Full disclosure: Although I've extensively used other Cherry MX switch keyboards of all types, the only mechanical keyboard I've ever personally owned is an AULA Wings of Liberty (original?) with their generic-ish blue switches. That is the perspective of this review; I do know my switches, but extensive use at home pertains only to knockoff blues. Also, I purchased the BROWN switches, if it's not obvious in the header of the review.
So right off the bat, the product, in box, is pretty heavy. It includes the usual manuals and such, with the keyboard rest depicted in the picture. The USB cable is thick and braided, and splits off into two connectors--one for the keyboard and one, I think, is either for the pass-through function, or for sufficient power over USB 2.0. I have enough USB 3.0 ports and I don't need the passthrough function, so either way, it's dangling there. I haven't looked into taking it off, but it's also not a big deal tbh.
The keyboard feels very well built, and the switches feel nice. As I said, my last keyboard used blue switches, so the brown switches, by nature, are a lot softer and require less force to actuate. My typing is a lot faster, and from prior experience, I do type a lot better on brown switches. Another thing to note, though, is that the AULA keycaps are pretty high, so the ease of typing is partly attributed to that. Switching from blue type to brown type switches, I do have some accidental presses here and there, especially with the space bar, probably because of the shape, though.
Getting used to the actual switches wasn't hard and didn't take long at all. The biggest difference between this keyboard and standard ones is the form factor. Besides accidentally hitting the macro keys when reaching for tilde and ESC, the surfaces of the keycaps are narrower, at least on top. Another reviewer stated that they tried to fit the entire thing in the same physical size as a normal keyboard, but that doesn't seem to be the case when comparing side to side. From shift to shift, the length is almost exactly the same, with this keyboard actually just a bit longer. I'll do some more measurements with other keyboards, but I think the only size difference is the actual tops of the keys, where your fingers touch. None of this actually made it worse to me; on the contrary, because of my smaller hands and fingers, my typing is a lot faster in combination with the switch type.
The CUE software is just a tad unintuitive, but most people shouldn't have a problem. The only gripe I have with the software is the limitation on onboard lighting effects. I understand the hardware limitation, but I'd much rather have one comprehensive profile than three limited ones. Obviously I'm not an engineer, so if that's not possible, then fine. No stars taken off for such a small software issue that could probably be changed with a firmware update if possible. The software is very comprehensive, and I'm loving the lighting effects. I'm in the process of setting my macros, remapping, and profiles, and I'm so overwhelmed with the possibilities. Granted, keyboards and mice from a lot of brands have this functionality, though I'm not sure how they compare. Either way, I'm more than satisfied with it.
Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. The price point for the brown switch version is about right, maybe a little more than I'd like. Compared to something like a custom WASD keyboard, you're getting six extra macro keys and the lighting effects, but you're missing out on the attention to detail and options for switches. To be honest, I could live without the RGB and extensive lighting options; backlighting is definitely helpful and cool looking, but unnecessary if you don't need to look down at the keys, which is the case for most people looking into a high-end keyboard (especially if all you're using is WASD and the main modifiers). Alas, I needed something with extra keys for Premiere Pro and Pro Tools, without having to fiddle with remapping and macros on the 104 standard ones. If I didn't want the extra keys, I'd probably go with WASD since the price point fully customized is about the same or cheaper, and the options for switches can really be tailored to your liking. Ideally, I'd get a custom WASD with blue switches and have an external macro pad, and use this keyboard for gaming, but given my current space, that isn't an option. Either way, this will serve perfectly well in the interim. I'll update if any issues arise.
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
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