Keychron keyboard discussion

[kgphotos]

How psyched am I??? The keycaps I’ve been wanting for a while are now back in stock!!! Ordered! Can’t wait to get them. 😀

OEM DYE SUB PBT- DEVELOPER.

OEM Dye-Sub PBT Full Set Keycap Set - Developer

Compatible with all Cherry MX switches and featured the cyberpunk aesthetic, the programmer keycap set engineers dye-sublimated PBT that ensures the legends are beautifully printed on the keycaps, while the legends will not shine or wear out for decades. This Keychron full set keycap set has all...

www.keychron.com

 

[Ludatyk]

Replaced my keycaps on the K2 model with some Low-Profile ones on Amazon, I like the new look!

Only issue I have... wish they came with macOS F1-12 hotkeys. So far, I replaced the F10-12... with the volume keys.

 

[pransu]

Does anyone own V5 Max? As I browse through, I find out V5 Max comes with wireless receiver. I am wondering if it is more responsive in terms of waking up from sleep mode.

 

[Lyoha]

Does anyone own V5 Max? As I browse through, I find out V5 Max comes with wireless receiver. I am wondering if it is more responsive in terms of waking up from sleep mode.

View attachment 2339377

I got a Q2 Max which also has 2.4GHz but I haven’t tried it yet. Unlike the V Max series, for some odd reason, Keychron only includes the USB-A receiver with the Q Max series.

 

[dotnet]

View attachment 2338984
Replaced my keycaps on the K2 model with some Low-Profile ones on Amazon, I like the new look!

Link? I’m surprised how well the shine-through lettering works with the south facing LEDs of the keyboard.

 

[xraydoc]

I’m happy to report I fixed the stab rattling with some grease and now my keyboard feels very nice. I do think it should have been nice out of the box but it is what it is. I still get key chatter with the spacebar on very rare occasions, and it’s rare enough not to bother me too much now. The possibility is something to keep in mind for anyone considering a Q2 of any kind if one is to believe Reddit.

There's no way to mass-manufacture keyboards and have them come with something equivalent to hand-tweaked stabilizers and such. For the price, the Keychron keyboards are pretty impressive out of the box (I have 8) but if you are looking for Rolls-Royce level of fit and finish, you'll need to modify things by hand.

And just FYI, their upper end products are priced so well because their service kind of sucks, so just be aware that trying to get good support out of a mainland China-based company is going to be difficult. Fortunately I've never had a serious problem that they couldn't resolve with a couple emails and a 25¢ part, but just be aware that things like full returns/exchanges are going to be very complicated. If Amazon sells the model you're after, get it from there. At least you can send things back if something isn't right.

 

[xraydoc]

I got a Q2 Max which also has 2.4GHz but I haven’t tried it yet. Unlike the V Max series, for some odd reason, Keychron only includes the USB-A receiver with the Q Max series.

Yeah, Keychron tends to make running changes in product design but the older models (even if just literally a few weeks older) don't get the retrograde design changes. It's like they design each keyboard in complete isolation from the other models.

 

[Lyoha]

There's no way to mass-manufacture keyboards and have them come with something equivalent to hand-tweaked stabilizers and such. For the price, the Keychron keyboards are pretty impressive out of the box (I have 8) but if you are looking for Rolls-Royce level of fit and finish, you'll need to modify things by hand.

And just FYI, their upper end products are priced so well because their service kind of sucks, so just be aware that trying to get good support out of a mainland China-based company is going to be difficult. Fortunately I've never had a serious problem that they couldn't resolve with a couple emails and a 25¢ part, but just be aware that things like full returns/exchanges are going to be very complicated. If Amazon sells the model you're after, get it from there. At least you can send things back if something isn't right.

Fair enough about the stabilizers. The key chatter though isn't something one would expect out of the box on such a premium keyboard. It seems to be a somewhat common problem too.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Keychron/comments/ten7ox https://www.reddit.com/r/Keychron/comments/10jsy7w https://www.reddit.com/r/Keychron/comments/xl44it
Hopefully my fix lasts, but someone who is new to mechanical keyboards probably wouldn't have been able to piece together a solution, nor have extra switches and keycaps of different kinds laying around to attempt the same fix. I'm happy with how it works right now, but it should have been working well out of the box.

 

[Ludatyk]

Link? I’m surprised how well the shine-through lettering works with the south facing LEDs of the keyboard.

https://www.amazon.com/XVX-Profile-Keyboard-Switches-Mechanical/dp/B0C1BD5W2P

Peaked my interest from this reddit thread…

 

[transmaster]

Does anyone make a translucent blue caps lock key for the Gateron switch. I would love to replace the one I have on my Q12 so I can clearly see it illuminated.

 

[Lyoha]

Does anyone make a translucent blue caps lock key for the Gateron switch. I would love to replace the one I have on my Q12 so I can clearly see it illuminated.

