Just a heads up to everyone that Wuque's quality control is abysmal. Their Ikki 68 Aurora R2 has had a lot of complaints from discoloration of boards to lines that appear to be cracks but are "parting lines" due to the molding process. Many of these issues are only revealed to customers once the boards start shipping and Wuque always avoides being honest and forthright with issues beforehand.
Jeez, imagine this much on a keyboard and it having build issues. Inexcusable... At this price point, any abnormal number of complaints is an immediate blacklist for me.
honestly it depends on the project, their ikki68 was bad, but the global Ginkgo65 GB was top notch. On the other hand they also have clearance issues on the zoom65, which is a minor inconvenience. In the end it's "you get what you pay for"
That screw thing is unacceptable. Sure, $900 for a keyboard (or even $500) is ridiculous, but if you've already paid that much, the keyboard should be _perfect._
Some things just pass the line between "well it's expensive but worth it" and "that's absolutely ridiculous, no matter how good it is" This product does exactly that
"Some things just pass the line between "well it's expensive but worth it" and "that's absolutely ridiculous, no matter how good it is" So basically, it's still too expensive to be worth it, but not absolutely ludicrously idiotic. =)
Wait until people who are shocked at this price find out how much money custom keyboards fetch on the secondary market after group buys close and inventory is gone.
@@haydenmorris1683 if mechanical keyboards were reliably good investments, the industry would be hundreds of times larger, and pushed further into the luxury sphere. The hedge funds have nothing to do all day except dream up of new ways for someone else to make their money for them, so if there was any to be made they’d already be involved in a major way
@@TAP7a Hedge funds don't care about an industry that would net them only tens of thousands at best, they pay armies of people with vast economic knowledge. Scalping a few dozen or hundred keyboards is simply below them to the point they don't want to spend any manpower even thinking about a return so small.
As someone who's already incredibly deep in the keyboard rabbithole, I kinda feel like we need an LTT (or other channel) video about custom keyboards. Different mounting mechanisms, different switches, the point of lubing and stab modding etc etc
Plouffe has great keyboard knowledge and is a joy to listen to on high end tkls. I do want alex or someone from engineering/ manf to talk about surface finish or the build quality of the case
It's almost like cost can vary wildly in lower quantities... If they wanted to rip people off they would have, ya know, KEPT the price ~$900 instead of dropping it...
Their $900 version was a custom one that you can get different designs on the weight/blockers they decided against it since no one wanted that so they reduced the options and made it cheaper.
@@bao1964 An expert is more likely to be an enthusiast, but it's not a given. There are plenty of people with expertise in a field or job that don't necessarily have a passion or interest in it beyond the job itself. And an enthusiast definitely doesn't make one an expert at anything.
Kinda sucks that the video was posted a week after the group buy ended, nice to see more custom keyboard content but considering most products are sold via groupbuys that run for a few weeks to a month at best reviews like this should be posted with that information in mind.
@@thunderarch5951 companies generally send out review units and prototypes before group buy dates. I'm pretty sure short circuit may have gotten it sooner
@@thunderarch5951 bro he had the keyboard before the group buy was open he even mentioned that the group buy was opening soon. So this video was shot ages ago. Did you even watch the video?
This feels like a custom keyboard for the different kind of enthusiasm. A lot of people in the mk community like tinkering with stuff (eg switches, keycaps, layout, mounting options etc). That’s pretty much the whole point of having a mk for me. This keyboard though is paying for the pretty case to get a boutique feel. I admit it looks nice as an art project, but you don’t really interact with the case that much. And if you want nice sound, cheapo case and some foam should do the trick
That's what I meant though, there's nothing special about it being a GB, and there's nothing really special about this case. And if I really wanted something fancy, I would rather go for ramaworks instead
I’ve no interest in keyboards whatsoever, but these videos are always entertaining. I also feel it’s a waste of money to spend so much on a keyboard, but at the same time I have expensive hobbies not so many people understand sooo….to each their own!
@@G3rain1 Running a 20€ keyboard here (its ... ok for that price) and gaming keyboards come at 100-150€. 500 is already stupidly expensive but 4 digits? Like wtf.
