Switch Changing
This is a VERY interesting thing for me and really the main reason why I agreed to do this review.
I came in a bit wary because some older reviews say that it’s actually quite hard to change switches in practice.
However, I had zero problems.
The tool is the correct one. As you can see, it is a very innovative tool, removing keycaps at one end and removing switches at the other.
The switches are held in place by tabs at top and bottom, so to remove them you need to use the tool like a pincer and grab the top and bottom tabs. Then by tightening your grip, it would depress both top and bottom tabs. Then just pull, and the switch comes out. You don’t need to pull hard at all.
All switches were firm on my Zhuque. There was a bit of keycap wobble, but no more than on my other mechanical keyboards. I’ve had a Steelseries with some severe wobble, but not on this board. Although the switches were so easy to remove, the switches themselves were very firmly placed. Gaote/Outemu’s design is good.
The one problem I have an issue with, is not an issue per se with their quality. It is the fact that they had to redesign their switch housings. See my pictures? Now Gaote/Outemu switches can’t be used interchangeably anymore with Cherry switches.
Furthermore their switch housings can’t be taken apart. I wasn’t able to take apart a single one. This means I can’t just snap apart the switch housing as we are used to doing for Cherry MX, and change the stems inside. If you want to change switch types, you can’t put in a Cherry and you can’t put in Cherry stems. You will have to buy other Gaote/Outemu switches.
Inability to take apart the switch housings just means I can’t customize the switches by sticking Cherry Clears inside or using springs of different weightings. For most people it won’t matter, but for geekhackers, well, it’s a minus. No Ghetto mods, no Jailhouse mods.
Inserting the switch is not a press down process like when you put Cherry MX switches into a metal plate. You also have to depress the tabs using the tool before inserting. But it is a totally painless and minimal-skill process. There is practically no learning curve to overcome.
This can be done very quickly. In just a few seconds. Older reviews sometimes had problems with switch removal and insertion, and I suspect that Outemu/Gaote hadn’t gotten their tolerances done right at that point. If they can do this right now, going forward should not be a problem.
It is possible that Teamwolf got an aluminum casing because you would need a metal tool to remove the switches. A plastic tool would break. I managed to remove all switches without any visible damage to the aluminum, but seeing that this is a steel tool and the plate is aluminum, I suspect that if you did this too often eventually the aluminum would get scratched around the places where you put the switches.
Looking inside, I can see that the SMD diodes used in the LEDs are small and a distance from the plate. Yet they managed to make this keyboard as bright as how a surface mount LED would have made it, sitting on top of the switch. This is a very good thing.
Although switch changing was so fuss free, I was severely disappointed nonetheless for reasons not to do with Outemu or Teamwolf. I can't substitute Cherry and I can't take apart these switches and customize. At the very least I think Outemu needs to offer different types of switches equivalent to Cherry's Silent Reds and Clears. Even if these cost more, Outemu switches are cheap, so I'm sure people will buy.
Red and Black Switches
I changed the switches, then fired up a game I hadn’t played in ages: Starcraft. I’m sorry, but since I haven’t played SC2 in a while I wound up going all crazy because I’d forgotten all the hotkeys. I was beaten and humiliated on the Essence of Eternity mission in Legacy of the Void, and had to finish on Casual. For someone who once finished 95% of all SC2 missions on Brutal, this is a huge comedown.
The good thing is that my painless switch change was accompanied by a totally smooth transition to my gaming Win10 computer. Immediate recognition on the Win10 64 bit system. Everything worked flawlessly. So I immediately plunged into gaming and barely even had the time or interest to think about how the red and black switches work in a gaming situation.
I am out of time now and need a while to get back with a proper review of the Zhuque on black or red switches. But I think they’re good. That’s what gamers want. Change switch, and immediately commence battle without having to be self-conscious about the keyboard. Typing on them, I don’t feel much difference with Cherry Reds or Blacks.
If you look at the keyboard photos, you may notice that I changed some keycaps to Vortex doubleshot PBT keycaps. When typing on thick PBT next to the stock doubleshots, the stock keycaps didn't feel cheap. It was probably the presence of the translucent doubleshotting material, which I'm guessing is POM? I have none of the usual Razer/ Filco thin ABS echo-y response on Blue clicky switches. If using Thick PBT next to cheapo Coolermaster Stock keycaps or Razer stock, I always felt the difference immediately.
Underneath the keycaps in my photos are a mix of black, red and blue Outemu switches. (Remember, I bought 15 blacks and 15 reds as well, and I stuck them all into the keyboard.) When gaming I was hammering away and they all felt pretty good. I think for the purposes of my gaming it made sense to differentiate switch type by row. The difference in tactile response is also information in itself when I am staring at the screen. However, in retrospect I think I should have arranged the different switch types by column instead. That way I will be less likely to make mistakes between Q W and E, all of which are important Starcraft hotkeys.
I feel Outemu Reds are heavier than Cherry Reds. This is not a bad thing for me because I find Cherry reds too light, but I feel the contrast between Outemu Reds and Outemu Blacks is a bit less than the contrast between Cherry reds and Cherry blacks.
Outemu has a bit of rep for producing linear switches that are smooth, and the rep is upheld here. They’re totally not scratchy. Not one switch made noise or gave me scratchy feedback.
I have yet to try out Outemu browns on a keyboard, but their switch sample was helpful here. I took the Brown and my opinion is that it is on par with Cherry browns.
PCB:
The PCB looks black. Reminds me of Razer and Corsair PCBs. I know most of you guys don’t like Razer, but I suspect in the long run Teamwolf wants to take on Razer, and it is not a bad thing. The Zhuque is inferior to Filco or KUL at this point, but it sure as hell can take on Razer. Just make the Zhuque programmable including the lighting, and you can leave Razer in the dust. [Note that right now lighting IS programmable, but the keyboard is not.]
I very strongly recommend that Teamwolf look into making the Zhuque programmable. Right now Zhuque is already a bit more expensive than unbranded boards that look similiar, but there is no other product differentiation. Teamwolf might as well go all the way, add a chip that cost $1 at the factory, spend a bit of time with the software guys and the manual guys, and they can legitimately sell the keyboard at $15 more with programmable key functions on it.
Competing on price with other cut rate makers won’t make Teamwolf rich. Give people a reason to buy the board. Even in a lower income country like China, people are willing to put down hard earned money to get a Razer. Teamwolf can give people better keyboards than Razer at a fraction of the price, and I want to see them do it. At the very least, Teamwolf’s Zhuque looks way better than a Razer or one of those weirdly named Chinese boards with crazy plastic flanges and moldings.
If Royal Kludge and Plum can do it, I don’t see why Teamwolf can’t. Teamwolf can probably buy the same chip from the chip makers as RK and Plum, and benefit from economies of scale. RK and Plum are being sold at far higher prices than the Zhuque and similar boards right now. So far I have not heard of anyone’s Plum keyboard controller getting bricked during the programming process, which is already better than Corsair. RK/Plum’s software is reported very easy to use with no more learning curve than Corsair or Razer, and no need to use internet connection or cloud or whatever unlike R and C.