Glorious Modular Keyboard (Gateron Browns) Discussions | Drop

Free Standard Shipping in the US on orders over $99

Glorious Modular Keyboard (Gateron Browns)

Mech Keys

Showing 1 of 127 conversations about:

Glorious Modular Keyboard (Gateron Browns)

nogoodnames

260

Aug 24, 2018

Really don't think that gmmk is that good of a keyboard at all for the money it really should be 40 or even 30 dollars it is super light and loud the case just feels empty the hot swap is great but the build quality just isn't good

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 27, 2018

nogoodnamesFor the price the build quality is fine. Find me another hot swap aluminum case detachable cable board that isn't from a ABC company on amazon. I have one with zeal 65s and quiet clips, it's not the quietest board I own but it isn't the loudest either.

Vote

bfitz

666

Oct 27, 2018

Shark50521Seems reasonable for a project board or custom wood board. I would ditch the case, keep the face if its decent quality/thickness. Otherwise though everything but the PCB would be binned.

ilusions4

Oct 1, 2019

Shark50521MonkeyKing iGK61? $42 without keycaps and switches; $61 with keycaps and some generic gateron switches.

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 1, 2019

ilusions4Ahh yes MonkeyKing, the #1 name in keyboards. Available from such websites as pc-100.com and epathbuy.com. Complete with questionable abs plastic case. https://www.epathbuy.com/product/igk61-diy-custom-kit-abs-plastic-case-hot-swappable-mx-mechanical-switches-full-rgb-programmable-keyboard-kit-6/ The top case on the GMMK is aluminum, it has little flex, and for the price is great. I'd rather pay a bit more for a known quantity in terms of vendor and manufacturer, what you've linked qualifies under my ABC company above.

(Edited)

Vote

ilusions4

Oct 1, 2019

Shark50521honestly, it feels better to type on than the gmmk for me, but ok. Its secondary key layout also makes logical sense (unlike the gmmk's). When carrying it around, it feels cheaper (cause of the plastic case). The GMMK doesn't have USB-C though, soooo idk If you only buy brands that are hyped up by YouTube peripheral hypebeasts, that's cool, I guess https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR61sqCVhBY

(Edited)

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 1, 2019

ilusions4Lots of boards feel better to type on. Small kit boards like the GK64, a 1up60% hotswap in a different case, etc will also feel pretty good with a bit higher quality PCB. That being said for what the GMMK is, it's still hard to beat in terms of overall value. Find me another aluminum topped TKL with good build quality hot swap that isn't oetemu sockets for under $85. Make assumptions all you want about me in terms of the peripherals I buy, but my Heavy 6, R2 PFU, Scarlet Bandana and 2x1800 would say you'd be wrong. I've owned plenty of customs at this point as well as plenty of off the shelf boards and for $85 *with* switches, the GMMK is hard to beat in terms of complete package(aluminum top, little flex, hotswap). This isn't to say it's the end all be all of boards. There are lots of things to improve on such as acoustics, stabilizers and the occasional led issue. You also linked a non TKL board, of course it's going to cost less for switches, there are less of them, and in general smaller hot swap boards are in fact cheaper as they are readily available on chinese marketplaces.

Vote

ilusions4

Oct 1, 2019

Shark50521k, so then why shill the gmmk so hard? This is literally over a chunk of aluminum that doesn't even add that much value (unless you're carrying it around or something). I was talking about barebones, but true; it's not TKL. I thought they had the 60% option here, but I guess not. idk, if I really wanted a decent pre-built board with arrow keys and a chunk of aluminum in it, I'd just save up $70 more and get an alt. The gmmk just gives up too much and I'd honestly buy a cheap chinese 60% over it. (In fact, I did.. and then I bought the gmmk a few months later and regretted it.) idk whether the stab issue has been fixed on the tkl and full-sized models, no USB-C, garbage FN layer with no option to rebind keys, and there's no support for pcb mount switches (then again, you can just clip and the alt also doesn't support this). idk, I just wouldn't pay $80 for it when I could get something fairly comparable for half the price or save to get something better.

