Peripheral Reviews & Buyer Guides - Tech4Gamers

Corsair K70 Pro TKL Review: The Veteran Matures

Huzaifa Haroon — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 06:25:19 +0000

Corsair has been the poster boy for gaming keyboards for quite a while now. More so than Razer and Logitech, you see their boards pop up on store shelves and even the aftermarket, especially in third-world regions of the world. So, what happens when the veteran finally decides to innovate?

The K70 Pro TKL is the company’s latest flagship keyboard boasting custom hall-effect switches. It succeeds the K70 Pro Max from last year with better features and a more widespread release. So, let’s take a look at it and see how it stacks up in the current hotly contended gaming keyboard landscape.

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

At Tech4Gamers, ensuring you get reliable information is our priority. That’s why every hardware round-up undergoes a meticulous review process by our team of experts and editors. Each review is carefully examined against our strict editorial guidelines, guaranteeing you trustworthy insights you can depend on.

Key Takeaways

The Corsair K70 Pro TKL is a fast hall-effect keyboard with industry-leading latency and is backed by the company’s excellent warranty and support system.
Buy the K70 Pro TKL if you’re looking for a gaming keyboard with all the bells and whistles to give you a competitive edge.
Avoid the K70 Pro TKL if you’re looking for a modding-friendly keyboard that sounds as good as it performs.

[toc]

What Makes The Corsair K70 Pro TKL Different?

The Corsair K70 Pro TKL stands out as the best hall-effect keyboard on the market when it comes to latency. Realistically, these numbers are at a level where literally 99% of us won’t even be able to tell, but it’s still crucial if you’re looking for every bit of an upper hand.

It’s also Corsair’s proper foray into the new era of gaming keyboards that don’t suck. It has meaningful features and performance gains for the gamers while maintaining excellent build quality, a decent sound and a semblance of customization. All that is packaged behind an extensive support system present in most parts of the world.

Unboxing Experience

The Corsair K70 Pro TKL comes sealed in a pretty unassuming box with black and yellow accenting all over, showing the board up front. There are tabs on either side to get in, and once inside, the first thing you see is the keyboard wrapped in paper with a Corsair sticker sealing the package.

Corsair K70 Pro TKL box (Image by T4G)

On the right, you’ll find the USB cable, and below the keyboard is an included wrist rest, also wrapped in paper. It’s magnetic and has a soft, plush feeling, but I personally typed better without it. Keyboards with taller front heights will likely benefit from this more, though it’s still a nice value-add.

Here’s everything you get in the box:

1x Corsair K70 Pro TKL
2x Manuals
1x USB-C Cable
1x Wrist Rest

Everything that comes with the Corsair K70 Pro TKL (Image by T4G)

Design & Build

The K70 Pro sports a simple aesthetic focused to appeal to gamers. It has a floating switch design which means the switches sit on top of the surface, which in this case is a black top piece (or plate) made out of metal. This is paired with a plastic bottom. The whole assembly feels rigid and premium. There is zero creaking or flex.

With & Without Wrist Rest

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The metal plate also has a brushed aluminum finish, while the plastic body is smooth with just a little bit of texture, similar to the Epomaker Shadow keyboards but grittier than the Aula prebuilts. You’ll see a Corsair logo on the right, under the nav cluster where the indicator LEDs usually are; they’ve been moved next to the Escape key on this board.

Corsair Logo & Indicator LEDs

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The corners of the board are rounded with a chamfered perimeter all around. You can clearly see where the top metal plate and the bottom case meet, but it feels intentional and doesn’t look cheap. The top left corner houses the USB port, and there are no other buttons on the outer body.

Corsair K70 Pro TKL side profile (Image by T4G)

At the back, you see a very angular design with recessed channels running across, contributing to an aggressive aesthetic. There are two flip-out feet located at the top; they feel very firm. The large Corsair logo in the middle is made out of metal and sits elevated from the rest of the body.

The Backside

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The board weighs about a kilogram and has a front height of 18mm with a very flat typing angle of only 2 degrees. The flip out feet take this up to 7-degrees and are better if you want to use the included wrist rest, otherwise I found the board to be quite comfortable as is.

Layout & Features

The K70 Pro TKL is a hall-effect keyboard with a tenkeyless layout, mostly. The function row, navigation keys and the arrow cluster use standard mechanical switches soldered onto the PCB. The rest of the keys are hall-effect and hot-swap. This puts it in line more with SteelSeries keyboards than Wooting, which uses all Hall effect keys.

The switch layout in the Corsair K70 Pro TKL

Toward the top-right corner, you’ll see a knob with two RGB-ified buttons next to it. These buttons have soft clicks that I wish were more tactile. The knob is non-removable and doesn’t seem to be metal, but it’s still well-built and has a very satisfying click and rotation. By default, it controls volume, but you can customize it to do a lot of things.

Next to this, there’s a custom media button with the iCUE logo that does play/pause, but again, you can change this function to anything else. And finally, the Game Mode button is the most interesting,g and it does a lot more than you might think. Think of it as a glorified profile switcher.

Corsair K70 Pro TKL buttons (Image by T4G)

Corsair says it’s for “competition-optimized settings” needed in high stakes gameplay. Upon pressing it, it instantly switches to 8K Hz polling rate, turns on Win lock, turns on Rapid Trigger, and turns the RGB to a static color you pick (red by default). Once again, you can further tweak what this exactly does in the software.

The K70 also has an interesting internal structure. First, it uses a tray-mount, which feels outdated for 2024 when everyone else has moved onto gaskets. There is some consolation as Corsair has added 2 sound-dampening layers inside.

All the layers that make up the K70 Pro TKL | Corsair

One is simply a thick piece of silicone acting as bottom case foam. The other layer is the plate foam, also made from silicone, but it has little foam pads sticking out the corners of each switch cutout for the stabs to dampen their impact. However, this is not a modding-friendly board so don’t try to open it up and experiment with different configs.

The “plate foam” inside the K70 Pro TKL | BadSeed Tech

Gaming Performance

Being a hall-effect keyboard, Corsair has packed the K70 Pro TKL with all the features. It has customizable actuation points for all the hall-effect keys, so you can set the distance from 0.1mm to 4mm. It also has Rapid Trigger, clearing and multi-press — multiple functions with a single keypress depending on how much you press it.

The Rapid Trigger function works flawlessly but their SOCD clearing feature, called FlashTap, is also only limited to the “A” and “D” for now and is not customizable. You enable it by pressing Fn+Right Shift, and it lights up the A and D keys, but that’s it. The implementation is simple here: prioritize your latest input over your previous one.

FlashTap (Image By Tech4Gamers)

Corsair has also packed in an 8000hz polling rate, which is enabled automatically in Game Mode. In our testing, Corsair’s claim of having the best latency remained true. It has the most consistent and accurate actuation distances across all settings compared to Wooting and SteelSeries and is even better than Corsair’s previous K70 MAX keyboard.

Connectivity

The K70 Pro TKL is a wired-only board, so there’s no battery inside. This is one area where I wished Corsair hadn’t tried to be more like Wooting but rather the competition. No wireless support is disappointing at this price point.

Corsair K70 Pro TKL USB port (Image by T4G)

Regardless, the wired performance here is fantastic. Corsair claims industry-leading latency with their hall-effect switches and it feels that way. In gaming, all the keystrokes felt quick and precise with no random issues. However, I will advise using the cable Corsair supplies in the box as my custom coiled cable did disconnect a few times.

The Fundamentals

Corsair has done a lot to set the K70 Pro TKL apart since Corsair is part of the trifecta (with Razer and Logitech) that perfected the archetype of the gaming keyboard.

Keycaps

Corsair uses high-quality doubleshot keycaps made from either ABS or PBT material, and there are different typefaces used across both. The PBT keycaps have more of a generic gaming font, whereas the ABS keycaps have slimmer, more subdued legends. Both are shinethrough and have similar thickness, which is to say—better than most.

The RGB shining through the Corsair K70 Pro TKL keycaps (Image by T4G)

We have ABS keycaps on our unit as I gravitate toward a clackier sound signature which ABS excels in, and I love the grittier texture compared to PBT as well. The only downside (depending on who you are) is that they develop a shine over time that sort of sands out their roughness, and they feel soft on your fingers.

Corsair K70 Pro TKL keycaps vs GMK keycaps (Image by T4G)

The keycaps have clean molds with tight stems. The legends look nice and sharp, especially with the RGB, but some of them are ever so slightly off-center if you really look for it. This is pretty common for backlit keycaps, so not a big deal. The spacebar also has two pieces of foam glued on the insides to reduce hollowness.

Corsair K70 Pro TKL spacebar (Image by T4G)

Switches

The K70 Pro TKL uses two different switches for the “primary” keys and everything else. All the alphas and the mods, along with the number row, have Corsair’s custom MGX HyperDrive magnetic switches. This part of the board is also a hot-swap, so other hall-effect switches are compatible.

Taking a closer look at them, it’s pretty obvious that these are just Gateron Magnetic Jade recolors. They have a 30-55g actuation force depending on whatever actuation point you set in the software. Speaking of which, you have the full 0.1mm to 4mm range of control for your actuation.

Corsair’s MGX HyperDrive magnetic switch in the K70 Pro TKL (Image by T4G)

These are factory-lubed linears on par with Wooting’s Lekker V2 switches. They feel smooth and sound about as good as hall-effect switches can. They lack a proper bottom out because of the exposed magnet design for the stem, but they still feel a little less dampened than the Wooting 80HE.

Corsair’s MGX switch compared to others (Image by T4G)

We see Corsair’s MLX Plasma linear switches in the function row, nav cluster and arrow keys. These are 45g pre-lubed linears with a little too much stem wobble, and they’re soldered to the board. Nothing noteworthy here except the freakishly good job Corsair has done making them sound identical to the hall-effect MGX switches.

The MLX Plasma switches inside the Corsair K70 Pro TKL (Image by T4G)

Stabilizers

Corsair has equipped the K70 Pro with standard plate-mount stabs that come pre-lubed out of the box. Surprisingly, they’re not bad at all, but they are still far from perfect. There’s a bit of ticking in all of the keys, with the worst offender being the spacebar, which was quite rattly.

With a little injection of lube, they sound a lot better, but they’re not on the level of Wooting or Keychron.

Corsair K70 Pro TKL stabilizers (Image by T4G)

Typing Experience

The K70 Pro TKL has that classic hall-effect keyboard sound without the horribly noticeable thinness of the early models. It sounds almost exactly like the new Wooting 80HE but falls behind the more refined acoustics of something like the Keychron K2 HE.

There is no thock or depth present here, it sounds clacky, if anything, but it’s not properly loud either, like a custom keyboard. Still, it’s a huge improvement over what Corsair had been doing for years and a step in the right direction. The company just needs to lock in on a certain sound and hone in on that.

They feel very smooth to type on with a satisfying impact on the bottom out, even if there literally is no plastic at the end of the switch stem hitting the bottom. The wobble is noticeable but not jarring and there is even a slight hint of softness if you try to press really hard on the keys.

Software

Corsair has stuck with their infamous iCUE software to power the K70 Pro TKL, and it’s… alright. The UI looks clean and well-designed, but it’s nowhere near as accessible as Wootility. Every single advanced feature is hidden behind a bunch of steps that you will never figure out without looking at the manual.

Editor`s Note

I couldn’t get iCUE to open up short of right-clicking on it every time and selecting to run as administrator. Even then, it would open in the tray, and I’d have to manually click on it for the window to finally appear.

– Huzaifa Haroon

All the settings are laid out in tabs on the right. You can either save whatever you configure within the keyboard’s onboard memory or let it remain within the software, but that means iCUE would need to be running in the background for everything to work as customized. Pretty much every feature is available across both modes.

The iCUE homepage for the Corsair K70 Pro TKL

You get your standard affair of lighting controls and full key remapping, but iCUE does have some cool RGB effects it calls “Murals”. These are basically really complicated animated effects that can be synced with other Corsair products in your setup like the case fans in your PC. You can also set macros and customize what the control dial does.

Of course, all the hall-effect stuff like changing the actuation point, activating Rapid Trigger and setting up multi-press actuations are all here, but it’s not exactly laid out intuitively. Lastly, there is no option for customizing their SOCD feature FlashTap in any way because of Corsair’s barebones implementation, which enables or disables it by pressing Fn+Right Shift.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

✅ You want a good hall-effect keyboard that has the best latency possible to give you every bit of that competitive advantage when and where it matters.

✅ You prefer the stealthy aesthetic of a classic gaming keyboard mixed with the extravagance of the vibrant RGB.

✅ You’re in a region with shoddy warranty systems. Corsair’s support is going to help you even out of local warranty.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌ You’re looking for a wireless hall-effect keyboard. Despite boasting excellent performance, the K70 Pro TKL is wired only.

❌ You prefer a creamy sound often found in modern budget prebuilts. The K70 Pro TKL has a decent sound, but it’s far from satisfying.

❌ You’re after the best value as there are other hall-effect keyboards on the market that offer similar performance for less and even wireless functionality.

The K70 Pro TKL in all its glory

My Thoughts

Corsair’s latest keyboard is a solid addition to their lineup, modernizing the poster boy of the gaming keyboard. Unfortunately, the market is quite crowded these days, and you can either be Wooting and sell like hotcakes or be a budget option that offers crazy-good value. However, Corsair has an ace up its sleeve: history.

Because they’re so omnipresent in every store across every country, you are promised to get decent warranty support in even third-world countries where the newer, smaller brands simply cannot reach. So, within that context, if you’re looking for a high-end Hall Effect keyboard and won’t mind paying a bit more, Corsair’s K70 Pro TKL is a top contender.

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Corsair K70 Pro TKL Review: The Veteran Matures is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

Tecware Phantom+ Elite Review: Underwhelming

Huzaifa Haroon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 06:40:08 +0000

In today’s sea of budget prebuilts teetering on the custom territory with features like hot-swap PCBs and a great typing experience out of the box, can a back-to-basics approach work again? That’s what appears to be the pitch for Tecware’s new Phantom+ keyboards.

Available in TKL and full-size layouts, the Elite variant stands out with its enhanced build quality and attention to detail. In this review, we’ll dive into the Phantom+ Elite to see if it delivers enough to justify its position in this competitive landscape.

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

I have also tested the Tecware Phantom+, check out its review if you wanna learn more about it.

Key Takeaways

The Tecware Phantom+ Elite is a gaming keyboard with decent build quality, performance, and RGB, but the overall package of sound, feel and features is lackluster.
Buy the Phantom+ Elite if you want a keyboard focused on RGB. It even comes with a premium coiled cable in the box and a removable top cover.
Avoid the Phantom+ Elite if you’re looking for a solid keyboard that offers a nice balance of price and performance with modern sensibilities.

Feature	Details
Layout	87-key Tenkeyless (TKL)
Switch Options	Pre-installed Tecware Wraith switches (Orange, Brown, Pink, Red)
Keycaps	Double-shot, double-walled PBT keycaps in OEM profile
Build Quality	Carbon steel plate with ABS case; sound-dampening foam and fillers
RGB Lighting	16.8 million colors per-key RGB illumination with 18 pre-set lighting modes
Connectivity	Wired (USB-C) and wireless (Bluetooth 5.0 and 2.4GHz)
Battery	2500mAh, up to 250 hours of continuous wireless usage without RGB
Hot-Swappable Sockets	Universal 5-pin switch sockets compatible with most MX-style switches
Stabilizers	V3 stabilizers, factory-lubed and plate mounted
Dimensions	TKL: L361 x W132 x H42mm (H51mm w/ feet) \| Full-Size: L443 x W132 x H42mm
Weight	0.93kg (TKL) or 1.1kg (Full Size)
Additional Features	Multi-layered foam padding, silicone spacebar filler, dual-layer fiberglass PCB

[toc]

Unboxing Experience

The Phantom+ Elite comes in a standard albeit well-made cardboard box with the keyboard’s picture and names upfront. There are tabs on either side to get inside and it’s one of the few boards that actually has a seal as well. In the corner, you’ll see a sticker indicating what switch is in the unit.

