@@ErdrickHero I thought critically of your comment and didn't buy it, so i decided to reply with some sass. But hey I'm not rebellious, Onlyoffice does have a lot of legit critique, hostile FOSS (no PRs), no RTL support, poor performance Your critique of onlyoffice is just... microsoft ptsd syndrome
The Launch Heavy is looking like my kind of keyboard. A heavy slap of metal with switches on top. Easy to clean and rock solid. I've been looking for a new keyboard my venerable Logitech G513 is starting to develop issues with the RGB lights in there. It's slowly but certainly losing the blue lighting. I'm pretty interested in the concept of a fully open source keyboard that is completely configurable. Good to hear the built quality is solid. The double space bar sounds weird, but the logic behind it is very sound.
Same here, I've had the G513 for a few years now and some of the RGB is wearing out on a few keys. It's still perfectly usable, but it has MX Blues so everybody in the house hates it, and I've been looking for something smaller with linear switches. Probably won't be getting the System 76 keyboard, but it's still pretty cool.
Looks nice My problem with different style keyboards is that you need to get used to them. you get them running at home but then at work you have the standard keyboard so you ever will feel odd and never really comfortable
I usually rest my right hand on the arrow keys and I use PgDown and the right Ctrl very often. I wouldn't know what to do if they weren't in the position I'm used to.
I recently had gotten a moonlander keyboard, and I vastly overestimated my ability to adapt to that thing. I may give up on it. So I certainly respect your sentiment. However this keyboard is basically standard. Look at where your thumb it's your keyboard, I'll bet it's not right on the left edge, so that space could be used for a button. Personally I don't like how far under my hand I need to tuck my thumb to hit alt. So that would be easily resolved with this keyboard.
I appreciate you marking your advertisement sections, not because I automatically skip every time, but because as a frequent viewer I can skip the segments from sponsors I have already seen :)
I've had the "regular" one for a few months, and I really rather like it. The configurability is kinda handy, and the super solid feel is really nice. The price does make it hard to recommend though. I needed a new keyboard and figured I could afford to support the local (ish) Linux company. That was my thought process.
The Launch Heavy looks exactly like the keyboard I was looking for! Compact but still with numpad AND separate direction keys. Detachable USB-C cable AND a hub! 300 $ (€?) really are expensive but yeah, it has done great value. So it's a possibility.
You can look over at the keychron series. Greate build quality, wireless / wired, aluminium and custimizable to a degree :P 300€ for the S76 keyboard is a bit much for my taste.
Those Kailh Box Jades sounded heavenly. I can't believe anyone would dislike the comfortable soundscape created by the continuous clicks from these during writing.
There are keyboards with an internal solenoid clicker that makes a *really* loud click on every keypress. It's amazing. You can torture an entire department at work with that thing.
@@PanzerTanzer1 I get it, you're sarcastic :D the noise is one of the reasons why I hate mechanical keyboards with a passion, and I myself have quiet membraned ones.
@@csehszlovakze Not at all, I just can't stand the muffled sound with a lack of treble in most contemporary keyboards. It's just like listening with earplugs. Clicky switches is a good way to expand the timbre.
I've been using a keyboard with clicky switches for like 5 years now and I've grown to hate it. Yes it feels nice but it's *so fucking loud*. Not only does it annoy me personally, but it means I have to make my noise gate on my microphone super aggressive to avoid earraping anyone I talk to. It works, but the side effect is I have to speak louder to actually trigger the noise gate, and of course no noise gate can remove the clicking while I speak anyway. I just bought a new keyboard, as you can't replace the switches on the one I had, and it is heavenly.