Same here. Those old logitech school keyboards do sound exactly like that. And I love them. I bought one years ago but it is ps2 so... yeah cant use it anymore xD And sadly its not backlit. A combination of those would be amazing (dont need rgb either, just white backlit shining through the letter is fine)
You can tell people in the comment here do not understand the word "CUSTOM." But at the same time most people would've built a custom PC, that would cost upwards of $2-3K and not bad a single eye. Yes its a keyboard, but you can argue the same with a computer. Why not just go to best buy and get one off the shelf? Why do I need a RTX 3080, or a Ryzen cpu etc etc. At the end of the day, if you're happy with your razer, corsair, ducky whatever the fuck prebuilt keyboard thats fine. There are some people (me included) that enjoy customizing switches, plates, cases, keycaps the list goes on.
I'm kinda curious about what sort of effect those ceramic keys have on a normal keyboard and what that one sounds like with plastic caps. Still, best keyboard review from this channel so far! Just wish this came out while the Promise 87 was still being sold haha
They dramatically reduce the effective spring rate due to their weight and tend to make all switches sound kind of "thocky", so if you like that kind of bubble fidget toy sound then they'd be of interest to you.
@@mndlessdrwer From what i've seen in a few videos now the alphas don't have too much of a difference but the mods and space are where that really becomes a factor. I just think it would be more in the interest of the viewers if the ceramic caps and board were done separately, that way peeps have a more accurate idea of whats on offer.
The durability would be intersting too. I'd be worried about them scratching/cracking if something hits them, or the keyboard gets knocked around (such as it being in your bag [whether you'd be putting something that expensive in your bag in the first place is another story]), but they seem like they'd be hardier against wear.
For 900$ you can buy a Keychron K8 Pro, actually two of them, buy pretty much any keycap set you want + fancy, matching USB cables and you will still have enough left to order a large pizza and get wasted.
But that is the whole point of this, people build this as a hobby, its like buying a $500 deathstar lego set, if it came built that would ruin the experience.
The building process is part of the hobby that keyboard enthusiast likes. If it came prebuilt, there’s no fun to it. Plus they will most likely using their own switches and keycaps
@@keonxd8918 people desperately convincing themselves that throwing money into the toilet is a hobby because they have to put in labor to build their overpriced garbage. It's not a hobby, its overpriced trash. If your hobby is buying overpriced trash, thats not a hobby its just poor judgement.
As a blind typist, I can tell you. I don't care about key labels or lighting. But I can't use a keyboard without tactile bumps. I had to get rid of a really nice keyboard because I had worn the bumps. I like sharp bumps, almost like blades.
Few notes , The mod for the stabs you were looking for called "Holee Mod". There are 2 types of gaskets as i know one of them is softer. The plate is FR4 and not Polycarbonate . Great review though, keep em coming ;)
@@jeffreyshih2550 This is correct. Holee mod the stem housing, bandaid mod is under the stab on the pcb. I don't think either are necessary and would just lube the wires lightly with zht bdz and the housing with krytox 205g0. Works great on my durock v2 stabs and owl stabs.
@@jeffreyshih2550 Oh i thought that's what he meant. Well, Bendaid mod usually is for Plate mount stabs. But yea those pads are good for screw in's as well :)
@@iamyotka you're thinking of putting bandaids between plate and housing to make the stabs wobble less. bandaid modding is on screw / clip ins so the wire housing doesnt come to contact with the pcb. though bandaid modding defeats the purpose of clipped stabs anyways since they just become mushy as hell
I wasn't going to buy this anyway but having a gap like this on a keyboard that costs as much as a cheap car just a few years ago is nuts. Even as a press sample it should be up to standard
The gap is because he stripped the screws, not because the keyboard, you can't really blame the keyboard, maybe you can blame that they didn't provide bigger screws with bigger threading but then it can't be screwless (bottom) design
@@tombaker2510 I mean I fully blame them for designing it so that it's that easy to strip the screws enough that you can't mount it properly. That is clearly a design fault for something that's supposed to be modded to this extent.
To be fair though, he did say it was his fault. He pushed down too hard without having the screws properly tightened, and probably bent something by a couple mm.
