Just fancy jargon. If the “internal weight” is aluminum, it’s technically not a weight considering the rest of the board is also aluminum. I believe the PVD weight is an extra $20, and that material should likely be brass.
Forgot to mention the keycaps are the PBoW Cherry profile keycaps from Novelkeys. This board is expected to ship just a few months after group buy, so here are some tips for installing the LCD for when the time comes! First, connect the ribbon cable to the LCD, then install LCD on the top case. Then connect the other end of the ribbon cable to the PCB. I recommend doing this as the last step before closing the board. Be careful with that ribbon cable!
Wish I hadn't bought the zoom66. Really didn't think they were going to do my favorite layout; a 75, with per key RGB, and 2.4ghz. Welp, here goes more money 😢
I'm also a newcomer to the custom mechanical keyboard world, I think you did a fantastic job presenting this review. Very thorough, great pace, appreciated the extra touch of telling us when the volume was going to increase after the sound test. If you hadn't said you were new to the world, I wouldn't have known! (Apart from forgetting the foam before putting on the stabilisers but I appreciated that you included it rather than edited it out cos now I am aware of it for when it's my turn!). Subscribed and liked! Well done and thanks for your effort, it shows! (P.S. I purchased the Milky Green with an extra Wild Green backplate - so excited!). Now onto switches!
@@ambasing69 YMDK sells side lit keycaps and Max Keyboards makes customs sets with ISO de layout - but after all this is rather pricy and well actually not my cup of tea - I would prefer a keyboard with north facing LEDs and i.e. a set of Sharkoon Skiller SAC20 from Tai-Hao or somthing comparable from Ducky anytime…IMHO this south facing LED trend is just rubbish.
Why is it so hard for these high end boards to get the Stabilizers right? They almost always have audible ticking and audible rattle on the space bar. It is insane to me that my cheap dogcrap Logi capacitive keyboard has a better sounding Spacebar than my manually relubed Keychron Q1 Spacebar. And even the Zoom75 hailed as being a great board still has space bar ticking/audible rattle out of the box. I mean, come on, is any manufacturer ever going to solve this out of the box? I don’t want to take apart my boards, but I always feel like I have to because the rattle/ticking drives me crazy. We should not be spending 200+ dollars on boards that ship with this problem in 2024. I’m just really tired of it being such a prevalent issue after all these years and most reviewers just gloss over it a lot of the time (kudos to you for not doing that, very interesting those rubber tips they added).
@@JamieOliver77 I was looking at 2 year old Reddit threads so maybe they were talking about a different configuration but yeah keyboards are just out of stock unless you get on a group buy right away
as someone with outemu red switches, my keyboard sounds like the zoom 75 but slightly deeper and much deeper spacebar. its thocky and creamy and if I could eat it I would
Meletrix still hasn't delivered the Zoom TKL and they want us to pay for another 75. Perhaps they should use some of the massive revenues they've received and build some keyboards.
I like the review but would have liked a sound test without the internal weight since that is going to be what 90% of the folks out there are probably going to get. Just something to think about... I know that it takes some extra time but it would be worth reviewing the most popular configuration.
Eveyone has the sky blue 😭 i just wanna see the other colors and there back plates 🥲 this will be my first custom/built keyboard. So ill be waiting for midnight 😫
Haha I don’t know about everyone else but they let me choose mine. Similar tastes I guess. Was torn between this, Lilac, or just black with the gold weight
This keyboard was my first group buy! Still waiting to receive it but it has been shipped and I've been tracking it anxiously checking it daily lol. I also have jwk lilacs and gmk striker r2 on the way too.
I’m putting my first zoom75 together and when I saw you had left off the poron pcb foam when you were showing the stabilizers, I started getting worried I’d messed mine up. I do appreciate you addressing the fact, I feel better now 😅
So what is included and what isn't included in the Essential Edition 199 packages? Could you summarize for the people that aren't used to buying custom keyboards? you'd still have to buy switches, keycaps and the modular unit of your choosing?
If you look at the screenshot I have of the contents or go to their page I have linked, it’s the EE Wired Kit. By default the module you get is the knob, if you want one of the others you’d buy those separately. It may also vary by vendor. Meletrix is making the board but it’s being sold by different vendors by country which you can find toward the bottom of their web page. If you’re in the US for example that would be CannonKeys which I also have linked, or Dangkeebs. You should be able to find more information on either of those sites too.
I'd say I'm still a new comer. Jumped in this hobby few months ago and loved it. Ordered my zoom and should be here around Thanksgiving. But great video
Wow some of you guys are UPSET about the use of the word "budget" lol. Alright I was not going to say anything else, but I feel like it should be explained. Will this change anyone's mind? Probably not. But for educational purposes, here we go. I think "budget" could be subjective to people based on what the item is their own personal budget. That said, the word "budget" does not necessarily mean "cheap" or that something is going to be under a certain dollar amount. A budget gaming PC is still going to cost you a few hundred dollars, for example. "You could get X keyboard fully built for $100." Absolutely. You could also get Y keyboard for $50. Z for $30. And so on and so on. Are any of those made with the same materials or come with the same color and customization options here? Probably not. The Zoom75 is made with aluminum, glass, an external weight, and 4 layers of foam, all INCLUDED with the starting price of $179. Go back two years and see what boards included all that for under $200. Probably none. It was boards like the QK65, Zoom65 and more that put those features into the budget price range and made those premium features more accessible and "budget friendly". Look at boards like the Chimera65, the Singa Unicorn, the Space65, and what is included with those. Go look at the prices of some of the boards of CannonKeys, KBDfans, etc. My friends, for a high end custom and everything included, the Zoom65 is in fact "budget".
Your review was amazing and packed full of useful information that even seasoned hobbyist tend to forget. While it’s true that people are pushing for a distinction between ‘budget’ and ‘entry-level’ boards, it would be much more fruitful if they just told you the discrepancy instead of purposely misunderstanding you, spreading misinformation, and insinuating that you are some sort of harsh elitist or classist. You didn’t do anything wrong. Your video was amazing. Your build is gorgeous and it sounds fantastic. Keep up the good work! ❤
It’s noticeable if you press down on the keys, but not super noticeable when typing, at least to me. Not super stiff either though. I do have all the foams in, so if you were to omit one or two of the foams you might feel it more but it would affect the sound too.
@@Thermosity 199 USD is still pricey compared to boards that are available for lets say 50 and under. Sure, it can be relative if you're comparing higher end boards that are 500 + but as a general consumer, people will say its expensive. Or if you have money bags, sure.. call it budget. Btw, this is 273 CA for me and then add tax and shipping charges which shoots it up way pass 300. Maybe the better term is 'entry' :)
Group buys are a scam. Also, what are the chances this software for the screen will never get done or properly work, until some enthusiast will make it and hopefully share it with other poor suckers.
Thanks friend! And totally fair. but I think people confuse the word “budget” for “low priced.” For a custom keyboard, the starting price of $179 is considered by many in the community to be “budget” (or maybe entry level would be a better way to word it) especially in comparison to boards like the Chimera65 I just reviewed which starts at $450 without a lot of the features that the Zoom includes. For example a $500 gaming PC is considered “budget” for a gaming PC but it’s still $500.
