make it prone to snap off. The ones on this board however is still working just fine and hasn't snapped.
This is how it looks like extended.
The Keycaps are very thick dye subbed PBT and the printing quality is very sharp. For dye subbed keycaps, it is not unusual for the legends to be slightly fuzzy or blurry, but the printing on these caps are extremely sharp. Although, because of it's age, the legends are a little bit bleached.
Note that they are one part keycaps instead of 2 parts like on the Model M.
The only inconsistency of the printing that I see however, is on 2 of the keys on the F keys.
You can see that the legends on the F1 and F3 keys are thicker than the others.
The switches on this keyboard are the well renowned Buckling Springs, which is the same switch mechanics on the Model M keyboard. However, unlike the Model M version, the Model F uses capacitive sensing PCB instead so they lasts a lot longer and has N key rollover unlike the 2 keys rollover of the Model M.
The feel of the switch is one of the smoothest switch I have ever felt ever, and is certainly the smoothest clicky switch I've felt to date. The tactility of the switch is nice, sharp and crisp, it's a delight to use.
Compared to the Model M, the Model F is quite noticably smoother and feel more refined, however the model M is slightly more tactile. Not that the switches on the Model M are bad or mediocre mind you, they are excellent switches, but the ones on the model F are even better, just goes to show how good they are.
One thing to mention is that the spacebar of this keyboard is really heavy. This is back when manufacturers makes spacebars heavier to avoid typing mistakes, but for me at least, it makes the spacebar too heavy so I miss space sometimes but it's not too bad once you're used to it. There's also a way to make the spacebar lighter but that requires disassembly of the entire keyboard so I just kept it how it is originally.
The badge on this board is very nice looking, although I can't find any mention of a white badge Model F anywhere on the internet, so I think one of the previous owners of this board must've modified it or something.
Although I do prefer the original badge, I think this one looks very nice as well too.
Overall, I love this keyboard. I've wanting to have it for so long now and it lived up to my expectations of it. The condition of the board is not perfect, but it's still very good only missing 2 screws on the back and some wear and tear on the chasis, it even still have the original legs still being functional. It's a beast of a keyboard and I'm very happy with my purchase.
Introducing,
IBM Model F AT
This keyboard probably doesn't need much introduction for keyboard enthusisasts, but for those who doesn't know, this keyboard is a predecessor to the very popular and well respected IBM Model M.
The IBM Model M, considered by many to be "The best keyboard ever" and I do agree to this to a degee. But not many people know that the IBM Model M was actually a cut down, cost saving version of the IBM Model F. So, in many ways, the IBM Model F is a lot better and in some aspect, worse than the IBM Model M.
Overall, the IBM Model F generally has better build quality, switch longevity, key feel and it's also capacitive, so it inherently have N key rollover (Yes, a 40 years old keyboard has N key rollover) unlike the 2 key roll over on the model M.
However, the Model M does have a better keyboard layout, which is basically the classic 101 standard layout whereas you can only find model Fs in AT, XT and 122 layouts. And another advantage of the model M is that you can still get it brand new with USB made by Unicomp whereas Model Fs are always used, unless you get one from the Model F repro project by some enthusiasts, but it costs somewhere around $400 a board and it takes ages to deliver.
I have wanted to own this keyboard since a long time ago. You can say that this was one of my "dream keyboard". It's especially hard to find hardwares like these where I live, since the computer market in Vietnam during the 80s (or even the 90s to a degree), is almost non existence. So my only choice is to either get one from the West, or to get one from other enthusiasts. But since it's very hard to come by and the only people who actually owns them knows what they are, they tend to keep them for themselves and only rarely sell them off, and even when they do it's almost always at a very inflated price.
I got mine for around $140, which is not cheap, but I think I got a relatively fair deal especially for something that I've always wanted.
Aesthetically speaking, in my opinion it's a gorgeous looking keyboard. Although the layout is basically only a TKL but switch the Nav cluster to the numpad and put the F keys on the side, it has a very impressive foorprint, it's bigger than some of my fullsized keyboards.
I always loved retro aesthetics and theme and this keyboard just screams retro. It's a beautiful keyboard from the layout, the shape of the case, the feets and the badge, I absolutely love how it looks.
It looks very substancial, impressive and elegant in my opinion.
Well, I think we all know how impressively built IBM Model M keyboards are. Well, this is a model F, so it's even more well built. This one in particular is the AT model, so it doesn't have the metal backplate of XT model Fs, but it's still an extremely well built keyboard. The case is made out of dense plastic and it also has a metal barrel plate that holds the switch assembly in place and a steal plate that holds everything together under the PCB.
The weight of this board is around 2.5 kg. Or in dumb unit, 5.51156 pounds.
So yes, this keyboard is basically a tank.
On the sides are 2 knobs you can rotate to extend the feet of the board. This is a very elegant solution in my opinion since it looks nice and you don't have to turn your keyboard over to extend ot retract them like other implementations of this feature. Although having the knobs stick out like that does make it prone to snap off. The ones on this board however is still working just fine and hasn't snapped.
This is how it looks like extended.
The Keycaps are very thick dye subbed PBT and the printing quality is very sharp. For dye subbed keycaps, it is not unusual for the legends to be slightly fuzzy or blurry, but the printing on these caps are extremely sharp. Although, because of it's age, the legends are a little bit bleached.
