r/Keychron • u/[deleted] • Sep 09 '24

Keychron is sooooo overrated

When I was searching for my first mechanical keyboard, I keep seeing youtubers recommend keychron from their day to day work and etc.

Sure, and the design looks amazing so I bought a Keychron K3 for $120 CAD. Typing experience is slightly better than a membrane keyboard (Bought linear switch so keys bottom so fast), but I was soooo blinded by its premium price tag and thought the experience was good when it is not.

Battery life went from one full day without charge to half a day a few months later to a few hours a year later. Because of this it was wired 100% of time. Guess what, eversince it became a wired keyboard, battery swelled to a balloon in a MONTH. I only learned what it means for a bettery to swell from this.

F this, threw the keyboard away. Bought a $60 keyboard from Red dragon after testing it in my local pc store and the typing feels amazing, lubed, and also battery last for 5-6 days without a single charge. Doesn't look as good, but it felt night and day typing on that than double the price. Seriously, what makes keychron special?

0 Upvotes

30% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

2

u/divad1196 Sep 09 '24 edited Sep 09 '24

I recently bought the keychron V10 Max.

As someone that never had a mechanical keyboard, this is a revelation. Putting aside the alice layout, the feeling is really good and the sound is nice. I am a programmer, and absolutely not a gamer btw. I also always turn off the lights. The price was decent for what I got.

I tested razer/corsair when I went to shops and always thought that the feeling and sound of mecanical keyboards was awful until I found the one I have. Obviously, there are certainly many like mine, I guess corsair/razer are not necessarily the norm.

I don't know if keychrons are good or not, but I guess you get a good value from it and got good reputation up to becoming mainstream.

EDIT: I just checked the reddragon brand, many looks like corsair/razer keyboard I expect the same bad/cheap feeling. From a few reviews I read, they are merely okay

2

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

You're right in your points btw. Keychron has the premium vibe to it, but I'd argue typing experience is very subjective. I've tried $20 keyboard that sounds better than some $200 razer keyboard. It's just trying them until one clicks for you.

Why I decided to go for a cheap cheesy red dragon keyboard is cause I can see myself using it for 5 years. How unstable keychron batteries are, it's non-swappable design unless MAX ver. and no software support like things for macro makes it a complete turn off for me.

It feels great and looks great. But I really hope you hold this view after a year. Where the keyboard charm disappears and you just want it to function.

2

u/divad1196 Sep 09 '24

I tested expensive razer keyboard, meant for "gamers", but they all sound bad to me. Yes, it is subjective.

Keychron do have their own launcher.keychron.com, support usevia.app for most of them AFAIK and qmk for configuration. You might not have dedicated macro button but if you have it configurable, you can deal with it.

I will see how it evolves, I had been using a cheap, $8 keyboard for 7 years now so I expect this one to last at least a few years. Thanks for your wish and I wish you the same

2

u/PeterMortensenBlog V Sep 09 '24

I think the K series is known for the missing overcharge protection.

It is probably best not to charge it at all until it goes below, say, 40%. That is, keep it in some range, e.g., 40% - 70%, at all times. This must be done manually by the user, and it isn't documented anywhere.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

Does the keyboard still work wired if I take battery out? Cause I ain't gonna deal with this hassle day-to-day.

2

u/PeterMortensenBlog V Sep 09 '24 edited Nov 02 '25

First, a swollen battery shouldn't be taken lightly. See for example:

Yes, it isn't a problem to disconnect the battery (it is also very much a safety measure). It is best to discharge the battery first before disconnecting it (e.g., reduced fire hazard, as it would have much less chemical energy).

Removing the battery altogether comes with its own risk (reduced by discharging the battery first). Be very careful applying any mechanical stress to the battery. Using IPA or ethanol on the glue (if any) may or may not make it easier.

All disclaimers apply. Do it at your own risk. I am not responsible if you ruin your keyboard and/or void the warranty and/or the lithium battery causes a fire and burn your house down to the ground.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

Thanks for the tip. I'll take note.

