Normally I am not a person to go get a product with little to no information available, but this time made an exception to my own rule. I will try to explain why, and try to help you if you are on the fence like I was. I have been looking at trying to take a plunge into mechanical keyboards, but wasn't very serious until very recently. When I was ready, I dove into information about switches. I bought a switch tester (with Cherry MX switches) and also tried some keyboards on display in the store. My personal preference was to get a tactile switch keyboard over a linear or clicky one, as it was a nice middle ground for my usage of typing and gaming. The next question was obviously which tactile switch to get. I did some research on this, and there appeared to be near universal recommendation for Kailh BOX switches, which were described as having surpassed Cherry MX in quality.
The selection of keyboards on Amazon with these switches was quite limited, but the Hexgears Impulse product pictures intrigued me. The LED ring around the edge also looked like a neat feature not typically seen. I was also smitten by the looks of both thee Pudding and the White Alpha keycaps, which looked superb. Double shot PBT keycaps typically are recommended over other materials and this keyboard checked that box too.
The only issue was the product page was devoid of any features about the keyboard itself, like whether it featured N-Key Rollover, or Anti-Ghosting technology. I decided to give this a shot anyway, as my needs as a casual gamer are not all that rigorous. Ordered the Pudding keycap version with BOX Brown switches, and immediately thought about cancelling it for the fear of not knowing everything about this product.
Decided to do a bit more research about the product and manufacturer before I cancelled the order, and came across a lot more information eventually. Although Hexgears is new to the US market, it appears that they have a much stronger presence in Asia. Their Chinese web page appeared a lot more informative than the US web page, and the product photo for K735 Redstone keyboard looked awfully familiar. Clicking on it revealed this Chinese page:
http://www.hexgears.com/content-28-57-1.htmlAlthough Google translate had a hard time with making sense of it, the graphics regarding programmable features, and the fact that they sponsor an eSports team were promising indeed. Decided to do a bit more research on the Chinese version of the product, which looks like it is only the white LED version and only comes with the White Alpha key caps. On Chinese eCommerce sites, the product had lots of reviews with 99% positive rating. I also saw the following promotional and review videos for the K735, which were promising/positive.
Then I came across a video of a marketing keyboard (which was basically a K735) from Kailh that this reviewer had looked at in depth:
Everything was positive, so I was going to let the order go through, and roll the dice.
The shipping was very fast, with the keyboard getting to my doorstep in two days. The packaging was solid but basic, with just the keyboard, a couple of cards with one containing warranty information and the other containing use of the function key to change the lighting modes and the features. They also included a cheap keycap puller with this. What struck me immediately was the build quality of the keyboard. They keycaps were nicely textured with matte feel to them. This complemented the curved anodized aluminum plate at the top quite nicely. The base below was plastic, but felt very sturdy and had feet adjustable to two levels.
Once plugged in, the RGB lighting truly made this keyboard come alive. The Pudding keycaps really showed off the colorful effects very well, and the sheer number of modes available by combining the effects on the outer ring and the main board are mind boggling. The gripe I have is that the feature card is tiny and hard to read. The descriptions are also very brief, so the only way to find out what you want is by experimenting with the features.
The keyboard itself appears to be fairly full featured, despite the lack of any description on the product pages. It certainly featured unlimited key rollover, had no ghosting whatsoever, and appeared to have a good bit of media control features and macro functionality in the Y key that will take some time to digest. It is not priced as a premium keyboard, and lacks a detachable USB cable or hot swappable switches. At the low price of $70 that I paid for it, I willing to overlook these features.
As for the switches themselves, the Kailh BOX Browns are significantly lighter, and smoother than the Cherry MX Browns I had sampled. They appear to be almost linear when press them quickly, and I had to pull a keycap off to make sure I actually had tactile switches. As I am typing this review, I am getting more used to the feel of it, and the tactility is becoming much more apparent with more deliberate presses.
All in all, the initial impressions are very positive about the keyboard. I am glad I took the plunge on faith, and encourage you to do the same.
