This can hardly be called a review. Really it is just a few comments about about the board after owning it for a few days. This board had been reviewed to death, so rather than do it again, I'd like to point out a few remarks worthy of being shared. I'm comparing my Cherry MX Board 3.0 to my new Poker 3.
Where to start?.... The board. The footprint is is considerably smaller than my cherry G80-3850 (MX Board 3.0). In fact the Cherry board is 234% larger than the Poker 3. The aluminum case also makes in considerably heavier as well.
The MX board being twice the size is only slightly heavier. G80-3850- 895 grams (Cherry)
PKX6100- 789 grams (Vortex Poker 3)
The PKX1600 uses plate mounted switches. The Cherry G80 uses PCB mounted. There are arguments in favor of both, principally being that plate mounted boards are more pleasant to type one while the PCB mounted boards are easier to modify the switches. IMHO the opposite is true; the Cherry board gives a more pleasant typing experience. The Poker3 is considerably louder type on and every vibration of each cycle of each switch actuation is felt through the fingertips, whether it's the keycap bottoming out, the tactile bump, or the switch returning the the upright position. The plastic case and PCB mounted switches of G80 cushion your keystrokes and allow much less sound to reverberate and there is much less feedback coming back through your fingertips. It is in a sense, muffled. Therefore, if you are a person who believes that red switches are "scratchy," then this would not be the keyboard for you as the friction would easily be felt through the keycaps. If however, you are a fan of MX Brown switches, but think the tactile bump is just not distinct enough, then this is ideal for you. There is no question that the "bump" is more easily felt on this board. Also, the sounds the various keys make are much more varied on the Poker3 vs the G80. I like consistent.
I also want to add that they many of the keys larger than 1x do not feel consistent, especially the spacebar, enter, and backspace. They are sticky, clicky, wobbly, and make other strange sounds.
The keys on the G80 are low profile and actually partially recessed behind the top plate. The PKX6100 does not have a top plate. The keycaps on the PKX6100 are 1.25" (home row), while the caps on the G80 are 1.15." I will include a picture. The tilt on the Poker3 is fixed at a very slight angle- it cannot be adjusted. This is great and makes it feel more sturdy, if it's at the right angle for you. I imagine that it is comfortable for most. G80 can be flat or inclined. See pics.
The key caps on the G80 are ABS while on the PKX6100 they are PBT material. I prefer the font on the Poker 3 as well as the key cap color and the fact that the legends are barely palpable. The white legends on the G80 are stark white contrast to the black board and can easily be felt by the fingertips. I cannot speak for longevity. Now I originally wanted PBT caps on this board and in fact they are what tipped me to buy this board. By touch they most definitely feel like QUALITY. However, for actual typing the ABS (which has a pleasant texture for now) on the G80 is more to my liking. The edges of the keys on the G80 are rounded which makes sliding your fingers from one key to another more pleasant. On the PKX6100 they are considerably sharper. The surface of each key cap is smaller on the G80- 1.25mm vs 1.15mm. I hated the smaller key caps at first but now I like them and I think they have made me a better typist as I am forced to hit the center of the key. Also worthy of note is that the stems on the PKX6100 can be seen from the surface of the key cap. The are often visible as what appears to be an imperfection on the cap surface and makes them look dirty.
I have used the arrow keys on the PKX and they aren't too difficult to access. But to tell you the truth I really wish I had dedicated arrow keys. The layered F keys I can deal with. I do wish that there was a Fn key on the left side of the keyboard too. I have yet to go the different settings with the dip switches or anything else for that matter as there was no paperwork, manual, or documentation included with this at all.
Reviews of this board have been exhausted to death and I don't know that I have anything more worthwhile to add. On a final note I love the size of the Poker3, the function layers are a bit of a hassle, and I don't care for the sound and the feel of the typing. I find the cheaper made Cherry G80-3850 more pleasant to type one. At the time of this writing of my final sentence, I am already seeing a shine on the space bar. I do have to say though that I prefer ABS key caps. I know I'm in the minority, small minority.. I think I would have been much happier with the V60.
I would love to hear an opinion from an owner of both the KBP V60 and the Vortex Poker3. I wish I could buy a Keycool 84
I was hoping to love this board, but not so much so far. I may keep it unless I can find another viable alternative in a 60-70% form factor. Every time I find one I think I'm interested in it is sold out and not available anywhere.
