Azio Levetron L70 LED Backlit Gaming Keyboard - Black (KB501)

This Azio Levetron is an awesome keyboard. Well made, affordable, and versatile, this keyboard is a good fit for many different tasks/needs. I do want to note on two things: 1) I am not a gamer so I cannot say exactly how well this keyboard works if purchased solely for the purpose of gaming. I purchased this keyboard for work and home usage. I did so because I like LED backlit keys as well as the feedback gaming keyboards provide. 2) I have only used this keyboard for a short period, and so I cannot speak to long-term reliability. I will update this review down the road to report back on how the keyboard holds up. ------------------------ MY NEEDS & USAGE I recently purchased a Dell IPS display so that I can run it as a secondary monitor next to my 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina, as this allows me to run Windows 8.1 via a virtual machine on the display, and OS X Yosemite on the MacBook’s display. As I use software that runs better on one OS over the other, this allows me to run whatever software does best in what OS. It also gives me easy access to legacy OS’ if I need to test something like code. I have apple’s wireless keyboard and think it is excellent. However, it favors mobility over performance. I find gaming keyboards tend to do the opposite…they are built for heavier usage, heavily favor accessibility and performance, and use features that make this possible (I own an unusually large amount of gaming gear.) ------------------------ DESCRIPTION: THIS KEYBOARD This keyboard is the Azio Levetron L70, a wired, entry-level gaming keyboard that is LED backlit via blue colored LEDs. You can toggle these LEDs on and off, but you cannot change the color or the intensity. The layout of this keyboard is pretty standard, plus it has a massive volume knob and a switch dedicated specifically to turning the LEDs on and off. Each side of the keyboard has an LED light. The keys themselves used oversized letters, and these markings are clear so the LED light can shine through. A removable palm rest is included and the cord length is about 5 feet. The bottom features non-skid, non-marking rubber feet as well as retractable feet to increase the angle. I have used this keyboard with: OS X 10.10 Yosemite, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, OS X 10.7 Lion, Windows XP SP3, and Windows 8.1 (current build as of 2015.) They keyboard works reliably on all of these, but note that this is technically a Windows keyboard and so with OS X you may want to use a keyboard control suite to modify some of the commands. The interface used is USB and it works on both USB 2 and USB 3 computers (can’t speak to USB 1.1 as I do not have computers that old anymore.) It does NOT seem to generate the harmonic distortion that some USB 3 devices can which can result in interference with 2.4 GHz signals. ------------------------ WHAT I LIKE The light intensity is perfect…bright enough to see when lights are on, but not so bright that it is an annoyance in darker environments. Another LED backlit keyboard I had was so faint that the LEDs did not really increase visibility. The lettering used is very large, making it easier to see and making it better display with the LEDs. If someone has trouble seeing most keys, this is an outstanding choice. Typing itself is comfortable, and I find the palm rest makes typing even more comfortable. Like many other gaming keyboards, you get more pronounced feedback than the standard free keyboard that comes with desktops. I strongly prefer this feedback when typing as I find I can type faster and with fewer errors. Also like many other gaming keyboards, I find that the physical force required to push a key and have it register is very, very consistent. With keyboard without this consistency, it is easy to subconsciously start pressing certain keys with more force than others, and this can result in more mistakes while typing (least for me anyway.) The cosmetic fit and finish of this keyboard is outstanding for the price. The numbers are neat, the patterns are sharp, there are no sharp spots from molding overspray, and the keyboard wire is quite beefy. So while I cannot speak directly to how well this works for gaming, I can say it is a great keyboard for general usage. It is also great for data visualization, which I suppose in some ways has similarities to gaming needs. ------------------------ WHAT I DO NOT LIKE At this price, I have zero dislikes with this keyboard. ------------------------ CONCLUSION Overall, this is a whole lot of keyboard for 20-25 bucks. It’s well made, it has fantastic visibility, it gives a very consistent typing experience, and its LEDs are perfectly balanced in intensity so that they contribute to better performance (rather than detracting from.)