Tecware Phantom+ Elite box (Image by T4G)

Once you’re in, you’ll be treated to the keyboard wrapped in some foam but no dust cover. Toward the top are the included accessories including a fancy coiled cable, the nicest one I’ve seen included in a package. There’s no manual but the back of the box has a QR code you can scan to access it, right below a table of all the switch options and their specs.

Here’s everything you get in the box:

1x Phantom+ Elite
1x Coiled USB-C Cable
1x Wireless Receiver
1x Keycap/Switch Puller
4x Extra Switches

Everything that comes with the Tecware Phantom+ Elite (Image by T4G)

Design & Build

The Tecware Phantom lineup of keyboards has a gamer-ish design that looks somewhat outdated at this point, as most other budget boards have moved on to subtler aesthetics. It opts for a “case-less” build where the plate sits at the surface of the keyboard, but at the same time, it comes with a magnetic top cover that acts like a top case.

Tecware Phantom+ Elite from the front (Image by T4G)

With the cover, you get rounded-off corners and a pretty distraction-free look, but with it off, the keyboard becomes much less mature. Each corner is now angled, and you can feel uncomfortable if your palm rests on it. There’s also a visible crease running around the perimeter that highlights the separation between the plate and the bottom case.

Tecware Phantom+ Elite without the top cover (Image by T4G)

Toward the back, there are two flip-out feet for height adjustment and a Tecware sticker in the center with some info. The side profile is also inoffensive, but I prefer the top cover off since you get to see the aggressive angles, which make it more unique. With the top cover it becomes a simple (albeit clean) wedge.

Side Profile with and without Top Cover

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The entire body of the Phantom+ Elite is made out of plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap and has some heft to it. It’s heavier than other prebuilts like Aula F87 Pro and Epomaker Shadow-X. The texture of both the top and bottom is gritty but if you take the cover off, the sides and plate is smooth, the latter being because of its metal make.

Tecware Phantom+ Elite from the back (Image by T4G)

The top of the board houses the connection switch next to the USB-C port, located toward the left side. Here I noticed that the top cover has actually quite sharp edges as it sort of cuts off around to expose this area for easier access.

Tecware Phantom+ Elite USB port (Image by T4G)

Layout & Features

The Phantom+ Elite is a TKL keyboard with wireless functionality over both 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth connections. This is a tray-mount keyboard with no gaskets. There are two LEDs right below the nav cluster for power and Caps Lock, but there is no place to store the wireless dongle anywhere on the case.

Tecware Phantom+ Elite LED indicators (Image by T4G)

The board features a fully hotswap PCB with 5-pin sockets and north-facing RGB. The plate is made out of steel which is something I haven’t seen in a while in the modern prebuilt scene. It reminds me of my first-ever custom keyboard: TM680. Both the PCB and plate have no flex cuts.

There is plenty of foam included inside like the plate foam, IXPE sheet, PCB foam and some silicone at the bottom acting as case foam. The plate also has some foam inserts glued onto it in the spacebar area to reduce hollowness.

The insides of the Phantom+ Elite | Tecware

The Fundamentals

The Phantom+ Elite has left an underwhelming first impression so far, but can the insides make up for it? Spoiler alert: they can’t.

Switches

Tecware supplies its own custom switches for the Phantom lineup, and I’ve got the Reds in my unit. These are a 45g factory-lubed linear with 3.8mm of total travel. They have minimal stem wobble and are stuck on the PCB-plate assembly like a tank. Unfortunately, they’re otherwise not great and fall far behind any modern linear I’ve seen in a prebuilt.

Tecware’s Red linear switches in the Phantom+ Elite (Image by T4G)

It’s not very smooth for being pre-lubed and I can hear the slightest bit of spring crunch. Upon opening up the switch, I found that there was barely any lube on the stem. The bottom out is not satisfying, just like the sound. It lacks the oomph to be either a deep and thocky switch or a loud and clacky one.

Keycaps

The keycaps here are shinethrough but still doubleshot and made out of PBT. They’re OEM profiles. They look nice at first glance, but I quickly noticed that the Caps Lock and Tab keys, along with most of the nav keys, have molding supports on the top, which blocks a bit of light when it shines through them. Otherwise, they’re pretty solid.

Tecware Phantom+ Elite keycaps (Image by T4G)

The legends are nice and sharp; they let the RGB pop in dim environments, and the texture is pleasant. They’re soft to the touch. I did notice that the stems weren’t as tight as some other budget keycaps; putting the Enter key on my Lucky65 V2 created a wobbly mess. But otherwise, the alphas sounded great. It’s just that the paired switches let these down.

Stabilizers

Phantom+ Elite uses factory-lubed “V3” plate-mounted stabs, and simply put, they’re horrible. Out of the box, every single stabilizer key has a lot of rattling and ticking. The medicore switches and the loose keycap stem mix to only accentuate this disaster. The worst offender is the spacebar, but at least it’s more consistent left to right than the others.

Tecware Phantom+ Elite stabilizers (Image by T4G)

I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but in this day and age, where you can find cheap prebuilt in the same price bracket with perfect stock stabilizers, this is unacceptable. Upon close inspection, I also saw that they’re using a thicker lube than usual, and there’s a lot of it. So much so that the keycaps have a little excess stuck on the stems.

Connectivity & Performance

Tecware has equipped the Phantom+ Elite with a 2500mAh battery for wireless usage, and they claim it can last up to 250 hours without RGB. There is literally no way to check how much battery you have left in the software or on the board itself using Fn key shortcuts, so you’re just playing a guessing game.

In my testing, with RGB on, it was able to last just about a day, and without RGB, it’s still going after a couple of days. Wireless performance was also fine over both Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz connections but I won’t recommend it for competitive gaming. Moreover, the fact that I had flip the connection switch to wired mode every time I plugged the board in instead of it automatically switching like every other board ever was also annoying.

Typing Experience

The typing experience is underwhelming to say the least. I can tolerate those dry switches and the (sorta) loose keycaps but those stabilizers are terrible. Every time I hit the spacebar, I’m reminded of how bad the stabs are, and they ruin the otherwise already subpar experience for me to the point where I simply cannot recommend this board.

The Software

Tecware supplies its own proprietary software for the Phantom+ Elite that you can easily download from their site. Once installed, you’re greeted by a rather small window, but looking past that, the software is decent. You get your standard affair of RGB controls, custom keymapping, macros and even a unique music effects mode.

You can choose from 10 different music effects that react to whatever audio is playing on your computer, and they all work very well. The RGB is smooth and responds well to the beat or rhythm. Unlike the Aula F65, which had a similar feature, Tecware has done a much better job here, and, hey, credit where credit is due, it looks pretty sick.

I will say that the UI is questionable, it once again seems to look a bit too gamer-focused with the text and other elements honestly being quite small. Funnily enough, the non-Elite version of this board gets a different, much nicer app that we take a look at in our other review.

What Makes It Different

There is nothing that sets the Tecware Phantom+ Elite apart from its competitors unless you consider being worse a unique trait. In all honesty, the magnetic, removable top cover is the only thing that makes this board a bit different from everything else on the market, but the cons simply outweigh any pros you can dig up for the Phantom+ Elite.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

✅ You like RGB. The shine-through keycaps, along with the smooth RGB effects, make it stand out on any desk.

✅ You want two looks in one. The magnetic top cover of the Phantom+ Elite can be taken off to reveal an aggressive and gamery “case-less” design.

✅ You’re fond of coiled cables, as the one Tecware includes in the box is quite nice and premium.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌ You’re looking for a good keyboard as the Tecware Phantom+ Elite has underwhelming sound, feel looks and features.

❌ You want smooth stabs because the stock stabilizers in the Elite+ are quite frankly terrible ,with lots of rattle and inconsistencies.

❌ You want the best value as there are several other keyboards on the market offering much better packages for the same price.

The Tecware Phantom+ Elite in all its glory (Image by T4G)

My Thoughts

The Tecware Phantom+ Elite would’ve been a decent keyboard had it come out before the Aulas and the Epomakers of today. The RGB sure looks nice, and it’s not a poorly built board, but it’s simply too outdated for what it costs and cannot realistically stand toe-to-toe with even a board off AliExpress.

In the States, you can find the Chilkey ND75 for $89, which is an aluminium keyboard with ball-catch assembly, magnetic connectors and a screen. Not to mention actually good keycaps, switches and stabs that contribute to a solid sound. Why am I mentioning all this? Well, the MSRP of the Phantom+ Elite is only $9 less than that. I rest my case.

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Tecware Phantom+ Elite Review: Underwhelming is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

Tecware Phantom+ Review: Style Over Substance?

Huzaifa Haroon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 05:46:36 +0000

Budget mechanical keyboards with the traditional “gaming” aesthetic have become a rare breed these days. The overnight revolution of the semi-custom prebuilts led by Akko, Epomaker and Aula have terraformed the market into appreciating more sober designs. Tecware seems to oppose that.

The Phantom+ and Phantom+ Elite are the company’s latest entries in the market, and they come in two sizes: an 87-key TKL version and a full-size 104-key version. The former is the cheaper wired model and that’s the one we’ll be taking a look at in this review.

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

I will be referring to the Elite variant in this review, so make sure to read my Tecware Phantom+ Elite review as well.

Key Takeaways

The Tecware Phantom+ is a subpar keyboard that lacks depth in any department other than RGB and its gamer’d-out look.
Buy the Phantom+ if you’re looking for something that will get the job done while looking inoffensive and well-built.
Avoid the Phantom+ if your goal is to buy a well-rounded keyboard that has a solid sound, feel, design, and features like wireless support.

Feature	Details
Layout	87-key Tenkeyless (TKL) or 104-key (Full Size)
Switch Options	Pre-installed Tecware Wraith switches (Orange, Brown, Pink, Red)
Keycaps	Double-shot ABS keycaps in OEM profile
Build Quality	Carbon steel plate with ABS case; sound-dampening foam and fillers
RGB Lighting	16.8 million colors per-key RGB illumination with 18 pre-set lighting modes
Connectivity	Wired only (USB-C)
Hot-Swappable Sockets	3-pin switch sockets, limited compatibility
Stabilizers	Tecware-branded prelubed V3 stabilizers, plate mount
Dimensions	TKL: L361 x W132 x H42mm (H51mm w/ feet) \| Full-Size: L443 x W132 x H42mm
Weight	0.93kg (TKL) or 1.1kg (Full Size)
Additional Features	Multi-layered foam padding, silicone spacebar filler, dual-layer fiberglass PCB

[toc]

What Makes It Different?

The Tecware Phantom+ is not different from what’s already on the market in any way. In fact, everything about it feels outdated like all the competitors have already moved on from this level of performance. So, in that weird sort of ironic way, it’s different because it’s trying to sell an older formula that doesn’t work anymore.

Unboxing Experience

The Phantom+ comes in a sturdy, well-designed cardboard box with the keyboard’s picture and name on the front indicating whether you have the TKL or full-size variant. There are tabs on the sides to open it up, and it’s one of the few keyboards that actually comes with a seal. You’ll also find a sticker in the corner showing which switch is inside.

Tecware Phantom+ box (Image by T4G)

Inside the box, you’ll find the keyboard wrapped in foam, along with a dust cover which is surprising considering the more premium Elite version doesn’t include one. Unlike the Elite, however, this version skips the fancy coiled cable. Similarly, there’s no manual inside but the bottom of the box has a nice graphic showing an exploded view of the board’s internals.

Here’s everything you get in the box:

1x Phantom+
1x USB-C Cable
1x Keycap/Switch Puller
4x Extra Switches

Everything the Tecware Phantom+ comes with (Image by T4G)

Design & Build

The Tecware Phantom lineup sticks to its gamer-centric design, which feels a little outdated now, especially as many budget keyboards have transitioned to cleaner, more modern aesthetics. This model carries over the “case-less” design seen in the Elite version, where the plate sits exposed at the surface.

RGB Off/On

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However, unlike the Elite, it doesn’t come with a magnetic top cover included, though the one from the Elite is fully compatible. On paper, this should mean identical build quality, but the experience tells a different story. I noticed random streaks and molding marks across the plastic body that were not present in the more premium model.

Poor molding in the Tecware Phantom+ (Image by T4G)

Without the top cover, the keyboard’s sharp, angled corners are fully exposed, and they can feel uncomfortable if your palm brushes against them. Interestingly, the seam running across the edges of the board where the plate and bottom case join is not as egregious here and, to be honest matches the aesthetic quite well.

At the back, you’ll find two flip-out feet for height adjustments, along with a Tecware sticker in the center providing some info. The side profile is very basic, but I actually prefer the raw, angular look without the cover—it gives the keyboard more character. This also leads to a very short front height of only 10mm.

The Back and the Side

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The Phantom is sporting a plastic construction, but it has a surprising weight to it; there’s only about a 200g reduction due to the lack of batteries in this model. Like its older brother, this board has a rough texture on the back but smooth sides with a glossy trim angling inward toward the bottom. The metal plate is also smooth but looks gritty.

Up top, the USB-C port sits on the left side, but unlike the Elite, there’s no connection mode switch here since this version doesn’t support wireless. Strangely, the carvings of the cutout for the switch are still there, which further confirms both models share the same body mold.

Tecware Phantom+ USB Port (Image by T4G)

Layout & Features

The Phantom+ is a wired keyboard with a TKL or tenkeyless layout which means it lacks a numpad. It uses a tray mount which is not uncommon for gamery-looking budget boards of this caliber. There are two indicator LEDs right below the nav cluster for Caps Lock and Win key lock, the latter of which is different from the power LED on the Elite mode.

Tecware Phantom+ indicator LEDs (Image by T4G)

The board features a hotswap PCB with 3-pin sockets and north-facing RGB. However, these are the mill-max looking cheapo sockets that only play nice with Outemu switches. I tried a KTT Rose and a Gateron Pro Yellow, the only two 3-pin switches I had, and the KTT fit without a problem, but the Gateron just wouldn’t go in.

Tecware Phantom+ hotswap sockets (Image by T4G)

Today, every single new switch that comes out is 5-pin, which means you’ll have to individually chop off the plastic legs of each switch before you can put them in here. Mix that with the shoddy support of whether the switch will actually fit or not, and this is just an unacceptable experience in 2024.

Anyhow, the PCB has a standard 1.6mm thickness and both the plate and PCB have no flex cuts. There are also no extra layout options. Tecware has put ample foam inside to help dampen the sound. You have your standard affair of plate foam, IXPE sheet, PCB foam and bottom case foam.

All the layers that make up the Phantom+ | Tecware

The Fundamentals

The Phantom+ has looked anything but impressive up till this point, and unfortunately, its internals only continue the same theme.

Switches

The Phantom keyboards come with Tecware’s own Wraith switches, and I’ve got the Browns in my config. These are a 50g factory-lubed tactile with a 63g bottom out. There is no pre-travel, as the tactile bump is right at the start of the actuation.

Unlike their linears, there is no spring crunch here and even less stem wobble. They sound decent but tactiles are mainly about the feel. There is a nice, rounded-off tactility here which felt pretty light. Upon opening up the switch I saw that the stem had the slightest bit of lube on it, including the legs. The spring was also glistening.

Tecware’s Brown tactile switch in the Phantom+ (Image by T4G)

The tactile bump helps mask the minor rattle produced by the somewhat loose keycap stems. The sound is otherwise not very creamy or loud. These are certainly a downgrade from something like the MMD Princess, but at least I found the sound to be very consistent across all the keys.

Keycaps

The key caps on the Phantom+ are doubleshot PBT with shine through legends and come in the standard OEM profile. Compared to the Elite version, these keycaps feature a different font, with centered legends that work better for RGB lighting. Since the LED sits right behind the translucent element, the RGB is more vibrant and consistent.

