Special thanks to 00zerO and
mechanicalkeyboards.com for making this review possible. They loaned me a Keycool K5 keyboard, a test unit of the Keycool 87, which they had at their shop. I’ve wanted to try out some Kailh switches and I’m thankful they hooked me up.
If you don’t know already the Keycool 87 has the new MX clone switches, also known as MX compatible switches. They are made by the
Kaihua Electronics Corporation who are based in
Dongguan City in China.
According to the Deskthority Wiki, they’ve been making MX clone switches since 2007, starting with their Kailh Yellow switches. One of the main differences between the Kailh and Cherry switches are the gold cross-point contacts. The Kailh switches don’t have these contacts.
Review Conditions I typed on this keyboard for two weeks and I did not play any video games with them. I also regret to say I forgot to take a typing video with this board.
Case and Aesthetics This board had black on white keycaps with a white case. The lock switches have LED windows in them. The feet are very solid and snap out with authority. They also are tipped with rubber.
The case is the standard block and thin bezel layout. If you’ve seen a QFR or FC700R or Filco, think that style of case. The distinctive feature on this case though is that the bezel underneath the spacebar is thicker and angled. So that edge has a nice fat chamfer on it. It’s a nice place to rest your thumbs.
A Keycool 87 weighs 775g or 1.709 lbs. In comparison to
my Leopold FC700R, it’s much much lighter. The Leopold 700Rs weighs in at 946 g or 2.086 lbs. I really noticed a difference in typing feel when I was using this keyboard and I believe that weight is part of the reason. I didn’t get a chance to take off all the caps or take the board apart, nor do I think I should have since it was a loaner. I believe the case is a different material from the FC700R and the plate is as well. I have in my notes that I wasn’t even sure if the plate was metal. The lock switches have LEDs which are a pleasant blue. They’re the same tint of blue as the Filco indicator LEDs but not nearly as bright.
Overall, the case isn’t bad but it felt a little lighter and hollow. I prefer the cases of the Leopold FC700R or Filcos.
Keycaps They’re medium thickness PBT, reminscient of the keycap thickness on the FC700R. I forgot to take a picture of the keycaps so you’ll have to take my word on it
. The texture is like the SP DSA PBT keycaps: very rough and sandy. I’ve seen another reviewer describe the feeling as “pumice”. I really don’t know why you want to type on pumice and needless to say, the PBT caps aren’t for me. They’re nice quality though. Legends on the keycaps are lasered but the legends are a bit blurry. I guess that this is supposed to be the internet explorer symbol?
Closeup shot of the font
The Internet Explorer symbol was a little hard to see; a bit blurryAnd the font is very odd. I couldn’t find the name of the font but I’ve seen it a lot. If you install the Chinese language pack for Windows XP or 7, your English text will look like this font. It’s thin and squished from the sides so the letters are taller than they are wide. It’s very distinctive to me. It’s not my favorite font, but it’s not the Vortex italic font so that’s a plus. I will say that the keycaps got dirty very quickly.
SwitchesThe Kailh Blues are modeled after Cherry MX Blues. For me I really wanted to see how closely the Kailh Blues felt to MX Blues. In terms of typing sound, the board sounded exactly like MX Blues. It was so similar that I felt that making a video might have been superfluous. However I’m still disappointed that I didn’t make one.
For those who love stats, here are the two switches compared:
More
Top picture is from the
Keycool company and the bottom pictures are
from the Cherry Corporation.
In terms of how the switches feel, at first touch, it felt a lot like MX Blues. The click and actuation force felt similar. However, after further typing, the switches felt a little like modified Clears; MX Clear stems paired with aftermarket springs with lighter actuation weights have a tendency to stick. A few of the caps, especially the modifier keys and insert, felt a little sticky. As if the reset point on the switches spring back at the same rate it was pressed down at. It’s not extremely apparent but it is there. The other thing that was odd to me was that the stabilizers were modeled after Cherry stabilizers/leveling kits as well. The Keycool modifiers felt mushy and sluggish, much more than the Cherry ones.
I think that the switches aren’t a bad change from Cherry but the stabilizers aren’t as good as the original Cherry stabilizers.The issue I’m having is the
Keycool 87’s pricing. It’s priced slightly higher than some competing boards such as
Cooler Master Storm Quick Fire Rapid,
Ducky Zero DK2108 and
Ducky DK1087. I don’t know if the keyboard is so good that it justifies the extra cost. I thought it was a solid keyboard but the switches were slightly lacking when compared to the Cherry MX switches. It the keyboard was priced a little lower, I think it would make more sense.
Final ThoughtsOverall, the Kailh Blues aren’t bad but I did have a few complaints with them. If they can fix the stabilizers on the modifiers and the sticky return feeling, I think they might be competitive.