@@jubuttib I do think he tried to lift the baord when there was only two screw in tho, I have the same kind of boards that with these screw design and they don't strip. However I have built like over 20 keyboards
@@tombaker2510 No, he said that the housing itself stripped, meaning they're using a cheap material to screw into. He was even being careful by putting each screw in a little bit before tightening them, which is exactly what you're supposed to do. The fact that this thing is less resilient than any moderately priced keyboard is absolutely ridiculous for a crazy expensive product
I got the same care package :D. The switches are nice and have a short throw and dont bottom out all the way with the stem so you dont have to worry about Cherry keycap interference in a north facing keyboard!
i mean youre paying for the design of the chassis so you can use it raw and have it sound perfect without hollowness/ping or without it sounding dead. thats very hard to do with aluminum, which means price increases. even with the price increase its almost never right. its not overpriced for the market its aiming at, which isnt the normal enthusiast or obviously the general audeience
@@laffeybunn8557 it is very hard to do? Yes Lots of keyboards do it for half the price? Also yes But you are right, this keyboard is for people who shit money from their ass, not for real enthusiasts, who still know the value of money and performance
@@farlig8666 you can find great alluminum keyboards for half the price that do the same job Y'all would do anything to justify spending money, I'm sorry There's a literal moissanite that adds easy 150-200 bucks to the cost, since I'm sure it's not a 1 carat, that alone would be 600 to 800
@@thunderarch5951 Only the bespoke version is ridiculously expensive, it's supposed to be a very limited fully customized board you get, and not to mention the moissanite (a lab produced diamond) on it is optional. If you just get the base model with no bells and whistles (no moissanite, no e-white, sandblasted bottom instead of polished PVD), it's $360. Which is very reasonable for a custom board.
Dang it sounds really good! I’m too new to mechanical keyboards to attempt a full build experience, a barebones kit is probably the extent of what I could do but it looks good, I love the color and key caps of this board, it’s very pretty 🥹
I love keyboards but my main drawback is, if it’s more than 400 and I have to stuff it with foam then it’s not gonna sound any better than a tofu65 and it’s not worth it. 400+ has to come with some sort of unique feature, led screen, extra columns or keys, scroll.
I just don't get the hype. I've tried a multitude of mechanical keyboards but whenever I actually want to write I'll end up using my $120 chromebook. It's simply more comfortable and convenient. I'll take shallow travel scissors and rubber domes over something "better" every day of the week.
honestly the whole mech keyboard community is just chasing their dream feel and sound. It really comes down to preference, so if you find that your chromebook keyboard is what you like, then most people would respect you for it!
A custom keyboard will never be as convenient as your laptop keyboard because you’re using a laptop. Portability is not the focus of high end keyboards
@@inspectorvoid Typically if youre buying in that price range- youre buying it for the project as well. You got it to customise with any foam, tape or whatever you want to shove in and whatever switches or caps in it you want- you can also typically get prebuilt versions but it saves the target demographic a bit of time tearing it down to rebuild it
Well it’s kind of all about the customisation and the hobby, not the end product alone. You get a full kit with the ability to customise the entire board exactly to your liking. It’s no different to buying components to build your own PC instead of buying a prebuilt.
Wuque entered the custom world as affordable (under 500$) mid-high tier custom board with good sound profile, short lead time(3 months), so what they initially have done is the actually a reverse to your statement.
custom keyboard manufacturers often operate on very narrow margins since they don't have the economies of scale of larger brands like razer and corsair. so these are bound to be more expensive due to the high quality design, materials and feel of the end product. it's also about the enjoyment of the build hence the very nice packaging. sucky take my guy EDIT: however bad fit and QA is unacceptable for a luxury product for enthusiasts of course
They already lasted more than a year and this hobby, people want ot build their keyboard, its a hobby. its not meant to be built, if you built it, people would not even touch this. AGAIN its a hobby keyboard. like hobby model making, if its built that defeat the purpose
I don't get it, but I can respect it. Same thing as a car entheusists spending thousands to make their car lower, and add some special wheels, whatever makes you happy.
