12mo ago

Can you advise me please

I randomly got recommended Hipyo Tech on YouTube one day and since have been watching his videos. I haven't got a clue about mechanical keyboards, but I have strong tastes in terms of aesthetics. Long story short, I kept checking shit out and stumbled across a keyboard he hasn't reviewed yet and I think I'm in love. But I don't know if it's any good or is even Linux compatible. So… is the ATK V75X a decent purchase? Or does it suck?

https://www.atk.store/products/atk-vxe-v75-x-mechanical-gaming-keyboard

The look I'm interested in, is the all matte black oka Gunmetal. I don't have the foggiest about the difference between the switches.

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Switches both look to be linear. Would you be happy with linear, or would you want tactile / clicky / silent etc?
Also, no declaration of swappable switches, so you're likely stuck with them. For beginners I really recommend swappable switches or at minimum a switch tester to be sure you have some idea what you want before you commit.
Keyboard is wireless, so no guarantee it will work on Linux, but most do flawlessly. Bluetooth interoperability nearly guaranteed.
Materials look nice but I know nothing of the brand. Usually not recommended to stray too far off the beaten path while new to mechanical keyboards. Lots of junk out there.
What about it is so attractive to you? The layout? Key caps? Some particular features? None of these look particularly unique.
- Not op but can you explain the difference between tactile and clicky switches?
  
  Tactile switches are quiet and have a "bump" (higher force initially before snapping down). Clicky switches are similar but create audible clicking noises. They also dont necessarily snap down the way browns do. If you google the graph for blue vs brown switches you can see a conparison of the forces
  
  Thank you so much for asking this.
If the product description doesn't mention QMK/ZMK/VIA/VIAL, I would not bother. It will likely have proprietary drivers and remap tools, windows only in most cases.
- It seems to be some proprietary Windows only crap 😭
  
  Look into Keychron instead. Even their cheapest QMK/VIA options are legit.
What I did was buy a keyboard with the features I wanted, (100%, volume knob, rgb, hotswappable switches), then got a set of switches and keycaps to swap in.
If the board has soldered switches you probably will never be changing those.
Red switches are terrible. Feel super gross. Brown switches are ok, but I found them to have too weak of a tactile bump. Holy pandas have a stronger tactile bump and are what I'm using right now bc I found the browns a but disappointing
Keycaps have standardized profiles/shapes; I have "OEM" keycaps. Each row has a slightly different height/shape which makes it a bit more ergonomic. There are others with identical row shapes.
It should act like a standard USB keyboard if its running QMK / ZMK and will work ootb with linux. Only thing is that any QMK keyboard is going to be a bit annoying to configure (change layout or rebind keys) on linux (e.g. with VIA or Vial). You have to be using a chromium based browser that is not sandboxed (snap or flatpak may interfere) and you might have to add some udev rules but its not a huge problem.
- What model keyboard did you get?
  
  I got a Keychron V6 knob. Looks great but if I could go back in time I'd choose something 1) lighter 2) with wireless/BT and 3) lower input latency
  Also holy panda switches and mixed keycaps (white on letters/numpad, light green on the special characters on the right, dark green for the modifiers)
- Looking up the keyboard on AliExpress, it claims to be hot swappable, but you'd still recommend a different base?
  Also red switches? Brown switches?
  Anything that requires a Chromium browser makes me sceptical.
  
  My suggestion is to get a keyboard with the features you want, then the keycaps you want. Then you can experiment with small switch sets to find one you like. Search for Outemu switches on Ali Express, they have very ~~adorable~~ affordable packs of 10. If you’re unsure whether you’d like a linear, tactile or clicky, get one from each at least. Get both regular and silent versions of tactile to try out. I really like the Silent Lemon tactile V3. People rave about the Panda.
  Note that keycap material and to a lesser degree geometry will affect the sound too. You can also add o-rings to the caps to decrease high frequency sounds.
  Edit: adorable/affordable. Autocorrupt made a funny.
  
  Via uses chromium for the WebUSB api which firefox didnt implement because its a security nightmare. Vial is not as polished but is an open source standalone software
  Red/brown/etc originate from Cherry MX switches (the style of keyswitch) and each color is a different kind of swotch with different tactile feel and sound. Red are linear. Imagine a mushy rubber button with no feedback. Brown has a tactile bump that is more typical of a keyboard where theres a bit of force before it actually actuates. I settled on holy pandas for now which were similar to browns but a stronger tactile feel.
  I'm not 100% sure how good it is but as long as you read reviews to understand what the shortcomings and strengths of the board are, most keyboards should be fine. From what I've seen in a quick google search, this particular keyboard is probably ok, but some people have reported this company's keyboards randomly dying and little to no support. Reputable brands will obviously guarantee no funny business but with the tradeoff of cost. I would recommend joining some communities (e.g. the discord communities like MechGroupBuys) and asking around for more peoples experience with budget keyboards if the cost is a concern.
I’d search for Gunmetal keycaps, which should be easy to find. Then you can choose your keyboard and switches using criteria other than aesthetics.
- Oh, you don't trust the brand?
  
  Never heard of it. Might be good. But like others said, I’d prefer hot swappable switches. Keychron has a good reputation and affordable models. It’s what I bought and I can recomend. Their VIA units are easily configurable on Linux.
The nk87 and nk65 are both on clearance right now at novelkeys if you are interested in getting your own switches and keycaps. If you are willing to wait for a restock for either of these they do have black/grey options but it may not be exactly what you are looking for. They are both qmk/via compatible so they should work with Linux.
- I will keep an eye on novel keys. Thank you!
  
  Of course! Just be aware that their keyboards, especially the nk65 entry edition can sell out just minutes after a restock so maybe sign up for the emails about the restocks. The nk87 usually takes longer to sell out and you can also buy the pre assembled nk87 darkshake if you are interested (I bought one of these for $140 during their black Friday sale)
haven’t got a clue about mechanical keyboards, but I have strong tastes in terms of aesthetics
My quick take is that if you can afford to get a second keyboard if you don't like this one, get this one simply because you like the look.
It isn't clear from the image on the ATK page you linked, but I believe those keys display what they are (Esc, tab, qwerty) on the side facing the user rather than the top.
From the videos you've seen, you're probably aware that there are several different ways for the keys to feel and sound. This might be a perfect fit for you, or maybe you decide you miss something about your current keyboard. If you haven't tried a couple different styles, it can be hard to pin down exactly what you want.
As far as the software goes, the keyboard will almost certainly function without software, but you might not be able to control the lights/illumination display.
- See, that's the thing. I've watched all these videos and I know i prefer a deeper sound and don't want to have to press too deeply. I kinda feel like I'm walking in the dark trying to figure everything out without a real starting point.
  
  I was going to suggest this first blog post to give you an idea about some basic types, but it linked to the second blog and I thought you might like that, too. Mostly, they give you an idea of the terms and language used to describe keyboard stuff. There are other sources, sure, but the first blog post seemed like a fair write-up for a beginner, so I stuck with hiros even though their main goal is selling products (but hey, they are kinda cool artsy products).
  https://hirosarts.com/blog/are-red-switches-good-for-typing/
  https://hirosarts.com/blog/best-key-switches-for-gaming/
  https://hirosarts.com/blog/are-keycaps-universal/

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