The knob being completely black vs brown/beige/grey with the rest of the keyboard is imo, a huge design oversight. It sticks out and clashes with the overall look of the keyboard.
It's one of those things to get you to emotionally want the keyboard even though the display adds little value. It sure made me want one. I had to remind myself it's completely impractical and I already have lot of little displays I could use if I wanted something like this. (I design and build industrial sensors and I have a bunch of different small displays on hand.)
I was so impressed with the build quality, design, silence, THE CABLE and overall "vibe" of the keyboard that I was expecting the price tag to be $300-$400. Well, $250 on the very least. My jaw dropped when I heard Plouffe say its $120. Yeah I know its just plastic and not metal, but it still sound and feels (at least from the description) better than most full-metal custom built keyboards. I was thinking about getting a custom keyboard to replace my Razer Huntsman V2 - which is a decent keyboard, but is NOTHING compared to this Epomaker and is twice as expensive - and honestly this might be the one. I am not enthusiastic enough to spend $700 on a custom keyboard just for fun, but this one sound like a steal
Check out Monsgeek M1 or Monsgeek M2. Aluminum build for only around the same price. You'd have to get switches and keycaps though as they only come in a barebone kit. For pre-built, I recommend the Akko Mod 007 PC. Suuuper good and is the same price as the one in the video.
@@kingzach74 the Monsgeek M2 has the numpad. Same layout as the keebs in the video, 1800 layout. Costs just a tiny bit more than the Monsgeek M1. I myself plan on getting one since I use the numpad for work. The reason I suggested the mod007 is to get to the same level of pricing as the one in the video to as close as possible. Enthusiasts, for some reason love modifying their keebs but can't be bothered with the extra work a larger board requires. They also like their layouts as minimal as possible. Probably for the looks, the compact size creates more space for your desk, or even portability when you travel a lot. Some even go for a 40% layout, which is just bonkers because what kind of realistic work are you even gonna accomplish on that thing? Loool
They’re called Kailh sockets because the hot swap retainer for the switches that is soldered to the pcb is from Kailh, as opposed to some others that are out there
I absolutely love this keyboard. I'm using it to type this comment right now, in fact! I would say two things, though: 1) In my experience, the Budgerigar switches, which are an option when ordering this keyboard, aren't 100% compatible with the stock keycaps. In particular, the spacebar doesn't ascend properly after a soft press, as the spring isn't strong enough to overcome the tactile ridge on the legs of the stem during ascent. The flamingo, which has the same strength of spring, I'm almost completely sure, struggles but is able to ascend because of the lack of an obstacle (the tactile ridge or "bump"). 2) The screen doesn't come back on after the keyboard has gone to sleep in wireless mode. In order to get the screen back on, you have to either turn the keyboard off and on again or switch it from Windows to Mac more (or the other way around, if you're a Mac user). Also, I do find it disappointing that, while it has Windows and Mac mode, it doesn't have optional Mac keys, only Windows keys. For me, that's not a problem, since I use Windows, but if I were a Mac user, I'd be a bit annoyed. All of that being said, I overall love this keyboard, and after spending hours hand-lubing each of my flamingo switches (yes, they're factory lubed, but only just barely), I can say that this keyboard, with stock keys, truly THOCKS!
It's really sweet. The keyboard is one of the primary ways we interact with a PC. Having one that isn't "bargain bin at Goodwill" quality makes a huge difference imo. You don't have to spend $200+ to get a good one (or a good kit). There are also some pretty affordable, yet good keyswitches nowadays. I've been using Kailh Box White v2 switches for the last few months - factory lubed as well. I also 3D printed (resin) some really comfy keycaps for my WASD keys :)
Oh yeah keyboard enthusiast UA-camrs is a surprisingly large UA-cam niche. I get it, but the one thing I never understood was how much dedication is put specifically towards the keyboards sound.
I miss my old Logitech G15 which had a screen in the middle - that screen was very handy for showing stuff like RAM usage, CPU usage, FPS, etc. These days people prefer to use overlays for some god awful reason but that display had buttons that let you also show game specific info.
A lot of that functionality can also be handled by accessories like stream decks now, which does take more desk space, cables, and drivers, but does give you more flexibility with your primary keyboard
yeah, i was looking for a replacement of my g15 refresh but didn't find anything with mechanical switches since i also wanted to try those. only had rubberdome before. in the end i decided to get a corsair k95 and later added the screen that corsair has for some of their keyboards. i really love finally having back the cpu load and temps and stuff on that little screen instead of having to put the whole icue-window on another screen
Just a warning about Epomaker, sometimes their shipping can be screwy at best, but it becomes even worse with customer service being awful according to many people. Epomaker themselves are a reseller of many different products (for example they sell the Th80, which is just the NJ80 with a different knob and pcb but is otherwise the same). That said, you can generally find the original keyboards from the Original Manufacturers for cheaper, save for the TH80 for some reason.
Yeah, I bought one keyboard from them and while I like it, I'm never buying from epomaker again for the reasons you stated. There are better companies to buy from.
