RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK61 Wireless 60% Triple Mode BT5.0/2.4G/USB-C Mechanical Keyboard, 61 Keys Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard, Compact Gaming Keyboard with Software (Hot Swappable Red Switch, White)

Today I am reviewing the Royal Kludge 61. This keyboard seems to have a lot going for it. An entry level price at forty-five dollars, mechanical switches, backlighting, and Bluetooth. Let’s see how it holds up in real world use though. Initial Impressions: Things I noticed right off the bat. First, it is much heavier and more premium feeling than I expected. Second, the leds are brighter than I expected. Third, the switches feel okay for a keyboard of this price. I would say that they are more tactile than my Dell AT101W’s black alps, but not as smooth as my IBM Model F. Something that I noticed, but do not like, are the keycaps. They are really trying to push the “gamer” aesthetic. I would just like some plain keycaps, black with standard font. I also noticed that most of the caps were not fully depressed onto the stem of the switch. It wasn’t an issue to fix and took me only seconds, but that shouldn’t be an issue with a new keyboard. First typing: I would say here is where the keyboard begins to fail. The first thing I noticed was that it wobbles when you type on it. This is unforgivable with a keyboard. The wobble makes me feel less confident with each keystroke. I was able to correct this by putting eight sticky notes underneath one of the offending feet. Secondly, the layout is terrible! If it could be reprogrammed it would be very usable since it is a stock ANSI format. Here are some things that I see wrong with it initially. First, the escape key is the primary key on the top left corner. This makes it very hard to access the ` and ~. To get to these keys, you need to press the function key then it acts like it should. I would prefer to press function to get escape. Speaking of the function keys, F1-10 are in a line. Then it is interrupted by the led brightness buttons. F11 and F12 are in the next row down. I am a combination of confused and disappointed. First, why would your breakup something that has the perfect amount of space to complete? Secondly, why would you put the led control buttons in the function row? It really doesn’t make sense. Another major issue I see is the up arrow, the / key, and the ? key. This key is, by default, the up arrow. This makes typing questions a much more finicky process as you now must press 3 different keys! That’s an inexcusable error. Arrow keys should always take lower priority to main punctuation. Other than the outrageously horrible examples I provided above the rest of the layout is all but standard and is simple to use. Design thoughts: I have already discussed my dislike of the keycaps, that’s personal though. Things I would have like to have seen that wouldn’t have been too expensive to implement. Charge indicator leds! I would love to know when I need to charge my keyboard. The caps lock key not illuminating when it caps lock is not on is a good idea. It sort of takes away from the generally nice lighting though. I like the idea of having higher edges on the case. Many keyboards in this price range are not including a case that comes up to the bottom of the keycaps. Since this is a keyboard that people may carry around, I think that this was a smart move to protect the switches. Since the keycap layout is standard layout getting new keycaps for it would be a breeze. The spacebar is even standard size, something that is often not the case with smaller keyboards. The keycaps are a standard profile, no issues there. A few gripes with the keycaps. First, they don’t really have much texture. I sort of felt like my fingers slid a bit too much. Still very usable though. The keycaps also have glossy black plastic on the sides. This causes them to collect fingerprints and dirt easily. The glossy plastic does create a cool shining effect though. The tops of the caps aren’t glossy so I wouldn’t count this against them, just understand that you might be cleaning your keyboard more than you expected to. Switches: The keyboard comes with blue Jixian switches. They have a satisfying click and tactile bump. The pitch is much higher than my buckling spring keyboard, but also much lighter. I would say that they are smooth enough for general use. If you are an enthusiast you might not be completely happy with them, but if you are coming from rubber domes you will be very satisfied. Comparing them to my Outemu browns they are significantly more tactile, to the point where my browns feel linear. This was very good. I was able to type on this keyboard without bottoming out, something I was unable to do on my Outemu browns. The wobble in the switch is acceptable for the price range. None of the stabilized keys seem to bind or have issues with off center keypresses. Off center keypresses are not an issue with these switches. I think this key switch works great for typing! It felt very similar to my Cherry MX Blues in a Das Keyboard. However, the click sound was higher pitched and the switch didn’t feel quite as stable, but still very usable. I had a few family, friends, and coworkers test this keyboard and tell me their opinions. Some have used mechanical keyboards some haven’t. Generally, they liked it and said it felt and sounded good. Bluetooth: Setting up Bluetooth the first time was a pain. The directions didn’t seem to help. When I contacted the seller, they said to press FN + Tab to enter Bluetooth mode. That would have been nice to see in the manual. After doing so pairing was much easier, but still took a few tries to get it right. I initially paired it with my Samsung S8+ and that was a nightmare. It seemed to send the function layers instead of the actual letters. This made it unusable. Pairing it with my Surface Pro 4 was the same as a wired connection. Summary: For $45 dollars I think this keyboard makes an interesting option. It does a lot right. The case feels solid, the switches sound and feel nice, and Bluetooth is a huge plus. However, the keymapping is the worst I have ever used. I think it is absurd that anyone thinks that I should use a function key, on top of my shift, to type a question mark! If they changed this, or allowed end users to remap the keyboard, I would have very little to complain about. Some nitpicky things that I have to say about it include the use of glossy plastic on the sides of the keycaps and how the manual should be rewritten to better explain the Bluetooth pairing process. In the end, I would recommend this keyboard, if and only if, they change the keymap. That was the part of the keyboard that I could not stand.

