I randomly got recommended Hipyo Tech on YouTube one day and since have been watching his videos. I haven’t got a clue about mechanical keyboards, but I have strong tastes in terms of aesthetics. Long story short, I kept checking shit out and stumbled across a keyboard he hasn’t reviewed yet and I think I’m in love. But I don’t know if it’s any good or is even Linux compatible. So… is the ATK V75X a decent purchase? Or does it suck?
https://www.atk.store/products/atk-vxe-v75-x-mechanical-gaming-keyboard
The look I’m interested in, is the all matte black oka Gunmetal. I don’t have the foggiest about the difference between the switches.
Switches both look to be linear. Would you be happy with linear, or would you want tactile / clicky / silent etc?
Also, no declaration of swappable switches, so you’re likely stuck with them. For beginners I really recommend swappable switches or at minimum a switch tester to be sure you have some idea what you want before you commit.
Keyboard is wireless, so no guarantee it will work on Linux, but most do flawlessly. Bluetooth interoperability nearly guaranteed.
Materials look nice but I know nothing of the brand. Usually not recommended to stray too far off the beaten path while new to mechanical keyboards. Lots of junk out there.
What about it is so attractive to you? The layout? Key caps? Some particular features? None of these look particularly unique.
Not op but can you explain the difference between tactile and clicky switches?
Tactile switches are quiet and have a “bump” (higher force initially before snapping down). Clicky switches are similar but create audible clicking noises. They also dont necessarily snap down the way browns do. If you google the graph for blue vs brown switches you can see a conparison of the forces
Thank you so much for this. I didn’t have a clue about the difference.
Yeah, your average rubber dome membrane keyboard is a mushy and awful version of a tactile typing experience. The office clearing noisy board that some people think of when mechanical keyboards are mentioned is a clicky.
The linear don’t have any specific bump you just push and the spring resists and eventually the switch makes a connection and sends the key press.
Seems I prefer tactile. I don’t want a click, I want something more bassy. Like a deeper sound? I believe it’s called thocc?
For sound, apart from clicky, keyboard and keycaps will have more of an effect on sound, particularly if, like most people, you bottom out while typing. The operational bits of both tactile and linear switches are not inherently all that noisy, though over time people can definitely hear a difference. For “thock,” thick PBT keycaps and a board with lots of foam should be a decent start. The terms are notoriously variable though, and Hipyo, fun as he is, is not trying to wow anybody with acoustic science. Stuff the case with, well, stuff (or, these days, buy a board where the factory already has), and you’ll get a fairly flat, deep sound profile that is not unpleasant.
Or so I am told, LOL. WTF do I know? I love big dumb loud clickies, the heavier the better.
You’ve honesty been super helpful and that last sentence actually made me laugh aloud. Thank you.
Thank you so much for asking this.
If the product description doesn’t mention QMK/ZMK/VIA/VIAL, I would not bother. It will likely have proprietary drivers and remap tools, windows only in most cases.
It seems to be some proprietary Windows only crap 😭
Look into Keychron instead. Even their cheapest QMK/VIA options are legit.
Am I going crazy or does it not mention the software here https://a.aliexpress.com/_EwtHZdz
That’s non via most likely. It will definitely mention QMK/VIA.
Go by Keychron.com and then search for models elsewhere based on that. The K-series non-Max are likely older models.
Also go for non-low-profile.
Oof, looks like I’m looking at spending £110 including shipping https://www.keychron.uk/products/keychron-k1-pro-qmk-via-wireless-custom-mechanical-keyboard-iso-layout-collection
Worth it.
In fact I’d probably go for the Q3 (not Pro/Max). Low-profile is subpar compared to a full body aluminum board.
Hmmm, what about this bad-boy/girl/them?
What I did was buy a keyboard with the features I wanted, (100%, volume knob, rgb, hotswappable switches), then got a set of switches and keycaps to swap in.
If the board has soldered switches you probably will never be changing those.
Red switches are terrible. Feel super gross. Brown switches are ok, but I found them to have too weak of a tactile bump. Holy pandas have a stronger tactile bump and are what I’m using right now bc I found the browns a but disappointing
Keycaps have standardized profiles/shapes; I have “OEM” keycaps. Each row has a slightly different height/shape which makes it a bit more ergonomic. There are others with identical row shapes.
It should act like a standard USB keyboard if its running QMK / ZMK and will work ootb with linux. Only thing is that any QMK keyboard is going to be a bit annoying to configure (change layout or rebind keys) on linux (e.g. with VIA or Vial). You have to be using a chromium based browser that is not sandboxed (snap or flatpak may interfere) and you might have to add some udev rules but its not a huge problem.
Looking up the keyboard on AliExpress, it claims to be hot swappable, but you’d still recommend a different base?
Also red switches? Brown switches?
Anything that requires a Chromium browser makes me sceptical.