Shipping is crazily expensive, and you have given me one more reason to forget about them haha And forget about buying switches, they seek packs of 10, for 15 USD, if that’s not a rip off I don’t know
Yep, I paid 100 CAD for Epomaker 680, and it is FK680, a 40 CAD keyboard. How I found out that? They even didn't bother to change the original package.
@@gavinsong1351 they have nice switches tho. I love my sea salts. and these sea salt silents are gonna be in my next build so I can hear the difference.
If it feels mushy on the bottom it's because silent switches usually use some sort of silicone ish dampener at the bottom of the pole to, well, dampen the bottom out sound, which causes some mushiness as a result. Personally I like silent switches, they have cool sound.
I think Epomaker is gonna get huuuuuge soon. I recently got one and the out-of-box feel is unmatched for the price tbh. It's wonderfully built and obviously cared for. Huge fan.
I got it when it came out and i love it, though i agree with the slight mush at the bottom of the stroke. For me its worth it as it quieter than my laptop and I finally have a numpad! Just with the software was easier to use, you really have to look through the menus and scroll down to find all the options and they're named weirdly. Still great!
Aren't the "Kailh hot swap sockets" referring to the sockets soldered to the back of the PCB instead of the 5-pin configuration of the switch? If so, I would consider it a selling point, as I never had any issues with Kailh sockets (unlike Gateron sockets. Those suck)
@@BSEUNHIR Also baffled how he doesn't know those aren't Kailh switches. They are Epomaker Sea Salt Silent switches. Why would they ship with some other company's switches? lol PS: They are really nice switches. I just did my first custom with a CIY GAS and the Sea Salt switches (not silent version) and I love them. I already have my next build on the way and I'm gonna get the silents and compare the two sets.
I asked this on the last keyboard video but I'm going to ask again. Any chance you could do a main channel video just summarizing your favorite keyboards and why? Especially because at this point you’ve seen a ton through shortcircuit.
Come on Plouffe. They're Kailh hot swap sockets because Kailh produces them. If you look at the bottom of the PCB you can see the Kailh logo stamped onto them. There are also ones procuded by Gateron which are largely the same, but Kailh is what most everyone uses. You're being pushed as the LTT keyboard specialist, please live up to the expectation everyone has of you.
the reason you get south facing led is for cherry profile keycaps, you have to have the slope of the keycaps on the bottom. but if you have a shine through keycap, itll look bad if its not north facing. the solution is to buy keycaps that are not cherry profile.
As someone who owns an EPOMAKER keyboard that got delivered with 12 broken swittches - trust me that their customer service is A W F U L! buy at your own risk.
This is like.. the only one of these keyboards reviewed on here with a layout I'd even use. Navless makes WAY more sense than TKL, cuz all the nav stuff is in the numpad anyway. AND it has a volume wheel and F keys.
I use the nav keys AND numpad constantly, and it made me want to get a full 100% board and not even go 1800 layout (what this is) because of how it weirdly repositions or removes them. Toggling the numpad and especially hunting for the 4 separated keys (1 3 7 9) is just too slow. But I realized, there are non-compacted 75% layouts with the same lowered arrow keys like this, but that instead of the numpad have all 5 of the nav keys (excluding the useless insert key) on the right side with logical positioning... So I went with that and a matching separate numpad that I can move off to the left for low-dpi gaming, but ALSO use it as a macro-pad usable without using the mouse hand. My old mechanical from 2012 had macro keys left of the main cluster, but boards like that are essentially impossible to find these days outside of overpriced stuff like the Corsair K95, or cheap membranes (reddragon, k55, evga z12, etc).
@@MangoTangoFox Oh, yeah. I use both a lot of the time as well. Generally speaking I'm more of a fan of big keyboards, and have a few specific features I value way above even it being mechanical, which are nice to haves if it's a £20 cheapy thing, but are super mandatory if it gets expensive. I ended up getting a G910 on sale and have been very happy with that.
@@Sylveighty I think I looked super briefly at one of those when seeing if there even were more customisable mech boards for my tastes. TBH the navless concept is more something I'd be fine with, but not go out of my way for really, it's just annoying cuz to me it makes way more sense as compacted layout for people wanting to sacrifice keys, since it doesn't lose functionality. For me personally, my layout of choice is Go Big or Go Home. I want fullsize with extra macro and media keys. While I think people generally have a lower opinion of its switches, I really like my G910 cuz switches ain't everything and it ticks all my boxes aside from having a usb hub in it, which is more a nice-to-have. I just find the whole keyboard scene pretty frustrating cuz there's a million and half boards that all seem suuuper similar in axing way too many keys and being smol, and if ya want fullsize, ya get the most basic looking thing with no real frills. If I ever wanted something more premium, for custom caps and switches or whatever, god knows what board would even be tolerable.
That's a sweet looking keyboard. Though I really need a full ANSI keyboard with a full numpad, arrow keys, function keys, and 6 button command set. I use all of them and my productivity drops in coding when my page up, page down, home, end, insert, delete, and numpad aren't where they're supposed to be. So many cool keyboards don't do true full size.
Still wating my RT100 to be shipped since 20th March, using this video to appreciate some more this beautiful piece of tech and trying to forget about the time I have to wait to get my hands on it. Awesome video as always!