Tecware Phantom+ keycaps (Image by T4G)

The legends are crisp but thinner than usual; the Elite model benefits from thicker characters that accentuate the RGB (especially in animated effects). The texture looks gritty but is smooth and catches a lot of finger oils. Once again, this is better hidden in the white version that we had with the Elite model.

The keycaps, compared to other budget PBT offerings, are not as thick, and you can see molding marks on the edges. There is also a decent bit of wobble as the stems are not tight enough. Putting the stabilizer keycaps on a better board like the Lucky65 instantly gives this away to the point where you can just lift it up without applying much pressure.

Stabilizers

Like the more premium Phantom+ Elite, the standard Phantom+ has Tecware’s “V3” plate-mounted stabs that come pre-lubed from the factory. These are really bad and cannot be used stock, which is a shame considering how other prebuilts are packing perfect stabilizers in the same budget.

Tecware Phantom+ stabilizers (Image by T4G)

All the stabilized keys rattle, and there is significant ticking. You can take off the keycaps to visibly see the lube they put on the stabs but it’s not doing much. This is only made worse by the loose keycap sitting and the muted sound of the switches. In normal typing, the sound of the spacebar will take you out every single time.

Connectivity & Performance

The Phantom+ is not wireless, so there’s no battery inside. You can only connect it through the USB-C port. While plugged in, I didn’t notice any lag or weird issues in both gaming and typing. The latency is average, so it is not recommended for competitive gaming, but it should be fine otherwise.

Typing Experience

The typing experience is disappointing with poor stabilizers and mediocre keycaps combining to make sure you hear every bit of rattle. The tactile switches feel nice but don’t help add any positive to the sound because they simply don’t have enough character to stand out. There is the slightest hint—nay, idea—of thock but nothing solid.

The board also feels very stiff to type on due to its tray-mount structure.

The Software

You can easily download the Phantom+ software from Tecware’s site, and if you haven’t guessed so far, this board is not VIA or QMK compatible. Anyway, the software is actually not bad at all and looks quite a bit better than the one supplied with the Elite model. The UI is still gamer-ish, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a huge improvement.

You have options for the RGB controls, which include 18 built-in effects, but for some reason, the speed is slower than on the Elite model, even if I max it out. One big advantage of this software is a real-time overlay which displays whatever RGB settings you’ve got going on as you configure it. However, there are no reactive music modes like on the Elite.

There are sections for custom keymapping and macros too. The interesting bit is in the “Others” tab where you can customize the polling rate style=”font-weight: 400;”>, choosing between 125, 250, 500 and 1000hz (default). There are also toggles for Win key lock, N-key rollover and swapping WASD for the arrow keys. Clicking the keyboard button in the middle opens the Windows Keyboard Properties panel if you want to configure that for some reason.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

✅ You’re a fan of RGB. The gamery look mixed with the shinethrough keycaps provide a nice disco show that’s pretty to look at.

✅ You’re not picky about how a board sounds or feels and just want a decent overall experience without thinking about it.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌ You’re after the best value. At its price point, competing keyboards offer far superior build quality, features, and overall performance.

❌ You value sound and feel as the Tecware Phantom+ struggles in both areas, with underwhelming acoustics, inconsistent typing feel, and an uninspired design.

❌ You need good stabilizers. The pre-lubed stabilizers are poorly implemented, with excessive rattle and ticking that detracts heavily from the typing experience.

The Tecware Phantom+ in all its glory (Image by T4G)

My Thoughts

For its $58 MSRP, the Tecware Phantom+ faces tough competition from companies like Aula, Epomaker, and even Royal Kludge, all of which are offering stronger options in the same price range. Sure, it’s got the design and the looks, but the remaining features are far from impressive.

For instance, if you care about the stabilizers, keycaps, switches, and even build quality, there are more choices to consider. I like the RGB, but you can get that on any modern keyboard and often with much better software. For casual users, the Phantom+ might get the job done, but in a crowded market, it struggles to truly stand out.

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Tecware Phantom+ Review: Style Over Substance? is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

Aula F65 Review: How Dare You Stand Where He Stood?

Huzaifa Haroon — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:22:56 +0000

Aula has produced some of the most well-reviewed budget keyboards of the past year. The F75 has become downright legendary in its status, joining the likes of the TM680 and GMK67 as the most prolific options in this class, boards that dictated or changed the status quo for everything else around them.

Now, Aula is back with their latest entry in the F-series with the Aula F65. A new keyboard that looks to build upon the gargantuan success of its older brothers — the Aula F75 and the Aula F87 Pro. So, is this a faltering attempt by Aula to grasp a previously unexplored niche, or does it have enough to stand among the greats?

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

Key Takeaways

The Aula F65 is a competent budget keyboard from a recognizable brand that brings forward a lot of the same great features found in its contemporaries.
Buy the Aula F65 if you’re looking for a well-built 65% keyboard that’s affordable without compromising on the basics like sound and feel.
Avoid the Aula F65 if wireless performance is imperative to your playstyle and you can’t adjust to unrefined software.

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What Makes The Aula F65 Stand Out?

The Aula F65 is a bog-standard mechanical keyboard with no features that make it unique except for the Aula brand name. That brings a lot of goodwill and thankfully the F65 doesn’t dishonor that legacy. You’re getting high-quality switches, keycaps, and stabilizers here, paired with a well-built case that feels better than it costs.

Unboxing Experience

The Aula F65 comes in a straightforward no-frills box with plenty of branding all over. This is another one of the Epomaker branded Aula keyboards, so it’s called Epomaker x Aula F65 but make no mistake, Aula is the one who made this while Epomaker is just a distributor. Anyhow, there are tabs on either side of the box to get in.

The box has Epomaker x Aula branding with a cartoon character up front (Image by T4G)

Once inside, you’ll be greeted to the manual and instructions card with the board sitting underneath, wrapped in plastic. No dust over provided. The accessories lie isolated at the top in their own section aptly labeled “Additional Accessories” but with a rather nice-looking font and some arrows, strange detail I know but I liked it.

Here’s everything you get in the box:

1x Aula F75
1x Keycap/Switch Puller
1x USB-C Cable
2x Extra Switches
1x Instructions Card
1x Manual

You don’t get a lot with the Aula F65 (Image by T4G)

Build & Design

The Aula F65 looks eerily similar to all the other Aula F-series boards, as it should. We have the classic white and blue colorway, which is identical to the same colorway on the Aula F75 and F87 Pro. The board is made out of plastic but doesn’t feel cheap at all and there’s no case flex or creaking either. It’s not as heavy, though, at only around 800 grams.

The front is clean and simple with no distractions (Image by T4G)

The entire front of the board has a lip going around the perimeter, once again akin to the F75, and it adds a bit of flair to the board. The bezels are even, which I appreciate, and there are no indicator LEDs or printed symbols anywhere. The typing angle here is 6.5 degrees, with a front height of about 20mm. Toward the top, there’s even a dedicated magnetic slot for the USB receiver right next to the USB port and the connection switch.

The USB receiver sits nicely in its magnetic holder (Image by T4G)

The side profile is somewhat fancy with RGB strips running down on both sides and they’re diffused very well. There’s a subtle downthrow from these lights onto your desk which is only visible in dark conditions, but it still looks nice. The plastic has a layered look such that it appears to peel back to reveal the RGB before curving downwards into the back of the case.

The side profile is a bit more unique than usual, with some RGB flair (Image by T4G)

Speaking of which the back is very simple with no flip-out feet and an Aula logo sticker in the middle. The case is constructed curve outwards into the side profile which then joins the top so, in a way, it gives the board a floating look from the front. Overall, a sleek aesthetic that’d work in both casual home environments and professional office ones.

The badge honestly looks nicer than I initially thought (Image by T4G)

Layout & Features

Aula F65 is a wireless keyboard—through both 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth—sporting a 65% layout. It’s fully hot-swap with south-facing sockets that support per-key RGB. There is no knob, screen, or any other gimmick, which is a nice change of pace, but it does mean less surface-level value compared to Aula F75 or something like the Epomaker Shadow-X.

The board is gasket mounted using little silicone beans that sit on the edges of the plate. They’re not soft so the typing experience isn’t exactly bouncy. More on this later. The plate is made out of polycarbonate and has a lot of flex cuts, just like the PCB which is only 1.2mm thick and has no extra layout options like ISO support or stepped caps.

The insides of the Aula F65 | Epomaker

There’s plenty of foam inside to dampen everything. You get your standard affair of plate foam, the IXPE sheet and some bottom PCB foam (like a pseudo tape mod). There is also a PET sheet included which boosts the high-end frequencies. Lastly, there’s some foam underneath the PCB along with a silicone pad in the very bottom of the case.

The Fundamentals

Now let’s talk about the parts that make up the sum of the Aula F65 and judge whether it’s worth it or not.

Switches

The Aula F65 comes in three different switches: Leobog Reaper, Leobog Graywood V3 and Epomaker Flamingo; all linears but we have the Flamingos in our unit. These are 47g switches with a bottom out of 60g, so they feel light and snappy. The dual-stage spring ensures the stem shoots back up quickly after the key is pressed.

These switches are factory-lubed with good consistency, and I don’t hear any spring ping, but there is a subtle hint of crunch, especially if you hit it hard. They also have noticeable stem wobble that is likely exacerbated due to the box-style stem with walls. This is not a big deal by any means and is unbothersome in regular typing.

Epomaker Flamingos are decent stock linears (Image by T4G)

Overall, these are solid linears with a creamy sound signature that leans towards that “thock” many beginners want. But it’s not quite as deep or low-pitched, which I actually appreciate. I tried them in a foamless Lucky65 build with GMK keycaps, and they sounded quiet with an increased spring crunch. Aula did a good job pairing them with a foamed-up board.

Keycaps

The F65 comes with the same great doubleshot PBT keycaps found in other Aula boards. They’re thick, made out of PBT, have clear and sharp legends with no imperfections. It’s a standard Cherry profile so quite comfortable but keep in mind there are no extras in the box.

The keycaps are certainly a highlight of the F65 (Image by T4G)

Compared to GMK keycaps, they have a much smoother texture with a less gritty appearance. Sound-wise they fit the deep, low-pitched crowd pretty well, but they’re not too far gone like MOA or MT3 and certainly not as clacky as ABS. Just some high-quality keycaps that you won’t need to switch out anytime soon.

Stabilizers

Just like we see on other Aula boards, the F65 has plate-mounted stabs that come pre-lubed from the factory and they’re virtually perfect. There is no rattle or ticking and they have a nice, consistent bottom out. The Enter key is significantly thockier than all the other stabs. There is also no support for PCB-mounted stabs, not that you’ll ever need them.

The stock stabilizers are practically perfect from the factory (Image by T4G)

Performance & Connectivity

You can use the Aula F65 wired through USB-C or wirelessly through Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz radio. For competitive gaming, I’d suggest plugging in as the wireless latency is quite high and I did feel just a slight bit of lag. There were no disconnection issues. The wired latency is much better and feels perfect for both typing and playing.

Aula has put a 4000mAh battery inside the F65 and it lasts all day with the RGB on. Without the RGB, you can expect about a week of usage before it dies. The battery life is on par with other budget boards in this segment and tends to trail on the higher side actually. Charging the board from 0-100 takes about 7 hours.

Typing Experience

The board has a creamy sound signature but it’s not dead, like I can still hear the switches, and that extra bit of added liveliness is what makes like Aula’s boards the most in this category. They don’t go for a completely muted sound but rather a rounded-off sound that’s more mature.

Epomaker also sent us two extra switches along with the F65: Epomaker Wisteria and Leobog Reaper. Both of them come packaged in a jar, but the Wisterias have their own box on top. They share mostly the same specs, too, both 47g factory-lubed linears with a standard spring that allows for 3.6mm of total travel.

I was significantly impressed with the Wisteria switches and their smoothness. They felt like a louder MMD Princess linear and certainly an upgrade over the Flamingos. All that spring crunch was gone, reduced stem wobble, and an uber-satisfying creamy sound. These feel a bit lighter due to the less initial force required to actuate them.

The Leobog Reapers, on the other hand, are more similar to the Flamingos. Still, their use of a standard spring and tighter housing allows them to sound better. They feel a bit lighter as well due to the 55g bottom out force instead of the 60g on the Flamingos. Overall, it’s another great option that you can also buy separately for pretty cheap.

The Software

The software experience of the Aula F65 is interesting to say the least. You can easily get it from Epomaker’s site and one thing I immediately liked was that it works in the wireless mode as well; you don’t need to be plugged in like most other budget boards.

The UI is clunky, not very polished but not terrible either. You do get all the features you need though, like key mapping, macros, plenty of RGB effects and even finer adjustments like debounce delay, which is great. The RGB isn’t controllable per-key and every change needs to be saved (which takes 3 seconds) before you can see it on the keyboard.

There is an additional tab for audio effects where the board will pick up system audio and have the RGB react to it. There’s a bunch of different effects to choose from, all of them are distinct on paper but on the board itself the transitions between each LED are somewhat abrupt even after maxing out the smoothness slider.

Another issue I noticed that you have to be very specific with these audio effects. If you have one running, you must turn it off first before switching to another or else the software will crash. Changing between them also takes a bit longer than I’d like and you cannot control the brightness here like with standard RGB effects, but you can pick the colors.

Overall, this is far from the maturity you’d see in something like Wootility or the deep integration in Synapse, but it’s better than nothing. I’ll put this on par with the software Weikav bundles with the Lucky65 V1. The great thing is you won’t need to use it much as all the RGB is configurable through Fn key shortcuts, like on every other board ever, and the Epomaker co-branding at least helps produce nicer manuals to help with that.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

✅You want a well-rounded 65% keyboard on the budget that sounds and feels good without cutting any corners in build.

✅You prefer minimalistic designs that stick to the classic formulas instead of muddying up the aesthetic.

✅You’re a beginner looking to enter the keyboard hobby. The Aula F65 is a great start that can open up more opportunities thanks to its hot-swap PCB and standard layout.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌You’re a competitive gamer looking for a wireless keyboard that doesn’t break the bank, as the latency is on the higher side.

❌You want something extra like a screen or a knob to spice up the simple layout and get more value out of your purchase.

❌You appreciate good software as the experience here is underwhelming.

The RGB looks pretty slick with the white case and keycaps (Image by T4G)

My Thoughts

The Aula F65 is another solid entry into Aula’s lineup of F-series keyboards, and it stands tall amongst the myriads of budget keyboards out there. But with faltering wireless performance, no extras like a volume knob to make it stand out, and unintuitive software, this is certainly not the best budget 65% keyboard you can get.

I would highly suggest saving up just a bit more and opting for a fully custom Lucky65 build or a prebuilt Womier SK65 or even a Yunzi AL-series keyboard if you’re after this form factor. Otherwise, stick with the Aula F75 or F87 Pro if you want a more reliable experience. If you crave a bit of novelty, the Epomaker Shadow-X is another great option.

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Aula F65 Review: How Dare You Stand Where He Stood? is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

Keychron K2 HE Review: A Worthy Competitor to Wooting?

Huzaifa Haroon — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 14:35:50 +0000

Keychron has been a household name in the keyboard world since the launch of the original K1 in 2017, which ushered in a new era of high-quality third-party peripherals that didn’t break the bank. Over the years, they’ve carved a nice little pie for themselves in the mainstream market, offering a wide range of options for professionals and enthusiasts alike.

So, gaming audiences may already be familiar with Keychron’s offerings, but the brand is now stepping into truly new territory: hall-effect. Once a niche technology, hall-effect keyboards have skyrocketed in popularity with boards like the Wooting 60HE. Now, with the release of the 80HE and a surge of budget-friendly analog options, does the Keychron K2 HE have what it takes to stand out?

