I’m typing this on a Keychron K1 v3, a tenkeyless (TKL) format keyboard with RGB LED lighting, low profile clicky mechanical switches, macOS keycaps and usable via USB or Bluetooth.
It was a near-impulse buy and I think it’s so great.
I think it’s great despite the how the ‘o’ key didn’t work when I first set it up, and how it still likes to ignore those keypresses very occasionally. For a while at first none of my paragraphs had ‘o’s in them, but for this capsule review I’ve only had to insist once twice. And I love having a real escape key again, after trying my best to get used to the virtual one shipped with recent Apple laptops.
I think it’s great despite the RGB lighting. I don’t need it, but it is kind of fun to play with, and watch shimmer. You can’t create new lighting patterns, or do anything creative beyond picking a pattern and sometimes adjusting the colour. But it’s not too gaudy, definitely nothing like the disco tantrums some gaming keyboards feature.
I think it’s great despite how it clicks like nothing else. I don’t think it’s distracting for others in an open plan, but it definitely is in a quiet room. That noisy feedback is a huge part of the appeal. Listen to how hard I’m working!
If you’re tempted, they’re not readily available. I got lucky with my impulse buy. They should eventually become available again at Keychron (this is the third version after all).
But it should come with a warning label marked “GATEWAY DRUG”. I’m already seriously considering building my own 40% keyboard…