Hot damn, never heard of the Flux before, but it's immediately piqued my interest. Looks like art.lebedev's old Optimus keyboard concept but not only fully realized (beyond what the finished Optimus Maximus was able to deliver) but having gone even further. I'll have to keep my eye on that thing. I wonder if it could be made into a Framework 16 component... ?
96% layout is the best imo, it's just a shame that there's literally no one doing a good custom full aluminum that's anywhere near reasonable in price. Just gotta hope that someone like Qwertykeys or Meletrix or someone gets there somehow. I've resorted to going with 75% in the meantime.
Hi! Thanks for reviewing our RT100, and we are so excited to meet all the mechanical keyboard enthusiasts here! The small TV shows the lines because it's not plugged in very tightly. It will be fine after you insert it until reaching the end. We can make an introduction video about how to use the small TV if everyone wants to watch it :)
i love that the screen is barelly a selling point that Plouffe just forgot about it... that Cable tho!! they need to sell it also, that's a fantastic layout more Keyboards need to at the very least offer
1:20. Oh that key sound though. That's the real sound.!!! "Please may I have some more.!" None of this obnoxious clickety clack of these Cherry Reds. 6:40. "N N Now that's hu hi high quality H2O.!" Sea salt silence. Yes please.! MDA all the way.! I freaking love the retro. Crossed with the contemporary. With a dash of bespoke. And those cables though.!!! This may very well be a perfect keyboard for me. Superb episode. Fantastic review of fantastic product. Bitchin.! 👍👍
So, retro computer; - This Keyboard - Fractal North with the wooden front panel - All Noctua Fans + Rad for CPU - Noctua 4080 You'd just need a similar retro mouse and motherboard and BAM! 1980's high-end PC.
OMG! I love the beigebox aesthetics of this thing! Looks a lot like the keyboards I had as a kid. Except, like they updated the tech, just never updated the design language. We need to bring beige computers back, I swear.
flamingo switches I don't really have time to try... it's your job. would've loved to see some hot and spicy swaps, you must have a few keyboard tech kits around the premise?
Caution before you buy this, had mine less than a week before the entire top row of keys stopped working making it totally inconvenient and annoying to deal with. Seen several other people with this issue online as well.
I'm a bit of an epomaker fanboy. I think they make great stuff. They have a couple brands under their umbrella including Akko. My main keyboard is a Epomaker GK96. in the bottom of the case I added tire weights and 2 part pourable silicone to add a bunch of weight and to make it sound better. I also used some kbdfans foam to add between the plat and the PCB. It has lubed Akko CS Jelly Black linear switches and an Akko keycap set which was $40 and it's double shot PBT and has a bunch of extras for just about any config of keyboard.
Luckily I am an extremely heavy typer, like I straight up CRUSH the poor key every stroke. A little mush at the end is like a little pillow for my fingers, and the really solid bottoming out switches can straight up hurt after a while. That's definitely more of a me problem though.
11:30 something I can't give up on a keyboard are the navigation and editing keys as I touch type in Excel. You can do much more things efficiently on a keyboard than a mouse.
regarding silent mush, if the key actuated at the bottom out point, I would agree. since it actuates considerably before bottom out... less than silent switches you might say promote bottoming out switches which isn't good practice, and I'm not fond of that.
Just got this keyboard for 75 dollars on amazon and I'm so happy with it, especially for how little I paid for it. I went with the Wisteria linear switch and it sounds sooooo good without any modification.
In our local, there's a keyboard like this too, built-in OLED display, gasket, south-facing switch and programmable knob. It's Fantech Maxfit81 and it's cost less than $100
Also word that you couldn't pronounce was budge-er-ree-gar, it's the actual name for what Americans/Canadians would call a parakeet. Although, Britain and Australians call them budgies for short.
they're called kailh sockets because they're different from outemu sockets. most switches don't fit in outemu sockets, but kailh sockets are universal. it's probably also because it's kailh's design
I'm glad that there are people who try out weird ideas for peripherals because you never know what might be a good idea ... but I'll probably never be able to see missing keys as a positive feature.
The really nice cable you kept mentioning about reminds me of the brand called chubby cable that I've seen ads for before and all look great. Would be super interested in seeing a video covering them and whether they're any good or not in the future.
That is definitely just a chubby cable. They are really nice and all come with those connections and the cable strap. Would be good to see a video on them and some of the crazy colours they do
kailh socket meaning that switches with pin like kailh, cherry, gateron ( wider pin ) are compatible, because on cheaper board usually they have outemu socket ( smaller pin ) for example akko, ktt , and other more budget switches, and that cannot fit cherry or other wide pin switches without modification
That's exactly what I was looking for a few years ago. I have a cat that LOVES to lay on the keyboard. An on/off switch is almost mandatory. I found a wired keyboard that is programmable to turn off all the keys except one, to set it out of cat mode. Do they make it in black?