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

Key Takeaways

The Keychron K2 HE is a great alternative to the Wooting 80HE if you’re after a more premium typing experience that’s well-balanced.
Buy the Keychron K2 HE if you want a great keyboard first and a solid gaming tool second.
Avoid the Keychron K2 HE if you’re an enthusiast looking for a more specific sound or additives like a knob or a screen.

Specification	Standard Version	Special Edition
Length	316.4 mm	320.5 mm
Width	126.7 mm	126.7 mm
Front Height	30.2 mm (incl. keycap)	30.1 mm (incl. keycap)
Back Height	40.7 mm (incl. keycap)	40.7 mm (incl. keycap)
Weight	Approx. 980 g	Approx. 965 g
Keycaps	Cherry Profile Double-shot keycaps, shine-through	OSA Double-shot keycaps, not shine-through
Frame Material	Aluminum	Aluminum + wood
Stabilizer	Screw-in PCB stabilizer
Switch	Gateron double-rail magnetic switch
MCU	ARM Cortex-M4 32-bit STM32F402RC (256KB Flash)
Angle	5° / 9.34° / 12.43°
Backlight	North-facing RGB LED
Plate Material	Aluminum
Sensitivity	0.1 mm
Rapid Trigger	Yes
Adjustable Actuation Points	0.2 – 3.8 mm
Dynamic Keystrokes	4-in-1 action keys
Cable	Type-A to Type-C cable
Connectivity	2.4 GHz / Bluetooth / Type-C wired
Bluetooth Version	5.2
Bluetooth Device Name	Keychron K2 HE
Battery	4000 mAh Rechargeable li-polymer battery
Wireless Working Time (Backlit off)	Up to 110 hours (Lab test results may vary based on actual use)
N-Key Rollover (NKRO)	Yes for both wireless and wired modes
Hot-swappable Support	Yes, compatible with Gateron double-rail magnetic switch only
Polling Rate	1000 Hz (Wired and 2.4 GHz) / 90Hz (Bluetooth)
Operating Environment	-10 to 50℃

[toc]

What Makes the Keychron K2 HE Different

Unlike many other hall-effect boards, including the most spec’d out one that we recently reviewed: the Wooting 80HE, Keychron K2 HE is actually wireless. It does everything that the Wooting can, except for maybe the 8000Hz polling rate but who can notice that anyway? What you certainly can and will notice is the convenience of no wires.

I’ll be honest if there wasn’t wireless functionality in this board and Keychron still chose to put the USB port on the side, I’d be genuinely frustrated but till then I’m more than satisfied with the competitive performance of this keyboard at its price point. It’s cheaper than the Wooting yet better built, better looking and once again, actually wireless.

Unboxing Experience

The Keychron K2 HE comes in a sleek black box with the keyboard pictured up front. There’s text all around to let you know what you’re buying but it doesn’t look tacky–it has a glossy rainbow shine effect. At the back you see a bunch of specs for the board with the same keyboard graphic. The Keychron logo is also present on either side of the box.

The box is sleek and straightforward (Image by T4G)

Once you slide out the paper sleeve with all this info, you’re greeted to the actual box containing everything underneath with the Keychron logo. This time you lift up the top in a rather Apple manner to reveal the contents inside.

Everything is laid out nicely inside (Image by T4G)

First you get a piece of foam, there’s actually a lot of foam all around to protect the keyboard from shipping damage which is nice. Then there’s quick start guide, under which our K2 HE lies wrapped in plastic. No dust cover included. On the top there’s a small box with all the accessories inside. A manual is also present at the very bottom.

Here’s everything you’ll get:

1x Keychron K2 HE
1x Quick Start Guide
1x Manual
1x Angled USB-C Cable
1x Keycap/Switch Puller
1x 2.4GHz USB Receiver
1x Extension for the USB Receiver
1x Screwdriver
1x Allen Key
7x Extra Keycaps

You get a lot of extras with the Keychron K2 HE (Image by T4G)

Build & Design

Right off the bat, I like how this thing looks. It has a very subdued, sort of professional design with wooden accents on the side. Now keep in mind that we have the “special edition” on our hands today which is $10 more expensive, the regular model comes with different keycaps and no accents (though you can buy those separately as well).

It’s a beautiful-looking board up front (Image by T4G)

The keyboard is largely plastic, but the frame is made out of aluminum. It feels heavy and cold to the touch. The anodization job is similar to what you’d find on Keychron Q-series boards, which is to say very clean with a slightly gritty texture. It’s better than the Lucky65 (V2) and Record Alice but not as good as QK or Cycle boards.

The aluminum frame sits on top of the plastic inner body (Image by T4G)

Moreover, the wooden accent pieces on either side are screwed on using two hex screws and they have a nice, smooth texture. They don’t illicit a scent which is a missed opportunity, but they add a gorgeous contrast to the board that looks even better if you get the white colorway.

The wooden accent comes off easily, but I there’s no reason to take it off (Image by T4G)

The USB port is for some reason located on the left side of the keyboard, and I don’t mean the left corner, literally on the side next to the connection mode and platform buttons. This means that you’re realistically locked out of using any existing cable on your desk (especially it’s one of those coiled aviator ones) and I find that a strange choice.

The buttons on the side make sense but not the USB port (Image by T4G)

On the back there are a couple of rubber feet and two flip-out feet with two stages of elevation. By default, the typing angle is 4-degrees, but it can be increased to 8 and 12-degrees, respectively. There are no exposed screws on this board which means it’s not meant to be opened up. The front height is 20mm, which is quite comfortable.

A simple back with the Keychron logo and info in the middle (Image by T4G)

Layout & Features

The Keychron H2 HE, as the name suggests, is a hall-effect keyboard, meaning it uses magnetic switches instead of traditional mechanical ones. These are beneficial for gaming and can give you edge if you’re underperforming because of your current hardware. They feature dynamic actuation points which opens up a myriad of new possibilities.

The layout here is 75% with a compact nav cluster and arrow keys. Everything is very close together and looks somewhat squished but in daily usage that’s not a problem. The inclusion of both Mac and Windows functions on the keycaps is a great add-on, with extras in the box should you need them.

All the editions available for the Keychron K2 HE | Keychron

Keychron has also made the K2 HE wireless with support for both 2.4GHz radio and Bluetooth connections, with the former being at 1000Hz. This makes it one of the very few wireless hall-effect keyboards in the market but even then, you can only use its software when plugged in. I do appreciate the inclusion of an extension for the USB dongle, though.

On the inside, the board is using a top mount with a standard 1.6mm thick non-flex cut PCB and a non-flex cut aluminum plate. There’s also 4 layers of foam including the plate foam, an EPDM sheet, PET sheet, and some silicone at the bottom but no PE foam. Neither the PCB nor the plate has any other layout options, but you can still buy an ISO variant.

The layers that make up the Keychron K2 HE | Keychron

The board is fully hotswap thanks to its 5-pin sockets with per-key RGB but for some reason it only supports the switches it comes in the box with. Keychron outlines this on their product page that other switches like the ever-popular Gateron Jades are not compatible with this keyboard which really makes me scratch my head.

Editor`s Note

We reached out to Keychron regarding this conundrum, and they confirmed that while other magnetic switches aren’t compatible as of now, they are actively working on adding support so look out for a future update.

– Huzaifa Haroon

Regardless, the main attraction here is all the amazing gaming features which we’ll go over in the next section. Mainstays like rapid trigger, SOCD clearing and advanced macros are all here with a software that’s rather mature. Even the RGB on this board is a touch above the rest with very clean transitions between the effect speeds and brightness levels.

The Fundamentals

Let’s take a look at how the core components of the Keychron K2 HE perform in the real world, compared to other traditional mechanical keyboards.

Switches

Keychron K2 HE comes with Gateron Nebula linear switches. They obviously have a dynamic actuation point that allows them to be actuated anywhere between 0.1mm and 4.0mm with a force of 40g. They’re factory lubed and come with a LED diffuser inserted in the top. That, mixed with the frosted top housing, makes this a very RGB-friendly switch.

The Gateron Nebula switch doesn’t have a traditional closed-off bottom similar to Wooting’s Lekker switches (Image by T4G)

I found the Nebulas to be thocky and mostly silent. The weight wasn’t light but not too heavy either. Due to their lack of a traditional bottom out they feel “dampened” just like the Lekker V2 switches in the Wooting 80HE. The typing feel is not my favorite but it’s inoffensive and somewhat alleviated with the stiff plate and PCB.

Keycaps

Keychron is using their proprietary OSA profile doubleshot PBT keycaps here. While they look most like XDA, this profile is actually sculpted and has a subtle curve throughout the rows, like Cherry or MT3. They’re a nice mix between the two in terms of height but they’re not as thick as either.

Keychron OSA keycaps up close and compared to GMK (Image by T4G)

The legends are thin but sharp and the colorway is a standard White-on-Black (WOB) so they stand out boldly. The Escape and Enter keycaps are accented in brown which looks rather nice and matches the wooden accents on the side. Texture-wise these look almost as gritty and GMK keycaps but they feel a lot smoother to the touch.

By default, the K2 HE comes equipped with the Mac keycaps but there are extras in the box for a Windows layout. There are Mac functions printed on the function row and connection mode icons on the start of the number row which might make the board look a little cluttered for some, but I think they’re done tastefully.

Lastly, there’s a dedicated RGB key on the top corner with a custom lightbulb keycap. Next to that there’s a dedicated screenshot button as well which is very convenient. Overall, these are high quality keycaps that don’t need to be changed.

Stabilizers

The K2 HE comes with screw-in stabilizers that are factory lubed and there’s no support for plate-mount stabs. Keychron describes these as their upgraded in-house stabilizers with reinforced sidewalls around the stem. According to them this ensures a tighter fit between the stabilizer and keycap which is just marketing nonsense.

The stock screw-in stabilizers are great (Image by T4G)

But credit where credit is due the stabilizers themselves are great, especially for a “gaming keyboard”. They have no pinging but there’s a very tiny rattle on the left side of the spacebar if I hit in a certain way. The rest of the stabs are rock solid.

Gaming Performance

Keychron has baked in a lot of gaming features and while I’m not the most affluent gamer myself, I can still see the care and effort put into these. First of all, the dynamic actuation point of the Nebula switches can be adjusted from 0.1mm to 4.0mm in the software on any key. This gives you the quickest response times in games where it matters.

The adjustable actuation point ensures you have the best response time | Keychron

Keychron goes a step above Wooting and gives you an “advanced” option for Rapid Trigger where the actuation and release are separated from each other, and you can customize each individually. So, for instance, if you want the key to register instantly but de-register a bit later you can set the actuation points to 0.1mm and 0.4mm, respectively.

Rapid Trigger allows for seamless counter-strafing in games like Valorant | Keychron

We also see SOCD clearing in the form of Last Key Prioritization (LKP) and Snap Click, which are identical to Razer and Wooting’s implementation. When enabled, if you press two keys to counter-strafe, LKP ensures the key you press last is the one that’s registering while canceling out the other. In Snap Click, thanks to the dynamic actuation point of these switches, the key pressed more is the one registered.

Snap Click makes sure the key pressed more is the only registering | Keychron

Lastly, there are some other features like an Analog Mode which mimics controller input to give you a dynamic control scheme for games like Forza where how much you accelerate (or brake) is crucial. There’s also Dynamic Keystrokes where one key can be bound to multiple actions depending on how much it’s pressed, creating a pseudo macro key.

Analog mode emulates a controller’s triggers | Keychron

↪ Wireless Performance & Battery

The Keychron K2 HE does all that and be good at it while being a solid keyboard too. Not to mention it has profiles you can quickly switch back and forth between if you want to work and play simultaneously. It cannot be emphasized enough that despite being cheaper and better built than the poster boy hall-effect keyboards, the Keychron does all this wirelessly.

The wireless latency came out to an average of 5.6ms in the 2.4GHz wireless mode which is incredible, and 5.9ms in the wired mode (within margin of error). Keychron has kitted the board with a 4000mAh battery that they don’t claim any numbers on. In my testing, it lasted about 2 days with the RGB on and without RGB it’s been almost a week since my last charge, but the board is still going.

Typing Experience

The Keychron K2 HE is top mounted so there’s no flex or bounce as even the plate is made out of aluminum which is stiff. This results in a very firm-feeling board with a thocky sound signature. The Gateron Nebula switches are low-pitched, deep and somewhat muted. On top of that, OSA profile keycaps help accentuate the low-end frequencies even more.

The stabilizers are very good, they’re not perfect but I’d say they’re on the level of the Wooting 80HE while falling just a tad bit behind the likes of Lucky65. Still, it’s not something you’d need to open up and tinker with. Overall, the board has a comfortable and pleasant typing experience suited for both gaming and productivity tasks.

The Software

Like Wooting, Keychron has a web-based software for its K2 HE and it’s quite similar. It’s certainly not as polished or intuitive as Wootility but it’s not far off. The design, in particular, is what feels the closest but navigating around the software is not as fluid or responsive. Buttons and toggles take a moment to register/show up on screen and I even got a confirmation box in Chinese at one point that I assume wasn’t translated to English in time.

Features-wise the software is jam packed with everything you need. I’ve already mention the adjustable actuation distance, Rapid Trigger and SOCD clearing features which are all present here on the homepage called “HE Mode.” There’s a live illustration of the keyboard up top showing all the applied settings to each switch clearly.

On the next tab we have the key mapping, powered by QMK, that works in 4 layers. The first two layers (0 and 1) are set for Mac and the next two (2 and 3) are set for Windows. So, if you want to customize anything in these layers, make sure to be mindful of this configuration and not think that you have all four layers to play with on one platform.

There’s also a solid macro section and a firmware update section — my unit actually needed an update to get the SOCD features. The RGB implementation is quite weak, however, as you can’t even control it per-key and there’s certainly no fancy layer animations like Wooting. Still, fundamentally it looks good and there’s 23 modes to play around with.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

✅ You want one of the best gaming keyboards that doesn’t compromise on what makes a keyboard great foundationally.

✅ You care about design and build quality as the K2 HE is a sleek-looking gaming keyboard that’s built like a tank.

✅ You want all the advantage you can get with features like advanced Rapid Trigger and SOCD clearing.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌ You have a custom coiled cable on your desk as the side-mounted USB port will be inconvenient for the cable to reach without awkward bends or stretches.

❌ You want per-key RGB that is controllable in the software. The K2 HE only allows you to switch between 23 modes that are already baked in.

❌ You’re an enthusiast looking for a hall-effect keyboard that can be customized as the K2 HE doesn’t support any other magnetic switch as of now.

The Keychron K2 HE in all its glory (Image by T4G)

My Thoughts

If you’re looking for an upgrade to your gaming arsenal, the Keychron K2 HE is a solid contender. It has all the right building blocks of a great keyboard adorned with a hall-effect cherry on top that makes it perfect for competitive gaming. Even if you’re a casual gamer but a productivity beast this board has you covered on all fronts.

With smooth switches, high quality keycaps, robust build quality and a minimal design, the K2 HE will look good on any desk. I don’t think it has software as good as Wooting and it’s certainly not a board for us snobby enthusiasts. But it has so many other things going for it, mainly the supreme build that makes the 80HE downright cheap in comparison, that I can’t sign off without anything but a recommendation.

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Keychron K2 HE Review: A Worthy Competitor to Wooting? is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

Lucky65 V2 Custom Keyboard Review: The Best Gets Better

Huzaifa Haroon — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 03:08:38 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, we reviewed the Lucky65 and awarded it an Editor’s Choice award because it was the best budget 65% aluminum keyboard we could find. It nailed all the fundamentals without any corner-cutting to reach that price.

Fast forward to October and Weikav is back with its successor: Lucky65 V2. Equipped with a bunch of quality-of-life improvements and some new colors while maintaining the same price, can the board that was already the best get even better?