(Edited)

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 1, 2019

ilusions4The chunk of aluminum DOES add value, its a nicer finish and it reduces flex and case wobble and acts as a semi plate for a hot swap. A non plate hot swap is wobbly as all hell. Not everyone likes the feel of a plastic plate, especially depending on the switch type you are using. Just because YOU don't like the board doesn't mean it's not a good value for the general public. I want MORE people to get into the keyboard hobby. This is an easily accessible board that has good customer support to back it up vs a random Chinese vendor with 0 customer support, it's pretty simple. Not everyone can afford an ALT, a Ctrl, a Kira, or a nice custom, $85 is a pretty decent price point most people can afford and is a good jumping off point in the hobby. Are there nicer boards, yup, are there worse boards, yup. There just aren't a lot of boards in the hot swap TKL space, especially ones with actual customer support, and decent hot swap. You don't really need layers on a TKL, and if you do, you should be looking at a custom board anyway. You can't compare a 60% to a TKL. Not everyone wants to deal with layers or programming their own keyboard just to use arrow keys. I do agree no USB C at this point is getting silly and the stabs are garbage but no sub $100 keyboard is going to be 100% on every facet. There are plenty of other boards that have USB c and nice stabs but no hotswap and a bad build quality. Hell the board you mention is known for not having the hot swaps 100% soldered on for every switch, go read some reviews if you don't believe me.If I was going to recommend a 60% to people it sure as hell wouldn't be a wobbly hot swap Chinese question mark manufacturer, I'd probably tell them to get a ducky one mini or an fc660m if they wanted to go over $100 that way you at least get quality keycaps at the same time.

Vote

ilusions4

Oct 1, 2019

Shark50521I agree about it being an easy board to get into (simply because of how hyped it is and because the company has its own site). Though, aside from needing to return a faulty product, I don't see what you'd need customer service for when it comes to keyboards.. and in that case, Amazon's return policy is one of the best. The default way to use arrow keys on a gk61 is to hold FN (bottom right of the board) and then the keys immediately to the left of it. It's not even that bad and it's honestly worth saving $40 for when you account for the things the gmmk doesn't have. On a gmmk compact or KBParadise V60 or something, arrow keys are awful though, yes. The board I mentioned does have ciy switches. Here's the same board for $14 more from a different ABC company on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Independent-Mechanical-Keyboard-Plastic-Aluminum/dp/B07JVMBMNK/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=gk61&qid=1555478474&s=gateway&sr=8-2 When it comes to non-hotswappable switches, I'd recommend a million keyboards over a cheap chinese one too; that's kinda irrelevant to this.

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 1, 2019

ilusions4Again, arrow keys might not matter to you but they matter to a lot of people, its why full size boards exist and for some people are easily worth the $40 bucks. I would not say the GMMK compact is the best board for the money in it's price range, I never said it was. However I challenge you to find me a TKL that has close to the same features and is hot swap, it doesn't exist. Correct, you need customer service for a faulty product, it happens in life. I'd rather have someone to go back to vs being high and dry, even with Amazon's return policy, they aren't taking back your faulty board 6 months later, they will tell you to go through the manufacturer which in some cases no longer exists on Amazon, it's happened with me on other products.

(Edited)

Vote

ilusions4

Oct 2, 2019

Shark50521I guess you're right. This keyboard is the best keyboard in its price range for people who type at around 50 wpm (necessitating the need for arrow keys) and don't care to do any research before shelling out $80 for a keyboard that's easily somewhat customizable. I'm not saying that these people don't exist because they definitely do and Glorious has created a market for them; I'm saying that I don't see the value in desperately trying to pull these people into the keyboard "community" or whatever. Also, these people are probably not even in this discussion section. I also don't get why you assume that these people are the majority of people looking to get into keyboards. Glorious has a worse return policy than Amazon (which isn't surprising because most companies do) and Amazon has a 4 year warranty option (better than Glorious's 1 year warranty) that you can add to the board I mentioned for $10.. making it $60 in total. For a GMMK, you're giving up $20, USB-C, a more intuitive default and customizable FN layer (for if you want to control lighting without needing to download software), usable stabs, and native support for pcb mounted switches in exchange for an aluminum case and dedicated arrow keys. The trade-off just doesn't seem beneficial