My dad used to use silent keys. He used a Dell quiet key for years. Well a new one every year. One of his employees commented he'd never heard a quiet key be so loud. 😅
It's because of the screen that it doesn't have qmk/via support. The keyboard needs it's own proprietary software to make the screen work. Look up other keyboards with included screens and you'll see that none of them support qmd via.
I bought this keeb after seeing this. VERY glad I did! It is amazing for the price. Came with Silent Seasalts which are very very quiet, but I swapped them out for the Flamingos and it Thocks!
What's the whole point of hot swappable switches? How often do you change switches? And is it REALLY that hard to just unplug them (or turn the damn thing off?)
Working on a 3d printed mechanical keyboard now with a rp2040 and a OLED display right now :) You should design your own handwired mechanical keyboard for the full experience.
The knob being completely black vs brown/beige/grey with the rest of the keyboard is imo, a huge design oversight. It sticks out and clashes with the overall look of the keyboard.
yep, that knob is horrible
Should have made it brown !
the design also looks like cheap Chinese keebs too, would be better if they just make it a beige plastic piece
yeah I though it is hideous
yeah the color and the weird rgb media playback control on the top totally ruins it for me. I'd probably buy one if it wasn't for the knob.
I get that the whole point of display is to be detachable, but it’s honestly really hard to see unless you’re looking at it from a specific angle.
It's one of those things to get you to emotionally want the keyboard even though the display adds little value. It sure made me want one. I had to remind myself it's completely impractical and I already have lot of little displays I could use if I wanted something like this. (I design and build industrial sensors and I have a bunch of different small displays on hand.)
How do you know?
i have this keyboardangle
My boy rocking the Limited Edition SoyBoy special pfp.
@@ddegn the definition of gimmick
I was so impressed with the build quality, design, silence, THE CABLE and overall "vibe" of the keyboard that I was expecting the price tag to be $300-$400. Well, $250 on the very least. My jaw dropped when I heard Plouffe say its $120. Yeah I know its just plastic and not metal, but it still sound and feels (at least from the description) better than most full-metal custom built keyboards.
I was thinking about getting a custom keyboard to replace my Razer Huntsman V2 - which is a decent keyboard, but is NOTHING compared to this Epomaker and is twice as expensive - and honestly this might be the one. I am not enthusiastic enough to spend $700 on a custom keyboard just for fun, but this one sound like a steal
Check out Monsgeek M1 or Monsgeek M2. Aluminum build for only around the same price. You'd have to get switches and keycaps though as they only come in a barebone kit.
For pre-built, I recommend the Akko Mod 007 PC. Suuuper good and is the same price as the one in the video.
it's so cheap because the case is plastic and not aluminum, for most keebs the cost is largely going to be from the aluminum case.
@@Lechondary The problem with the Akko Mod 007 is there is no numpad. What is the obsession with Keyboard enthusiasts who hate the ten key?
@@kingzach74 the Monsgeek M2 has the numpad. Same layout as the keebs in the video, 1800 layout. Costs just a tiny bit more than the Monsgeek M1. I myself plan on getting one since I use the numpad for work.
The reason I suggested the mod007 is to get to the same level of pricing as the one in the video to as close as possible.
Enthusiasts, for some reason love modifying their keebs but can't be bothered with the extra work a larger board requires. They also like their layouts as minimal as possible. Probably for the looks, the compact size creates more space for your desk, or even portability when you travel a lot. Some even go for a 40% layout, which is just bonkers because what kind of realistic work are you even gonna accomplish on that thing? Loool
They’re called Kailh sockets because the hot swap retainer for the switches that is soldered to the pcb is from Kailh, as opposed to some others that are out there
I was just about to comment the same thing.
*Kailh
@@bigboiman1236 thanks. I’ll edit.
they're also compatible with more switch types than the outemu sockets that a lot of cheap boards come with
@@allikchi5651 I thought this but didn’t want to say it. Glad someone else did.
"One inch by whatever three-quarters of an inch is." That would be three-quarters of an inch. Or 0.75 inches, if you prefer decimals.
No we just use the superior metric system in literally the rest of the world
I’m a firm believer that it’s good to understand both systems.
I was just thinking the same thing 🤣
Was thinking more like 12/16
I absolutely love this keyboard. I'm using it to type this comment right now, in fact!
I would say two things, though: 1) In my experience, the Budgerigar switches, which are an option when ordering this keyboard, aren't 100% compatible with the stock keycaps. In particular, the spacebar doesn't ascend properly after a soft press, as the spring isn't strong enough to overcome the tactile ridge on the legs of the stem during ascent. The flamingo, which has the same strength of spring, I'm almost completely sure, struggles but is able to ascend because of the lack of an obstacle (the tactile ridge or "bump").
2) The screen doesn't come back on after the keyboard has gone to sleep in wireless mode. In order to get the screen back on, you have to either turn the keyboard off and on again or switch it from Windows to Mac more (or the other way around, if you're a Mac user).
Also, I do find it disappointing that, while it has Windows and Mac mode, it doesn't have optional Mac keys, only Windows keys. For me, that's not a problem, since I use Windows, but if I were a Mac user, I'd be a bit annoyed.