One thing I like about the layout of this is that the super key is to the right of alt (by default). If you have a standard keyboard, notice that alt is somewhat to the left of your D key, where as this super key is lined up with it, and the key to the left of that (the "access layer 2" key) is almost where your normal alt key would be. This is useful because on Linux generally we will use the super key + 1,2,3,4 to switch virtual desktops or grab/resize windows. However your thumb gets tucked way under your hand to hit that key normally. Personally I use alt instead of super for this reason, but that kind of sucks too because a good number of apps (like blender for example) use alt for many of their shortcuts. So if I got this, I would use meta for my WM stuff, and then swap alt with their "access layer 2" key to put that back where it should be. It wouldn't interfeare with my mussle memory for space either because my left thumb tends to hit my space roughly between the F and G keys, exactly lined up with there this space bar is, so the area to the left is wasted. So yes, I like this idea, I might get one. I recently got a moonlander keyboard, and while the software is great, I vastly underestimated the learning curve of actually adapting to a layout that was so radically different. I also think their thumb section is too far away.
@The Linux Experiment The main benefit of the split spacebar is to assign one of the keys to something else: For me, the left side backspace. Think about how much you are stretching your hand away from the home row to make a correction every time you type. You will never go back once you get used to this.
You holding the product in the main shot was so unusual, and the little BUBBLE COMM? THAT was almost alienating compared to previous style for me. But, maybe it's a good thing.
My expensive mechanical keyboard space bar drives me nuts as I have to pound on it to get it to work lately, even after cleaning it. I like the 2 space bar idea. Not a fan of the non transparent keys though if it has RGB underneath, the letters should be transparent to see the colors through them. I also prefer cherry mx switches. I'm sure they are quality, but I would need to test it in person before ever committing to spending that much for it over my current CoolerMaster MASTERKEYS PRO L RGB. Also the keys are closer together than mine, which I am used to. Would really need to try it out in person, unfortunately.
I have standard Launch keyboard with the clicky jade switches. I love this keyboard, but I wish I waited for the Launch Heavy, because I like having a number pad.
@@bcarr1122 Unlikely, as the only brands to do that don't have a standard number pad layout. And honestly, I don't really need it too much, but if I did, I would buy a Launch Heavy.
I don't mind the price. For this built quality and open hardware approach. This is a device for a life-time. What I do not like at all and puts me off is the NON translucent letters on the keycaps and the backlight-bleed. I HATE light coming from the back and not illuminating the letters themselves. I want to be able to read the keys in the dark and not have rainbow lighting effects illuminate my room!
Do note that most keycap sets won’t work with this keyboard because they have weirdly sized modifiers! While it may seem like a feature at first, it essentially locks you into keycaps specifically made for this keyboard! You have been warned
@@epsi ergonomic keyboard layouts, while not as popular as the standard layout, are still more standard than this one. Many keyboard sets offer ergo variants, and they’re super easy to make as all the modifiers are simply 1u sized.
To be honest that is actually a pretty reasonable price compared to other fully customizable mechanical keyboard, and the build quality seems better than a lot of those other alternatives.
@@HAL_NOVEMILA I love it when people who aren't in the keyboard scene like Cameron here come with an attitude of superiority, having no knowledge of the topic. Pretty much every single custom keyboard uses open source firmware, *many* of them also have open source PCBs (kicad files) and open CAD files, tho admittedly not all of them. That isn't a huge deal tho because designing a case in CAD is almost trivial and there are plenty of open kicad files for PCBs that you're free to modify to your needs.
Great review. I don't think I could take that typing sound. The build is great, I know, I have a Thelio desktop computer from System 76. Their quality is amazing. Looking forward to your review of those, the case and chassis is something that will blow your mind if you've never seen one.
I think that, unless you _need_ it for accessiblity reason, having a keyboard slope toward the user like many keyboards do/allow, is actually a bad idea. My understanding is that it actually puts the user at a greater risk of RSI.
I've got 2 issues that would prevent me from getting this keyboard. 1) no arrows on arrow keys would bug me and 2) what's the point of a light up keyboard if the characters on the keycaps don't light up as well? Given the price I shouldn't have to buy new keycaps for that
$285USD, which doesn't even include shipping fees is insane. I get that mechanical keyboards are pricey but surely they don't need to be THAT expensive!!! Like the color scheme of the board though!