I didn't think I was going to be the slightest bit impressed with this keyboard. It's on the high end of "cheap", there aren't any macro keys, rollover is an afterthought, but the entire package adds up to more than it's low asking price. I bought this keyboard because I wanted a cheap replacement for my mechanical board as I have adopted a cat who tends to knock over glasses of water in the proximity of electronics. A membrane keyboard is far more survivable than a mechanical, and this one has four drainage holes on the back so that spills drain out instead of pooling and shorting out keys. The USB cable isn't braided, but it's pliable enough that it's not a colossal pain in the kiester. Azio kept the key layout simple by skipping superfluous macro or media keys; the only addition to the basic keyboard layout is a volume knob. The knob is preferable to wheels or volume keys and it has livable increments between stops on the audio spectrum. The only oddball key choice is the reassignment of the scroll lock to a windows lock key, making the scroll lock an F12 option... oh, the huge manatee. Typing on this board has been a pleasant surprise. The over all build of the board is more solid than I was anticipating. I've owned a Logitech or two at almost twice the cost that felt flimsy compared to this Azio. Unless this keyboard goes to absolute crap in three months (and I'm almost through month one) I can see this as more than the placeholder I intended. If you're looking for a backlit,simple layout that doesn't eat up a ton of space and can live without mechanical switches consider this Azio keyboard. I'll put it this way: the same board with "Razer" or "Steelseries" stenciled on it would set you back $40 and seem like a bargain.

I've been running the Windows 10 tech preview, and the old illuminated gaming keyboard I had is totally unrecognized as a standard USB keyboard, which it worked fine as for Windows 7 through Windows 8.1. Since I work in an office where I keep the lights turned off (fluorescent lighting tied into another larger room my office is built off of) I like having the illuminated keyboard. I had tried another earlier this week, and it was horrible. It felt bad, there was a really useless raised palmrest part in front that was NOT removable, and every time I hit the space bar with my thumb, the joint hit that raised part and after just a few sentences, started to feel annoyingly sore, so I returned it ASAP. This one looks decent, but the keys are just a bit less responsive than I prefer as a fast touch typist. That's why I dinged a star. I do like the rheostat for volume, as opposed to just up/down keys, but I feel they missed a chance to have a push to click on it as well for an instant mute. But it works well for volume, and was one of the things that made me pick this keyboard. I wish there were selectable colors, since the blue is a bit subdued, and like right now in my office, with some light coming through the open door from the tech area outside, some keys are more readily visible than others. Some of the letters and numbers look really striated, so there's lines and bits of them that don't light up well, so it's totally inconsistent. I also see that the day the keyboard arrived, the price suddenly jumped up about 16 dollars. If it was still at the higher price, I'd say it's not worth it, but I got it for under twenty five, and for that price, the imperfections and mushy feel are expected and acceptable. The feet raise the tilt angle slightly, and I like the fact that I can keep the palm rest off. I won't use the windows key lock feature, since on Windows 8 and Windows 10 I use that quite a bit since that's how I start my searches for files or programs, but I know some people who would love to have that option. All told, for an inexpensive keyboard, it feels inexpensive, but it has at least a modicum of backlight (on/off options only though, no intensity) and for the cost I paid, it was worth it.

Was looking for a keyboard that had: • full size layout (including number keypad) • small footprint (no excess plastic around it) • backlight • standard US keys • cheap price This was a harder task than it would seem. Most keyboards meet all requirements but one - examining the keys will show foreign quirks or funky CTRL, Window and Alt configurations. But this Azio Levetron L70 LED Backlit Gaming Keyboard (KB501) over exceeded my expectations! It also has a volume knob above the number keypad that you will soon learn you cannot live without. Why only 3 stars, you ask? Ordered it in Oct 2014. In late 2016 the keyboard would suddenly stop responding. It’s as though it was somehow getting ‘disconnected’ from my computer. The backlight remains on but none of the keys respond. The only fix is to unplug and re-plug the USB connection. Other USB ports – same issue. Different USB keyboard – no issue. Emailed AZIO and they were no help. Out of warranty. Go pound sand. I know what you’re thinking - driver issue, conflicting software, etc. I must have done something to mess it up, right? Well, eventually I caved and bought the same thing again in Feb 2017. Typing on it now without any issues. Tl;dr – Awesome keyboard that will die in about 2 years.