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

Key Takeaways

Lucky65 V2 is a worthy upgrade from V1 refining a board that was already great with features that make it even easier to use and work with.
Buy the Lucky65 V2 if you want a solid, no-frills aluminum keyboard with no compromises that don’t break the bank.
Avoid the Lucky65 V2 if you’re looking for a wireless keyboard for competitive gaming or if you need a volume knob/screen.

Specification	Details
Case Material	CNC 6063 Aluminum
Surface Finish	Anodized or electrophoresis (cream white only)
Mounting Style	PCB gasket mount with silicone beans
Layout	ANSI, ISO upon special request
Switch Compatibility	Hot-swappable 5-pin sockets
Stabilizers	Plate-mounted stabilizers (XinMeng V2), factory lubed
Plate Material	FR4 with no flex cuts
PCB Features	1.2mm thickness with flex cuts; supports split spacebar and split shift layouts
Connectivity	Tri-mode: Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4GHz wireless, and USB-C wired connections
Battery Capacity	3750mAh
RGB Lighting	South-facing per-key RGB backlighting
Typing Angle	7 degrees
Front Height	20.5mm
Weight	Approximately 1.2 kg (unbuilt)
Software Support	Compatible with QMK and VIA for key mapping and lighting customization

[toc]

How Is The Lucky65 V2 Different?

The one thing that sets this board apart from others is its ball-catch assembly. No one else is offering such convenience for this low of a price, even its closest competitor is around $30 more expensive. But the best part is that you don’t have to do all this, it’s a great board out of the box that leaves room for enthusiasts to tinker only if they choose to.

With the ball-catch system, taking apart your board becomes effortless. You can try out various different configs, mess around with foams and mod the thing to your heart’s content without having to waste time unscrewing and screwing everything back.

Lucky65 V2 Custom Keyboard (Image By Tech4Gamers)

Unboxing Experience

Lucky65 V2 comes in packaging identical to the first one. A simple green box with some clover leaves all around and tabs at the bottom to get inside. Once opened, you’re greeted to the instructions card/manual, underneath which lies the keyboard wrapped in plastic topped with a dust cover.

The accessories are to the side, but this time we don’t get a USB receiver, only the keycap/switch puller and a generic USB-C cable. Like before, no screwdriver is present in the box, but you actually don’t need it this time.

Lucky65 V2 has the exact same box as the V1 (Image By Tech4Gamers)

Here’s everything you get in the box:

1x Lucky65 V2
1x Instructions Card
1x Dust Cover
1x Keycap/Switch Puller
1x USB-C Cable

Package Contents (Image By Tech4Gamers)

Design & Build

At first glance, there’s almost no difference between the Lucky65 V2 and V1, they have the exact same build quality with the smooth anodization and hefty weight. The colorways are a bit different this time but if you choose, for instance, red, even that looks identical to the previous iteration.

Design (Image By Tech4Gamers)

The side profile, the USB port placement, even the bezels are the same otherwise. That is to say, an overall clean, minimal look with no distractions accompanying a simple design. The build quality is up there with the very best in the budget category, with no grittiness or chalkiness, and a solid anno job with perfect curves and chamfering on the inner edges.

Back Design (Image By Tech4Gamers)

It’s not until you turn the board around that you start to see the difference. The weight on the back is now textured like “ice crystals” and comes in silver instead of gold. The leaf clover has been moved from the bottom corner to the middle on a magnetic badge. It acts as the centerpiece of the entire keyboard, hiding the 2.4GHz dongle underneath.

USB (Image By Tech4Gamers)

Likewise, the board has a 7-degree typing angle and 20mm front height that’s comfortable to type on without a wrist rest. It weighs 1.3 kg unbuilt, and that extends to almost 2 kg fully built. Again, it’s similar to the V1, so if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.

Layout & Features

The Lucky65 V2 shares most of the same features as its predecessor — it’s a 65% mechanical keyboard that comes barebones (no keycaps or switches supplied). It has a 5-pin fully hotswap PCB with south-facing RGB that’s not controllable per-key. This is due to the fact that this board relies on VIA and doesn’t have any dedicated software.

Weikav has kept the same tri-mode support here, so the board is wireless with Bluetooth and 2.4GHz functionality, and wired over USB-C. The 1.2mm PCB looks the same with a lot of flex cuts, but the plate has been updated to FR4 material (still with flex cuts). There is also only ANSI support this time around, but the PCB supports screw-in stabs.

Gasket (Image By Tech4Gamers)

Lucky65 V2 is still gasket-mounted using little silicone gasket beans on the PCB and features five layers of foam: plate foam, IXPE sheet, PET sheet, PCB foam, and an ESD insulation sheet to protect the PCB from shorting if it ever accidentally comes in contact with the bottom case.

Assembly (Image By Tech4Gamers)

The real improvements come in the form of a new structure joining the top and bottom case. Lucky65 V2 features a catch-ball assembly, meaning the case is completely screwless and all you have to do to open it, is pull it toward you. To close it back, simply apply pressure and the little catch-balls will, um, catch the balls and lock the cases in place.

Magnetic Badge (Image By Tech4Gamers)

We saw this first on the TKD Cycle7 last year where they called it “EZ-Assemble”, and this idea has since really taken off. It makes the board much easier to take apart for modding and save time for enthusiasts who like to tinker often. This is the highlight of the Lucky65 V2, more on this later.

Lastly, as I already mentioned in the design section the board has a new magnetic badge at the back that now houses the wireless receiver. The magnets are strong and satisfying, and you can’t accidentally put the badge upside down. A dedicated place to store the 2.4GHz receiver is always appreciated as I’ve already misplaced my Lucky65 V1’s dongle.

Performance & Battery Life

There’s nothing new to say here. The Lucky65 V2 lines up completely with the results of the V1. Performance is solid in wireless modes, but the latency is not low enough for competitive gaming, for that plugging in still recommended. There are no connection issues or random signal drops or anything like that, however.

Top Design (Image By Tech4Gamers)

Battery life is great, it will last you up to a week without RGB and about 2 days with RGB given you have the default auto-sleep settings enabled. The same 3750mAh cell used in the V1 is being used here, and with nothing extra added on top to consume said battery, it was obvious we’d see more of the same.

Typing Experience

I’ll be doing two builds with the Lucky65 V2 to show how much you can customize this board. After all, it is literally screaming to be modded with those catch-balls, but not everyone cares about that, so let’s start off simple.

1. Stock Build

For the first build, I’ll be leaving the board as is and popping in Gateron Lunar Probes, one of the best linears on the market right now if you’re after that deep, marbly sound signature. I’ll top off the board with some XDA Honeymilk Keycaps and yes, I know they don’t exactly go with the purple case, but we’re focused on sound here.

There’s not a significant difference between the overall sound and feel of Lucky65 V2 with V1. This is expected as, apart from the FR4 plate, everything else is the same. We get the same deep, creamy sound with no hollowness or metallic resonance. The stabilizers are perfect out of the box, factory-lubed, and tuned well without any effort.

The board feels a bit stiffer as the FR4 plate doesn’t have the same softness as the polycarbonate and lacks flex cuts. That also helps make the sound fuller, though, as nothing escapes from those flex cuts in the stock config. I experienced a slightly louder sound as the only notable difference here.

The New Ball-Catch Structure

To understand how this new assembly works a bit more, let’s look at the individual parts that make up it. The bottom case has 4 catch-balls that slide into corresponding studs on the top case. These studs are angular, such that they need to push through the balls along their curve and eventually lock in place.

Ball-Catch Structure (Image By Tech4Gamers)

The entire assembly feels robust and satisfying, especially when it clicks back in place. Imagine a spring-loaded pen that you push on top and then release, it feels similar to that. Part of me wishes, though, that they added magnetic connectors for the daughterboard as well to achieve a truly seamless experience.

2. Modded Build

Now let’s move on to a clacky build and for this I’ll be whipping out my GMK Metropolis set paired with the SWK Neon linear switch. Before putting everything together, I’ll pop off the case and remove all foams to see how this board really sounds. I will leave in the PET sheet and also do a single layer tape mod to cover up the flex cuts.

The FR4 plate helps accentuate the higher-end frequencies, making this a great clacky config that doesn’t sound thin foamless. I ended up removing the gasket beans around the spacebar, which added some metalic resonance, so I performed a force break mod, which fixed it. I tried adding polyfill as well, but it was better without it.

The stabs are once again perfect. Moreover, it’s worth noting that putting GMK keycaps also makes a difference here, but it wouldn’t make sense to pair them with a budget board economically, especially for newcomers to the hobby.

Software Experience

The Lucky65 V2 is QMK/VIA compatible, but it’s one of those less official ones that don’t show up on VIA’s website. You need a JSON file to get started that was hard to find, none of the AliExpress listings have it, not even Velocifire, so I had to dig it up on Reddit. Once loaded, though, my experience was pleasant.

First of all, the RGB is properly supported inside VIA, and unlike the Record Alice, it has the correct names at this time. All the modes show up, the color wheel and brightness settings work flawlessly, and the overall implementation feels a touch above the rest.

Everything else you’ve come to expect from VIA, like a clean interface, macros, custom keymapping, and layers, is there and functions as expected. I will say that the VIA illustration shows a knob on the board which means that this exact same PCB might be repurposed for rebranded versions of this board from Womier and the like.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

✅ You want a great custom keyboard that nails all the fundamentals and goes the extra mile with some features.

✅ You’re an enthusiast who likes to tinker with their boards. Trying different configs is effortless with the new ball-catch assembly.

✅ You need VIA/QMK and cannot adjust to any other software that’s not as clean or easy to use.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌ You want the novelty of things like a knob or a screen as the Lucky65 V2 keeps it simple.

❌ You’re a competitive gamer who relies on wireless keyboards; the latency here is higher than recommended.

❌ You want magnetic connectors as well, like the ones present in ND75 or the Neo boards for an entirely seamless experience.

My Thoughts

The Lucky65 V2 does, in fact, succeed in making the best even better. With a new ball-catch assembly, an upgraded weight with the functional magnetic badge and QMK/VIA support, all while hitting that same affordable price point, Weikav has hit yet another home run.

As long as you’re not looking for any gimmicks like a screen or a knob, the Lucky65 V2 has everything. There are no compromises to the build quality, the sound is still great, and those stabs are still perfect out of the box. The fundamentals were already nailed in this board’s first iteration, now it’s just flexing at this point.

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Lucky65 V2 Custom Keyboard Review: The Best Gets Better is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

GuliKit KK3 Max Controller Review: A Step Beyond Console Controllers for PC Gamers

Abdul Hannan — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 07:23:51 +0000

Now that I’ve revived my interest in playing some games on PC using a controller, I can finally see reasonable-priced options, and GuliKit KK3 Max is one of them. Although functional, traditional console controllers lack a few of the latest cutting-edge features for PC gamers and further customization possibilities to fit our needs. Moreover, they often come at heftier prices.

Even though you probably would have a console and its controller at home, first-party controllers just cannot keep pace with the apparent supremacy of third-party options, particularly given that they’re so much cheaper. Having said that, in this review, I’ll be taking an in-depth look into the Gulikit KK3 Max, a successor to the renowned King Kong 2 Pro.

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Abdul Hannan is our peripherals expert who has been testing different mice, keyboards, headphones, microphones, and more for years.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

Key Takeaways

The GuliKit KK3 Max Controller is a well-built gamepad. Its Hall Effect joysticks eliminate stick drift, while the detachable rear paddles and trigger locks offer versatility for various gaming styles.
You should buy the GuliKit KK3 Max Controller if you appreciate premium features at a mid-range price, play games specifically on PC and Nintendo Switch, and want versatile customization.
You should not buy the GuliKit KK3 Max Controller if you need broad console compatibility, prioritize lengthy battery life, and prefer a refined D-pad.

Here are the specifications:

Material	Advance Polymer Surface
Vibration Motor	Gulikit Patented Maglev
Joystick	Hall Effect Electromagnetic
Buttons	Second Generation Tactile
Rear Paddles	4
RGB Lights	Adjustable Star Ring
Battery	950mAh Li-Polymer
Joystick Sensitivity	3 Modes
Gyroscope	Six-Axis
Connection	Hyperlink Adapter
Polling Rate	1000Hz
Compatibility	Windows, Switch, Android, IOS

[toc]

How Is The GuliKit KK3 Max Different?

The GuliKit KK3 Max has refined features like Hall effect joysticks, which eliminate stick drift and offer precise control, which is particularly beneficial for long-term use. Unlike its predecessors, which focus heavily on multi-platform compatibility and automation features, the KK3 Max focuses on improving the tactile experience with buttons and trigger locks, which enhances gameplay in shooters and other fast-paced genres. Compared to the general competition, the KK3 Max offers unique advantages like customizable paddles at a lower price point.

Packaging & Unboxing

Here, you’ll find a surprising variety of extras when you take it out of the packaging. You also receive a standard USB-C cable for charging and an elegant hard shell case with a charging cutout. In addition, you’ll find a convenient compartment for storing your controller’s USB wireless adapter, which includes rear paddles and buttons.

Box Contents

GuliKit KK3 Max Controller
Travel Case
USB-C Cable
Button Puller
Extra Buttons and Rear Paddles
Wireless Hyperlink Reciever
Quick Start Guide and Manual
GuliKit Sticker

Design

You must have already anticipated much from the design already, but I will still try to cover all my bases. The front incorporates the Xbox and Nintendo layouts for sticks and face buttons in terms of appearance and functionality. The two hall effect triggers on the rear correspond with the two full-sized hall joysticks placed on the front.

There are also four places for rear paddles. If you’re familiar with controllers designed for Xbox consoles, you’ll find the layout spot on. Since, the KK3 Pro shares design cues and the front-panel button arrangement with an Xbox One controller.

It is mostly identical to the Xbox One controller except for its small dimensions. It’s hardly noticeable, maybe half an inch, but it still maintains the controller’s familiar and comforting feel. This put me at ease, as I’ve always preferred the playing experience of an Xbox controller.

Comfort

Triggers

The controller’s plastic construction gives it a pleasant semi-soft feel on top, with a more rigid, more textured bottom for better grip. Most importantly, the face buttons provide a smooth travel experience. On the downside, the D-pad might be an exception as Gulikit uses a 4-way cross-style D-pad rather than an 8-way radial one.

The D-pad has no diagonal movement, so using it for input may be a little more hassle. On the other hand, the joysticks, which use Hall effect sensors, are top-notch. They spin freely across their whole range and don’t have any dead zones until you set them up, which is doable. It is also worth mentioning the Hall effect triggers.

Using Gulikit’s trigger lock, which can be activated by a switch, you can limit the physical movement of the triggers to just a few millimeters. It’s a standard controller function nowadays, but Gulikit takes it to the next level with a nice tactile click that isn’t there when the lock isn’t switched on.

PRO TIP: Use KK3 Max’s trigger locks and adjustable paddles. Activating the trigger locks allows for quicker response times in fast-paced games like shooters. Additionally, spend time customizing the rear paddles for complex keybindings in PC games

Features

Rear Paddles

A few of its many features include a magnetic hall effect triggers and field-sensing joystick and that eliminate stick drift over time. Moreover, trigger stops support for turbo and Auto-pilot macros.

Arguably, when compared to other gamepads, not many can provide this much value for the money. That doesn’t mean every feature is useful. For instance, PC players will probably prefer the removable rear paddles since they provide additional buttons for personalized keybindings.

That isn’t as helpful because custom keybindings are far harder to configure on consoles. Although the Auto-pilot feature allows you to record and replay controller input for up to 10 minutes, I failed to discover any situation in which it might be useful. However, I can see this being rather helpful for games with many repeated activities.

Battery Life

As per my actual usage, the controller’s built-in lithium-ion battery can last up to 25 hours with the LEDs turned off. However, they can decrease the battery life to 13 to 15 hours if left on. The battery only died twice on me during the whole testing period, where I could easily use it for three days without charging.

On the downside, these numbers are lower than competing alternatives, such as the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 Core, which offers up to 40 hours of playtime. Some gamers may find this annoying since they tend to sit for longer periods of time while playing.