They just did a stream about the standardized build they are going to go with and it was the keychron q series or k series depending on what the employee wanted
I have recently purchased the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard, it has been proven great and has one of the best Num Pads of any keyboard. There are now review's on RU-vid an I believe it is a great deal for many! Maybe consider taking it up an do a review, it is more focused on office work.
Think of high end custom keyboards kind of like a really nice watch, yeah the $20 Timex is going to do the same thing as the $500 Seiko or $5000 Rolex, you're not buying it for the practicality of it, you're buying it for the craftsmanship, attention to detail, etc. It's almost like a collector item that you just happen to be able to type on and interface with your PC. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're into it, it may be worth it for you.
@@vickdizang I would agree except that the "craftsmanship" on this board is garbage. An enthusiast who has constructed a ton of these boards managed to irreparably strip two of the screw housings by doing something totally normal. That's like if you bought a $5000 Rolex and then it broke as soon as you tried to put it on your wrist
I hope there comes a day where group buys just kind of die out for things like generic boards that have clearly been proven to sell if they're done even remotely well. Mechs are way past the point where they're "niche" and need the funding...
I bloody hate group buys. I'll find a keycap set or something that I'll go 'hey that looks awesome!' then find out it was in a group buy months ago and is no longer available.
THIS! I think that group buys are most of the time, done out of greed, specially for companies that already have some time in the market. For me it would be understandable for artisan keycaps made by an artist or very niche layouts (a crazy 40% kb for example). But for others, pff is so out of greed
I mean the beauty of the hobby is that everyone can design a keyboard, the issue is that not everyone has the funds for production before selling them.
Groupbuys are a time honored tradition within the hobby and the main way that the hobby functions. There's plenty of in stock options but the special boards will probably always have groupbuys to keep the hobby interactive and special. Besides that I think you are way off on mechs not being niche. While we've seen growth we're miles away from a 500 dollar keyboard having enough interest to risk not doing a groupbuy.
I got permission from my typing teacher at school (mid 90s) to put dots of superglue on the F and J keys of the old typewriters to help with the home keys since I liked that on the computer keyboards. So there is a DIY solution to home key nipples.
My first custom keyboard was the KBD75 v3, then I got the KBD67 LITE, then the Odin R2...then I was convinced to join the Promise 87 Bespoke raffle...and won, so I got to buy that as well. Haven't put it together yet, but it's both my first raffle and will be my first winkeyless.
“They’re not super expensive, the $200 to $400 range.” _glances at my $12 Amazon Basics keyboard that’s worked perfectly for the past four years or so._ I think they might have a different definition of expensive than I do.
Expensive for a keyboard, average for a custom mechanical keyboard (and decently cheap compared to others) its subjective. Like a spaceX rocket is cheap for space travel but 30 million is not cheap lol
@@mangosteen. If a lego set showed up and some of the pieces broke in half when you put them together then yes, I would say that that would be a waste of money
I almost bought the Promise, but I couldn't afford it during the GB run. Maybe I'll buy in extras if they have the colour I like I m so happy to see you review mech keebs!! Great vid! I hope you guys get more!
$570 and you don't even get a super key? That's an incredibly handy key to deprive yourself of. In Windows it's the base combo for a lot of stuff and in Linux you can customize it to do just about anything.
For $900 you have to assemble the thing yourself with screws that are bad enough that even a keyboard enthusiast stripped them. Plus it entirely lacks a windows key (which is an instant deal breaker for me as someone who uses it all the time), the key caps that come with it aren't apparently as good as the ceramic ones they already had, the LED under the capslock key only lights up half of the key, it doesn't come with a cable (which Linus rightly points out should come with it to match it), and the light behind the moissanite barely illuminates it. Every time a ridiculously expensive keyboard comes out Plouffe gushes about it and justifies away all of the flaws. I honestly can't take him seriously about anything anymore because he seems to think that more $$$ = better.
And before someone comments that building it is half the fun I do understand that, but if that's the case then it shouldn't break when you screw it together
@@kevinwells9751 it's a wuque board, they are known for their entry level boards, not high end boards. Also, this one was a prototype, not a production board. Also, good boards don't come with keycaps or switches or cables, because that's the point, you make it according to what you want, rather than paying more for something you don't want and then replacing it yourself.