Update: 3.5 years later and I'm still using this keyboard every day. It's still going strong. Only issue I have had at all is that the "C" key is fading on it and honestly, I'm looking at my work keyboard now and I must hit the "C" key hard because I'm having the same issue on my Dell work keyboard :P Overwall I cannot recommend this keyboard enough. I bought Azio's mechanical keyboard offering to replace this a year ago and after about a week of the mechanical keyboard I went back to this. Now the mechanical keyboard sits and collects dust behind my desk. I'm thinking about re-buying this keyboard for work actually. You simply cannot beat this keyboard for the price! I am a simple man; I don’t need the fancy bells and whistles of programmable keys, anti-ghosting (even though I mainly use my PC for gaming), and wireless. What I needed was a backlit one! I needed to see those keys in my dark gaming cave of a room! That being said, I didn’t want to drop $60-100 on a Logitech one even though I love Logitech products. I have been looking high and low and then I stumbled upon this Azio. It is great! The blue backlight isn’t overly bright and dare I say it is the perfect brightness! Unfortunately, you can only turn the backlight on and off using a key, there is no dimming. Another great benefit is the volume knob, I really like having it right there. I use Daum PotPlayer and VLC Player. With PotPlayer, the volume knob adjusts the volume by 2% intervals via the player which is perfect. With VLC player, it adjusts your computer’s main volume, that little volume icon to the bottom right corner of your screen…yeah that guy. The keyboard rest is a little large, but fits fine on my desktop and I find it to be very comfortable. The one negative that I would have to say…and as I type on my dell keyboard and I remember my Logitech keyboard, is that the Azio’s keys are a little mushy in terms of the feedback when pressed. Not a deal breaker at all and I love that they use the regular old school style keys and not Chiclet style…I can’t stand Chiclet. Overall I am very satisfied with the product and the build quality and would look at Azio products again. Update: I just purchased this keyboard a second time as a replacement and it's a different keyboard unfortunately so my review really can't stand for this current model in some ways. The new model feels less good when you type on it because of the textured plastic they use, it's also gray matte versus glossy black. The LEDs shine through the keys better though and some adjustments have been made for better light distribution and viability. For looks, it is better, but for typing I will continue to use my old model. The newer version will be my rainy day keyboard.

I love this keyboard. Aesthetically, this key board looks fantastic. The shape of the board itself is great, and the wrist rest only adds to it. The volume knob is incredibly useful. I really like the blue black lighting, it isn't too bright to be overwhelming. I think the light bars are on the side are a nice touch. The feel of the keyboard is mechanical, but I'm sure it isnt actually. Good response and noise feedback from the keys, I am satisfied with it. TO ADDRESS THE PEELING ISSUE I have only been using this for a week, so it isn't an issue. I really like this keyboard, so I want to keep it as good of condition for as long as possible. I'm going to start applying sticky notes to the WASD keys. I am cutting out key sized sqaures from the adhesive part, and applying them to the keys. I think the adhesive will be weak enough that it wont pull any of the coating off, and it will prevent the rubbing off of the coating. I would only be doing this if I knew I was going to be gaming for an extended period of time. This is obviously kind of an inconvenience, but it literally takes 30 seconds to cut out 4 squares, and if it maintains the keys I am fine with doing it.

Prior to buying this i was using a razor keyboard which was great but wasn't back lit. That proved to be a pretty big problem, given that i type in the dark like most people. Another issue of man is that i wanted something that made my rig look good as well. I have a custom built PC with a black and blue theme partnered with 3 ASUS 21.5 inch monitors. As you can tell i take my rig's look very serious and i would love to have good looking keyboard(s). I've done my research and i am not to caring for the type of mechanics of a keyboard. I don't have too high standards, as long as i can play tomb raider and CS:GO and OSU, then i am fine. so my main target was something good looking and back lit. I saw several designs models and basically things that were not needed. Then i came across the beautiful price of $20 for a gaming keyboard that is back lit and has a volume wheel as well. AZIO took all the credentials i wanted and put them into a great priced, good looking, back lit, efficient gaming keyboard... With a Palm rest!!!! This thing is so comfortable. So first out of the amazon box i saw not one but my Two Keyboards (loved the price so much that i got two). The Manufacture's boxing was perfect, Not bulking or filled with useless space. It was also a cool looking box, plain flat black with a logo in the center. Plug the boards in an automatically knew my hard nights trying to find my AWSD Keys were over. Some complain the brightness of the lights isnt too good. Well you aren't directing traffic with them so as long as you can see then your fine (Need i remind you these are 20 bucks). Second the volume nob works great. No more navigating the mouse over to the volume mixer. Lastly the feel and loudness of the keys are just fine. The keys arent too noisy neither too quiet. On another note although this isn't a mechanical keyboard the AZIO Levetron L70 Provides a smooth typing and gaming feel. I love these two and i am a very satisfied customer. Thank you Amazon for the quick shipping and more importantly Thank you AZIO for coming up with a great product.