Compatibility

Mode Button, Player Number LED, and USB-C Port

This section serves as a caution rather than as an altogether bad thing. Unfortunately, the KK3 Max isn’t compatible with MacOS, PlayStation 5, or Xbox One X, but it is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, and Nintendo Switch. You need to take several steps to connect it to these platforms.

This significantly narrows the gamepad’s potential market and lessens its appeal. Those who play most games on Xbox or PlayStation should probably pass on this. As it turns on, you can easily change the connection to any platform with a simple button. Remember the steps to sync it with each device, and then continue accordingly. When you get the hang of it, it’s not that difficult, but nevertheless, don’t toss out the manual for this one.

Performance

Star-Ring RGB Lights

Once you get the hang of using the adapter to connect to your controller, it works like a charm, and as far as I can tell, it positively impacts gaming performance. Speaking of which, the hall sticks give you great precision and fluidity when playing. Using the left stick to steer in racing games was a breeze. Moreover, the tactile button switch from GuliKits gives the face buttons a pleasant actuation.

In my opinion, they’ve found an excellent balance. Furthermore, the rear bumpers have a pleasant, subtle click that is pleasant to the touch. However, although the D-Pad is generally functional, it becomes annoyingly stiff compared to other options after a while. In fact, I would rather prefer the clickier D-Pad available on Xbox series controllers. On the downside, the triggers have one problem for me.

They snap into place after a smooth drop on Xbox. In contrast, KK3 Pro has them go down smoothly for the most part, but before ramping up the pressure at the bottom. Even after you believe they have reached their lowest point. You can still apply a little more pressure. Despite my enough time with the controller, it sometimes throws me off when playing. However, if you get comfortable with it, I don’t believe it will be much of a problem.

I will be upfront and honest about the rear paddles. For the first time, I used the controller without them, acting like this option didn’t exist. They’re metal and of excellent quality, but they’re difficult to put on and take off and aren’t really pleasant to have on. However, these back paddles can be amazing if this is what you really require. On the other hand, I’m a huge fan of the flat-back buttons. I have used them to get a better hold. All things considered, the controller is clean, simple, and really lovely.

Should You Buy it?

Buy it if

✅ You Appreciate Premium Features at a Mid-Range Price: The GuliKit KK3 Max offers features such as Hall Effect joysticks, trigger locks, and customizable rear paddles, typically seen in higher-end controllers, but at a more affordable price.

✅ You Play on PC or Nintendo Switch: This controller is ideal if you primarily game on PC or Nintendo Switch. Its Hall Effect sensors ensure durability and precision, while its compatibility with these platforms gives you an outstanding gaming experience.

✅ You Want Versatile Customization: The KK3 Max offers customizable button layouts and detachable paddles, making it a good choice for players who like personalizing their controllers for different games or playstyles.

Don’t Buy it if

❌ You Need Broad Console Compatibility: If you’re a PlayStation or Xbox player, the KK3 Max may not be compatible with these platforms.

❌ You Prioritize Battery Life: While its 25-hour battery life is decent, it’s shorter than competitors. You may want to consider other options if you need a controller for long gaming sessions without frequent recharging.

❌ You Prefer a Refined D-Pad: If a highly responsive and smooth D-pad is essential to your gaming experience, the KK3 Max may fall short. The stiff D-pad could hinder movement in games that require quick directional inputs.

Final Verdict

Once again, for me, Gulikit has succeeded in delivering. An earlier wave of previous gamepads from the brand caused quite an uproar. As a successor to the renowned King Kong 2 Pro Wireless, the Gulikit KK3 Max goes beyond. They are still using a tried-and-true recipe. At a reasonable $80 price tag, the Gulikit KK3 Max offers features like removable paddle buttons and trigger locks. Though it’s $10 pricier than the King Kong 2 Pro, the KK3 Max makes up for it with extra features that were absent in its predecessors.

At its current price point, the KK3 is clearly superior. With these enhancements, the KK3 Max’s feature set is now competitive with more costly competitors. I have compared the KK3 Pro with a series controller in some parts of my review. Therefore, it can be considered a cheaper alternative to that with premium features. In general, the KK3 excels at the essentials, but I find a few aspects lacking. Maybe this is being overly harsh, but these things have come to my attention throughout my use.

The biggest problem with the Gulikit KK3 Max is its device compatibility. For console players who aren’t totally dedicated to their Nintendo device, the absence of Xbox and Playstation compatibility is a major letdown. You should Invest in an Xbox or Playstation controller if you want to use it with your desired platform. But if you’re a Nintendo Switch and PC gamer, the KK3 Max is a no-brainer. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Henceforth, choosing between them is a matter of personal preference because they are both so comfortable to use. Having said that, at this price, very few controllers come close to the KK3 Pro in terms of connection, face buttons, and sticks. Ultimately, it is an affordable controller with many features and a sturdy and pleasant design. At the very least, I will continue to use it on my PC since it is a fantastic controller.

Another Controller That I’ve Reviewed Recently: FlyDigi Apex 4 Review

Abdul Hannan

[Hardware Reviewer]

After many years of exploiting various pieces of hardware, Abdul Hannan now serves as an editor at Tech4Gamers. He’s been in the PC hardware reviewing industry for almost a decade, and his staff of passionate geeks and reviewers is second to none.

Abdul Hannan is constantly seeking new methods, you will always see him running into New Computer Courses to improve the performance of his computer components since he is an ardent overclocker. He is well-known for providing the most extensive and unbiased analysis of the newest and greatest hardware for PC gaming, including everything from GPUs to PSUs.

GuliKit KK3 Max Controller Review: A Step Beyond Console Controllers for PC Gamers is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

Epomaker Shadow X Review: The Best (Quirky) Budget Keyboard

Huzaifa Haroon — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 05:22:54 +0000

Epomaker is no stranger when it comes to dabbling into the eccentricities of the keyboard hobby. They’ve come a long way from the early days of offering generic GK61 OEM rebrands. Over time, they’ve evolved into more of a distributor for niche brands like Aula and Akko, bringing their products to a broader Western audience.

This time, though, we’re looking at one of Epomaker’s own creations: the Shadow X. Initially released in a black colorway and now available in multiple different configs, it’s been a top seller for some time. It’s a unique keyboard with a lot to offer, but does it nail the fundamentals? Let’s dive in and find out.

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

Key Takeaways

Epomaker Shadow X is a great budget keyboard that ticks all the boxes and then some while coming in at an affordable price.
Buy it if you want a thocky, well-built keyboard that genuinely sounds great out of the box.
Avoid it if you’re looking for a more traditional layout that uses its space better and prefers a volume knob.

Here are the key specs:

Specification	Details
Model	EPOMAKER Shadow-X
Number of keys	70 keys + 1 knob
Connectivity	Wireless and wired
Battery	3000mAh
Structure	Gasket-mounted
LED Direction	South-facing LED
Keycap Profile	SA-like profile / Cherry profile
Keycaps	Double-shot PBT material
Plate material	PC
Hot-swappable	Yes
Bottom layer	Silicon pad
Sandwich layer	Poron foam, IXPE switch pad
Compatible system	Win/macOS/Linux/Android/iOS
Dimension	370.4 x 129.8 x 47.8 mm
Weight	Around 0.8kg

[toc]

What Makes the Shadow X Different?

While there are a lot of nice prebuilts out now with deep, thocky sound signatures, none of them ace all the aspects of a good keyboard while carrying two gimmicks—one of which ends up serving as more of a useful tool.

Epomaker Shadow X is built well, sounds good, feels fantastic if you’re into tactiles, has solid software support and, above all, has perfect stabilizers out of the box. All that with a screen that can play silly GIFs while helping you control the RGB easily, and an entire knob to switch connections, what more could you ask for?

Unboxing Experience

The Epomaker Shadow X comes in a fairly ordinary but nonetheless clean cardboard box with ample branding all around. There are some product specs at the back, a large illustration of the keyboard upfront, and some pull tabs at the bottom for opening.

Epomaker Shadow X has a simple box (Image by T4G)

Once inside, we find the keyboard wrapped in plastic, with no dust cover included. There’s a manual underneath and accessories up top, which include some extra accent keycaps in yellow to break the monotony of black and grey.

Here’s everything included in the box:

1x Epomaker Shadow X
1x Manual
1x USB Type-C cable
1x Keycap/Switch Puller
3x Extra Switches
7x Extra Accent Keycaps

Epomaker includes some nice additions with the Shadow X (Image by T4G)

Design & Build

While you don’t usually expect the design or build quality to be subpar in this price range, you don’t expect it to be outstanding either. The Epomaker Shadow X breaks both those rules. At first glance, it easily fools anyone as an aluminum keyboard thanks to the annodized-esque finish of its top case.

Epomaker Shadow X from the front (Image by T4G)

This gives the board a two-tone look since the bottom case is a less exciting black plastic that ends up accentuating the boring box-on-wedge side profile. It does blend in well with the sleek design of the board, more so than other boards like the Record Alice, so I can’t fault it too much.

Epomaker Shadow X has a standard box-on-wedge side profile (Image by T4G)

The board feels heavier than its contemporaries like the Aula F75 and F87 Pro but it does have a tad bit more case flex than them. There’s no creaking, though, despite the large top and bottom bezels. If you look beyond those, you’ll find the USB dongle neatly tucked inside a dedicated cutout under the USB port, which makes it harder to lose.

There’s a convenient spot to store the dongle (Image by T4G)

Up front, we see a neutral black and grey color scheme on an interesting layout that includes the arrow keys and nav cluster but ditches the function row. There’s also a knob in the top-right corner, but it’s not a rotatory encoder, rather just a fancy 5-step switch for changing between connection modes.

The “knob” is actually not a knob (Image by T4G)

It does not click in, nor can it be reprogrammed to do anything else. Nevertheless, it’s made out of metal, and the clicks are deeply satisfying. Looking toward the left, there’s a bunch of LEDs for Caps Lock, Win key lock, and the 2.4 GHz wireless connection — all of whom are strangely dim for some reason.

Right below that, we see a screen, and it looks like the same one found in the GMK87, just turned vertical. It’s infinitely more useful here, as Epomaker has baked in all of the lighting controls onboard. Imagine you’re playing a fullscreen game and want to check the time. Just glance at the screen, and you’re good. More on this in the software section.

Epomaker Shadow X has a screen that’s not a gimmick (Image by T4G)

Overall, from the unique layout to the premium build quality and a clean aesthetic, the Epomaker Shadow X certainly leaves a strong first impression, perhaps even the strongest in this category.

Layout & Features

The Epomaker Shadow X is a wireless gasket-mounted mechanical keyboard with a 70% layout. Unlike a standard TKL, the Shadow X lacks the function row, making this an FRL TKL, a highly coveted layout in the hobby most recently donned by the Cycle7. In reality, though, this just ends up taking more space than it needs to.

The board is fully hot-swap with 5-pin south-facing sockets that have per-key RGB. It comes with standard plate-mount stabs with support for screw-ins on the PCB. Speaking of which, the plate is made of polycarbonate and is filled with a ton of flex cuts, but thankfully, the PCB is not; it’s a standard 1.6mm thick design.

Epomaker Shadow X has a hotswab PCB | Epomaker

As mentioned above, the board also has a knob switch that’s an interesting addition but ultimately, a standard volume knob would’ve been far more useful. How many times are you changing connection modes? Not as often as you want to control your volume or play/pause media, that’s for sure.

The screen also makes me feel the same but I’m impartial to it since it doesn’t replace something better, it’s just there as an extra. And for that purpose, it’s a great accent piece that has bonus functionality. It took me some time to get used to the function key shortcuts to navigate the menus, but once you get the hang of it, it’s effortless.

What’s Inside?

Upon opening the keyboard, you see pretty barebone insides; the USB port is on a daughterboard and connects to the PCB with a ribbon cable, just like the battery. We also see that the gaskets are on the plate and not the PCB; they’re not made out of foam but somewhat stiff silicone.

The screen is directly connected to the PCB, so you don’t have to worry about any tethered cable ripping apart when taking off the top case. There are three layers of foam inside: plate foam, a PE foam sheet, and a silicone dampener at the bottom serving as case foam. I should mention that the board is very easy to take apart as well.

Epomaker Shadow X doesn’t have a whole lot going on under the hood (Image by T4G)

The Fundamentals

The Epomaker Shadow X is on the right track so far. A good, neutral, safe design with enough character and solid build quality to back that up. But a lot of manufacturers can do that, it’s what underneath that differentiates all these boards and it’s no surprise Aula’s dominance in this exact area is what has kept them at the top. So, does Epomaker deliver?

Keycaps

Epomaker has kitted out the board with doubleshot PBT keycaps in a profile they aptly call “SA-like. There’re also Cherry profile configs available on their site with different switches. The keycaps here are really nice; they’re thick, have sharp legends, no blemishes or warping and are comfortable to type on.

The keycaps are high-quality with a low-pitched sound (Image by T4G)

Compared to other doubleshot keycaps, they look and feel identical to Akko’s SA profile and given the two companies’ extensive history they might as well be coming from the same factory. I do wish the extra yellow accent keycaps they include had black text instead of white for improved eligibility.

Switches

There are a bunch of switches available to choose from, but this board, in its original black colourway, launched with the Epomaker Budgerigar switches, so that’s what we’ve got.

These are 55g tactile (that’s the initial actuation force) with a bottom out at 60g, so they’re on the heavier side, but that doesn’t make them sluggish. They feature a 47g double-stage spring that is snappy and nicely oiled from the factory. I was surprised to see that the entire stem is actually factory-lubed, given how tactile these feel.

The Budgerigar switch is a great tactile (Image by T4G)

Both the top and bottom housings are made from nylon, while the stem is a long pole and is made of POM. The tolerances are tight, leading to almost no stem wobble. These are fantastic tactile switches with absolutely no spring ping or any weird crunchiness; they also have consistent factory lubing across the board.

The sound is deep and thocky, it works well with the tall keycaps on top to create a low-pitched keyboard. I tried these in different boards and they sounded somewhat muted in most foamless configs, so Epomaker did right pairing it with a deep keyboard like the Shadow X.

Stabilizers

We see standard plate-mount stabilizers on the Epomaker Shadow X with support for screw-in stabs on the PCB. I found the stock stabs to be absolutely perfect out of the box. These might be the best plate-mount stabs I’ve heard in a prebuilt plastic board.

They match or sometimes even beat the Aula boards, which have been the gold standard for me previously. There’s no rattle or ticking in any stabilized key, and the factory lubing job is meticulous to the point you won’t ever need to touch them up. I even tried a GMK spacebar with an HMX Xinhai switch as a curveball, yet it still sounded great.

The plate-mount stabs are among the best, if not the best on the market (Image by T4G)

Connectivity & Performance

Epomaker Shadow X is a wireless keyboard with a single 3000mAh battery that Epomaker doesn’t claim any numbers on. It has support for both 2.4 GHz radio and Bluetooth. In my testing with the board at 100% running on the 2.4Ghz dongle with RGB on, it lasted a full day which would equate to 8-10 hours.

After recharging it, I’ve been using it without RGB for the past 3 days and the screen is showing 30% battery remaining. There were absolutely no lag or disconnection issues while playing wirelessly, but the latency is on the higher side for competitive gaming, so stick to the wired USB-C mode for that.

Typing Experience

Since the board is so easy to disassemble, we’ll be trying a modded config later on. Before that, here’s how the stock config sounds:

As you can hear, the board is very thocky, low-pitched and deep. It’s the perfect sound signature for newcomers to the hobby. I personally am no longer a fan of this kind of sound and these tactiles feel too heavy for me, but I can still appreciate this being so full-sounding. There’s absolutely no hollowness so the tall keycaps only help the sound.