The led was suprisingly bright and the keyboard it’s self was smaller than I expected one thing tho I don’t think it’s hot swappable the switch does not come off but so far so good

I have two of these now. One with brown switches the other with red. The red is definitely a bit more clicky, but not by much. It also seems to require less effort than the brown. I have used both for typing as well as gaming with no issues. For now I have the red on my main Windows gaming rig and the brown on the Linux box. Have not had them long enough to attest to longevity, but they are great out of the box. I have also only used them wired, so I cannot speak to the Bluetooth aspect. The whole 60% size thing took a bit getting used to, but not a big deal. I just hit FN Ctrl to enable function keys in games that use them and then switch back for normal functions. I know the kids will bot like this, but all light blue is much better than RGB. Now if these guys would only make a matching mouse, I would be good to go. I prefer a smaller lighter mouse with scroll wheel with click than the larger, heavier gaming variety as I use a slightly tall wrist rest and a finger claw grip.

This clicky-clacky little number does a fine job at providing a more satisfyingly tactile experience than your usual Bluetooth keyboard. Lots of reviews (and the product description!) suggest that you need to do some goofy key combos to get normal characters like question marks, but hidden in the manual is this handy paragraph: “Press FN+Shift (shift on the right side of the keyboard), Arrow keys turn into the second function. Press FN+Shift again, arrow keys function recovery.” Not the best translation, but it does mean you can toggle the arrow keys with a simple keyboard combo. I’ve attached a picture of the entire manual for the convenience of other potential buyers. And honestly, I recommend it. This keyboard is a steal at this price. It’s probably not the perfect gaming keyboard and your co-workers will murder you if you try to bring it to the office, but it’s a very functional device that’s a lot of fun for casual use. It also seems to be pretty trivial to customize, with easily swappable keycaps and a whole universe of little nerdy doo-dads to get the typing experience of your dreams. One imagines the more expensive models are even better if you’re trying to be some kind of Pro Gamer or you can’t type on anything less than actual ivory keys hand carved by patient artisans in a foreign country, but for the rest of us, it’ll do quite nicely. Also the whole thing lights up and makes you feel like you’re in a cheap Matrix knock-off movie, which is cool.