The various keycaps are compatible with any Cherry MX style switch. The question is whether they'll be in theme with your other keycaps and whether you care or not. Here are a few possibilities.

https://kbdfans.com/collections/pbtfans-in-stock/products/pbtfans-doubleshot-wob?variant=41262148976779

Gamepad Controller Capslock Aluminum Alloy Artisan Keycap

Gamepad Controller Capslock Aluminum Alloy Artisan Keycap. The keycap is made of aluminum alloy with retro silicone buttons, each of which is shine-through, very realistic, and also provides a comfortable touch feel.

www.keychron.com

 

[dotnet]

Problem is that the legends of many shine-through keycaps don’t work well with south-facing LEDs (like the ones on Keychron keyboards).

 

[transmaster]

I might have to live with what I have.

 

[tstafford]

For the most part I've been very happy with my Keychron K5 SE. But about a month ago I noticed the color is wearing off the keys. And it's getting worse fast. I contacted Keychron but unfortunately they offered no solution including telling me the key caps aren't for sale. Probably a good lesson on shine-thru and the lack of caps for the low profile. Going to try a different keyboard soon.

 

[xraydoc]

For the most part I've been very happy with my Keychron K5 SE. But about a month ago I noticed the color is wearing off the keys. And it's getting worse fast. I contacted Keychron but unfortunately they offered no solution including telling me the key caps aren't for sale. Probably a good lesson on shine-thru and the lack of caps for the low profile. Going to try a different keyboard soon.

View attachment 2340452

The standard K-series use the cheapest materials for everything, including keycaps.

 

[tstafford]

The standard K-series use the cheapest materials for everything, including keycaps.

Just ordered a Nuphy Air96 V2 with Gateron Brown 2.0 and an extra set of (shine-thru) caps. Curious to see how it shapes up vs. the Keychron. I'm pretty disappointed that Keychron didn't offer any solution (even one I was willing to pay for).

 

[drumcat]

I just updated my circuit board to v2, and I really enjoy it more than I did my v1. It's good hardware. I only wish they'd made it one row wider to have a wide zero on the numpad.

Otherwise, it's exceptionally good. I'm a wisteria fan, but I also have blues mixed in. You may find that the extra switches they come with… one will work better with your spacebar. I have the lime one in there, and it feels more natural.

Good choice!

 

[xraydoc]

Just ordered a Nuphy Air96 V2 with Gateron Brown 2.0 and an extra set of (shine-thru) caps. Curious to see how it shapes up vs. the Keychron. I'm pretty disappointed that Keychron didn't offer any solution (even one I was willing to pay for).

I think Nuphy is a wise choice insofar as low-profile keyboards.

 

[Lyoha]

I guess I just can't stop tinkering. I got a stepped caps lock keycap with a centered stem to put on my Q2 Max. It is ABS, but it's the only keycap I could find that's stepped but still centered so it can fit on a standard layout. I use the caps lock as the esc key, but accidentally hitting it was sometimes worse than accidentally hitting actual caps lock.

 

[tstafford]

I think Nuphy is a wise choice insofar as low-profile keyboards.

Thanks. I'm addicted to low profile. I'll post thoughts after I get it and have a chance to see how it shapes up. The Keychron was terrific except for the key cap issue and support "failure".

 

[BrianBaughn]

On my K5 SE there's a not-very-bright blue "Caps" light above the number pad and I usually don't notice if it's on or off.

There's a Bluetooth light next to the escape key that's crazy bright and I had to put electrical tape over it. I have tape over the "Mac" and "Win" lights above the number pad but I'm not sure if they were too bright…but probably.

I asked Keychron about the brightness of the Caps light and there's nothing that can be done about it.

They definitely got these lights wrong in the design.

 

[tstafford]

On my K5 SE there's a not-very-bright blue "Caps" light above the number pad and I usually don't notice if it's on or off.

There's a Bluetooth light next to the escape key that's crazy bright and I had to put electrical tape over it. I have tape over the "Mac" and "Win" lights above the number pad but I'm not sure if they were too bright…but probably.

I asked Keychron about the brightness of the Caps light and there's nothing that can be done about it.

They definitely got these lights wrong in the design.

Weird. Those two lights are identical on mine. I think xraydoc is right - it's a bargain level low profile mechanical. I didn't buy it for the price - I bought it because I felt Keychron had a good rep. Curious to see how the Nuphy stacks up but I'm likely done with Keychron.

 

[kgphotos]

Just installed my new Developer keycaps from Keychron! I’m happy with it 🙂 Using the K10 Pro.

 

[xraydoc]

Just installed my new Developer keycaps from Keychron! I’m happy with it 🙂 Using the K10 Pro.


View attachment 2341883

I have this same set on a Keychron Q12. I really like the way they look and feel. I keep thinking about moving them to my current "main" keyboard instead. Will post a picture of my current primary keyboard in a moment.

 

[xraydoc]

Felt cute. Might delete later. Keychron Q5 Pro.

The circle key above the numpad pulls up the emoji panel. The microphone key pulls up Siri (and when Fn-mic is pressed, it'll mute & unmute the microphone in Zoom and WebEx), and the crop key next to the knob will open the screenshot crosshairs.

The "alt" key on the bottom row is just a right Option, but I don't have a black 1u "option" key to put there, and I don't need a Ctrl key over on that side.

Knob is mapped to Vol up/Vol Dn and press is Play/Pause. Fn-knob press turns the keyboard's backlight on & off.