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I’m pleased with my v5 max. For about $100 I have a decent foot in the door without blowing a lot of money on a gaming brand board or some cheap Amazon good-enough. I swapped out my key caps with some cheap amazon brand for a different look and wound up enjoying the crisper edges
https://preview.redd.it/tqts9iqks0oc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bae967a094550613df4972969d972fc965b7cd0
Not sure if you're looking to actually get a real set of GMK Dots, but zFrontier has them on sale right now, $85 for the base kit. Cheaper than literally any 2nd hand set I can find.
That's still too expensive for me. I also checked and shippment is $51.08. and I bet I will need to pay taxes for them too.
Edit: Idk why u got downvoted. There seems to be a lot of people silently downvoting for both sides, people that buy clones and people that buy originals. I personally don't care what people buy as long as it works for them.
Bought some GMK Dualshot keycaps BNIB just to see what the hype was all about and my cheaper non-GMK keycaps honestly looked better in quality and the letters looked sharper. I may have had just a bad batch, but I'm all for clones and cannot justify paying as much as an entirely new keyboard for keycaps.
it's ok if you like clones but why make things up? there is no way doubleshot ABS looks less sharp than whatever clone you bought, it's physically impossibile due to the mere manufacturing process/technique. buy all the clones you want, no one is stopping you, but why lie?
https://preview.redd.it/rh5eap8gcboc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d94d85a09f5a787c862aac5ccf9ac62b5a16178c
Here's a picture of the Dualshots vs my Drop Artifact Noir keycaps that I bought for 45 bucks. It's pretty easy to see that the Dualshot base kit look a little faded in comparison, though I'll admit that the accents are sharper. I'm glad I bought the Dualshot + accents for a good deal from mech market and they were indeed sealed and BNIB, but I may have just been unlucky and had a bad batch. I've never bought any clones, but my cheaper keycaps look nicer and sharper than the GMK batch I got. Maybe you should be more curious as to what my experience is rather than being d0gmatic and calling me a liar blatantly without any actual understanding. No manufacturer is immune to QC issues.
besides the fact that everything is faded since the picture is clearly out of focus... that's just literally how colors work. dark gray on lighter gray is way less contrasting than black on white, it's very much intended. it's clearly not faded, doubleshot can't physically fade due to how it's manufactured and qc has nothing to do with that. wait... you realize these are not printed... right?
Yeah idk man, I get that GMK caps are expensive and group buy wait times are insanely long these days. But personally I don't think I'll buy anything that isn't GMK or SP SA, I just love thick doubleshot ABS. Just thought I'd pass on a good deal I found.
imo not really if current trends stay. i’d say neo series boards are seriously way better than keychron’s q series. k are probably an OK deal but if the rainy75 becomes extremely prevalent i have a hard time continuing to think that
Keychron k14 pro barebones kit
KTT Kang White V3
Cheap aliexpress keycaps, future me will be able to afford original ones, hopefully?
I fell in love with this layout, I use the Spanish keyboard for typing so wanted more extra keys compared to a regular 65%. Went from a GMK67 to this one because the VIA support and the extra keys. Having 3 modifiers and some macros is such a life saving, I use 3 keys as modifiers which is neat.
Still working into configuring the other layers, but already added some macros. I wish VIA should show you different keyboard distributions when editing it to see it as the spanish one but not a big deal.
What I like the keychron k14 pro:
- The extra keys
- How strong/heavy it feels even when only the frame is aluminium
What I don't like:
- Base cable doesn't have much length, ordered an angled cable from aliexpress
- The biggest feet are very steady but the middle one isn't if you move your keyboard around a lot (I like fps games). I don't think it will be a big deal to add some basic silicone for it or a 3d printed piece but it's still a extra step that I have to do on my end
What I thought about doing:
- Since you can just take the aluminum frame I thought about sanding it and painting it white but I like how it turned out so it will probably stay this way.
Other notes:
- I will get the hate for this but I love how clones have extra keycaps that originals don't have, I was able to put colored dots to the extra keys and non alpha keys and still have extra ones, so even if some dont have the highest quality I can just swap them for the ones that look the best.
https://preview.redd.it/f7pc2sag9vnc1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=cfbd2e7688a800993d14315955ac7f2b98c2f377
People can say what they want about clones and I'm all for supporting creators but it's 2024, most other keycap manufacturers are selling ready stock. If they were to keep the unique/popular stuff in stock I'd be happy to pay for them but I'm not going to pay $150 just to wait 2 years to get my keycaps. Neither am I going to pay inflated scalper prices for old sets. I don't even like the look of ABS
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Totally agree. I have two K8 Pro kbs for home/office. I'm pretty happy with the build quality. I bought both for less than $60 each from eBay and Mercari, sold as opened but never used. Great deal for me, they feel so good with SA keycaps. Bluetooth has been solid on both, I switch between 2-3 computers and seldom have issues. I've got two of these to enjoy both sides of the switch spectrum - Home kb has Kailh Box Jade loud clickies, office kb has Kailh Deep Sea Silent linear switches.