Yeah it's literally scam at this point. You get keyboards with more functionality and same build quality for half the price. They just milking FOSS simps.
Upsides: Looks KDE-level customization Downsides: Price Wired (I'm completely spoiled on wireless keyboards, I refuse to live without them) Would nice to have the Heavy with the typing sound of the Light (I spend a lot of time alone too :D ) PS: I like your watch! Oris?
I like the split space bar, but I prefer my Home and End keys are close to the arrow keys as possible, me being a dev and all
ปีที่แล้ว +2
ANSI for me is an instant no. The long shift on the left is useless, and removes an important key. In Hungarian, it's not symbols or something, but a vital letter í/Í. I wouldn't mind the Enter/Return situation, but one key less is unacceptable.
The price compared to the rest of the mechanical keyboard market isn’t very good to be honest; I can get a Keychron Q1 for less than $200 with a better build quality, same hot swappable mech switches, and customizable layout, just for example. Cool keyboard, wayyyy to pricey, maybe $100 less on the big one, and $50-100 less on the other two and they’re viable.
How much did your phone cost? More than 400$ for a piece of metal? No thanks. 300$ for a high-end keyboard is a fair price. You can buy a cheap plastic membrane keyboard for less than 20$, and if you're fine with spongy switches, shitty keycaps and a flexing board then by all means go for it, but saying something SHOULD cost less than x dollars is dumb. You pay for the build quality, for the switches, for hot-swappability, for pre-lubing, the keycaps, etc. etc.
@@whalemailxd Are they hotswapabel, highly programmable, and have pbt caps, an USB hub with 4x USB 3.2 gen 1 outputs as well as a full-body aluminum frame? I guess not. So, what are you comparing?
At first I bought the Khail Box Jade switches, and I loved them, but after a few days of typing, it was too much stress on my fingers. I moved down to the Box Whites which are much better IMHO. If you are a touch-typist, don't look at your keyboard, and you like that nostalgic clicky feel, you may even wan to try the Speed Brown's for a lighter/faster feel.
I got interested in this keyboard while watching this vid, but then the price tag immediately deterred me. I hope they will drop their prices significantly (at least 40 to 30 percent) and then I might be in for 2 units. And a normal shipping fee of course 😉
For this kind of money, unless you are highly uninterested in the details and want prepackaged, you can get a superb custom qmk/vial enabled keeb and the pleasure of lubing the switches to perfection. I wish their heavy would sport the numpad on the left instead of standard position on the right. Then it would be somewhat unique as a prepackaged keeb.
Super expensive, but this looks pretty good and would likely be the last keyboard I ever buy. Why is there no link to it from anywhere, even on their own website?
Knowing you were not really into mechanical keyboards when I suggested to try one a while ago, this was fun to watch! Did these keyboards change your mind on mechanical keyboards in general?
@@TheLinuxEXP Maybe once my financial situation improves somewhat I'll hook you up with a keyboard. Not right now tho... I gifted my best friend a completely custom $1000 keyboard for xmas. That stings in the wallet for sure.
You don't type weird. I use only my index, middle, and ring fingers and sometimes my thumbs for the spacebar. More accurate and faster than "home row/traditional" for me
The "Ultimate Hacking Keyboard" is my favorite mechanical keyboard, and it's made in europe, so might be more accessible for folks, though it is very pricey.
Man there's a lot to like about these keyboard: 100% open source soft/firm/hardware Super customisable with on board settings storage Solid build quality These alone are absolutely amazing, I just wish they had a less cramped layout and a wireless option. The RGB is eh, I would prefer without as it's just an unnecessary physical component that can break. I would turn it off tbh.