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 2, 2019

ilusions4I love how you insult people based on their WPM. I type at 100+ WPM but arrow keys STILL make my job easier. I promise you I would crush you in data entry speeds with my 10key plus arrow keys vs whatever layered magic you're pulling on a 60%. TKL and Fullsize folks ARE THE MAJORITY of keyboard users. Why do you think Razer and Logitech have monstrous market shares vs say your beloved MonkeyKing? It's because these boards are accessible and are offered at good value points. I'm sorry you're an elitist prick who only wants people to use 60%'s or thinks they are better than another person because you type faster. Adding a warranty through Asurion, means Asurion is offering that plan, not Amazon, however it is GREAT that they offer that and I wish Drop and other companies would get behind that as well. I'll agree the pcb mounted switch thing is a negative, nobody likes having to clip pcb legs off and it's a definite oversight to include them. I've already said I agree on the USB C and the stabs part. I don't understand what you mean, I am able to control my lighting through FN keys without installing anything so maybe you just read things wrong? I mean sure, to set per key colors to the exact hue you need the software, but I can cycle modes, basic colors with just fn + other keys. Compare apples to apples, find me another hot swap TKL with the same features at close to the same price. You still haven't found me a comparable TKL, I wonder why that is? The recent comparable Logitech that just came out(which also isn't as compatible with all switches) is $150. Listen man, I'm sorry you don't like the company and you had a bad experience with them but it doesn't make this board not a good value in the hot swap TKL space. Reading all your posts on here is hilarious, all you do is whine, whine about keyboards, whine about a gaming desk,(I have that same desk by the way, it's fine, doesn't wobble). Hell I'm surprised you haven't made a video whining about where GMMK touched you yet.

(Edited)

ilusions4

Oct 2, 2019

Shark50521I never insulted anyone; I simply said that if you need arrow keys, it's most likely because you type slow. Again, I just hold my pinky down and click the keys immediately to the left of it; it's not that hard. There are very few cases where dedicated arrow keys are a necessity if you’re actually comfortable with typing. To be honest, I don't care about how erect your typing speeds are. It's pretty irrelevant. I can type 120 wpm on a poker layout and 100 wpm on an ortholinear layout. Big deal, nobody gives a shit. TKL and Fullsize are the majority of keyboard users because the majority of people don't give a shit about what switches or keyboard they're using. Your argument here is beyond trash. When it comes to Razer and Logitech, people don’t care beyond whether their switch is clicky, tactile, or linear; these people are irrelevant to the demand for ciy keyboards (or hotswap or whatever you wanna call them). I never said that I wanted people to use 60%s. I'm just going over why a 60% makes more sense to buy than the gmmk. If anything, you seem to be the one who desperately wants everyone to buy a gmmk. I’m just trying to say “ayy. This is the inferior product.” If you have a problem during your warranty period and the company doesn’t respond, Amazon A-Z guarantee will do something. They gave me a full refund on that garbage desk 3 months after the fact and I didn’t even have a warranty. Amazon loses a shit ton of money on a daily basis for minor things that improve customer satisfaction. Why? I have no fucking idea. You are able to control lighting through FN keys, but you are unable to rebind which FN keys alter lighting. The lighting keys on my gmmk make no logical sense, so I have to look at the manual every time; if I could just rebind them (like I can with the massdrop alt, the ergodox, and even the Chinese board), this wouldn’t be an issue. I never said that you can find the exact same thing, but better. It doesn’t exist. I simply said that in almost all scenarios, the trade-off doesn’t make the gmmk worth it; just get a 60%. It’s not bad, it’s just inferior in almost all ways. Holy fuck, you are a hypebeast! Guy actually bought a GAMING desk for $500 and kept it! Mine did wobble with both the original and replacement parts. Maybe it’s because I play shit that requires accuracy and you don’t or maybe your desk actually doesn’t wobble. Either way, you actually payed $500 for a few pieces of metal, 3 pieces of wood, and a cheap generic mousepad capable of holding up a max of 2 monitors without a mount. LOL! I can’t take you seriously. You’re on here complaining about garbage too, so don’t even start. Edit: WTF!? Why are you on here almost 24/7! Holy shit! I almost want to say "do something!", but at the same time, the more of you, the less competition irl for me.