All of that being said, I overall love this keyboard, and after spending hours hand-lubing each of my flamingo switches (yes, they're factory lubed, but only just barely), I can say that this keyboard, with stock keys, truly THOCKS!
is the RGB customizable? i am thinking of ordering the deep grey one and this is a must for me (the one i have rn is customizable)
Im tempted with this keyboard, i am trying to move away from Corsair
@@madawarsfrom what i read it is, but you can also use a software called Open RGB, which might also work for them
Hello, which type of Switch would you recommend for somebody concerned about typing speed? Which ones would provide best feeling on typing?
Man i didn't know the keyboard community is this deep. I'm honestly shocked & glad that there are so many people out there ready to understand & help.
It's a terrible hobby. Don't get tempted into it :)
It's really sweet. The keyboard is one of the primary ways we interact with a PC. Having one that isn't "bargain bin at Goodwill" quality makes a huge difference imo. You don't have to spend $200+ to get a good one (or a good kit).
There are also some pretty affordable, yet good keyswitches nowadays. I've been using Kailh Box White v2 switches for the last few months - factory lubed as well. I also 3D printed (resin) some really comfy keycaps for my WASD keys :)
@@paulhenricksen5728 yeah, one blink of an eye and now you have 3 $500 boards that you didn't even like that much haha
@@LeftJoystick yeah, I've heard this once before but something about "The keyboard is the Modern Pen" and I highly agree.
Oh yeah keyboard enthusiast UA-camrs is a surprisingly large UA-cam niche. I get it, but the one thing I never understood was how much dedication is put specifically towards the keyboards sound.
I miss my old Logitech G15 which had a screen in the middle - that screen was very handy for showing stuff like RAM usage, CPU usage, FPS, etc. These days people prefer to use overlays for some god awful reason but that display had buttons that let you also show game specific info.
I miss my G510, it had a similar Display
If only it wasn't a rubber dome. But still the best in terms of customization the display for almost all games of that era.
A lot of that functionality can also be handled by accessories like stream decks now, which does take more desk space, cables, and drivers, but does give you more flexibility with your primary keyboard
G510 here. Logitech made a fantastic handful of devices in that series and then seems to have totally abandoned it. Very sad about that.
yeah, i was looking for a replacement of my g15 refresh but didn't find anything with mechanical switches since i also wanted to try those. only had rubberdome before. in the end i decided to get a corsair k95 and later added the screen that corsair has for some of their keyboards. i really love finally having back the cpu load and temps and stuff on that little screen instead of having to put the whole icue-window on another screen
@2:20 As an American, I can do that conversion. Three quarters of an inch is approximately 3/4".
Keep in mind that when it says "3/4 Inch" it's really going to be 13/16"-7/8".
Wouldn't that be 0.75 inch?
Just a warning about Epomaker, sometimes their shipping can be screwy at best, but it becomes even worse with customer service being awful according to many people. Epomaker themselves are a reseller of many different products (for example they sell the Th80, which is just the NJ80 with a different knob and pcb but is otherwise the same). That said, you can generally find the original keyboards from the Original Manufacturers for cheaper, save for the TH80 for some reason.
Yeah, I bought one keyboard from them and while I like it, I'm never buying from epomaker again for the reasons you stated. There are better companies to buy from.
Shipping is crazily expensive, and you have given me one more reason to forget about them haha
And forget about buying switches, they seek packs of 10, for 15 USD, if that’s not a rip off I don’t know
Yep, I paid 100 CAD for Epomaker 680, and it is FK680, a 40 CAD keyboard. How I found out that? They even didn't bother to change the original package.
@@gavinsong1351 they have nice switches tho. I love my sea salts. and these sea salt silents are gonna be in my next build so I can hear the difference.
@@SeraphX2 and that is Homoo silent sea salt, 15.7 cad for a box of 35 switches, before shipping and tax
If it feels mushy on the bottom it's because silent switches usually use some sort of silicone ish dampener at the bottom of the pole to, well, dampen the bottom out sound, which causes some mushiness as a result. Personally I like silent switches, they have cool sound.
They're kailh hot swap sockets because the sockets are literally made by kailh, not because they're compatible with kailh switches.
I think Epomaker is gonna get huuuuuge soon. I recently got one and the out-of-box feel is unmatched for the price tbh. It's wonderfully built and obviously cared for. Huge fan.
Does this have static RGB, so it's not flashing?
I got it when it came out and i love it, though i agree with the slight mush at the bottom of the stroke. For me its worth it as it quieter than my laptop and I finally have a numpad! Just with the software was easier to use, you really have to look through the menus and scroll down to find all the options and they're named weirdly. Still great!
Does this have static RGB, so it's not flashing?
@@Gowingnator no it has full rgb, it just isnt set to go full rainbow on you when you first turn it on
Aren't the "Kailh hot swap sockets" referring to the sockets soldered to the back of the PCB instead of the 5-pin configuration of the switch?
If so, I would consider it a selling point, as I never had any issues with Kailh sockets (unlike Gateron sockets. Those suck)
Yes. Baffled by how he doesn't know.