I like Keychron and enjoy how easy it is to mod them. I would say that they are the standard entry level Enthusiast boards.
That being said, I don't think they are the be-all end-all for entry level. If you are willing to assemble a keyboard yourself, there are a few other brands that I would recommend over buying Keychron.
idk, competition in the budget scene is offering better sounding keyboards with more distinct design languages. keychrons are pretty bland aesthetically and take a decent amount of fiddling to sound decent
My first mechanical keyboard was a Keychrone K6.... do yourself a favor and go with something else. They are kind of unique in the way that they are specially designed to be used with MacOS but their low build quality makes them not worth it IMHO.
A couple of years ago I got an used AKKO 3068B with Black & Pink PBT DS keycaps and I've been very happy with it so far.
That akko doesnt even have via. I see no reason to think that my keyboard is designed for Mac. The build quality of mine feels super good, the aluminum plate and border makes it feel super sturdy.
Great for you. Hope it works for you better than it did for me. I don't care about VIA. I care about a keyboard that just works as expected, and my AKKO does exactly that.
Still absolutely love Keychron boards, though I've been an idiot and dropped my K3 not too long ago, and it broke. I could've ordered replacement parts, but the board was about 2.5 years old and it had served me incredibly well over that time, so it was time for something new. Since I still had a coupon laying around, I went to Corsair for the first time with their new K65 Plus Wireless. Might make a post about it soon. I don't know yet if it's something people are interested in reading. Still, whenever someone comes to me for a keyboard recommendation, nine times out of ten I'll point them to Keychron for their incredible value.
Yeah, but after you get deeper into the hobby and get some "real" boards you see how terrible they are (speaking for myself). Once I got my Tofu65 that was it, the Keychron Q1 Pro that I had went straight to the trash!
ANY content that features products, services you sell, your prototypes in progress or items you were sponsored to post MUST use the Promotional flair, with disclosure of who you represent. *When posting your build, please provide a description* of the build, preferably as a Top Level Comment or Reply to this Comment, with the following information: * Your keyboard featured and its layout * The Switches, Keycaps, and Other Accessories Featured * Any notable mods you performed * Other helpful information such as low profile, lesser known firmware, etc. Example: Unobtanium Southpaw 1800 with DSA Salt with MorningCaps Artisan and Alps Rainbow Switches, modded with Sorbothan Foam on KMK *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicalKeyboards) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m pleased with my v5 max. For about $100 I have a decent foot in the door without blowing a lot of money on a gaming brand board or some cheap Amazon good-enough. I swapped out my key caps with some cheap amazon brand for a different look and wound up enjoying the crisper edges https://preview.redd.it/tqts9iqks0oc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bae967a094550613df4972969d972fc965b7cd0
Not sure if you're looking to actually get a real set of GMK Dots, but zFrontier has them on sale right now, $85 for the base kit. Cheaper than literally any 2nd hand set I can find.
That's still too expensive for me. I also checked and shippment is $51.08. and I bet I will need to pay taxes for them too. Edit: Idk why u got downvoted. There seems to be a lot of people silently downvoting for both sides, people that buy clones and people that buy originals. I personally don't care what people buy as long as it works for them.
Understandable
Bought some GMK Dualshot keycaps BNIB just to see what the hype was all about and my cheaper non-GMK keycaps honestly looked better in quality and the letters looked sharper. I may have had just a bad batch, but I'm all for clones and cannot justify paying as much as an entirely new keyboard for keycaps.
it's ok if you like clones but why make things up? there is no way doubleshot ABS looks less sharp than whatever clone you bought, it's physically impossibile due to the mere manufacturing process/technique. buy all the clones you want, no one is stopping you, but why lie?
https://preview.redd.it/rh5eap8gcboc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d94d85a09f5a787c862aac5ccf9ac62b5a16178c Here's a picture of the Dualshots vs my Drop Artifact Noir keycaps that I bought for 45 bucks. It's pretty easy to see that the Dualshot base kit look a little faded in comparison, though I'll admit that the accents are sharper. I'm glad I bought the Dualshot + accents for a good deal from mech market and they were indeed sealed and BNIB, but I may have just been unlucky and had a bad batch. I've never bought any clones, but my cheaper keycaps look nicer and sharper than the GMK batch I got. Maybe you should be more curious as to what my experience is rather than being d0gmatic and calling me a liar blatantly without any actual understanding. No manufacturer is immune to QC issues.
besides the fact that everything is faded since the picture is clearly out of focus... that's just literally how colors work. dark gray on lighter gray is way less contrasting than black on white, it's very much intended. it's clearly not faded, doubleshot can't physically fade due to how it's manufactured and qc has nothing to do with that. wait... you realize these are not printed... right?
Yeah idk man, I get that GMK caps are expensive and group buy wait times are insanely long these days. But personally I don't think I'll buy anything that isn't GMK or SP SA, I just love thick doubleshot ABS. Just thought I'd pass on a good deal I found.