(Edited)

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 2, 2019

ilusions4You clearly do care about WPM as you were the one who brought it up as some sort of e dick measuring stick. "People who prefer arrow keys type slow" herr derrrrrrrr. Preferring arrow keys has nothing to do with "how good of a typist you are" or "how comfortable you are" with typing. I'll argue more and more people care about what switches are in their keyboards, even the mainstream gaming crowd. There is a reason when you go to best buy or whatever electronics store of your choice now a days the keyboards are all displayed with at least 1 keycap off. Keyboards are hitting the mainstream more than you think, the growth of the hobby has been exponential in the last few years. If there was no demand for CIY in this market, why did logitech spend all this time and money making a new CIY board, sound logic there champ. A 60% doesn't make more sense than a TKL when the person is looking for either a TKL or a Fullsize, which is what this drop is. A 60% isn't comparable to a TKL. I could maybe argue for a 75%. Telling someone to buy a 60% board when they are looking for a TKL or a fullsize isn't helpful to anyone. Hell even a GK64 makes more sense versus telling someone to buy a 60%. Again, for the money this is a great board. There is not a comparable board in this space for sub $100. However If I was going to recommend a board for everybody to buy, it'd be a Realforce R2 in either TKL or fullsize or an FC660c if you wanted something more compact. Different price ballgames though. Do you really think I spent $500 bucks. Those desks were $229 delivered from Massdrop. You're just a bad shopper :) who is mad about some import fees. I have tons of stuff on that desk, it's rock solid, zero wobble, easy assembly, etc. Arozzi has put out some shit products no doubt, definitely some sketchy QC, but that desk isn't half bad. I used to have an old ikea countertop desk and that wasn't half bad either. Edit:I work in IT, email pops up on my phone when you answer a post, it's how notifications work.

(Edited)

Vote

ilusions4

Oct 4, 2019

Shark50521I was contemplating not putting it in cause I foresaw this response. Oh well. Too late now. The fun thing is that you can't really shit on me for it without being a hypocrite. The mainstream gaming crowd doesn't care beyond "clicky", "tactile", and "linear"... and a lot of people don't even care about that. Almost all of the people I've talked to who own Razer keyboards don't even know how their switches work. I was talking to someone who had a Razer keyboard; she didn't know that her switches were "mecha-membrane" and she didn't even know why her switches felt the way they do. Have you ever talked to a person outside of this website in your life? I never said that there was no demand for it. In fact, I said the opposite previously. I guess reading comprehension isn't your thing... There is a demand for it, but it's nowhere near as big as the demand for generic "gaming" keyboards (like those from Razer). Check Facebook marketplace and see how many people are even telling you what kind of switches are in the keyboards they're selling; a minority of people give a shit. Out of 25 posts, I found 2 that mentioned what switches were in their keyboards; one guy had an XMIT board with hall effect switches and the other guy had a new corsair board with cherry mx reds. "A 60% isn't comparable to a TKL." You're stating something you haven't supported as though it's a fact. ok lol You can buy much better keyboards around the price range of a GK64 and a GK64 is not in the price range we're talking about, so no.. a GK64 does not make more sense. Again.. For the money, a 60% is a better option. Learn to hold your pinky down for 1 out of every 100 keystrokes and you get a keyboard that will give you a better marginal benefit from using it than a gmmk (so long as you're not just entering information into spreadsheets all day or something). Wow... A $300 and a $200 board. That's exactly the price range we're talking about. I know that you probably have the memory of a goldfish, but we're talking about boards in the <$100 range. You're right. I made a shit decision. Then again, the desk isn't even worth $229. I could barely fit half of my shit on there and that mouse mat is generic crap; it was worse than my baby's first mousepad, the QCK.