Via uses chromium for the WebUSB api which firefox didnt implement because its a security nightmare. Vial is not as polished but is an open source standalone software
Red/brown/etc originate from Cherry MX switches (the style of keyswitch) and each color is a different kind of swotch with different tactile feel and sound. Red are linear. Imagine a mushy rubber button with no feedback. Brown has a tactile bump that is more typical of a keyboard where theres a bit of force before it actually actuates. I settled on holy pandas for now which were similar to browns but a stronger tactile feel.
I’m not 100% sure how good it is but as long as you read reviews to understand what the shortcomings and strengths of the board are, most keyboards should be fine. From what I’ve seen in a quick google search, this particular keyboard is probably ok, but some people have reported this company’s keyboards randomly dying and little to no support. Reputable brands will obviously guarantee no funny business but with the tradeoff of cost. I would recommend joining some communities (e.g. the discord communities like MechGroupBuys) and asking around for more peoples experience with budget keyboards if the cost is a concern.
This is a magnificent response. Thank you so much. I felt like you walked me through a used car lot and let me sit behind the wheel for the first time in my life. Thank you so much.
My suggestion is to get a keyboard with the features you want, then the keycaps you want. Then you can experiment with small switch sets to find one you like. Search for Outemu switches on Ali Express, they have very
adorableaffordable packs of 10. If you’re unsure whether you’d like a linear, tactile or clicky, get one from each at least. Get both regular and silent versions of tactile to try out. I really like the Silent Lemon tactile V3. People rave about the Panda.Note that keycap material and to a lesser degree geometry will affect the sound too. You can also add o-rings to the caps to decrease high frequency sounds.
Edit: adorable/affordable. Autocorrupt made a funny.
Is it sad that the features I want are RGB and not to feel cramped?
No, and welcome to the fold!
Thank you. I appreciate it.
What model keyboard did you get?
I got a Keychron V6 knob. Looks great but if I could go back in time I’d choose something 1) lighter 2) with wireless/BT and 3) lower input latency
Also holy panda switches and mixed keycaps (white on letters/numpad, light green on the special characters on the right, dark green for the modifiers)
What would you get now?
Keychron is the safe first buy for any one interested in quality keyboards. They have a wide range of styles, layouts, and price points. I would suggest sticking to the $100 price range as they tend to be the best value for a first mechanical keyboard.
The cheapest is £80 and that doesn’t even include the keycaps: https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJwLCix
The keycaps are available for a tenner though, so that’s decent: https://a.aliexpress.com/_EzPUlhN
I might still go with Keychron for a general typing / wireless travel keyboard and get a second specifically for gaming. Ive noticed the keychron having sluggish or slow response sometimes, prob related to slow polling rate. Not 100% sure on what I’d get though. I’ll see if i can mess qround with the firmware myself for now.
I’d search for Gunmetal keycaps, which should be easy to find. Then you can choose your keyboard and switches using criteria other than aesthetics.
Oh, you don’t trust the brand?
Never heard of it. Might be good. But like others said, I’d prefer hot swappable switches. Keychron has a good reputation and affordable models. It’s what I bought and I can recomend. Their VIA units are easily configurable on Linux.
Someone mentioned Keychron in the UK thread.
The nk87 and nk65 are both on clearance right now at novelkeys if you are interested in getting your own switches and keycaps. If you are willing to wait for a restock for either of these they do have black/grey options but it may not be exactly what you are looking for. They are both qmk/via compatible so they should work with Linux.
I will keep an eye on novel keys. Thank you!
Of course! Just be aware that their keyboards, especially the nk65 entry edition can sell out just minutes after a restock so maybe sign up for the emails about the restocks. The nk87 usually takes longer to sell out and you can also buy the pre assembled nk87 darkshake if you are interested (I bought one of these for $140 during their black Friday sale)
I’m so glad my sister came to visit and distracted me from your bad influence 😂
Thank you BTW.
You’re welcome. Nice keyboards are expensive but they are definitely worth it!
haven’t got a clue about mechanical keyboards, but I have strong tastes in terms of aesthetics
My quick take is that if you can afford to get a second keyboard if you don’t like this one, get this one simply because you like the look.
It isn’t clear from the image on the ATK page you linked, but I believe those keys display what they are (Esc, tab, qwerty) on the side facing the user rather than the top.
From the videos you’ve seen, you’re probably aware that there are several different ways for the keys to feel and sound. This might be a perfect fit for you, or maybe you decide you miss something about your current keyboard. If you haven’t tried a couple different styles, it can be hard to pin down exactly what you want.
As far as the software goes, the keyboard will almost certainly function without software, but you might not be able to control the lights/illumination display.
See, that’s the thing. I’ve watched all these videos and I know i prefer a deeper sound and don’t want to have to press too deeply. I kinda feel like I’m walking in the dark trying to figure everything out without a real starting point.
I was going to suggest this first blog post to give you an idea about some basic types, but it linked to the second blog and I thought you might like that, too. Mostly, they give you an idea of the terms and language used to describe keyboard stuff. There are other sources, sure, but the first blog post seemed like a fair write-up for a beginner, so I stuck with hiros even though their main goal is selling products (but hey, they are kinda cool artsy products).
Thank you, this was useful.