Agreed. The F1 key is too close to the escape key, and when you need help (F1) you're hitting bye (ESC) LOL. But honestly, they missed the boat when their "TKL" which is not really a TKL layout. And for the Launch Heavy... well numeric keypads are better served by a separate unit for if/when you need to enter some numbers (accounting/taxes/etc). For coding, I almost never use it and really need the home key section instead. I'd have to completely reprogram the Launch Heavy and even remove some keys and totally change the layout to get close to the true TKL layout. So sad as they ALMOST had this right.
With an AZERTY over QWERTY preference briefly mentioned where you say you want that keyboard layout, then a lot of time talking about it being customizable through software, and even expressing keycaps can be replaced and partially rearranged, why didn't you cover your experience having converted it? Did you not want to convert it or are there other reasons why you couldn't complete the conversion. The LEDs under solid keycaps just seems like a gimmick though one shot you did of them in the dark to show off the LEDs looks like they bleed through the top and maybe enough of the lower parts that characters can be observed on the white keycaps. On my Ducky Shine 3, I've had issues with the lower symbol on multisymbol keys being difficult to make out even though the symbols are designed to pass the light. Then again, I've had so many LEDs failing on it that its just a mess to look at and some are important ones like numlock. Keycaps on my keyboard are also prone to wearing through the thin layer that makes the black surface. How durable are the symbols on this keyboard's keycaps? Is it printed on or plastic molded deeper into plastic or all the way through so it handles wear better? Other comments made it sound like the switches are socketed so they could be replaced. Is that true and can LEDs also be replaced just as easily? Details of parts availability and the process involved could help win points with right-to-repair type of shoppers. My Ducky Shine 3 has a few other things like ability to disable Windows(=super here?) key and ability to have the keyboard send key repeats with customizable delay before repeating and speed it repeats which can go as far as no delay and 16x the normal Windows key repeat rate. Does this keyboard offer any special features like that? Maybe where a key or sequence performs a set of keypresses (or other actions). I didn't notice a mention of the purpose of the 'fn' key in this video. Why no link to the company's product page? After getting past sponsor links (wonder if this review sample was sponsored too or under different terms?) and social links, there is a lot of text about the keyboard as discussed in the video but no link to it. I know I like Cherry switches over membrane keyboards though there is room for improvement on them. Being another type of switch used here brings up keycap compatibility, feel, and durability for how they compare. I haven't seen a keyboard using those switches personally so would want to at least feel a switch sample before considering a keyboard at those prices. As someone who likes mechanical keyboards, pricing here reminds me of what I've seen for custom made keyboards such as those done by hobbyists though I presume the System76 keyboards are likely comparable to other keyboards I've known of where an kit (assembly required) costs more than these American made offerings. If so, I still see it as very high priced but that would make it better than competition.
300 bucks for a keyboard (plus 100 bucks if you don't live in the US)? I'm all for supporting System76 and their endeavour in the open source market, but that price is a dealbreaker for me (especially since I live in the EU).
No "AltGr" and "Alt" in wrong place! ... The best traditional (staggered) keyboard layout is "ANSISO" (ANSI+ISO), not ANSI. And, of course, you don't need RGB to type.
Since when do Super and Right Ctrl go next to the space bar(s)?! From the left: Ctrl, Super, Alt, Space, AltGr is the standard layout. We want more keyboards with super keys that are blank or say SUPER or have Tux on them instead of the Windows logo.
That's some pretty sweet configuration, esp with on board storage of your config. Wish more devices supported this idea, especially open source tools to perform config. Alas, the non standard key placement does turn me away.
hate the space bar and this might sound silly, but the way the caps, shift, ctrl dont line up on the left with tab just feels so out of place. also the single coloumn home, pgup/dn keys kinda suck
Have been using a Red Dragon K557 keyboard for my daily use....but looking at THIS?..I think its time for an upgrade...so I'll start saving my pennies for that "Heavy" KB!...thanks for the review Nick!!
