Investing in the Razer Huntsman Elite back in 2021 had me thinking that I wouldn’t ever need another keyboard again. Yet, the finicky knob, the bloatware, the account creation and lack of extra macros irked me too much to think that possible. It’s unfortunate, given the premium make and the expectations I had about Razer’s products.
Everything changed a few months ago, when the neighbour smacked down a tenkeyless Keychron V1 on the computer table. No sooner did I sink my fingers into its keys than I felt that buttery-smooth tactility that yoinked my eyes back in satisfaction. I clacked “keychron mech keyboard” on Google, and drooled over its specs on their official website. The rationalist in me held me back from impulse-buying, suggesting I try out the neighbour’s keyboard from time to time. Passing it, I became the proud owner of a Keychron V6 Wired QMK Blue Switch Keys — the closest thing to my definition of the perfect keyboard.
This purchase showed me the “right” keyboard:
n Doesn’t have to come from the most recognisable brands
n Doesn’t need bloatware worth Gigabytes or an online account to access extra functions
n And doesn’t force you to lose an arm and a leg to get that crisp tactility you’re looking for.
At just ₹9,499 — a whopping 57 per cent reduction when looking at the Huntsman Elite’s hefty tag — the keyboard offered what Razer did, but without its quirks… and much, much more.
The architecture is powered by open-source QMK firmware, with the VIA keymapping tool as interface. Meaning, you can not only reprogram virtually any key to do something else but also modify your keyboard to have its own backlights, macros, keycodes… the list goes on!
Want the Enter key to behave as Shift+Enter instead when writing? No problem! Want the Esc button to exit a game to the desktop? Go ahead! Want to auto-type your email-password combo with a single key? You can!
It’s all out-of-the-box, but you’ll still need a sliver of technical skill to piece it all together. So prepare to watch a few YouTube videos.
The biggest convenience is its quick switch between Windows and Mac. Coupled with its hot swappable keys (meaning, you could swap the keys for new ones without restarting the computer), it only takes a minute to get the keyboard running on virtually anything, at anytime.
The only drawback is in how it presents itself. It comes in only two colours — an odd-looking Frosted Black and the popular (and usually sold out) Carbon Black. Also, it might be a tad difficult to see the keys in dimly-lit spaces, even when the backlight is on.
VERDICT: With this keyboard, I will never need another keyboard again —ever. I give it a 10 out of 10.