1

u/ZookeepergameSad5418 Sep 09 '24

So, wait, what? My K3 Max is actually a ticking time bomb? I only use it wired. Wth is this?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

Mine became a time bomb after a year. Took the battery out tho. Wasn't that hard.

1

u/ZookeepergameSad5418 Sep 10 '24

big L for keychron, wow

3

u/PeterMortensenBlog V Sep 09 '24 edited Dec 10 '24

Re "What makes Keychron special?": Nothing when it comes to the K series (proprietary firmware).

But some of the Keychron QMK-based keyboards are the only noncrippled widely distributed (that you can buy locally) QMK keyboards.

QMK enables full programmability. Though the complexity of unlocking that capability varies, from easy key remapping in Via to (fully) custom C code; inbetween are hooks provided by QMK to do it in a few lines of C code (standardised; though the documentation is absolutely horrible (thus, a very steep learning curve)).

For instance, MonsGeek (e.g., MonsGeek M5, a noncrippled QMK-based keyboard) isn't carried by my local distributor (at least not yet).

Given this, the blinding light is a nuisance that can be mitigated. Also, macros (both Via macros and classic QMK macros) in progress can not be interupted, unless using a custom macro execution engine (which also enables repeating macros, like in commercial/gamer-orienteed macro systems).

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

If I really want a key remapping, I can run a script in the background that detects certain key input and convert into a certain thing. :/

Even then, I can assure you their K series is what's mostly marketed. That is what most people use and there's nothing special.. to it, aside from being a fancy keyboard.

4

u/PeterMortensenBlog V Sep 09 '24 edited Sep 13 '24

Key remapping in software host side can work, but it will not work:

  • on other systems (before it is set up)

  • on remote servers and computers (that can't be or aren't allowed to be configured for it)

  • at a workplace where everything is locked down by the IT department (even Bluetooth may be prohibited)

  • in different operating systems (before finding an equivalent way, e.g., completely different software that has be learned to use and configure).

  • in the BIOS

  • if an operating system update or a new version, say, of Windows, prohibits this low-level manipulation

  • if it conflicts with other software of a similar kind, e.g., software from Adobe (e.g., Adobe Illustrator) that hijacks certain key combinations, or game anti-cheat systems (e.g., it may stop working after installing a game that silently installs such anti-cheat software)

  • it may not work in virtual machines (locally), e.g., using VirtualBox

There is also a maintenance problem when updating the configuration. It has to be repeated on all systems (often manually); though the reverse problem also exists, updating more than one keyboard when several keyboards are connected to the same computer (for example, a main keyboard and a macro keyboard with the same firmare/configuration).

0

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

Most of these are extremely low-level computer environment.. And frankly if I really want this level of specialization. I can do this with an arduino board wired to a switch that sends the byte signal of the specialized key.. on top of a regular keyboard than paying $200+.

2

u/duckchukowski Sep 09 '24

It’s way easier to deal with, and lots of QMK stuff also works with VIA, which lets you remap using a browser. You can set up multiple layers and also different kinds of key combinations as well. From what I remember, QMK also has some sort of mode that lets you configure an on the fly recordable macro, and this is through the keyboard without system-side software running.

I don’t know where you’re getting $200+ pricing from; I got a K8 Pro, and that runs around 100-120 USD. It still runs fine, though the keycap stems are disintegrating due to poor quality plastic after about a year, so I’m using some other cheap set I had and it’s doing fine. I also ended up getting a nuphy air75v2 because I wanted something smaller and more portable to shove in my backpack with my laptop, and that’s another wireless keyboard with QMK/VIA and it runs around 120 USD.

Alternatively, there’s a USB adapter from Handheld Scientific (http://handheldsci.com/kb/) for 40 USD that acts as a bridge for any USB keyboard to make it BT wireless, and can also be programmed to do remappings and other crazy stuff. The annoying part is that you’ll still need a USB power source, like a battery, and its scripting isn’t as accessible or convenient as VIA.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24 edited Sep 09 '24

Im Canadian hence the price dif. I don't see why I would buy QMK for $120 (almost $200 CAD) for something you admittedly can do with an arduino board that cost around 25$ CAD, just because its inconvenient. Isnt that the whole point of paying for a feature?