As I’m not a keyboard aficionado the price makes it hard to justify. But I find myself wanting it anyway so maybe I’ll splurge when I buy my desktop from System 76 😂
I'm confused by the pricing and slightly weird layout. If I'm spending 300 dollars it's gonna be a custom keyboard. Seems like the right choice for some people though I guess
Not sure how it think to compete against the Keychron Q6. ...As far as I can tell with the Keychron you get the same features, swappable switches, more keys, LOWER price, a nice knob (😏) and they even have an ISO variant for us Europeans, plus IMO it looks much better.
@@cameronbosch1213 the firmware on the Keychron is QMK which is open source. For the GUI it uses VIA but nothing stops you from using an open source alternative such as VIAL.
@HabboElite S like I said in my previous comment, the firmware is open source (QMK), the GUI real-time configurator officially supported by the manufacturer is VIA which is not open source, but there are open source alternatives such as VIAL.
![เปิดใจ "อาจารย์เบียร์ คนตื่นธรรม" อดีตเคยสุดทุกทาง ถ้าใช้หนี้หมดไปบวชแน่ l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IxeE0xVhy08/mqdefault.jpg)
Try OnlyOffice, the best open source office suite for Linux: bit.ly/3IQRWfY
Uh... I keep hearing "free" but somehow they have money for advertising. That must mean their users are the products.
@@ErdrickHero pretty sure they make money from selling their business packages and cloud offerings. Lets not start spewing controversy theories k thx
@@user-zv2gr3tu1l let's as a whole people start thinking critically k thx
so your wife wouldn't staple your head to the desk if you used the jade switches? 😂😂😂
@@ErdrickHero I thought critically of your comment and didn't buy it, so i decided to reply with some sass.
But hey I'm not rebellious, Onlyoffice does have a lot of legit critique, hostile FOSS (no PRs), no RTL support, poor performance
Your critique of onlyoffice is just... microsoft ptsd syndrome
The Launch Heavy is looking like my kind of keyboard. A heavy slap of metal with switches on top. Easy to clean and rock solid.
I've been looking for a new keyboard my venerable Logitech G513 is starting to develop issues with the RGB lights in there. It's slowly but certainly losing the blue lighting. I'm pretty interested in the concept of a fully open source keyboard that is completely configurable. Good to hear the built quality is solid. The double space bar sounds weird, but the logic behind it is very sound.
check out hyperx alloy origins
Same here, I've had the G513 for a few years now and some of the RGB is wearing out on a few keys. It's still perfectly usable, but it has MX Blues so everybody in the house hates it, and I've been looking for something smaller with linear switches. Probably won't be getting the System 76 keyboard, but it's still pretty cool.
Haven't watched the news yet, but when I hear 'foss' and 'keyboard' in one sentence that's always exciting to hear!
Looks nice
My problem with different style keyboards is that you need to get used to them.
you get them running at home but then at work you have the standard keyboard so you ever will feel odd and never really comfortable
That is why I go to office with my ergodox... Not supper smart... But what stops you from owning 2 same keyboards for home and office?
I usually rest my right hand on the arrow keys and I use PgDown and the right Ctrl very often. I wouldn't know what to do if they weren't in the position I'm used to.
I recently had gotten a moonlander keyboard, and I vastly overestimated my ability to adapt to that thing. I may give up on it. So I certainly respect your sentiment. However this keyboard is basically standard. Look at where your thumb it's your keyboard, I'll bet it's not right on the left edge, so that space could be used for a button. Personally I don't like how far under my hand I need to tuck my thumb to hit alt. So that would be easily resolved with this keyboard.
I appreciate you marking your advertisement sections, not because I automatically skip every time, but because as a frequent viewer I can skip the segments from sponsors I have already seen :)
Hey Nick, just to clarify, you actually use the other end of the tool to remove the keycaps. The end that you used is to remove the switches.
Hahaha yeah I always used it like that
I've had the "regular" one for a few months, and I really rather like it. The configurability is kinda handy, and the super solid feel is really nice. The price does make it hard to recommend though. I needed a new keyboard and figured I could afford to support the local (ish) Linux company. That was my thought process.
The Launch Heavy looks exactly like the keyboard I was looking for!