(Edited)

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 4, 2019

ilusions4Right, hotswap is a newer thing so the demand isn't going to be there for it yet, but if Logitech is spending money on the idea, you can bet the demand is much bigger than you think. I'll agree it's more along the lines of clicky linear tactile vs say mx red vs mx black level of care but even that is starting to shift as time goes by. Kids see the setup Ninja or shroud or summit1g use and go damn, I want to get that setup too, then I can be as good as them. A lot of these guys have switched to some form of mechanical board as they've picked up peripheral sponsors. I get it though you're an expert in keyboard market demand who researches Facebook Marketplace. Facebook marketplace is definitely the indicator of how the market is as a whole. You better write Logitech and tell them of your findings. You try and make everything fit in black and white boxes but there is a lot of consumers who fit in neither. In regards to talking to people outside of this website, yup! Just not my friends either. I host a keyboard meetup in a major metro city in the US that draws all sorts of folks. Ergo nerds, Ortho nerds, 40% nerds, fullsize nerds, even kids who bring their Logitech and Razer boards. People without keyboards even come. It's a good time and you get the ability to try every type of keyboard under the sun. I'll agree, the benefit for having a tkl is marginal and I do prefer a 65% most of the time, however a lot of gamers(who this board is marketed towards) enjoy having arrow keys depending on the game. I also know we are talking about boards in the sub $100 range. Particularly we are talking about TKL and fullsize boards because that's what this drop is for. You can scream into the void that a 60% is "the same as a tkl" all you like but it doesn't make it true. A GK64 would make more sense for someone looking for a hot swap TKL because it actually has arrow keys. It still really doesn't make sense though as it doesn't have the same functionality. A 60% isn't comparable to a TKL simply on the fact that there is a required use of layers for basic functions(arrow keys, F5, alt F4) vs using layers for things like $%^&*(). There's literally an ENTIRE row (F row) of keys missing in addition to the arrow keys and some other lesser used keys. If you went to buy a car that could turn both directions but the only had cars that would make left turns, I don't think you'd buy that car. Well I mean you only make right turns x percent of the time, just make three left turns, no big deal right? The only way a 60% and a tkl are comparable is that they are both keyboards. Kind of like how a motorcycle and a car are both modes of transportation. Again there is nothing wrong with that ABC company board or the Monkey King board, they are great 60%'s and by far some of the best values in terms of smaller boards but they aren't great hot swap TKLs, which has been my point the entire time. They are both fruit sure, but it's not an apples to apples comparison, more like an apple to banana.

Vote

ilusions4

Oct 12, 2019

Shark50521Right, hotswap still has nothing to do with the “clicky, tactile, or linear” people and a lot of these people don’t even know the difference between tactile and clicky. Kids see these setups and go for the easiest option. As an example, my cousin got an Anne Pro 2 with cherry mx browns.. If you think that a large amount of these kids know how to buy switches on their own, you’re mistaken; I’m in my 20s and it took me a few months to understand where to buy things. Logitech isn’t going for a massive amount of people with that board; fuck, I didn’t even know it existed until you brought it up because I haven’t seen it talked about anywhere. Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji aren’t bad ways to see how the majority of people talk about products. Yes, some people talk about switches, but it’s FAR from a majority of people. From the way you talked about it, that “keyboard meetup” sounds like it attracts mostly enthusiasts. The majority of people using mechanical keyboards aren’t enthusiasts.. just as the majority of people using computers to game aren't enthusiasts when it comes to building PCs; the majority of people just buy pre-built machines. I’ve never needed arrow keys in any game aside from when I played Maplestory in 2010 (and I’m pretty sure movement keys are rebindable now), so idk where you’re going with the gaming argument. Again, you’ve given no reason for me to not compare 60%s with TKLs. A GK64 makes no sense because most consumers can’t just decide to bump up the price they’d be willing to pay for a keyboard (and if they did have a higher budget, there are many better hotswap boards at that price range); a consumer COULD decide that dedicated arrow keys are largely useless and that the gmmk has more cons than a cheaper 60%. You’ve never used a 60%, have you? You hold shift and the number keys (as you would for any other board with number keys) to get symbols like: “$%^&*()”. F keys are so rarely used that it doesn’t matter, but you literally just hold Fn and the corresponding number (ex. Fn+ 5 = F5); you still haven’t disproved my arrow key argument, so why are you now trying to bring in the same argument for an even more useless row of keys? Your car analogy is unrelated. It doesn’t even make sense as you presented it, but I’ll entertain it. Let’s say the car tells you that it won’t turn right “x” percent of the time before coming to the intersection… It still makes no sense lol! You’re spending minutes more on turning the car three times left; when it comes to arrow keys, just learn to hold your pinky down slightly before pressing the keys. It's even less of a hassle than putting your turn signal on before turning right. Again, in the majority of cases, you don’t need dedicated arrow keys. Again, you haven’t explained how it’s like comparing apples to bananas. The only important differences are cheaper construction, no dedicated arrow keys, $20 in savings, USB-C, a more intuitive default and customizable Fn layer, usable stabs, and native support for pcb-mounted switches.