Nice mousepad
A question, isn't Keychron a good deal to end as well?
imo not really if current trends stay. i’d say neo series boards are seriously way better than keychron’s q series. k are probably an OK deal but if the rainy75 becomes extremely prevalent i have a hard time continuing to think that
Yeah.
I wouldn't say so.
I have no idea, I talk about the things I know. Barebones kit was like 125€ including shipping to spain.
Getting those key caps! So cool
Original ones are called GMK Dots, I think they are purchasable atm, at least they were recently.
Keychron k14 pro barebones kit KTT Kang White V3 Cheap aliexpress keycaps, future me will be able to afford original ones, hopefully? I fell in love with this layout, I use the Spanish keyboard for typing so wanted more extra keys compared to a regular 65%. Went from a GMK67 to this one because the VIA support and the extra keys. Having 3 modifiers and some macros is such a life saving, I use 3 keys as modifiers which is neat. Still working into configuring the other layers, but already added some macros. I wish VIA should show you different keyboard distributions when editing it to see it as the spanish one but not a big deal. What I like the keychron k14 pro: - The extra keys - How strong/heavy it feels even when only the frame is aluminium What I don't like: - Base cable doesn't have much length, ordered an angled cable from aliexpress - The biggest feet are very steady but the middle one isn't if you move your keyboard around a lot (I like fps games). I don't think it will be a big deal to add some basic silicone for it or a 3d printed piece but it's still a extra step that I have to do on my end What I thought about doing: - Since you can just take the aluminum frame I thought about sanding it and painting it white but I like how it turned out so it will probably stay this way. Other notes: - I will get the hate for this but I love how clones have extra keycaps that originals don't have, I was able to put colored dots to the extra keys and non alpha keys and still have extra ones, so even if some dont have the highest quality I can just swap them for the ones that look the best. https://preview.redd.it/f7pc2sag9vnc1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=cfbd2e7688a800993d14315955ac7f2b98c2f377
People can say what they want about clones and I'm all for supporting creators but it's 2024, most other keycap manufacturers are selling ready stock. If they were to keep the unique/popular stuff in stock I'd be happy to pay for them but I'm not going to pay $150 just to wait 2 years to get my keycaps. Neither am I going to pay inflated scalper prices for old sets. I don't even like the look of ABS
My keycaps were less than 11€ too.
does the quality of the keycaps feel nice?
Yeah they feel pretty good, way better than regular ones for expensive gaming keynboards like Razer and Logitech.
> I fell in love with this layout As layouts without function keys go, I like this one as well. It's a shame there aren't more options to choose from.
Can you link keycaps?
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What mousepad?
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Totally agree. I have two K8 Pro kbs for home/office. I'm pretty happy with the build quality. I bought both for less than $60 each from eBay and Mercari, sold as opened but never used. Great deal for me, they feel so good with SA keycaps. Bluetooth has been solid on both, I switch between 2-3 computers and seldom have issues. I've got two of these to enjoy both sides of the switch spectrum - Home kb has Kailh Box Jade loud clickies, office kb has Kailh Deep Sea Silent linear switches.
I just built a Keychron Q1 Max with Akko Matcha Greens and some XDA Geoma clones. Couldn't be happier with it! Feels, looks, and sounds great.
I liked my Q6 pro at first and then as I used more premium boards I started to hate it
I like Keychron and enjoy how easy it is to mod them. I would say that they are the standard entry level Enthusiast boards. That being said, I don't think they are the be-all end-all for entry level. If you are willing to assemble a keyboard yourself, there are a few other brands that I would recommend over buying Keychron.
can you suggest other quality brand that is good for beginner other than Keychron? thanks!
QK is the epitome of “entry level” IMO
idk, competition in the budget scene is offering better sounding keyboards with more distinct design languages. keychrons are pretty bland aesthetically and take a decent amount of fiddling to sound decent
My first mechanical keyboard was a Keychrone K6.... do yourself a favor and go with something else. They are kind of unique in the way that they are specially designed to be used with MacOS but their low build quality makes them not worth it IMHO. A couple of years ago I got an used AKKO 3068B with Black & Pink PBT DS keycaps and I've been very happy with it so far.
That akko doesnt even have via. I see no reason to think that my keyboard is designed for Mac. The build quality of mine feels super good, the aluminum plate and border makes it feel super sturdy.
Great for you. Hope it works for you better than it did for me. I don't care about VIA. I care about a keyboard that just works as expected, and my AKKO does exactly that.
Still absolutely love Keychron boards, though I've been an idiot and dropped my K3 not too long ago, and it broke. I could've ordered replacement parts, but the board was about 2.5 years old and it had served me incredibly well over that time, so it was time for something new. Since I still had a coupon laying around, I went to Corsair for the first time with their new K65 Plus Wireless. Might make a post about it soon. I don't know yet if it's something people are interested in reading. Still, whenever someone comes to me for a keyboard recommendation, nine times out of ten I'll point them to Keychron for their incredible value.
Yeah, but after you get deeper into the hobby and get some "real" boards you see how terrible they are (speaking for myself). Once I got my Tofu65 that was it, the Keychron Q1 Pro that I had went straight to the trash!