PRO * Very affordable 60% Mechanical Keyboard, especially given the Bluetooth connectivity. * OEM Keycaps are actually fairly thick in comparison to other mechanical keyboards in this price point. When measured with digital calipers the factory OEM keycaps were around 1.3mm. (EnjoyPBT or GMK keycaps are 1.4 and 1.5mm respectively). * Keyboard has fairly standard keycap sizes which makes switching to an aftermarket keyset easy and painless. * Surprisingly sturdy build especially given the price point. * On/Off toggle switch for the Bluetooth radio on the bottom of the keyboard. * LED indicator under spacebar for when keyboard is charging. CON * Bluetooth is Bluetooth version 3. However, for general typing use this shouldnt be an issue and wasnt an issue in any of my experience. However, if used for gaming you might want to play plugged in via USB to avoid any latency. * As I generally use fully programmable keyboards or keyboards such as the HHKB Professional BT where the Control key is where the Caps Lock key is placed, Id really like to be able to reprogram the keyboard layout via a desktop application or perhaps via an Android/iOS application such as what is present on the Anne Pro from Obins. This is also true of the arrow key placement as Id prefer to use HHKB style arrow clusters or at least vim arrow keys (hjkl). IMPROVEMENTS * Would like to see different switches offered such as Gateron Silents. * Perhaps switch to white LEDs as this would be more pleasing and would match with aftermarket keysets better. * See misc improvements or changes Id personally prefer to see throughout the review. MISC FEEDBACK * The model I am reviewing had a generic Cherry MX Blue switch in it. Normally, Im not one to use a clicky MX switch as I tend to prefer Cherry MX Silent Blacks (Linears) or Zealios (67g Tactile) or Topre style switches. * Personally, Id prefer to have paid $5 more to obtain this board with a different selection of switches (Gateron Silent Blacks for linears, maybe Silent Gateron Browns for Tactiles?) over the switches included. * When utilizing the LEDs the Caps Lock key is not turned on by default, unless caps lock is active. Id prefer to have all keys lit if LEDs are activated and when caps lock is turned ON to have the LED shine a different color via an RGB LED in this switch.

It was a gift for my nephew. He likes gaming. He thinks it’s a great product

I like this keyboard however my only issue is that I mess around with coding and if you go from doing that to using your arrow keys maybe this isnt the keyboard for you. I like it but honestly I wish I purchased a different one thats just a little bit bigger so certain keys dont overlap.

I bought this board as a budget 60% to switch off of my Anne Pro II with Kailh Box Reds if I was in the mood for some clicky goodness. The product page I think is intentionally vague about blue switches because they likely ship with whatever switch is cheapest at the time. I think some have Kailh branded switches, others have their own RK switches, and mine came shipped with Outemu switches. Its clicky and noisy enough for my needs for when I want to have it. Unfortunately, the single light version, as far as I can tell, does not have software to allow for key remapping. This was my fault for not doing my homework, but the default layout has some interesting thought put into it that I may be copying over to my AP2. A quick search on google finds that there is in fact software for the RGB version of this RK61, so if budget allows, I would recommend springing for that one. Fn+Enter can trigger the arrows to function as the primary layer and pressing the combo again will make the arrows secondary so you can easily access /?, alt, menu, and ctrl and hold down fn with your pinky to operate arrows as a second layer. Although it is only a single light, there are some lighting animations available and accessible with the keys on the right as a second function layer. I personally just use the static orange, however. Stabilizers are pretty garbage on space, enter and shift. Im relatively new to the mech hobby and did not understand what wobbly stabilizers were until I felt and heard this board. Although what I have to comapare it to (AP2) is known for having some decent stabilizers. All in all, despite my gripes with it, its a decent budget board that gets the job done. And again, if you can afford, I would bump up to the RGB version to allow for more customization with key remapping.

Very sad. Bought this about a year ago and I loved it. I wanted to try some new switches since the blues were becoming to clicky for my taste. Before buying the switches, I went back to the product description to verify that they were hot swappable. I buy the switches and get to changing. After fighting with one for a solid ten minutes, I finally get it out just to find that the pins are soldered in, but not before completely obliterating two of the switches. Now I’m just upset and without an escape key and tab. The keyboard is literally perfect otherwise… :( EDIT: I was in contact with the seller and they informed me that the models before 03/2021 are not hot swappable, but the new version is. They were kind enough to send me the new version free of charge. Awesome customer service and awesome product. 5/5.

Keyboard is very nice. Got it as an inexpensive upgradable keyboard. I cant tell the sound of the keys as well as a keyboard hobbyist but to the untrained ear I think it makes a decently nice noise. LED backlighting is nice and smooth. Overall id recommend.