Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Bought this as a group buy on a different website, but wanted to leave a review. Overall, if you're looking at this keyboard, you probably fit into one of three categories: 1. This would be a cool additional keyboard to grow my existing mechanical keyboard repertoire! 2. I am excited to buy my first mechanical keyboard with blue switches, and this has great style points too! 3. What's a mechanical keyboard? I just love how this thing looks! If you are in the first or third category, I'd say go for it. If you are looking to add to your collection, this one is cool, for sure, although not the best typer. If you don't know about mechanical keyboards and don't care and you're just looking for a cool keyboard, this will be (a) very distinguished and cool and (b) type better than any keyboard you've probably owned, ever. (It does NOT type as well as other blue keyboards, which I explain below). If you are in the second category...get a different mech first, because I'd hate to have this one effect your experience or expectations regarding the feel of Mech keyboards. Having owned three different blue mech's now, I can honestly say this has the worst feel (NOT bad, just not as good as the other blue mechs I've had). This is DEFINITELY an attention-grabbing keyboard. It has a unique look and for those who are in the know, the switches are Kailh's, which are probably the best of the Chinese switch manufacturers. For the users, this means increased reliability and more consistency between switches. FIRST: the switches feel a little heavier than the "Gateron" keyboard I recently purchased. Haven't used my "Cherry" cooler master keyboard in a while but it feels heavier than I remember that as well. However, with a listed actuation force of 50g's, compared to Gateron's 55g's and Cherry's 60g's, it should feel much lighter. I believe the reason they FEEL heavier is because these switches are embedded in the keyboard face, meaning the keycaps can rub the sides of the little port to the switch, increasing the force required to actuate. I have smallish hands for a guy and this was a particular problem for me. Perhaps it is due to the angle I hit my keys at? Dunno, but this thing slowed my type speed (from other blue switch mech's; it is still faster and more comfortable than rubber dome keys) and increased my hand fatigue. I talk about this problem in the attached video. (note, for those who are not mechanical keyboard junkies: Kailh (China), Gateron (China), and Cherry (Germany) are all switch manufacturers. Cherry is the oldest and arguable the 'best' in the biz, and cherry keyboard prices reflect that. Others have recently sprung up through the far east, including the other two listed above plus a few others like "Outemu", who is one of the newest and produced at the lowest costs. Other less common brands include "Alps" (or Matias, made in Canada) and "Topre". Logitech, Cooler Master, and Razer all decided to make their own switches rather than depend on third parties so some of their products have their own branded switches. This keyboard uses "blue" switches, a standard designator for a key that 'clicks' halfway through the actuation. They are typically the preffered typing switch type). Second: The key faces themselves look good...BUT the letters and numbers appear to have been painted on. Don't know if they were etched in as well which would give some extra durability but I would expect these to start rubbing off after a year or two of solid use. Also, they were not molded using the highest quality technique so the bottom edges of some of the caps have unfinished marks where they were snapped off the mold, and some of the larger keys are a little misshapen on the edges. See picture. You should note this is definitely not visible during normal use; I'm being picky because I like good keyboards. Positive note about the keys: they are cherry compatible stems, so any cherry-compatible key caps will work if you ever feel the need to replace them due to the above comments (why you would, given that their style is the reason you'd buy this keyboard, is beyond me). Third: the high-shine surface is a total fingerprint magnet. For $110, they could've sprayed an oleophobic coating on here. It does come with one of those little microfiber cloths you get with your glasses, so kudos for that, Azio. Fourth: Don't know if its because of the embedded keys, but these have a muted click compared to other blue switches. You might find this to be a plus; I do not. I actually like the heavier tapping noise of a switch bottoming out, but for an office/dorm/shared space this might be preferable. Some positives: -The embedded-switch setup I was complaining about earlier is actually intentional: it keeps water out of the keyboard. You could splash this thing and you'd be pretty unlikely to get any liquids down there. Great for offices where coffee might be floating around a desk. It also keeps dust and dirt out. See pics. -The keyboard looks fantastic, even covered in my sticky fingerprints (just got my 5 lb gummy bear in the mail), and is definitely an attention grabber. One of my buddies called me a hipster f*** after seeing it, which I'd say is a plus in style points, or at least means its a departure from the standard. (I am not a hipster f*** for those who are concerned.) -The back rubber legs are plenty grippy and the angle adjustment is pretty cool. By rotating the feet, they drop in and out about half an inch each, which is pretty much what other keyboards do, except these have the bonus of stopping in the middle or anywhere else in between. This is a bit of a gimmick, but if you're typing for hours on end it could be a lifesaver for you wrists (to have the perfect type angle, I guess?). I'm bad at conclusions, but I think this review started with one. If you're not sure whether to buy this, refer to the top. Which category do you fit in? It's very cool, very distinguished, and if you're not into mechanical keyboards, you can totally ignore the negatives I listed because this keyboard will still blow your cheap keyboard out of the water in terms of quality and feel. If you want it because it will type amazingly and last forever and don't care all that much about looks, look elsewhere. If you want it because you want a cool gadget with a bit of a steam-punk vibe to make your desk a little more interesting, GO FOR IT. This has enough cool to be on MI-6 desks, I'd wager.