The reason why I purchased this keyboard is because I saw a review of it on YouTube. One of the key selling points was that it had backlighting and that the keys were easy to read in the dark. The other major selling point based on that review was that according to the person reviewing it which was Linus Tech tips, they said the keyboard was the quietest out of the bunch that they tested. It also had the built-in volume knob which was also a plus for me. In actuality I don't think this keyboard is as quiet as linustechtips made it sound. It's actually fairly noisy whenever you click the keys. But it's still quieter than the one it's replacing. However, the keystrokes are shorter which is better. The keystrokes aren't extremely short but they are a little bit shorter because it is a gaming keyboard even though I'm going to be using it for a general purpose. The keys do click when pressed and they offer a little bit more resistance when you first start to push them and then they give way which is pretty much what a property board should do in my opinion. The backlighting is that really deep blue color which is easy to see but it kind of makes my head hurt if I look at it a lot. I would have probably preferred a brighter color because that deep blue color is kind of like staring at a bug zapper. But don't get me wrong it's not that bad. Now let me do some pros and cons. Pros: 1) the keyboard has a nice weight to it and it feels like it's of high quality it doesn't feel flimsy like a really cheap keyboard. 2) the keystrokes are somewhat short but not extremely short and they have a nice clicky feel to them. 3) the USB cable feels like it's a decent quality. 4) the volume knob Works fantastically. It's very smooth and has like click positions but it's silent when it clicks but you can feel it in your fingers. Volume from 0 to 100% takes about 1 and 1/2 turns on the knob. 5) the keys are easy to read in well-lit environment and dark environments. Cons: 1) the keyboard isn't as quiet as I would like it to be. The keystrokes definitely have a sound to them it's not very loud but it is a little too loud for my personal taste. 2) the blue color backlighting makes my eyes hurt just a little bit it's kind of like staring at a bug zapper. 3) the shift, space bar and enter keys rattle just a little bit when pressing them. The spacebar feels a little spongy. 4) the included palmrest works great when the keyboard is sitting on a desk. However, it can be removed and put in place but the tabs that hold on look like they will break off if you attach and detach the Palm rest more than a few times. I would suggest attachment and keeping attached or don't attach it at all otherwise your risk breaking the tabs off.

So far so great. works as described. I would buy from them again. Thank you

Sin lugar a dudas un buen producto, cumple completamente con sus funciones de manera sobresaliente, sus materiales aunque sencillos es sienten de buena calidad, la luz queda perfecta y la perilla de volumen le da un aspecto pro. El amplio soporte para las manos es muy bueno para largas jornadas de juego. Sin duda quede satisfecho con él.

I am writing this review after using it for like a year or so... And now, after using it for 1 year, I can totally assure you that this keyboard is amazing for "Gaming" or even "Typing". The keys feel like mechanical keys, but are pretty quite at the same time. The wrist-rest which comes with this and the keys altogether are so comfortable, that you can have a very big gaming or typing session and still not get any tiredness or big problems such as Carpel Tunnel 😝. This keyboard is just amazing! It is great for this price, and you can take this instead of a mech-keyboard, and take my word for that! I hope this review was helpful! This is what I jave in my mind for this product, after using it daily for a year.

