This thing is massive. Don’t let toddlers play around with it and you will regret in ER once they drop it on their foot! I love the design, the color (gray), and easy to follow instructions for backlight and light patterns.. most of all love the switch function between iOS and Windows with a switch in the back. https://www.amazon.com/EPOMAKER-Gasket-Mounted-hot-swappable-Mechanical-Backlights/dp/B0BX5WMS4B/
If you're on the fence about this... friendly reminder that Keychron sells this exact board with a black or translucent smoke plastic case for $84.
As @mdot mentioned below, there's some issues, but it's 100% worth it at this price point - for either the metal or plastic version.
This is a great board at a reasonable price, I own one and with some customization this could be one of your favorite boards. If you're on the fence, do it.
so my take... (not purchased from drop... so cant write a review there)
this is a great board. using one off and on as my daily driver for a few weeks now and have been pretty happy with it.
pluses:
knob on the left, where they ALL should be.
mod keys are a nice addition
alice layout with arrows is killer
minuses:
the stock steel plate is TERRRRRRIBLE. miscut and sounds bad. some switches were ultra tight... some fly out with the cap and wobble on the plate. measurements ranged from 13.8mm (snug) to 14.2mm - which the switch just flops around inside. plan on replacing the plate... polycarb or pom is a great option on this build depending on your switch.
had some qc issues with the daughterboard (was not plugged it... so not sure how my board was even tested?)
force break mod is necessary... they have it there by default, but for some reason, only applied half the pads on mine. easy to resolve though.
have to hold your tongue just right to get firmware done on the board. had to flash it twice, and via would not detect it (and no, it wasnt a json issue). not sure why - since they promote the thing as a via board - is it not loaded with via compatible firmware from the start? makes no sense.
case is ULTRA simplistic. not really a detraction if you like simplicity... but its far from a work of art. this is more like an F150 of the keyboard world. :)
all of those minuses are easily resolved thankfully. still worth the price. just plan to invest a bit more to get it acceptable.
Thank you for the detailed explanation. I have recently got into the hobby more deeply, and have yet to be able to muster the courage to order something in the $1k range. Maybe someday...
Do you have a social link or store I could check out?
FYI cost saving for HPX is broken - it applies a 30% discount only on a single pack of 35 switches, but three packs are required to cover the board 🤷♂️
yanilovI see the $60.90 in my cart. If you're interested to make the purchase could you email us community@drop.com and we'll find a way to help you? Will also flag the feedback for our team to review.
FYI, I have the completed version of this and it is amazing. Heavy and good rubber feet to prevent movement. I do NOT have the barebone version. Best keyboard I've ever used, which isn't saying much since I have so few.
That's all.