(Edited)

Vote

Shark50521

260

Oct 12, 2019

ilusions4I used to have a pearl. I have a 60 percent board because it looks nice but it just doesn't have the ease of use as a tkl or the same use cases. A large number of custom 60 percents still USB micro or mini USB and they cost 3x what a gmmk does. Would you not buy any of those boards? The important difference you are neglecting is there are around 27 less keys. The bottom line is most people want to plug in a keyboard and have it work. The gmmk does that. No fucked up layer press for page down page up, etc, it's all there. You complain about the customizable fn layer while neglecting that most people don't give two shits about a customizable function layer. I promise more people care clicky, tactile, linear vs how customizable the fn layer is on a tkl size or bigger board. It's not about "needing" arrow keys it's about ease of use. Learning fn layers is an "enthusiast" thing whether you believe it or not.

(Edited)

Vote

ilusions4

Dec 16, 2019

Shark50521I've already gone over the ease of use thing. You're 1 pinky finger away from arrow keys or F keys; unless your job is to press arrow keys all day (as yours apparently is), it's worth it over putting up with the annoying shit this keyboard has to offer. Especially for some dummy just getting into hotswappables, this keyboard is a confusing mess for the reasons I've already mentioned a number of times. The gmmk is not plug and play.. No hotswappable keyboard is plug and play.. and especially not this one (if you're getting it to actually hotswap switches anyway). I spent 30 minutes clipping switches about 2 weeks ago and that would've annoyed the shit out of a younger me. Page up, page down, home, end, and delete are like the only keys I've seen hotswap to pre-built mech keyboard users use and they are rarely used. They are also well placed and customizable on the gk61. You are still giving up more by getting a gmmk. Whether you use it, a customizable Fn layer with a better default setup is better than a static Fn layer that makes no sense whatsoever. You didn't know that 60%s don't have symbols under the Fn layer and you're on here talking about how using arrow keys on one is an impossible feat... ok. Learning Fn layers is an enthusiast thing but so is getting a hotswappable keyboard.. and especially one that requires you to clip pcb mount switches. If you put people like that in a situation where they need to use an Fn key for something, they'll learn it.

Vote

Shark50521

260

Dec 16, 2019

ilusions4Totally agree on the clipping switches part. If someone is willing to go through that, getting flush cutters, snip snip, they are probably equally as likely to figure out a FN key and the corresponding layers. I never said it's an impossible feat to use layers to use arrow keys, I'm just arguing arrow key use is a pretty basic function that most of the keyboard using population uses. I'd reckon most people use their arrow keys more than their function row and Home/End cluster. I'd still argue it's plug and play *with* the right additional switch purchase, and they do list what switches are compatible. Very few switches only come in PCB mount now a days. There are plentiful plate mount solutions already to go. At the end of the day I think *both* are decent entry level hot swap options, just with a different set of caveats. If we're talking apples to apples like GK61 vs GMMK Compact, It's GK61.

Vote

ilusions4

Dec 21, 2019

Shark50521I still disagree. If the person plays any popular games, I'd argue that the function row is used more than the arrow keys; otherwise, true. Even so, arrow keys are not used enough to where not having dedicated arrow keys would be a massive inconvenience to the average person willing to buy this keyboard. It's still not plug and play... You still need to swap out all the switches and you need to know not to buy PCB mount switches. Again, an "apples to apples" comparison is kinda irrelevant as I'm arguing that a GK61 has better marginal utility than a GMMK TKL to the average person looking to buy a hot swappable keyboard.

(Edited)

Vote

View Full Discussion

PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE