Short Review: E-Element TKL Mechanical KeyboardSpecs:• Outemu blue switches
• Aluminum top plate (silver) with white plastic casing
• White backlighting
• White doubleshot ABS keycaps
• 21-key rollover with USB, N-key rollover with PS/2 (converter not included)
Pros:• Sufficiently solid build quality. I tried twisting the keyboard with both hands but couldn't make it flex.
• Aluminum top plate has a nice brushed finish.
• ABS keycaps are grippier compared to Razer's or Corsair's soft-touch satin caps. They don't trap fingerprints either.
• 9 different lighting modes (scanning, breathing, reactive), plus 8 preset backlight modes, plus another 2 slots for user presets. That's a lot.
• Beginner-friendly and quite easy to use. Just plug and play, no need to mess around with software.
Cons:• Non-detachable USB cord.
• Ugly keycap legends.
• The LEDs on my F9 & F11 keys are slightly dimmer than the other LEDs. Seems like a quality control issue.
• The stabilizers used are really horrible and prevent the Backspace, Enter, RShift, LShift and Spacebar keys from bottoming out properly. In other words, the key travel is somewhat shortened and ends in a muffled thunk instead of a clack. I will look into getting the stabs clipped, but 2mm O-rings should help for the short term (so all the keys will at least feel consistent).
• I paid RM260 for this. Someone here is selling backlit Lingyi for only RM190, so IMO this E-Element should be slightly cheaper.
Outemu Blue Switches:• The Outemu blue switches here have a nice transparent top housing.
• They have a noticeably louder click than Cherry's blues. This is a definite plus for me, but other people might dislike it.
• The pitch of the click seems lower than Cherry's blues.
• They seem to have a higher click/actuation point than Cherry's blues, although I am not 100% sure about this observation.
• I did not notice any inconsistencies in terms of switch feel across the keyboard.
Conclusions:• This E-Element TKL board would be a great choice for beginners looking for their first mech, assuming they do not have the ~RM400 budget for a Filco or Rapid-i.
• For experienced users looking for a cheap secondary/backup MKB - this gets the job done, especially if you manage to find a used unit for under RM200.
• I would even recommend it over the Cherry MX Board 2.0.
I've had the board for less than 24 hours and these are my initial thoughts. I'll update this post with more information & opinions after further usage.
If anybody is interested in getting one, feel free to PM me for the seller's contact number