@@BSEUNHIR Also baffled how he doesn't know those aren't Kailh switches. They are Epomaker Sea Salt Silent switches. Why would they ship with some other company's switches? lol
PS: They are really nice switches. I just did my first custom with a CIY GAS and the Sea Salt switches (not silent version) and I love them. I already have my next build on the way and I'm gonna get the silents and compare the two sets.
"An inch by whatever 3/4 of an inch is." Is hilarious to me lmao
The cable are generally referred to as "Chubby Cables" And a brand sells almost the exact same cable under that name for not too much $!
I asked this on the last keyboard video but I'm going to ask again. Any chance you could do a main channel video just summarizing your favorite keyboards and why? Especially because at this point you’ve seen a ton through shortcircuit.
Come on Plouffe.
They're Kailh hot swap sockets because Kailh produces them. If you look at the bottom of the PCB you can see the Kailh logo stamped onto them. There are also ones procuded by Gateron which are largely the same, but Kailh is what most everyone uses.
You're being pushed as the LTT keyboard specialist, please live up to the expectation everyone has of you.
the reason you get south facing led is for cherry profile keycaps, you have to have the slope of the keycaps on the bottom. but if you have a shine through keycap, itll look bad if its not north facing. the solution is to buy keycaps that are not cherry profile.
"An inch by whatever three quarters of an inch is"
As someone who owns an EPOMAKER keyboard that got delivered with 12 broken swittches - trust me that their customer service is A W F U L! buy at your own risk.
5:23 those keys with the little running man symbol with the plus/minus symbol are to change the speed of the RGB I think
This is like.. the only one of these keyboards reviewed on here with a layout I'd even use. Navless makes WAY more sense than TKL, cuz all the nav stuff is in the numpad anyway. AND it has a volume wheel and F keys.
I use the nav keys AND numpad constantly, and it made me want to get a full 100% board and not even go 1800 layout (what this is) because of how it weirdly repositions or removes them. Toggling the numpad and especially hunting for the 4 separated keys (1 3 7 9) is just too slow.
But I realized, there are non-compacted 75% layouts with the same lowered arrow keys like this, but that instead of the numpad have all 5 of the nav keys (excluding the useless insert key) on the right side with logical positioning... So I went with that and a matching separate numpad that I can move off to the left for low-dpi gaming, but ALSO use it as a macro-pad usable without using the mouse hand. My old mechanical from 2012 had macro keys left of the main cluster, but boards like that are essentially impossible to find these days outside of overpriced stuff like the Corsair K95, or cheap membranes (reddragon, k55, evga z12, etc).
1800 seems like your type of layout. Keychron has a bunch of affordable ones.
@@MangoTangoFox Oh, yeah. I use both a lot of the time as well. Generally speaking I'm more of a fan of big keyboards, and have a few specific features I value way above even it being mechanical, which are nice to haves if it's a £20 cheapy thing, but are super mandatory if it gets expensive. I ended up getting a G910 on sale and have been very happy with that.
@@Sylveighty I think I looked super briefly at one of those when seeing if there even were more customisable mech boards for my tastes. TBH the navless concept is more something I'd be fine with, but not go out of my way for really, it's just annoying cuz to me it makes way more sense as compacted layout for people wanting to sacrifice keys, since it doesn't lose functionality. For me personally, my layout of choice is Go Big or Go Home. I want fullsize with extra macro and media keys. While I think people generally have a lower opinion of its switches, I really like my G910 cuz switches ain't everything and it ticks all my boxes aside from having a usb hub in it, which is more a nice-to-have.
I just find the whole keyboard scene pretty frustrating cuz there's a million and half boards that all seem suuuper similar in axing way too many keys and being smol, and if ya want fullsize, ya get the most basic looking thing with no real frills. If I ever wanted something more premium, for custom caps and switches or whatever, god knows what board would even be tolerable.
@@Ametisti true, fullsize there really isnt much except gimmick boards and boring boards.
That's a sweet looking keyboard. Though I really need a full ANSI keyboard with a full numpad, arrow keys, function keys, and 6 button command set. I use all of them and my productivity drops in coding when my page up, page down, home, end, insert, delete, and numpad aren't where they're supposed to be. So many cool keyboards don't do true full size.
Keychron Q6 does. idk what you mean about 6 button command set, but it's a 100% layout.
I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone mention the Ina at 12:31
2:20 "It's an inch by whatever three-quarters of an inch is."
I believe we call that... three-quarters of an inch.
Thanks for the video!
"An inch by whatever 3/4 of an inch is".
That would be 6/8.
To be more precise, its 9/12ths
I'd argue it's actually 0.75 inches
@@AislingPhoenix No it's not. Clearly its 0.7500
Still wating my RT100 to be shipped since 20th March, using this video to appreciate some more this beautiful piece of tech and trying to forget about the time I have to wait to get my hands on it.
Awesome video as always!
