ROYALAXE X ProtoArc 60% Wireless Mechanical Keyboard, Hot-swappable Wired/Bluetooth 5.0/2.4G Wireless Keyboard with RGB Backlit for Windows & Mac, PBT Keycaps, Gateron G Yellow Pro Switch, Lava Brown
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mike r
> 24 hourReplacing the vital large backspace key with a a tiny one to make room for an unprogrammable dial that serves a function a tiny button could do. Printing keys alternate functions in TINYT ORANGE icons on BROWN keys (are you for real?) and printing the same icons in the manual in bright orange ink on white paper. I dont know what sick sadist made these design choices, but they need to be fired. The orange icons I could eventually memorize, but theres not getting past this travesty of a dial. I thought Id be able to live with a smaller backspace key. I was wrong.
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Satori Rosalyn
> 24 hourIt’s more like a muted keyboard, the quality of it is amazing.
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Portia
> 24 hourI’m absolutely in love with this keyboard. I’m a bit guilty of collecting mechanical keyboards, but I I feel like this one is underrated. Easy to set up with lots of options and I absolutely love the sound quality. The keys have a great feel to them and I actually enjoy typing. Adjustable feet would be the only possible improvement as it is a bit slanted, but a huge deal personally, just something to keep in mind depending on your typing style.
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nuk
> 24 hourThis keyboard is great for users interested in the 68 key 60 percent format. It has a 2100mAh battery advertised (and is actually right! many lie about the battery size!). The knob to change wireless from BT to 2.4g works as expected and the multi bluetooth profiles (3) are adequate for any user. The reception is great as well. The keycaps are nice and have a commodore 64 look to them. The only thing im not so happy for is unlubed stabilizers. Only the wire was lubed so the stab housing was rattling like crazy. Another hiccup is the backlight turns off after a few seconds to save battery, but does the same thing when the USB C cable is connected. I wish plugging in the USB would let the backlight stay on all the time. Do yourself a favor and pull them out, clean them and relube with some Kratox and Dielectric Grease. The Gateron Yellows are nice. It seems like they may have a thin layer of lube from the factory as well. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a reliable wireless keyboard.
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Mark
> 24 hourThis keyboard ticks a lot of boxes in terms of marketing phrases that people look for in mechanicals. Unfortunately, some key design elements make it less desirable for keyboard enthusiasts. But for a certain subset of users, this is going to be a nice entry point into mechanical keyboards. PROS: ++ Great mix of features including triple connection modes, multiple Bluetooth profiles, and hot swappable 5-pin sockets including anti-ghosting and NKRO ++ The Gateron Pro stock switches are actually pretty good for out of the box smoothness and sound. Do not misinterpret that to mean they are the same level of quality of hand lubed switches, but the factory lube is not terrible ++ The included keycaps are super high quality for stock keycaps. They are not shine through but they are a very nice quality set of what appear to be double shot PBT keycaps with bold color profiles ++ The per-key RGB is really well done. These will work great with shine through or clear keycaps if thats what you want to use. You can easily cycle through different RGB profiles and backlight settings using built-in function hotkeys ++ The control dial in the upper right corner is super convenient - it makes it extremely easy to switch between wired, wireless or Bluetooth modes, and also to change between Windows and Mac profiles ++ The USB receiver has its own stow-away location beneath the control bar and is held in place magnetically, a nice touch. ++ The included plastic cover is a nice touch, and will help to keep your keyboard dust free. (while thin, its better than not having one) ++ The included keycaps include some side printed extras, including multimedia functions as well as the Mac functions for those who want to use it in Mac mode ++ Four additional switches were included, a nice extra for those who are unlucky enough to break switches when they remove them for lubing, etc. ++ Basic switch and keycap pullers are included, which is nice for those who dont already have them on hand ++ This could be considered a positive or a negative depending on your preferences, but this keyboard appears to be made with a muted sound profile in mind. The stock sound is very soft and muted. ++ Its rare to see a full layout with custom keycaps like this, as 1800 and smaller layouts have basically taken over. There is an audience for full traditional layouts like this ++ The included numpad is a really nice bonus; for a slightly smaller layout they make the 98 key R100 with similar features CONS: -- I hate the low profile / short throw / short stem feel to the keycaps, especially on the space bar; people used to chiclet style keyboards may love that but if this was my main board I would have to immediately compensate by switching to long pole switches and high profile keycaps, despite the attractive look of these -- I hate the fact that there are no included feet on the front or back. The back battery bar for lack of a better term is really high and kind of limits the angles that you can have the keyboard at by default. For people who prefer a flatter orientation to this extreme angle, this will make typing feel uncomfortable. -- No extra keycaps were included with the Mac functions on the top instead of the side -- The 4 rubber pads near the corners feel inadequate for such a wide board. It would have been nice to have 2 additional pads on the bottom in the middle to provide extra support -- The case is unfortunately not great quality, with several mold lines visible at random throughout, meaning it appears like this was not molded as one complete unit but was rather made by joining several molded sections of plastic -- The bottom does not show any visible screws, meaning disassembling this board will most likely require removing those rubber pads, a design choice I really hate -- People who are kind of looking for loud clacky keyboards wont like that its not super easy to get into the case and change or add different materials to change the sound profile -- its probably not surprising in this category, but the stabilizers were a little inconsistent out of the box, with the space bar especially rattily on mine and noticeable sound differences between shift keys -- While you can do some customization with the ProtoArc software, there is no full compatibility with common tools like QMK / VIA CONCLUSION If you are one of those people who thinks that the keyboard on your Macbook Pro is awesome, you are looking for a full sized mechanical board and you have no intention of lubing switches, this is going to feel like heaven to you. For my preferences I was kind of surprised by how difficult it was to adjust and customize basic things like angle of the board right out of the box. There is definitely a market for a full layout board like this with features like this keycap set. I am just afraid that once I have taken this board apart to get it to feel and sound the way that I want it to, the case may be irreparably marred from the experience. For my money, I think basically any Keychron board kind of gives you most of the benefits of this, with the added bonus of QMK / VIA compatibility. But this board does have a unique look. And if you were never planning to take it apart, the limitations of this case wont touch you. By the time you care enough about that you will be ready to buy another keyboard.
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omar
> 24 hourIve yet to see another mechanical keyboard showing off such high quality keycaps, a COMPACT full key layout, and RGB at this price point. The keys feel smooth and responsive. The lighting doesnt bleed through like it would on cheaper boards. The layout is perfect for work and gaming. Just...the perfect package. The color scheme for the purple and cyan keyset didnt seem like itd be my cup of tea, but after a day of two it grew on me, and I ended up falling in love shortly after that. I cant say it enough. This price point is INSANE for the features and quality that this keyboard brings to the table. I recommend it highly and this is definitely going to be my work keyboard from now on.
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1988
> 24 hourJust unboxing this keyboard had a luxurious feel to it. It was completely protected, packaged neatly, and sensibly. The keys have a soft, but quick feel to them and work without skipping a beat (good thing for a keyboard, Id say). It has various options for connectivity - hardwire, BT, or USB; which is great. It also has a switch for Windows vs Mac keys configuration and that is a selling point for me as I am a Mac user, but often switch between systems as a Systems Engineer. As of right now, this is going to be my daily driver. Im finding no fault with it thus far and am pleasantly surprised at both the quality and usability of this keyboard. Its truly beyond any other keyboard Ive used. Edit 10/31/22 - I needed to remove some keys for cleaning and finally used the included tool to pull those keys off. I wanted to come back and add that that tool, is just okay. I was trying to use it to pull the space bar off and it actually scratched my key in a couple of places because it would not grip the edges of the key well, at all. I did finally get it, but that was frustrating; especially since it put scratches on the key. Obviously, keyboard is still usable (and is still my daily driver), but, I did like the no scratch look better.
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@yesyjay
> 24 hourEverything about this keyboard is amazing! My only downside would be the small backspace button, it takes some getting used to. Overall very happy with this product.
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Bri
> 24 hourSo cute and work very well. I just love all the colors on it and it is like a strobe rainbow effect. One thing about it is that it’s a little smaller then I thought it would be.
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Leland Purdy
> 24 hourI use it for school and gaming.