Compact but still with numpad AND separate direction keys.
Detachable USB-C cable AND a hub!
300 $ (€?) really are expensive but yeah, it has done great value. So it's a possibility.
You can look over at the keychron series. Greate build quality, wireless / wired, aluminium and custimizable to a degree :P
300€ for the S76 keyboard is a bit much for my taste.
Those Kailh Box Jades sounded heavenly. I can't believe anyone would dislike the comfortable soundscape created by the continuous clicks from these during writing.
There are keyboards with an internal solenoid clicker that makes a *really* loud click on every keypress. It's amazing. You can torture an entire department at work with that thing.
@@insu_na Torture? You mean let coworkers share the joyful experience of listening to soothing ear candy.
@@PanzerTanzer1 I get it, you're sarcastic :D the noise is one of the reasons why I hate mechanical keyboards with a passion, and I myself have quiet membraned ones.
@@csehszlovakze Not at all, I just can't stand the muffled sound with a lack of treble in most contemporary keyboards. It's just like listening with earplugs. Clicky switches is a good way to expand the timbre.
I've been using a keyboard with clicky switches for like 5 years now and I've grown to hate it. Yes it feels nice but it's *so fucking loud*. Not only does it annoy me personally, but it means I have to make my noise gate on my microphone super aggressive to avoid earraping anyone I talk to. It works, but the side effect is I have to speak louder to actually trigger the noise gate, and of course no noise gate can remove the clicking while I speak anyway. I just bought a new keyboard, as you can't replace the switches on the one I had, and it is heavenly.
It really looks good. But that small enter key.. I would have a lot of '\' at the end of all my texts. Great review as always.. Cheers!
I think they’re working on an ISO layout that should have a bigger Enter key
One thing I like about the layout of this is that the super key is to the right of alt (by default). If you have a standard keyboard, notice that alt is somewhat to the left of your D key, where as this super key is lined up with it, and the key to the left of that (the "access layer 2" key) is almost where your normal alt key would be. This is useful because on Linux generally we will use the super key + 1,2,3,4 to switch virtual desktops or grab/resize windows. However your thumb gets tucked way under your hand to hit that key normally. Personally I use alt instead of super for this reason, but that kind of sucks too because a good number of apps (like blender for example) use alt for many of their shortcuts. So if I got this, I would use meta for my WM stuff, and then swap alt with their "access layer 2" key to put that back where it should be. It wouldn't interfeare with my mussle memory for space either because my left thumb tends to hit my space roughly between the F and G keys, exactly lined up with there this space bar is, so the area to the left is wasted.
So yes, I like this idea, I might get one. I recently got a moonlander keyboard, and while the software is great, I vastly underestimated the learning curve of actually adapting to a layout that was so radically different. I also think their thumb section is too far away.
I'd love to see System 76 do an ergo keyboard
@The Linux Experiment The main benefit of the split spacebar is to assign one of the keys to something else: For me, the left side backspace. Think about how much you are stretching your hand away from the home row to make a correction every time you type. You will never go back once you get used to this.
You holding the product in the main shot was so unusual, and the little BUBBLE COMM? THAT was almost alienating compared to previous style for me. But, maybe it's a good thing.
My expensive mechanical keyboard space bar drives me nuts as I have to pound on it to get it to work lately, even after cleaning it. I like the 2 space bar idea. Not a fan of the non transparent keys though if it has RGB underneath, the letters should be transparent to see the colors through them. I also prefer cherry mx switches. I'm sure they are quality, but I would need to test it in person before ever committing to spending that much for it over my current CoolerMaster MASTERKEYS PRO L RGB. Also the keys are closer together than mine, which I am used to. Would really need to try it out in person, unfortunately.
I have standard Launch keyboard with the clicky jade switches. I love this keyboard, but I wish I waited for the Launch Heavy, because I like having a number pad.
Perhaps System76 will offer a separate numpad?