Despite having a polycarbonate plate with flex cuts on all the alphas, the board is not bouncy at all. In fact, I’d hesitate to even call this soft. This is mainly due to the 1.6mm PCB and the silicone stuffed in the bottom that gives the board no room to flex. And I can’t end this section without shouting out those stabs; they’re once again perfect.

Editor`s Note

I ended up trying a modded build with HMX Hyacinth switches and GMK Metropolis switches, and it turned out awesome. The board adopts a more creamy and marbly sound, similar to Aula boards, when paired with linear and Cherry profile keycaps, but it’s not suitable for clacky builds.

– Huzaifa Haroon

The Software

Epomaker bundles its own proprietary software with the Shadow X, as there’s no VIA/QMK compatibility onboard. The software is easily downloadable from their site and has all the basic features you’d expect. There is macro recording, function layer adjustments, key remapping, lighting controls and even a “Share” tab for user-uploaded GIFs.

I’d say it’s a tier above the software for Lucky65, but you’re still quickly humbled when you have to wait 2-3 minutes for your GIF to upload on the screen. There is an account tab as well, but you’re not required to sign in until and unless you want to share your own GIFs with the world and have them show up for other users to download.

Screen Overview

I really appreciate what Epomaker has done with the screen here. You can easily upload any GIF you want in the software, it even shows you all the frames broken down with further settings like frame delay. You can preview any animation within the software before uploading it which is a great add-on.

Before all that, by default, you see a homepage with a lot of useful info at quick glance like the battery level, what connection you’re using, what function layer you’re on, whether you have Mac or Windows keys enabled and even a Caps Lock indicator.

You can do a lot with the Shadow X’s screen | Epomaker

The day, date and time needs to be synced from the Epomaker software, just like any pictures or GIFs you need to show on the screen. There’s a total of 6 you can set and cycle through at a time using Fn+Menu+PgDn, and it’s saved to the board. The animations play at a smooth frame rate and the resolution is actually, surprisingly decent.

All the text is sharp, eligible and there’s no fringing or weird colors off-axis. It’s bright enough to use even under a monitor light bar. No need to pick up your phone to check the time anymore.

As for the RGB controls, you can press Fn+Menu+Enter to bring them up. There’re options for brightness, color, speed, and what mode you’re on. You cycle through these by pressing left or right arrow while holding Fn+Menu, and press Enter to select, then use the arrows again to, for instance, choose cyan color for the Raindrop effect.

If this all feels like a lot to you, you can still control the RGB directly with standard Fn key combinations or in the software, which also has per-key RGB control and fan-made RGB profiles/animations. These GIFs are abundant in quantity, and you’re bound to find one you like quickly, they also upload very quickly on the screen.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If

✅You want a screen on your keyboard that’s more than just a gimmick or a simple aesthetic addition.

✅Design and build quality are important to you, and you’ll appreciate owning a keyboard with a bit of character.

✅You like thocky-sounding keyboards with no compromises and perfect stabilizers out of the box.

Don’t Buy It If

❌You want a compact layout that makes efficient use of its space, and you cannot make do without function keys.

❌A knob is a must for you and the somewhat gimmicky knob switch is not going to cut it.

❌QMK/VIA compatibility is a deal-breaker and you don’t want to bother with unintuitive Chinese keyboard software.

The Epomaker Shadow X is a solid keyboard all around

My Thoughts

The Epomaker Shadow X is an amazing budget keyboard that doesn’t cut corners to achieve its goal of being a great value. I got this board on sale and even without the discount, I’d happily recommend this to anyone who wants a slightly more unique keyboard compared to the Aulas of the world.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re great too, but this board does just a bit more with its screen, and the sleek design helps a lot. Some people might not be a fan of those chunky bezels, but I don’t mind them at all. There’s not a single glaring flaw here except maybe the average software experience, but even then, nothing else really comes close.

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Epomaker Shadow X Review: The Best (Quirky) Budget Keyboard is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

Record Alice V2 Custom Keyboard Review: A Clack-Tastic Ergo

Huzaifa Haroon — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 04:50:39 +0000

Custom keyboards have completely shaken up the peripherals market in the past few years. While prebuilts from companies like Aula, Akko, and Epomaker are great, barebones kits still hold a special place in the market. They’re often reserved for the more seasoned enthusiast and made by brands with ample experience.

And what we have today is no different. Weikav has been in the game for quite some time now. We previously looked at the Lucky65 which was a really impressive outing from the company. This time, it’s a more unusual yet ever-so-interesting board that steps up to the podium—Record Alice V2.

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

Key Takeaways

Record Alice V2 is a great ergonomic keyboard that prioritizes a clacky sound signature with a premium build.
Buy the Record Alice V2 if you want a high-quality keyboard with a unique mounting method.
Avoid the Record Alice V2 if you prefer a standard layout and don’t want to adjust your muscle memory.

[toc]

What Exactly Is An Alice Keyboard?

Alice-style keyboards feature an ergonomic layout where the keys are split into two sections and tilted inwards to better align with the natural curvature of your hands. This style originated in 2018 with the infamous TGR Alice and, since then, has slipped into the mainstream.

There are some variations, such as models that feature arrow keys and navigation clusters, but these days, Alice has become more of a catch-all term. For instance, an Alice-style keyboard with arrow keys is technically an “Arisu” keyboard (the Japanese word for Alice), but the community often uses these interchangeably now.

Alice and Arisu keyboards | u/summerqm

Unboxing Experience

Similar to many other budget boards, the Record Alice has an unremarkable box with tabs on either side keeping it secure. There’s some rather abstract branding all over the packaging. Inside you’ll find the board wrapped in plastic with a separate dust cover on top. And all the accessories are nicely placed in a box shoved in the corner.

Record Alice comes in a simple box (Image by T4G)

Package Contents

1x Record Alice V2
1x Manual
1x Keycap/Switch Puller
1x Screwdriver
6x Extra Screws
1x 2.4Ghz USB receiver

Box Contents (Image By T4G)

Design & Build

Despite being just as affordable, Record Alice is different from your usual budget custom such that it’s rocking an alice layout that’s supposed to help you type better. The slanted keys follow the natural arch of your hands, allowing for a more ergonomic experience. Instead of adjusting your hands to fit the keyboard, the keyboard adapts to you.

Record Alice from the front (Image by T4G)

While that does make for a potentially healthier keyboard, and one that certainly catches the eye, it also means the keyboard takes some time getting used to. It’s been more than a month and I’m still learning. I was never the best typist, but I could average 100WPM with perfect accuracy before, now my best is down to 70.

Before I talk about anything else, let’s address the keyboard-sized elephant in the room: Record Alice is a clone of the Owlab Spring. The design is almost a 1:1 copy down to the RGB strip in the bottom corner. When you connect it via Bluetooth it shows up as “Spring” and the same goes for when it’s paired with VIA.

Record Alice comes with plate-mount stabs already installed

Later when we open up the keyboard, you’ll see how the mounting method is also duplicated to perfection but what Weikav couldn’t get right were the force break gaskets. The divots for the foams are all there in the top case, just like in the original Spring, but they forgot to actually include anything there.

Weikav forgot to do the force break mod for me, so I had to do it myself (Image by T4G)

If we put the obvious IP theft aside, the board is built well. It’s pretty much exactly like the Lucky65 where the anodization is nice and smooth, a bit gritty in appearance, but with no imperfections. It’s a heavy keyboard coming in at a kilogram unbuilt, with a very simple box-on-wedge side profile that some might call boring.

Even a simple side profile can look clean (Image by T4G)

It has chamfered edges across the entire perimeter and a front height of 20mm and an 8-degree typing angle. I can easily use this board without a wrist rest. The build and design, overall, are identical to the Record Alice V1 but obviously not as polished as the Owlab Spring it’s trying to imitate.

Record Alice has a gorgeous back weight (Image by T4G)

Layout & Features

Stripping away the ergonomic design, the Record Alice is a 65% custom keyboard with south-facing hotswap sockets, manufactured by JWICK. It features standard factory lubed plate-mount stabilizers with support for screw-in stabs should you choose to add them. Record Alice is also VIA compatible (but not QMK).

The PCB here is 1.2mm and it features a lot of flex cuts, just like the inlcuded polycarbonate plate. The keyboard also has per-key RGB but the lack of dedicated software makes it impossible to control that; you have to rely on the built-in effects. While the PCB is one singular piece, the plate is split into two for either side.

The PCB looks very similar to the one in Owlab Spring (Image by T4G)

The highlight of this keyboard is its unique mounting style in which leaf springs are used instead of traditional foam or rubber gaskets. The PCB-plate assembly rests on top of these leaf springs which provide a bouncy typing feel and evenly distribute pressure around the board to create a clean sound signature.

Leaf springs in the Owlab Spring, same as the Record Alice

Speaking of the sound, there’s plenty of foam here as well to help with that. All the standard stuff like the IXPE sheet, case foam, plate foam and PET sheet are present. In my testing I found that the board was actually a bit too quiet for my liking without the foams and that it works best if you leave everything in and only add on top. More on this later.

Record Alice exploded view | Weikav

The Innards

There are only eight hex screws at the back securing the top and bottom cases, and a screwdriver is conveniently included in the box. These screws are hidden under the rubber feet which are easy to take off but very annoying to put back on without any warping. Once the board is open, you’ll see the leaf springs poking out the side right away.

I like the fact that all the screws are the same key and size so you don’t need to worry about mixing them back up. There’s a daughterboard inside connecting the battery and the USB port to the PCB with ribbon cables. You have to be careful as the main ribbon is very short so you can easily rip it off while lifting the top.

The components that make up the Record Alice (Image by T4G)

Connectivity & Performance

Record Alice has a USB-C port for connectivity and charging its 4000mAh battery. As expected, the wired performance is flawless, but in my testing with the RGB off, the keyboard easily lasts up to 2 weeks and about 2 days with RGB on. This is in line with Weikav’s own claims.

Centered USB port on the Record Alice (Image by T4G)

As for connectivity, Record Alice V2 is a wireless keyboard that comes with a 2.4Ghz USB receiver and Bluetooth support. I’m very happy to report that using the provided dongle, it’s perfectly adequate for even competitive gaming due to its 10ms average latency. Wired is even better at 8ms, and Bluetooth is not far off at 16ms.

I experienced no disconnection issues or any kind of lag using the keyboard about 4 feet away from my computer. Bluetooth range is much stronger and, connected to my phone, the board worked even in the next room with no misinputs. All this makes for a great overall experience with any device using any connection mode.

Typing Experience

Thanks to the leaf spring mounting, the polycarbonate plate and slim PCB, the Record Alice feels soft to type on, but not the point of being wobbly. The left Shift key is also in somewhat of an awkward spot with the arrow key right next to it. I often find myself accidentally hitting that instead of capitalizing a letter.

Now, let’s finally move on to some actual builds and their sound tests.

First Build (Stock)

Let’s start with a pretty common, run of the mill deep and thocky build. I will be using Gateron Lunar Probe linear switches paired with MT3 Susuwatari keycaps. These are tall but thick doubleshot keycaps and the switches are factory lubed to perfection. This config should produce a low-pitched, almost muted sound.

As you can hear above, the sound is nice and full of thock. The keyboard does sound a bit thin in its stock configuration and there’s some metallic resonance as well (especially around the center). Lastly, the stabs are not the best. They exhibit rattle across the board and seem a generation behind Weikav’s newer offerings—Lucky65 and Sugar65.

Second Build (Modded)

Let’s fix the issues from our stock build. I opened up the keyboard and immediately did the force break mod to kill the resonance. Then we throw some polyfill in and tape mod the PCB, ensuring to cover all the flex cuts so the sound doesn’t leak out. I removed all foams except the IXPE and PET sheets, and relubed the stabs with some Krytox 205G0.

For the switches, I put in the HMX Xinhai linears. Since we’re using a dupe keyboard, I thought why not go all in and use clone keycaps as well? So, I’m topping this off with a high-quality doubleshot set of GMK Modern Dolch clones made from ABS.

This is the config that made me endure the unfamiliarity of a new layout, just because it sounded so clean. The alphas are sharp, bright and thrive without any foam. The stabilizers also come to life and compliment the rest of the keys. There’s no hollowness thanks to the polyfil and no thin-ness thanks to the tape mod.

Getting this kind of a sound from a budget custom is impressive, but at this price point, it’s downright incredible. And the funniest part? The Owlab Spring did not sound this clean, especially in its stock config. Somehow the Chinese factories have whipped up a better sounding clone than the original.

QC Issues

Before buying the Record Alice I’d already seen a lot of people online complaining about bad units but by that point my curiosity had gotten the best of my skepticism. Sure, enough when I got mine, I thought I received a miracle unit but quickly discovered one issue: the left Control key simply didn’t work.

I tried to jump the hotswap socket with tweezers just to confirm that it was indeed broken out of the box. This was not a deal breaker for me as I’m used to a Mac layout as well, so I just remapped the Alt key to be my Control key. I use my MX Master mouse’s thumb button for Alt-tabbing so that was another issue already solved.

Record Alice firmware
byu/SvelteSyntax inErgoMechKeyboards

Regardless, it’s important to point out that QC issues like these are more prevalent than usual in the Record Alice boards. Reddit is filled with complaints like these, and my friend even bricked his unit with a firmware update (though the AliExpress seller refunded him). Record Alice V2 was supposed to fix a lot of this QC drama but seems like at least part of it is still there.

Software Experience

Record Alice has no dedicated software because it relies on VIA. This is great because VIA support is one of the easiest corners to cut and often an obvious complaint for budget customs. Unfortunately, the VIA support is somewhat shoddy here.

Weikav has a JSON file on their site you can easily upload to get started with VIA, where this board shows up as a Spring. At first glance, everything seems normal, you have the layout showing correctly with all the layers present but as soon as you try to customize anything, you start to see the shortcomings.

Most of the custom Fn key shortcuts in this board have incomplete names that read like product SKUs, so unless you have a manual by your side, it makes no sense. The RGB effects in the Lighting tab legit has hieroglyphics instead of clear labels like “Rainbow” or “Pulse”.

These are supposed to be RGB effects

The brightness for both the RGB strip and the per-key lighting is also tied together for some reason, so you can’t independently adjust one without affecting the other. Moreover, no per-key control; you’re stuck with the effects you’re given.

That being said, setting up different layers with custom key binds and other functions like macros work perfectly fine. I was easily able to swap my Alt key for a Control key, set up volume controls on the nav keys, and configure an OBS Replay button on the second layer. So, overall, the software experience is a net positive.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

✅ You want an ergonomic keyboard that can potentially make you type better—faster and healthier over time.

✅ You like a clacky sound that works without foams and stands out in the sea of foam-reliant deep sounding keyboards.

✅ You’re an enthusiast who values extras like support for PCB-mounted stabilizers and VIA, along with a unique mounting method.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌ You want a thocky keyboard that’s low-pitched and creamy out of the box no matter what switch and keycap config you go with.

❌ You don’t want to learn an alice-style layout that might take a few days to adapt at best, and a few weeks at worst.

❌ You’re stingy about clones and would rather prefer to buy the original than support any copyright infringement.

Record Alice V2 in all its glory

My Thoughts

While the budget keyboards of today tend to always favor the thocky sound, I’m glad that a board like the Record Alice exists to satisfy the clack enthusiast as well. This kind of clean sound is often associated with more boutique customs that are costlier, so an affordable offering in this category naturally stands out.

That alone makes this a worthwhile purchase, but the excellent build quality, performance, and the leaf-spring mounting method pushes it over the edge into a genuinely great keyboard territory that has virtually no flaws. The VIA support mixed with screw-in stabs allows for enough modding potential that won’t hold any snob back.

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Record Alice V2 Custom Keyboard Review: A Clack-Tastic Ergo is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News

Wooting 80HE Review: The King Fights To Keep His Crown

Huzaifa Haroon — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 18:05:11 +0000

When Wooting began making analog keyboards back in 2016, no one foresaw them as the next step for gaming keyboards as a whole. A lot has changed since then. Hall-effect sensors skyrocketed and got into controllers and keyboards. Today, the spectrum looks something like this: you either get a barebones kit and build a custom, or you buy a Wooting to get that competitive edge.

