I've owned this keyboard about 2 months now and I'll probably update the review at the 12month point.
Firstly, I've not owned a mechanical keyboard before this and I've mainly used low cost standard keyboards.
Pros:
+Solid construction. There's no flex where there shouldn't be and it feels really durable.
+Very small desk space taken up. The keyboard has less than 1cm between edge of the keys and edge of the keyboard, it couldn't be much smaller with the same layout.
+Proper sized layout (for a 10-keyless). None of that weird placed arrows and odd shaped key business.
+Light key action. The keys were lighter than I expected, but there's still just about enough tactile feedback. Although the tactile feedback is very subtle.
+N-key rollover. With the ps2 connection it allowed any number of keys to register at once.
+Simple clean design. The logo is stylish, minimal design, clear font/size, the LEDs are subtle enough.
+Feels nice to type on.
Cons:
-The keyboard is heavy for it's size. This is to be expected with this kind of keyboard.
-The vertical height is a little higher than standard.
-Sort of noisy out of the box. (I'll get onto this later)*
-Registers key presses at 50% of total key depth. Some may like this, but in my opinion it's wasted key travel. (Again, I'll get onto this later)*
-Expensive. Not had it long enough to say if it's truly worth it.
*I was aware that mechanical keyboards tend to be more noisy and I listened to samples of the keyboard before I brought it.
I found that people did what they call an "o-ring modification" to solve 3 things in 1) Reduced noise 2) Reduced maximum key depth 3) Soften key landing.
Essentially, you put o-rings on the stems of the keys (Have to manually remove and install each).
I ordered enough EPDM O-rings of size BS107 (British standard O-ring size) with a hardness of 70 shore and installed them. It worked better than I expected.
Maximum key depth (by specs) is 4mm and registers at 2mm. With BS107 Orings, it's roughly (by feel) 2.75mm. Personally I'd like to try out a tiny bit larger with only ~2.3mm travel, but this is still great. Key sound is a lower pitch and quieter. Landing force is slightly dampened, but quite firm/crisp. There's different hardnesses and sizes to try out.
Overall, I'd say the O-Ring modification is a must. Despite the extra cost, it's a notable improvement.
Edit(3/3/2014): I've had this keyboard for about a month short of 2 years now (Typing almost daily). Performs exactly the same as new. Removed keys once for cleaning, no related problems. Very happy with purchase, would purchase again if this gets broken.
Edit(21/4/2015): Cleaned a few times, taken it several places, yet all still works solidly. Keys have started to become a little smooth (happens with all keycaps) from wear/tear, but otherwise works the same as new.
Buy it with
£132.00
In stock.
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your basket.
Choose items to buy together.
Featured items you may like
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Compare with similar items
Top reviews from United Kingdom
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2012
Colour Name: BlackStyle Name: United Kingdom layoutVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2013
Colour Name: BlackStyle Name: United Kingdom layoutVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 October 2015
Colour Name: BlackStyle Name: United Kingdom layoutVerified Purchase
