HAVIT HV-KB390L Keyboard

I've mostly used membrane keyboards, which have low key travel. I love the feedback of mechanical keys but I think the standard mechanical keys and keycaps are too big and clunky. This is the best of both worlds. The feel and feedback is amazing. I think my typing speed has gone up by 2x. It's really thin. Like really thin, and oh the satisfying clickity-click feedback. There's a nice pushback to it, so it doesn't feel too loose like red switches. Not a big fan of rgb, and this has a cool blue backlight, which I keep at around 40% brightness.

Many brand of keyboard I have used in my lifetime, from rubber-dome, butterfly switch, cherry mx, logitech romer-g keys and many more. I have tried AULA or Redragon off-brands and they are nice but limited features and lightning. I know this tenkeyless is not RBG. As long I can see where my keyboard in the dark.Box packaging is well made, almost Beats product level or Apple packaging. The keys feel good and they are matte rubber. I know they are prone to oil and grease. Don't eat pizza, french fry over it please!Functionality is amazing how much option it has compare to AULA and Redragon. The top plate is aluminum and bottom is plastic; overall it is quite sturdy. Why would you need a tank keyboard like Steelseries 6Gv2? Yeah you can knock someone out with that 6Gv2 keyboard; maybe you need that if you have home invasion all the time.There is macro mode you can set with this keyboard, great for RPG games.Good to know:+ Stock 50% less noisy than Blue Cherry MX (unless you add o-ring rubber).+ Feel like Blue Cherry MX.+ Shorter key travel compare to most Cherry MX but longer than butterfly switch (laptop) keyboard.+ Many lighting setting.+ Only cyan blue (baby blue) LED lights.+ You can adjust brightness.+ There is Macro mode.+ You can lock the Windows Key for gaming.+ There is office mode key.+ You can turn off all lights.+ Keyboard is very light.+ Detachable USB is good, you can change it if it got cut or broke or need a longer one.+ Keycap font is super clean and clear not some lousy AULA keycap font... can't stand reading it.

Update at 4 years: I ended up getting a second one for work. I don't remember if the one I'm currently using most days is the original one I bought in 2018 or the second one I got in mid-2019 but they both work. Far and away the best value in a keyboard I've owned. There are a lot more low-profile mechanical keyboards now, and I can't say that this is the "best" but it's held up to daily use for around the last 2 1/2 years. Really the only thing this is missing that would be nice would be wireless.Update at (about) 18 months: my daily driver work keyboard (a 2014-vintage Razer Blackwidow Tournament) started losing keypresses on me, and I have ended up moving to using this daily at work for the past couple of months. It's holding up quite well. Other than the odd cable (and not working with standard ones) I'm very pleased and am considering picking up a 2nd so that I can leave this one at work and still have one ready to travel.Update after almost a year of use: I've had this keyboard out of the country with me three times (including two two-week long work trips) and a couple of domestic trips as well, and the combination of light and thin, a conventional TKL layout, and a good mechanical feel has been everything I expected. This packs so much easier than the thicker 84-keys and I'm more productive with the layout... and the slightly bigger footprint hasn't been an issue at all. It feels a little fragile, and I ended up picking up a neoprene sleeve for it (on edit I can't add a product link, but there are a ton of options) and even with that added thickness it is easier to pack than the older 84-key ones.I also gave it a try as a daily driver at work, and it was fine -- not enough better than my regular brown key one to be worth putting the wear and tear on it when I want to keep it for travel, but it worked fine for daily use. For blue switches it's quiet, but that might be an issue in some very quiet offices.Update: Received the keyboard with a bad USB cable, which the vendor shipped a replacement for. Keyboard works great now. The review below is based on about a day of substituting for my regular desktop keyboard.First, if you're looking for a general-use keyboard for home use, unless you've tried a regular mechanical keyboard and thought "I wish this had a shorter keystroke"; then you probably should try one of those first. This is very close to as comfortable, though, and hugely thinner/lighter. There are TONS of good 87-key (or 104-key, if you like having a number pad) mechanical keyboards, and I don't have one I can recommend as the ones I'm using are all 3+ years old and replaced by newer revisions.Where this keyboard excels is in its portability; a regular 87-key keyboard is going to be 1000g/2lbs+ and much bulkier. I've previously been using a couple of "75%" keyboards (82-84 keys -- basically a "squashed" version of the regular 87-key tenkey-less layout) and they never seem to be "quite right" because of the cramped layout. While this keyboard has a larger footprint than any of the 75% keyboards I've tried (see picture) it is also much, much thinner for packing, and it's actually lighter than either of the 75% keyboards I've reviewed previously.So if you want something light and compact to travel with (or throw in your backpack for coffee shop or campus use, etc), this is the best keyboard I've yet found, and I'd recommend it over a 75% model unless you have really tight footprint concerns (stereo cabinet, world's smallest desk, etc.)The two 75% keyboards I'm comparing it two that I've actually used are the  DREVO 84 Key Gramr, Brown Switch  and the  Qisan Blue Switch Backlight keyboard 82-Keys Compared to the other two keyboards:* This feels slightly lighter weight and less solid than the (much heavier) Drevo, but much sturdier and with none of the key wobble of the Qisan* Standard 87-key tenkeyless layout. That's a huge plus.* the keycaps are smooth, and relatively flat on top (vs. a sculpted top on both the 75% models, and a textured top on the Drevo)* this Havit model has a removable cable, but it only works with the supplied cord. The supplied cable seems like good quality, and is very light.* This model with cable is lighter -- 530g on my kitchen scale with the cord attached -- than either the Qisan (560g, not counting a cable) or drevo (740g with permanently attached cable). So you're getting a more standard keyboard with a lighter weight.All of them have back-lighting and some kind of better-than-usual rollover; neither is a feature I care about, and on all of them the back-lighting is dead easy to turn on and off, and all seem to remember the off setting when plugged in.Overall, this is the best travel keyboard I've encountered, and I plan to be using it on the road soon.The one disappointing thing, given the removable cables, is that it seems to only work with the manufacturer cable. While I was waiting for the replacement I tried several cables I already had -- most micro-USB cables have too much plastic around the plug to fit through the plastic guard around the socket at all. I had one that was small enough, but which was not recognized, and I took another and shave the plastic grip area down until it fit. Didn't work.If I could give one piece of advice to the manufacturer, please make the Version 2 of this keyboard with a *regular* USB socket :)For a second piece of advice, if there's a low profile brown switches to match this, please make a version of this with the brown switch -- I'd buy that too :)Photos are in comparison to the Qisan model -- showing both how much thinner this is, and the relative difference in their width. DREVO 84 Key Gramr, Brown SwitchQisan Blue Switch Backlight keyboard 82-Keys

Comfortable low profile. Only one colour but colour is good. Great clicky feel when typing.Took more than 2 weeks to arrive from US though.

Pros:- great price for a TKL mechanical gaming keyboard- lighting effects adjustable on-the-fly without software- low-profile clicky switches good for typing experience- minimalistic, saves space- gaming mode allows for macro keys and windows key lock- small rubber detachable cable, good for mobility if neededCons:- quality control (the edge of my esc key had a bit of paint scraped off)- single-shot ABS keycaps- loudThis keyboard is great for the price and offers a unique typing experience that is good, but definitely takes some time to get used to.