Note that they are one part keycaps instead of 2 parts like on the Model M.
The only inconsistency of the printing that I see however, is on 2 of the keys on the F keys.
You can see that the legends on the F1 and F3 keys are thicker than the others.
The switches on this keyboard are the well renowned Buckling Springs, which is the same switch mechanics on the Model M keyboard. However, unlike the Model M version, the Model F uses capacitive sensing PCB instead so they lasts a lot longer and has N key rollover unlike the 2 keys rollover of the Model M.
The feel of the switch is one of the smoothest switch I have ever felt ever, and is certainly the smoothest clicky switch I've felt to date. The tactility of the switch is nice, sharp and crisp, it's a delight to use.
Compared to the Model M, the Model F is quite noticably smoother and feel more refined, however the model M is slightly more tactile. Not that the switches on the Model M are bad or mediocre mind you, they are excellent switches, but the ones on the model F are even better, just goes to show how good they are.
One thing to mention is that the spacebar of this keyboard is really heavy. This is back when manufacturers makes spacebars heavier to avoid typing mistakes, but for me at least, it makes the spacebar too heavy so I miss space sometimes but it's not too bad once you're used to it. There's also a way to make the spacebar lighter but that requires disassembly of the entire keyboard so I just kept it how it is originally.
The badge on this board is very nice looking, although I can't find any mention of a white badge Model F anywhere on the internet, so I think one of the previous owners of this board must've modified it or something.
Although I do prefer the original badge, I think this one looks very nice as well too.
Overall, I love this keyboard. I've wanting to have it for so long now and it lived up to my expectations of it. The condition of the board is not perfect, but it's still very good only missing 2 screws on the back and some wear and tear on the chasis, it even still have the original legs still being functional. It's a beast of a keyboard and I'm very happy with my purchase.
Topic Starter
Typing demo for anyone interested. Sorry for the shaky camera, I couldn't find a good way to hold it steady to record.
ok that's special but since we are flexing old keyboards, I might as well. Nothing as special as yours tho.Tad Fibonacci wrote:
...
<insert description here /shrug>
It's a keyboard that features a very old connector. It's at least from the early 90's or late 80's. I do know this thing has been sitting in storage for over 20 years. Also features cyrillic lettering along with latin, which is neat. Dunno much more about it. Never even plugged it in to try... not that I have a port I can plug it into to try.
Topic Starter
Owh pogge it looks to be in really good condition.abraker wrote:
ok that's special but since we are flexing old keyboards, I might as well. Nothing as special as yours tho.Tad Fibonacci wrote:
...Introducing the Acekey Ack-200
<insert description here /shrug>
It's a keyboard that features a very old connector. It's at least from the early 90's or late 80's. I do know this thing has been sitting in storage for over 20 years. Also features cyrillic lettering along with latin, which is neat. Dunno much more about it. Never even plugged it in to try... not that I have a port I can plug it into to try.
The keycaps are sick, if it's MX or Alps mount I bet you could sell it for a pretty nice price.
The connector looks to be 5 pin plug but I'm not sure. But if it is, I think you can find a converter for it pretty easily if you wish to try it out.
Introducing The K550
(aka shit box)
Fantastic frame, as you can see that it collects dust very well which is known to add extra polling rate
As you can see, some of the lights arent on, this is called "speed mode" which adds extra tapping speed, however it is a permanent once turned on.
this is my favourite feature, as you can see the keyboard has on board memory, it is able to remember where you tap, this is very helpful indeed.
Topic Starter
AccountWontWork's keyboard
AccountWontWork wrote:
Introducing The K550
(aka shit box)
Fantastic frame, as you can see that it collects dust very well which is known to add extra polling rate
As you can see, some of the lights arent on, this is called "speed mode" which adds extra tapping speed, however it is a permanent once turned on.
this is my favourite feature, as you can see the keyboard has on board memory, it is able to remember where you tap, this is very helpful indeed.
TLDR of this keyboard: It's a very average cheap Chinese mechanical keyboard with some modifications done to it.
Aesthetics wise, it looks okay. It looks like any other gamer mechanical keyboard out there.
It has LED backlighting, however I don't think it's RGB, but rather multiple monochrome LEDs in each row of the keyboard. This lighting style is very popular on cheap Chinese mechanical keyboards as a cost saving thing.
Honestly though, in my opinion, if they can't afford RGB on their keyboards then having single monochrome backlighting is way better.
Build quality is average in terms of regular mechanical keyboards you can find on the market. It does have a floating key design, so the switches are vulnerable from side knocks, but it has an metal mounting plate, so it's not too bad.
So yeah, the build quality isn't horrible, but it's not remarkable either.
I can't find any information on the keycaps so I can't comment on how durable they are, but the font is fucking diarrhea. Seriously I hate those gamer edgy looking fonts, they are ugly and barely legible. It's something that an 8 year old would think looks cool.
The ones I found on the internet only comes with red or blue switches. They don't really specify which brands they are but considering this is a cheap board they are probably some Chinese clone brands like Outemus or TCC or something. I've said quite a lot about them in other reviews before so I won't say more about them. They are okay.
The mod you did to the board I assume is to replace the switches of the middle row with Gateron speed switches. Honestly I think it's quite pointless but I guess it's for Osu or something.
Overall, an uninteresting, average gamer keyboard with some Tom Hackery done to it.
5/10