PROs: This keyboard has everything I need without the extras that I don't need and don't want to pay for. The illuminated keys are clear and I can use my computer effortlessly in any light from full daylight to complete darkness. The volume dial gives me the only extra functions I ever cared about on a keyboard (volume and mute) and the dial is easy to find when your eyes are focused on the screen. Best of all AZIO didn't screw up the Function keys like every other illuminated keyboard I have seen where the function keys are half-sized or are pre-assigned to some other "convenience" features and you have to hold down an Fn key to get F1-F12 functionality from the F1-F12 keys. The absence of any double-purpose media-specific or app-specific keys anywhere on the board makes the whole keyboard easy to read and the Function keys (or any other keys) easy to find when you need them for a game or application. I already have shortcuts to my browser, email, media players, etc. set up in Windows, why would I want a bunch of shortcuts cluttering up my keyboard? I find the responsiveness, accuracy, tactile feedback, key-travel and general "action" of this keyboard to be satisfactory and comfortable, but then I am not a whirlwind fast typist and I don't write for a living. The included wrist-rest keeps this keyboard comfortable for me whether I am sitting up or slouching. CONs: The product description oversells the gaming aspects of this keyboard, THIS IS NOT A REAL GAMING KEYBOARD. I am a light gamer who plays some MMOs and FPSs. I have not moved beyond the standard WASD and F1-F12 keyboard control method and I don't lose my temper when I play games. Therefore the pure vanilla layout of this keyboard has suited me well and the all-plastic construction of this keyboard has not been a problem for me. Heavy gamers and rage-babies will want a dedicated gaming keyboard with a steel backbone. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE KEYBOARDS. You have been warned. SUMMARY: This is a no-excuses completely standard Windows keyboard with backlighting and a volume dial AND NOTHING ELSE. It is priced very well. I have had two of these keyboards for about a year (maybe longer) and have had zero trouble with them. This keyboard has fit my usage needs perfectly.

I received this keyboard a few days ago and have been using it quite a bit. I will evaluate this keyboard fairly, ignoring the price. At the end of this review you can decide if you think it is worth the (very low) price. The most important thing to keep in mind is that this is a membrane keyboard. You are going to get membrane quality responsiveness and feel. That said, for a membrane keyboard, this falls in the top 35%. Keys are consistent, and they only wobble a slight amount, better than most. If you compare this to a mechanical keyboard or a top quality membrane, it's alright but not great. The keys are a bit mushy, you won't be getting any satisfying clicks out of them. They can also pose slightly too much resistance in my opinion - which is most notable when hitting the farther keys with your pinky finger, as you have less leverage to overcome the resistance. Sometimes that kind of thing fades with time, and an ok keyboard can become a great one once you break it in. Only time will tell. When typing this keyboard is fine. It's comfortable enough that you won't have any problems or be annoyed when using it. The same goes for gaming, the shortcomings of this keyboard are not large enough to pose any problems or noticeable annoyances while you're using it. You won't be constantly thinking "Wow this keyboard is amazing!", but you also wont be annoyed. While gaming I never had any ghosting problems, even while doing as many things as I could at once. The backlight works fine, it's not super bright, but it gets the job done (barely visible in sunlight, but great in any other situation). Obviously it's most useful in the dark, when you can't see the keys. The palm rest is excellent. It's large, comfortable, and removable. The volume knob works great, is great for very slight adjustments because of the notches as you turn it, or quickly turning the volume down when you accidentally left the volume way up. And most of all, all of these features look really good. the lights are elegant, especially the light strips on either side, the palm rest has a smooth and clean look to it, and the volume knob is beautiful with the glossy finish and the backlit concave indentation it sits in. It strikes a really good balance between looking professional and slick, and that slight "powerfull" look that gaming hardware tends too have. When typing this keyboard is fine. It's comfortable enough that you won't have any problems or be annoyed when using it. The same goes for gaming, the shortcomings of this keyboard are not large enough to pose any problems or noticeable annoyances while you're using it. You won't be constantly thinking "Wow this keyboard is amazing!", because you'll probably forget you're using it. Pros: - Good, toggleable backlight. - Comfortable, removable palm rest - Well designed volume knob - Excellent design. This keyboard looks great. Con/other: - If you are coming from a mechanical keyboard you will be disappointed. if you are coming from a top-notch quality expensive membrane board, you'll probably be somewhat disappointed. But if you're coming from just using regular, non-expensive keyboards and are looking for something better for gaming or even just work use, this is a solid keyboard. You won't be blown away, but you probably won't have any problems and you'll appreciate the extra features every time you use it. Concerning the price, you probably won't get much better without a significant increase in price. If you have the money, you should really get a mechanical keyboard, hands down. But if you have a budget, or just want to get something decent without breaking the bank, you should seriously consider this product.