But the throne is always for the taking. Seeing Wooting’s success, particularly with its “rapid trigger” feature, the market saw an overnight revolution. Big names like Razer and Steelseries were quick to jump in, but it was the budget offerings that brought the gift of hall effect to the masses. With competition all around them now, can Wooting still wear the crown?

Why Trust Tech4Gamers

Huzaifa Haroon is our keyboard expert with years of experience in building and testing custom keyboards.
130+ peripherals tested and reviewed by our team of hardware experts (Tech4Gamers Team).
500+ hours spent testing different graphics cards for our reviews.
Objective testing criteria (See how we test peripherals).

Key Takeaways

The Wooting 80HE is a wired gaming keyboard that stands out for its innovative hall-effect switches, rapid trigger technology, and polished Wootility software, offering cutting-edge performance for serious gamers.
You should go for the Wooting 80HE if you want a high-performance keyboard loaded with features.
You should skip the Wooting 80HE if you need wireless connectivity or prioritize sound and typing feel over performance.

[toc]

Here are the key specs:

Specifications
Switches	Lekker L60 V2
Keycaps	PBT, ABS and Dye sub-options are available
Case	PCR ABS or Zinc alloy
Stabilizers	Screw-in stabilizer
Switch plate	White polycarbonate (PC) plate
Sandwich pad	Silicone
PCBA	Wooting 80HE
Cable	2-meter USB-C to C nylon braided cable
Dimensions	346 x 142mm
Weight	PCR ABS: 790 grams Zinc alloy: 2160 grams

Unboxing Experience

The Wooting 80HE comes in a simple yet elegant cardboard box with one tab in the center, keeping it secure. Apart from the name plastered across the front, there’s minimal branding around the package. Opening the box reveals the Wooting sitting underneath a nice plastic dust cover. The accessories are laid out behind a marked flap at the top.

Wooting 80 has a clean and minimal box (Image by Tech4Gamers)

Since the Wooting 80 can also be purchased as a module without switches and case, the unboxing experience can vary depending on what config you choose. Our Wooting 80 unit is prebuilt and made out of ABS plastic, but there’s a see-through polycarbonate and zinc alloy (metal) case as well that you can buy separately.

Package Contents

1x Wooting 80HE
1x Dust Cover
1x Switch-Insert Instructions Card
1x USB-C to C braided cable
1x Keycap/Switch Puller
3x Spare L60 switches | 1x Spare L45 Switch
4x Heighted Rubber Feet
4x M2x5 Spare screws
7x Additional Keycaps
1x Post Card

You get quite a bit of stuff in the box (Image by Tech4Gamers)

Design & Build

The plastic case is well-made, feels solid, and has no blemishes. It’s as good as any other mainstream gaming keyboard but a touch below the plastic used in budget customs like those from Aula and Epomaker. There is absolutely no creaking, though the board does flex if you force it to.

Wooting 80 looks stunning from the top (Image by Tech4Gamers)

Design-wise, Wooting has kept it simple with a clean aesthetic upfront consisting of no branding and uniform bezels all around except the forehead. The only standout element is the LED Bar on the left, above the arrow keys. This is fully customizable in the software and can actually go beyond just a visual flourish; more on that later.

The LED Bar is not just for aesthetic purposes but serves a function, too (Image by Tech4Gamers)

On the back, you’ll see five rubber feet, of which the top two are responsible for height adjustment. You can swap those for the taller ones provided in the box to add some height. I appreciate Wooting trying something new in place of just generic flip-out feet, but the implementation seems half-baked; you now have to worry about one extra element for everyday usage that can easily get lost.

The back is simple, but the rubber feet disturb the elegance (Image by Tech4Gamers)

Moving on, the side profile of this keyboard is somewhat unique; it’s not a simple box on a wedge, which even expensive customs are guilty of, but rather a sleek downward curve. The front height is 19mm here which means it’s just about comfortable to type on without a wrist rest.

That’s one nice-looking side profile (Image by Tech4Gamers)

Layout & Features

As the name suggests, the Wooting 80HE is an 80% keyboard with a layout that’s sort of in between a 75% and a proper TKL. You still get your function row, the arrow keys and even the nav cluster but some keys like Home and End are Del. There’s also a “Mode” key up top next to F12 which technically makes this an F13 layout.

You can use that key to quickly switch between different profiles set up in the Wootility software if you want to Alt-Tab, from popping heads in Overwatch to writing your overdue college essay.

Switching Modes (Tech4Gamers)

Wooting 80 is wired only so there’s no battery life or wireless performance to be worried about. That being said, this board does have true 8000hz polling rate because it combines that with an 8000hz input scan rate as well. I’d strongly suggest using the provided USB-C cable instead of a custom coiled one to ensure you’re getting the best out of that PCB.

Speaking of which, Wooting 80 has a fully hotswap PCB that is compatible with other hall-effect switches. It has no flex cuts and is 1.6mm thick. While the default layout is ANSI with a 6.25u spacebar, the company also makes ISO and JIS versions that you can select at the time of buying.

Lastly, the keyboard is gasket mounted using the plate foam that sits between the PCB and the polycarbonate plate. This absorbs impact better, according to Wooting, but in my experience there’s practically no give here and the typing experience isn’t bouncy. That kind of defeats the purpose of going with gaskets in the first place.

Wooting 80HE exploded view

Going for a stiffer design with gaskets on the PCB might’ve helped accentuate the higher tones of the switch and give the sound more character. It would’ve also allowed for easy plateless configs of the Wooting 80 since the screw-in stabs are already there. There’s also no PE foam inside, so it’s not exactly like they’re embracing the foamed-out sound, either.

The Innards

Before we move on to the bread and butter of the Wooting, let’s first talk about the fundamentals of this keyboard. The Wooting 60, and hall-effect keyboards at large aren’t exactly known for their dominance in this area, but this keyboard is no slouch.

Keycaps

The Wooting 80 is rocking doubleshot PBT keycaps that are shine-through. These are your standard OEM profile seen in many mainstream gaming keyboards, but they do feel and sound a bit more premium. Due to the north-facing RGB, the legends all look nice and bright, especially under low lighting.

Wooting’s doubleshot PBT shine-through keycap

The font is clean, similar to Razer’s, and the shine-through cutouts are about as sharp as they can be. The keycaps also have a gritty texture that grips your fingers nicely and is visible if you look for it. There’s minimal wobble, and all the keycaps are thick, more so than your average gamer-y stuff, but not as much as nice GMK clones from AliExpress.

Switches

Switches are arguably the biggest improvement in the new Wooting 80. The company has upgraded to Lekker V2 linear switches, manufactured by Grain Gold/Hejin (who also make Geon Raptor). These are significant step-ups from V1 Lekkers that could not be saved with any relubing and just had to be replaced by Gateron Jades at the end of the day.

Lekker V2 switches

Lekker V2 switches are factory-lubed and come in two variants: 45g and 60g, ours is the 60g version. Due to their magnetic nature, they have a dynamic actuation point anywhere from 0.1mm to 4mm. These feel very comfortable to type on, though there’s a bit of a mushy feeling that makes it feel like these are silent switches.

This is because Lekker V2s do not have a traditional closed-off bottom like some of the latest hall-effect switches. That means the magnet in the stem is literally not hitting anything when the switch is fully pressed. This has a dampening effect on sound and feels, resulting in a less satisfying bottom-out.

Magnetic switches can still work with closed-off bottoms (Image by Tech4Gamers)

Stabilizers

I may have lied because stabilizers might actually be the most important upgrade in the Wooting 80. Gone are those cheap-feeling, rattly plate-mount stabs, and in come the glorious (the adjective, not the company) screw-in stabs. These are factory-lubed and come pre-installed, which is commendable as even high-end customs omit this.

The screw-in stabs are standard, which means they can even be replaced!

Overall, the stabilizers are good, great even but they’re not perfect. There’s just a little bit of rattle across all of them that is almost weirdly consistent? So, it doesn’t feel like normal annoying rattle. My spacebar, however, did have a bit on uneven lube on the left side which was quickly solved by an injection of Krytox.

The stabs are much improved and now consistent across the board (Image by Tech4Gamers)

Wootility Software

If there’s anything that keeps Wooting at the top of the hall-effect leaderboard, it’s their software. Wootlility requires no app download or sign up before getting you into the action. It’s entirely online, running in a web browser with only an optional background service (that will launch later) for things like monitoring RAM usage.

Wootility homepage (Image By Tech4Gamers)

Wooting coincided the release of Wootility V5 with the Wooting 80, which comes with two new features called “Rappy Snappy” and “Snappy Tappy” alongside the classics like Rapid Trigger. The controls for the new LED Bar have their own tab and I have to say it’s extremely detailed and well thought-out for what I assumed was a gimmick.

There’s a whole Effects Studio for both the standard per-key RGB and the LED Bar, where you can go crazy customizing your perfect disco show. My favorite effect is the progress bar, which shows how much of a certain key you’ve pressed, like an analog trigger. Remember I mentioned RAM usage earlier? Yeah, you can show that on this bar, too.

Customizing the RGB for the LED Bar (Image By Tech4Gamers)

We’ll talk about the actual gaming features in the next section, but the gist is that this software has everything. You can easily create layers with the Fn key, configure different profiles for work and play, assign macros, and even emulate a controller by remapping gamepad buttons, allowing for true analog input for things like racing games.

Overall, Wootility is very polished. It’s intuitive where it needs to be and sticks to basics in departments like key remapping, where you don’t need to bring about a revolution. Updates are quick and effortless (I received 3 while writing this review), and all the buttons have little info boxes to get you up to speed on what they exactly do.

Gaming Performance

It’s time for the main event. As much as it’s nice to look at the little nuances of the switches and the cool lighting, what really matters is how the Wooting can make you a better gamer. And the truth of the matter is, it can’t, well, not unless your hardware is the bottleneck and not your skill. But it can make bridging that gap a bit easier.

Therefore, I tested a bunch of games on the Wooting 80HE and only noticed minor improvements across the board. By now, everyone knows of the adjustable actuation point that you can set to 0.1mm for the key to trigger with a gust of wind instantly. But by combining that with other features, the Wooting goes beyond.

Rapid Trigger

Rapid Trigger allows any key to be reset instantly. For example, you’ve set WASD to actuate at 0.5mm and, being a human, you regularly press those keys past that till, say 2.0mm and rest your fingers around that point while moving. Or just assume that you press them all the way down.

Now, normally, you’d have to release the key and wait for it to come back up to at least 0.5mm before pressing it again for it to register again. With Rapid Trigger, the moment you lift your finger off that key, it resets without ever needing to come back to 0.5mm (or any other actuation point you’ve set). This means you can automatically actuate and reset any key mid-motion forever.

Rapid Trigger

This instantaneous and dynamic reset is particularly effective in games like Valorant and Counter-Strike, where precise movement is imperative to win fights. You don’t the need to return to the actuation point before the next press, giving you an edge in response time. But, once again, it’s not magic; if you were already slow before Rappid Trigger, you’ll still be slow afterwards.

Snappy Tappy & Rappy Snappy

Building upon Rappid Trigger, we have two new features that are just rage-inducing names for SOCD. In simple words, what happens if you press left and right at the same time? Or even press right when left is already pressed? This kind of input is very common for counter-strafing and jiggle-strafing.

So, both Snappy Tappy and Rappy Snappy work to solve this conundrum, but in opposite ways. Say you’re spamming A and D together, if you have Rappy Snappy enabled it will detect which key is pressed further and only register that input while ignoring the other. If both keys are fully pressed, both will be registered.

Snappy Tappy

Snappy Tappy is actually a bit more thorough and has three options. By default, it will detect the most recent key you pressed and actuate only that while releasing the other one. You can also choose absolute priority for a key in which the system will only accept the other key’s input if the main key is not already pressed.

Snappy Tappy in Wootility (Image By Tech4Gamers)

In the end, these SOCD solutions are like auto-tune for keyboard input. While null bind scripts have been around for a while, moving it to hardware truly changes the game. It takes the skill out of precise key inputs, which is why Valve already banned it in Counter Strike.

Moreover, the Wooting 60 has already had these features through a software update for a few months now, so it’s not new, but still powerful. Optimum Tech has called it basically cheating, and I agree—it makes strafing and spraying while dodging fire much easier.

Mod Tap & Dynamic Keystroke

Dynamic Keystroke is really cool and Wooting describes it perfectly as “next-level Macros“. You can take any key and set different inputs based on the dynamic actuation point. Essentially, how much you press a key determines what it actually does. So, it’s not just multiple keystrokes triggered by one keystroke but actually controllable each time.

A pretty simple example I set up was assigning A, B, C, D to the A key. When you just start to press A, it registers A, when you are halfway through the key travel, it actuates again to register B, at about 75% actuation it registers C and finally when bottomed-out it registers D. So, if you do a full quick tap, it types ABCD together just like a macro.

Dynamic Keystroke in Wootility Snappy Tappy

Mod Tap seems pretty tame compared to this; it doesn’t exactly leverage any magnetic wizardry to register inputs. All you need to do is select any key and give it two states: normal press or a press and hold. Either will do different things, for example Backspace key deleting characters when holding it down but going back on a browser page with a tap.

There’s also Toggle Key which allows a key to toggle itself on continuously, aka be pressed down even when you lift your finger off the key. At the same time, if you press and hold that key, and then let it go it will work as normal and reset. This can be useful to set up on your crouch button where it will allow you to hold to crouch and toggle crouch at the same time.

Typing Experience

The Wooting 80 is a major step up from the Wooting 60 in terms of sound and feel. This update puts Wooting back in line with the best hall-effect keyboards that don’t compromise on the fundamentals. The sound signature here is low-pitched, almost muted, very much going for that “thock” appeal.

As you can hear in the sound test, the keyboard sounds… fine. It’s definitely not bad and, in fact, for gaming keyboards this is S-tier but in the larger world of the custom keyboard world, even budget boards like the Aula F87 Pro smoke this. However, we have to keep in mind the context of the hall-effect switches.

Due to the non-traditional stem, the sound is a bit dampened. Typing on it feels like there’s little pieces of foam stuck to the stems to make sure there’s a soft bottom out. The stabilized keys feel a bit better. All that said, the stock experience is still satisfying, and I don’t feel the need to mod anything.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

✅ You want the best gaming keyboard that offers bleeding-edge features which can genuinely be the difference between a win or loss for you.

✅ You care about innovation and want to stay on top with new functions like SOTC being added through regular updates.

✅ You appreciate good software that’s clean, easy to use, intuitive, highly polished, and works right in your browser.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌ You want a wireless keyboard since the Wooting 80 is wired only. This is due to the hardware limitation of a hall-effect PCB.

❌ You prioritize sound and feel over gaming performance. The Wooting 80 ranks below even budget customs when it comes to that marbly sound.

❌ You’re on a budget and with so many cheaper hall-effect keyboards out now, it’s not necessary to splurge for a Wooting.

Wooting 80HE in all its glory (Image by Tech4Gamers)

Final Thoughts

My conclusion of the Wooting 80 experience is an easy recommendation. It’s a solid gaming keyboard that offers world-class performance and still has more polish than any of its competitors. The weaknesses of the Wooting 60—switch sound and stabs—have been addressed amicably and the company has genuinely innovated to keep themselves on top.

Still, the alternatives are scarily close now. If someone in a Chinese factory can whip up a Hall effect keyboard with all the same features but half the price without sacrificing the build quality, switches, or keycaps, then the markets will make it evident; despite its greatness, the Wooting is no longer unparalleled.

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Wooting 80HE Review: The King Fights To Keep His Crown is a post from Tech4Gamers - All About Technology And Gaming News