I feel like if I were spending this much money on a regular, standard TKL with nothing special, I would just buy a budget TKL and then customize it myself. If you really want to spend money on a keyboard, spend it on something that actually changes your typing experience, like an ortholinear or split. And even then, splits/orthos don't cost as much as this thing.
"This almost cost $900" - it costs $900 and I almost paid that, or it would have cost that much but for circumstance I avoided, or they changed their mind on the price "This cost almost $900" - the price is just under $900
@@kiyotaka2026 1650 is so old, does it really count as gaming now? I just think this is a stupid comparison, if you are spending this much on a keyboard you will have like a system that is 2k+
@@tombaker2510 to be completely fair 1650 still kind of games, just at low fps and settings, except for esport titles where it is a very efficient card. And yeah I'd probably have at least a 2k gaming pc with such a high end keyboard.
As much as I like that the custom keyboard scene gets spotlight in media, it really drives me nuts how people who have no idea about the hobby, talk as if they do (I mean the comments). The Promise87 was a very cool concept until I saw the price. They still asked quite a bit and it doesn't do enough for me to want it for anyway (I do have many, many customs). Is the hobby expensive? Yes. Is it unnecesary? Technically, yes. So are many more hobbies tho. I've had the chance to talk with a lot of people who have designed custom boards and keycaps sets. The ROI (return on investment) for these products is not high. It really isn't. It takes more time and effort than the money you get from it. The only reason why people still do it is out of passion for the damn thing. I've even tried to manufacture my own keyboard design and still got quoted $300+ for a basic design without a plate or PCB. Unless you own millions or have a massive company to help you produce, you can't just make a super premium board that envelopes your great ideas into some low cost product. The only companies that provide good budget products are companies that have been in the hobby for a few years at least. If you don't, then it will just feel like any other cheap ass GK61. Small hobbies and small companies need support from people that have a passion for it. It's not stupid, idiotic, meaningless, or any other adjective you could use. It all depends on how much it matters to those who care. We are all trying to find ways to get lower prices and inflation, Covid supply chain issues, heatwaves, etc, aren't doing us any favors. If you find yourself happy with your Logi's, Razer, Corsair then awesome my guy. I for one invest in my tool but you don't have to. We aren't dumb, we are just passionate. If you bankrupt youself with keyboards, that is on you. You won't see me running out of food so I buy the next board from the likes of Keycult or Signa.
Can someone please explain to me why the actual hell you would spend several hundred dollars to buy a keyboard that requires FULL assembly, isn’t wireless and doesn’t have features like a volume rocker? I’m legitimately curious. It’s definitely not for me, but I am curious what gets people so excited about this stuff.
@@G3rain1 Its weird dont get me wrong, the price should budget in the assembly, but i am one of those people who grew up making model kits for a hobby so assembling something and understanding how it works is half the fun, not justifying it bc the price is absurd, but something like a keyboard i would enjoy putting together, i get it its not for everyone, but some like the idea of they themselves building it. Thats why pre built computers exist and are thriving off the idea that its already built out of the box. Its weird man, hope you understand
wow Lyte's site is actually a good one for prebuilt pcs and building your own? Everything is laid out where you know what you're buying and how much and why it costs 600 for a gpu or whatever the part you're looking at may be. they say why its priced that way and i like that
not having a bump for the homerow is a big dealbreaker for some and I hope syrahkey also includes f and j keys that have bumps otherwise people will buy copycat keycaps
@@G3rain1 that is why I feel the sets should either provide bumped f/j keycaps and bumpless f/j keycaps or they should clearly state whether the keycap set has bumps or is bumpless
Maybe some of the custom mechanical keyboards connoisseurs can answer this for me: Why spent so much money on feel and sound of a keyboard, just to put on noise cancelling headphones or play games at which point you are so preoccupied that you don't/can't pay attention to those things anyway?
One thing I really don't get in products like these and others like mobile phones is the effort and cost put into packaging. Packaging is also a major theme in reviews, which I just find odd. I mean, does it look nice? Yes. Will I open it once and shove it in the back of my clothes cabinet for the rest of eternity? Also yes. Would I prefer to buy that keyboard 20$ cheaper if it just came in an more ecological brown cardboard box? Absolutely!