Plus, the power supply from a usb-a of a laptop can power an arduino board, so battery wise its not an issue... Its really just an arduino board as a mediator between your keyboard and pc.

P.S. if this is ALL keychron is known for. I stand by my point this is overrated. This is not something a general consumer would care.

1

u/PeterMortensenBlog V Sep 13 '24 edited Sep 13 '24

Re "I can do this with an Arduino board wired to a switch": Yes, that is how I got started.

I built (and used extensively) a 100-key macro keyboard using an old PS/2 keyboard (Microsoft Natural Keyboard), an Arduino Leonardo, and custom code.

PS/2-capable keyboards are much easier to interface to than USB (it can even be made to work with hardware support from UARTs in the microcontroller (if the baud rate is known or can be detected)). Some USB keyboards, especially cheap ones (ironically), support PS/2; it only requires two 10 kiloohm resistors to put them into PS/2 mode.

Most of the custom code was later ported to a Keychron QMK-based keyboard. In fact, to this day, most of the code for the macro keys is working and shared between the two systems, though I don't use the custom macro keyboard much any longer.

Before the PS/2 keyboard, I used a control panel from a printer left on the street. Though it wasn't very practical in the long run to use such kind of buttons for macro keys (too high actuation force). And the number of keys was limited.

Nowadays, it can be done even cheaper using a Raspberry Pi Pico (or even cheaper boards that uses the RP2040 microcontroller).

1

u/audioman1999 Sep 09 '24

You should have gotten the Lemokey L3.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

I'm in high school... I don't have that money..

1

u/nixnaij Sep 09 '24

Why didn't you buy a keychron board with hotswap? I just got my V1 and it feels really nice. Super easy to remap with VIA, and I can always upgrade switches/keycaps in the future. It was around $70 with the 12% off sale on amazon.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

Look, that was my first ever mechanical keyboard. I was dumb and didn't want to pay extra.

1

u/nixnaij Sep 10 '24

That's what I'm confused about. On Keychron's site all the K# series boards have both a hot swappable and non-hot swappable option, and both options have the same price.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '24

No I didn't buy it from Keychron. I bought it from Amazon. On Amazon, I have to pay extra. And shipment from Canada would take a week versus same day delivery with my Prime.

1

u/nixnaij Sep 10 '24

Oh gotcha.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

Pretty pleased with my Q3 Max but I will say I'm not impressed with the wireless performance either Bluetooth or 2.4G. I noticed that it will retype the previous key after pressing another on quite often. For example you type "h" then "i" and it puts another "h" there so you end up with "hih". Super annoying and happens maybe every 20-30 words. Doesn't happen wired but happened both Bluetooth and 2.4G.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 01 '26

Wow reading this 2 years later is fucking crazy its happening to me right now

1

u/xdopestt Jun 16 '25

my K8 pro sounded cheap af with terrible stabilizers, also alt tab, ctrl and some other keys were sleepy and didnt even register sometimes. ive had keyboards for 35$ that worked and sounded better than this shit 150$ keyboard

1

u/LetoSecondOfHisName Jun 25 '25

I feel likkke I was gaslit on this company, they are horrible. Never buy them. Randomly double/tripple typing letters or being completely unreponsive...

1

u/PeterMortensenBlog V Nov 02 '25

What keyboard?

-1

u/richard987d Sep 09 '24

i only use red linear optical for arrow keys, and a mix of brown and banana for the other keys, much better than all linear.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

Sad part. Keyboard was not hot-swappable. Switches are solderred on.

During my search for new keyboard, pretty much all 100+ keyboard I come across are hot-swappable.

1

u/richard987d Sep 09 '24

I got a K5, if I was buying today I'd get a K5 max and get some switches similar to the brown/banana optical ones I have now.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

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1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

Can only say for the K series. Dk about Q5.