RK ROYAL KLUDGE H81 Hot Swappable Mechanical Keyboard, Triple Mode 2.4Ghz/BT5.1/USB-C Knob Control Wireless Gaming Keyboard Gasket Mounted with RGB Backlit SkyCyan Switch, 75% Layout 81 Keys

One of the keyboards I owned the longest was a compact AT keyboard with a phone cord-style cable, but when it reached the point where I had to use a ridiculous combination of adapters to use, it was time to retire it. It was also very heavy for the size. This keyboard reminds me of that in styling. The off-white base, the different color keys, the big switch, the side vents. I’m a fan of Royal Kludge’s SkyCyan linear switches, I find them to be a very nice pre-lubed switch. I have other Royal Kludge keyboards and using the function key + QWE to switch between Bluetooth modes is convenient, but this big switch is more convenient, especially since it includes an Off option which is obscured on my other RK keyboards. If you’re going for a modern white setup, this keyboard won’t quite match as the white on this keyboard is not that bright. I included a picture of my RK84 Pro for comparison. Also, the keycaps do not shine through, so they are not as visible in the dark. Lastly, the spacebar seems really loud, I’ll probably have to mod it. Otherwise, it is a great 80% keyboard.

Great beginners board to tinker with. Or keep it stock, it felt and sounded good out of the box.

I used Royal Kludge keyboards in past and liked really liked it. So got this one for my work. This has serious ghosting issues on Shift and Ctrl keys. More than 10% of these keys stroke is not registered. Been using it for a week, so not sure if this is caused by some stupid settings. But this is really annoying. I had this issues with other keys also, I think, because when I tried to use some shortcut, my PC behaved really differently. Not sure if it is this one keyboard with defect or not. Ill return it, and maybe buy another same model to see if this issue persists. If theres no issue, then this keyboard is nice to use.

If you are comparing this to a > $200 keyboard, this may not meet your needs but for the price, this is really a great keyboard. It has become the rage to have a volume nob usually at the top right corner of keyboards these days. That is fine, I guess, but I prefer what Royal Kludge has done with this board using the nob as a switch for wired, 2.5GHz and the three bluetooth options. In my opinion, this is much more useful than a volume nob, especially when I can use the F-keys for volume just as easily. Using the nob to switch the keyboard from one device to another is not only easier than using the normal FN key + number key to switch between devices but it will provide a quick visual cue as to what device is currently active. This is a gasket mounted keyboard. I am not a huge fan of a springy gasket keyboard. This is not such a keyboard. It takes a pretty good press to see any plate flex. What it does do is mute the sound of your keys. That along with the polycarbonate plate makes this keyboard a great option for a work environment where other cube mates may be annoyed by a loud keyboard. The Sky Cyan switches are super smooth and creamy. They are Royal Kludges own branded switch and a great option for those who like a linear switch with a great feel. I prefer a top loaded tactical switch so I did replace the installed ones with something of my own choice but I will likely find a good use for these switches. They really are good. One thing to note, they are really tight in the PC plate and will take some effort to remove. I gave this a 4 star review but for the price and features, it really would be a 4.5 star keyboard and should be one of your top considerations for a keyboard in its price range.

For 80$, this retro looking keyboard is a steal! It has a good sound tempering, budget switches, hot-swap 3/5 pin board and double-shot cherry pbt keycaps! Out of box sound is amazing. Pretty decent wireless connectivity (BT + 2.4G) with good battery life. I only didnt like mode changing knob. It could be moved to the under of the keyboard and they could add volume knob instead of it.

It was a gift

Just a disclaimer, this is my first mechanical keyboard. This thing feels solid and types so smoothly, input for gaming is instant. I am using it in wired mode which would be best for gaming but if you want you can use Bluetooth or wireless connectivity for 3 devices. Just turn the knob to the number and it swaps over. The lighting is amazing, especially since I was using a single colored full size board before. Lots of modes and you can change between single colors and rgb. Ill update if I have any issues but so far this is close to perfect. The space bar is louder than the other keys so I might look into an insert to dampen sound but thats it.

This is my second RK keyboard. The first one is RK84 with red switches and the second one is this, 81 keys with sky cyan switches. Im very pleased with the RK81. first thing is that the sound is great without modding. I modded the RK84 by myself and the sound and the feeling is great, of course, but the RK81 even does not need to do that. sky cyan switch is slightly heavier than the red switch, and I kind of like it. One thing I want for this keyboard is that the knob would have been nicer, like with a metal frame. Hope that at least this company would sell the metal knobs for replacement. I think that will make this keyboard much fancier in the current price range. The battery is enough for me, I think. Not super long, but not too short-live. will use this keyboard for about weeks and probably then I can update my review.

it’s a very nice and simple keyboard i’d recommend it to people who are just getting into customizing a keyboard it sounds nice doesn’t have a strong pinging noise or sounds too hollow

The tl;dr Its a good board, with some minor flaws. The biggest compromise is RGB, but for the price it excels enough in other areas to compensate. The RGB: It doesnt do yellow. Yellow is hard for budget RGB and this keyboard is no exception. The closest it comes is chartreuse. The keyboard was set to yellow in the picture showing the backlight. The software, though. Wow. Talk about sketchy. Theres no reference to software in the packaging, just a link in the product description. To a Google Drive folder. To an .exe without a publisher. Windows does not like this at all (its not macOS or Linux friendly). However, if you can get it installed, its exactly sufficient. You can change function keys and RGB just fine with it. The build quality: Theres quite a bit more deck flex than Id like for a 75%. Its not entirely unexpected at this price point, but Ive seen budget keyboards with higher build quality than this. Ive also seen a lot worse. It gets an acceptable for this one. Im not going to complain and I am not dissatisfied. The style: This confuses me. It has nice, modern keycaps. Nice bright white with darker accents. Then the chassis is retro inspired. Theres nothing wrong with either one. The chassis looks well retro and the keycaps are nice, but together its an odd match. The layout: Its a 75% layout. Pretty normal for one, which is nice if you want to get different keycaps, like ones that match the retro inspired chassis. A little more compact than a TKL, but decently bigger than a 60%. The switches: Theyre fine. Light linear switches. Cherry style. I wouldnt call them high quality but having used several off-brand switches, I can safely say theyre better than any Asus branded switches Ive ever used. If youre really into switches, Id plan on replacing them almost immediately. Im not, so Ill just use the included ones until they get squishy. The keycap and switch puller is sufficient.