Massdrop x Input Club K-Type Mechanical Keyboard

Designed by Input Club and produced by Massdrop, the K-Type is the culmination of multiple years of research, community involvement, and a whole lot of elbow grease. Every component of the K-Type is engineered to improve the way we interact with our computers. With a single-piece aluminum frame, RGB backlighting and underlighting, a fully programmable layout, dual USB type-C connectors, backlit RGB mechanical switches, and doubleshot PBT backlit keycaps, it’s the most advanced tenkeyless keyboard ever created.

The K-Type features switches with light pipes that are optimized to pump the most light possible through the keycaps. As far as colors, you’ll have your choice from over 16 million of them—not to mention each key can be customized exactly how you like. Program the lighting to cycle through the entire spectrum, set your keyboard to a single color, or program the underlighting to match your setup. The backlighting displays at a very high frame rate of over 100 frames per second, minimizing the flickering commonly found in other RGB keyboards.

As any keyboard lover knows, customizing your board is half the fun. That’s why the K-Type features a fully programmable layout, designed for modification. Thanks to the innovative firmware known as the Keyboard Layout Language, you have total control over the layout of the keyboard. Plus, the configurator allows you to program as many layers as you like, which means you can easily switch between multiple pre-programmed layouts. It’s also outfitted with two USB type-C connectors (one on each side) for daisy chaining additional devices that run the Keyboard Language Layout.

After physically testing every available Cherry MX style mechanical switch on the market, Input Club found that the only manufacturer that surpassed Cherry MX’s tolerances was Kaihua. Based on that research, the Massdrop and Input Club Halo Switches (patent pending both foreign and domestic) were created. Input Club's design took into account the best attributes from quiet and clicky switches, which resulted in a switch that has near perfect consistency and smoothness with each press. You can take a look at the graphs linked to learn more about the Halo True and the Halo Clear switches. The switches are compatible with all MX-style keycaps, but if you want to change them altogether, the K-Type is hot-swappable, to boot. This means you won’t have to buy a whole new keyboard should you want to try out a different switch type later on.

Milled from a single block of aircraft-grade aluminum—known for its toughness and ability to hold a quality surface finish—the K-Type’s frame is both strong and smooth. Though it is designed with a low profile, the case is heavy enough to keep the chassis in place throughout long sessions of work or play. Instead of a steel plate mounted on a plastic case, the K-Type uses a single block of aluminum to house the switches. Because of the aluminum build, each press results in a certain degree of flex (which was discovered by Matt3o during the development of the WhiteFox), creating a satisfying feel when typing.

One of the K-Type’s premier features is its open software, firmware, and hardware—giving you full sovereignty over the keyboard. When you use the configurator to modify the K-Type, you’re actually altering the keyboard at its most basic level. On any other keyboard, changes to the layout often require unreliable third-party software. With the K-Type, full layout customization is apparent right up front, not an afterthought. The easy-to-use configurator allows for infinite layout options, letting you take ownership of your hardware. This is made possible by Jacob Alexander's Keyboard Layout Language (KLL): a new BIOS for keyboards that unlocks their true potential.

To enhance the radiant backlighting, the keycaps are made with shine-through legends to make the K-Type really pop off your desktop. Carefully selected from Tai-Hao, they’re made from durable doubleshot Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT). Long a staple in the keyboard community, PBT keycaps help resist the shine that occurs from oils and sweat. The font used is Helvetica inspired, which is easy to read when the backlighting shines through.

“The build quality is great, the firmware is powerful, and the swappable switch mechanism is the best I’ve seen. Overall, $200 for this keyboard is a bargain.” - Extremetech

“K-Type consists of open software, firmware, and hardware. The Input Club describes this as giving you “full sovereignty” over your keyboard.” - TomsHardware

“The K-Type in many ways is the pinnacle of keyboards designed by the community, for the community, and is definitely be something I’ll recommend and stand behind.” - Keychatter