"an inch by... whatever 3/4 of an inch is" 2:20
favorite line Ive heard from LTT
I love that the COMPANY THAT MAKES YOUR FULL KEYBOARD, HAVE MISPRINTS IN THEIR $120 KEYBOARD'S PACKAGE!!! 😆 🤣
Well, that's why it's $120...they have to cut corners somewhere lol
$120 is cheap so yeah that explains it
i agree, huge red flag
a Chinese company doesn't only hire people who speak and write perfect English who would've guessed
I think you guys should check out the flux keyboard when it's available. Looks very interesting
I just backed it on kickstarter this morning. Can't wait to see the SC video on it.
Hot damn, never heard of the Flux before, but it's immediately piqued my interest. Looks like art.lebedev's old Optimus keyboard concept but not only fully realized (beyond what the finished Optimus Maximus was able to deliver) but having gone even further. I'll have to keep my eye on that thing. I wonder if it could be made into a Framework 16 component... ?
@@VinLAURiA that would honestly be sick
Well it sure does look shiny but I bet the typing experience will be utter trash.
@@garethsnaim8174 yeah it doesn't sound very good to me but I'm hoping that the it's whole gimmick is worth the trade off. Guess we'll see
Ugh. Has there ever been a stupid gimmick that Ploof didn't gush over??
96% layout is the best imo, it's just a shame that there's literally no one doing a good custom full aluminum that's anywhere near reasonable in price. Just gotta hope that someone like Qwertykeys or Meletrix or someone gets there somehow. I've resorted to going with 75% in the meantime.
Keychron Q5
12:32 WAH!
Kinda missed the retro factor on the USB cable, the USB-A end is a db9 serial plug, the keyboard end is a coax cable.
the option you "couldnt pronounce at all" is the proper name for Budgies, the kind of birds Luke has
"An inch by whatever 3/4 of an inch is."
Um... funnily enough 3/4 of an inch.
The word you can't pronounce, it's what Lukes bird is.
Hi! Thanks for reviewing our RT100, and we are so excited to meet all the mechanical keyboard enthusiasts here! The small TV shows the lines because it's not plugged in very tightly. It will be fine after you insert it until reaching the end. We can make an introduction video about how to use the small TV if everyone wants to watch it :)
i love that the screen is barelly a selling point that Plouffe just forgot about it... that Cable tho!! they need to sell it
also, that's a fantastic layout more Keyboards need to at the very least offer
Hey there KFP employee. Did you happen to notice something at 12:32?
@@donaldholden2090 WAH 💜🐙
They're called Kailh hotswap sockets because Kailh makes the sockets, not the mounting method for the switch.
RGB matched with key caps that aren’t able to be backlit bothers me to no end for some reason.
This is exactly the keyboard layout I want, I just never knew what it was called! Awesome!
1:20. Oh that key sound though. That's the real sound.!!!
"Please may I have some more.!"
None of this obnoxious clickety clack of these Cherry Reds.
6:40. "N N Now that's hu hi high quality H2O.!"
Sea salt silence. Yes please.! MDA all the way.!
I freaking love the retro. Crossed with the contemporary. With a dash of bespoke. And those cables though.!!!
This may very well be a perfect keyboard for me.
Superb episode. Fantastic review of fantastic product. Bitchin.!
👍👍
"tri-mode" refers to connectivity (bluetooth, 2.4ghz, wired), not the OS it is compatible with.
So, retro computer;
- This Keyboard
- Fractal North with the wooden front panel
- All Noctua Fans + Rad for CPU
- Noctua 4080
You'd just need a similar retro mouse and motherboard and BAM! 1980's high-end PC.
OMG! I love the beigebox aesthetics of this thing! Looks a lot like the keyboards I had as a kid. Except, like they updated the tech, just never updated the design language. We need to bring beige computers back, I swear.
Ina!? WAH!? 12:31
flamingo switches I don't really have time to try... it's your job. would've loved to see some hot and spicy swaps, you must have a few keyboard tech kits around the premise?
Caution before you buy this, had mine less than a week before the entire top row of keys stopped working making it totally inconvenient and annoying to deal with. Seen several other people with this issue online as well.
I'm a bit of an epomaker fanboy. I think they make great stuff. They have a couple brands under their umbrella including Akko.
My main keyboard is a Epomaker GK96. in the bottom of the case I added tire weights and 2 part pourable silicone to add a bunch of weight and to make it sound better. I also used some kbdfans foam to add between the plat and the PCB. It has lubed Akko CS Jelly Black linear switches and an Akko keycap set which was $40 and it's double shot PBT and has a bunch of extras for just about any config of keyboard.
Luckily I am an extremely heavy typer, like I straight up CRUSH the poor key every stroke. A little mush at the end is like a little pillow for my fingers, and the really solid bottoming out switches can straight up hurt after a while. That's definitely more of a me problem though.
I hate clicky keys but love the hard stop, it's very crisp. I buy liniers and know exactly what you mean about them being mushy.
11:30 something I can't give up on a keyboard are the navigation and editing keys as I touch type in Excel. You can do much more things efficiently on a keyboard than a mouse.
I thought I might be alone in being bothered by the lack of Home and End keys. They are so under-rated with how much time they save.
Wow that cable looks ridiculously close to a Chubby Cable
That disconnect sound at 13:22, you shitters lol.
regarding silent mush, if the key actuated at the bottom out point, I would agree. since it actuates considerably before bottom out... less than silent switches you might say promote bottoming out switches which isn't good practice, and I'm not fond of that.
Just got this keyboard for 75 dollars on amazon and I'm so happy with it, especially for how little I paid for it. I went with the Wisteria linear switch and it sounds sooooo good without any modification.
He said he only wants to be able to use half of his USB ports because the housing said fucks standards block other ports.
In our local, there's a keyboard like this too, built-in OLED display, gasket, south-facing switch and programmable knob. It's Fantech Maxfit81 and it's cost less than $100
Also word that you couldn't pronounce was budge-er-ree-gar, it's the actual name for what Americans/Canadians would call a parakeet. Although, Britain and Australians call them budgies for short.
It's called Tri Mode keyboard because it can connect via 1.Wire, 2.Bluetooth and 3.Dongle. Not because it can work on windows, mac and linux.
they're called kailh sockets because they're different from outemu sockets. most switches don't fit in outemu sockets, but kailh sockets are universal. it's probably also because it's kailh's design
That knob being black just kills the cool retro vibe for me. 😖
This board has been sitting in my Amazon cart for about a week, Thanks for the details!
Just got the linear switches for work - I am SO keen
What's the point of the screen when you can barely see it in normal use?
3:01. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think Tri-mode refers to the types of connection it can do... Wired (usb c), 2.5GHz and Bluetooth.
Tri-Mode means cable connection, 2.4GHz wireless connection and Bluetooth connection. That has nothing to do with the OS.
I'm glad that there are people who try out weird ideas for peripherals because you never know what might be a good idea ... but I'll probably never be able to see missing keys as a positive feature.
I have the Flamingo Switches and I really love them! Definitely recommend them!
I found the housing on Aliexpress when I was getting supplies for making my own cables :)
The really nice cable you kept mentioning about reminds me of the brand called chubby cable that I've seen ads for before and all look great. Would be super interested in seeing a video covering them and whether they're any good or not in the future.
I noticed as well and finally ordered some. They actually turned out to be great!
That is definitely just a chubby cable. They are really nice and all come with those connections and the cable strap. Would be good to see a video on them and some of the crazy colours they do
kailh socket meaning that switches with pin like kailh, cherry, gateron ( wider pin ) are compatible, because on cheaper board usually they have outemu socket ( smaller pin ) for example akko, ktt , and other more budget switches, and that cannot fit cherry or other wide pin switches without modification
That's exactly what I was looking for a few years ago. I have a cat that LOVES to lay on the keyboard. An on/off switch is almost mandatory. I found a wired keyboard that is programmable to turn off all the keys except one, to set it out of cat mode. Do they make it in black?
My dad used to use silent keys. He used a Dell quiet key for years. Well a new one every year. One of his employees commented he'd never heard a quiet key be so loud. 😅
Honestly, I like the look and sound of it a lot.
Man, that knob completely ruins the look..
as does the rainbow vomit for me, but at least you can turn it off or set it and forget it
Tri-mode actually means that it is Wired, 2.4 Wireless and Bluetooth. It has nothing to do with the Windows/Mac compatibility.
If you ever find out more about the cable/usb-c connector, do a video on where to get those!
The whole reason why I use EpoMaker is because they got a very compact keyboard that has a numpad on the left side.
Which model?
@@JigglyBlubber GK96LS
“bringing up topics that i wont confirm” “only confirming the things you can clearly see in the video”
I hope we get to test out the other switches next time on the board itself
what do the keycaps feel like? Like what type of texture is it? For someone that enjoys a velvet-like rubbery texture, is it anywhere near that feel?
the mushy feel is exactly what I like about silent switches
Why would you make a mechanical kb without qmk via support? Knob looking mad ugly too.
It's because of the screen that it doesn't have qmk/via support. The keyboard needs it's own proprietary software to make the screen work. Look up other keyboards with included screens and you'll see that none of them support qmd via.
I ordered it as soon as it was released for my office job, and I am enjoying it.
1) does the keyboard work in wireless and/or Bluetooth mode??
2) is the keyboard monitor plastic housing in NOCTUA brown color???
Does anyone know how to screen shoot in this keyboard
I bought this keeb after seeing this. VERY glad I did! It is amazing for the price. Came with Silent Seasalts which are very very quiet, but I swapped them out for the Flamingos and it Thocks!
Why do you not recommend using the epomaker's Bluetooth function?
"an inch by inch, or I guess an inch by whatever 3/4 of an inch is". Imperial users see why this is funny
The stabilizer icon reminds me of a scale bubble balance.
Running man with + or - is how to go back a word when holding ctrl with left or right arrow.
Do they have it in ISO layout?
Volta discount code doesn't appear to work :(
What's the whole point of hot swappable switches? How often do you change switches? And is it REALLY that hard to just unplug them (or turn the damn thing off?)
I will never understand why people want a coiled cable running across their desk in front of their keyboard; it looks atrocious, taking up space.
Working on a 3d printed mechanical keyboard now with a rp2040 and a OLED display right now :)
You should design your own handwired mechanical keyboard for the full experience.
Can you get that mini screen separately?