@@bcarr1122 Unlikely, as the only brands to do that don't have a standard number pad layout. And honestly, I don't really need it too much, but if I did, I would buy a Launch Heavy.
I am glad you reviewed a keyboard. The layout is a bit strange. Does anyone know why did they make the layout like that?
I don't mind the price. For this built quality and open hardware approach. This is a device for a life-time.
What I do not like at all and puts me off is the NON translucent letters on the keycaps and the backlight-bleed.
I HATE light coming from the back and not illuminating the letters themselves. I want to be able to read the keys in the dark and not have rainbow lighting effects illuminate my room!
Do note that most keycap sets won’t work with this keyboard because they have weirdly sized modifiers! While it may seem like a feature at first, it essentially locks you into keycaps specifically made for this keyboard! You have been warned
@@epsi ergonomic keyboard layouts, while not as popular as the standard layout, are still more standard than this one. Many keyboard sets offer ergo variants, and they’re super easy to make as all the modifiers are simply 1u sized.
Say hello to the FOSS keyboard 👋!
Thanks for the video, Nick 🍉😉👍!
Num pad was the reason I had never tried out the Launch series before. Already got tracking for mine.
Damned shame they aren't doing ISO. That's a deal-breaker for me. Otherwise this looks amazing
yep, this layout is deal breaker for me too
Yeah, that and it being wireless with easily replaceable batteries (AA or similar) would make it the truly ultimate keyboard
I'm disappointed that the 'heavy' isn't made out of cast iron :P
Hahaha that would really lend credence to its name!
Ok Build a Forge and ask for Mr Schmitz to Cast this iron For You...
Solid review! Thanks, man!
To be honest that is actually a pretty reasonable price compared to other fully customizable mechanical keyboard, and the build quality seems better than a lot of those other alternatives.
Keychron is cheaper and offers more options, the Keychron Q6 as far as I can see seems a much more competitive product...
@@HAL_NOVEMILA But is the firmware on the Keychron fully open-source?
@@cameronbosch1213 the Keychron Q line of keyboards use QMK and VIA... QMK is open source and there are open source alternatives to VIA such as VIAL.
@@HAL_NOVEMILA I love it when people who aren't in the keyboard scene like Cameron here come with an attitude of superiority, having no knowledge of the topic.
Pretty much every single custom keyboard uses open source firmware, *many* of them also have open source PCBs (kicad files) and open CAD files, tho admittedly not all of them.
That isn't a huge deal tho because designing a case in CAD is almost trivial and there are plenty of open kicad files for PCBs that you're free to modify to your needs.
@@insu_na As far as I can see, you are the one with an attitude. Cameron only asked a question, a fair one at that.
Great review. I don't think I could take that typing sound. The build is great, I know, I have a Thelio desktop computer from System 76. Their quality is amazing. Looking forward to your review of those, the case and chassis is something that will blow your mind if you've never seen one.
Thanks for the review, I want one of those but I'm in the same boat as you regarding shipping. Great video pal! 🙆
I think that, unless you _need_ it for accessiblity reason, having a keyboard slope toward the user like many keyboards do/allow, is actually a bad idea. My understanding is that it actually puts the user at a greater risk of RSI.
I've got 2 issues that would prevent me from getting this keyboard. 1) no arrows on arrow keys would bug me and 2) what's the point of a light up keyboard if the characters on the keycaps don't light up as well? Given the price I shouldn't have to buy new keycaps for that
$285USD, which doesn't even include shipping fees is insane. I get that mechanical keyboards are pricey but surely they don't need to be THAT expensive!!!
Like the color scheme of the board though!
Yeah it's literally scam at this point. You get keyboards with more functionality and same build quality for half the price. They just milking FOSS simps.
@@longdashes I mean, I wouldn't go as far as to call it a scam. After all I have seen some bloody expensive "gaming" branded products out there.
@@schemage2210 All scamming
My keyboard in the '90s was heavy enough for self defense. I miss that.
As always writing a comment to support the channel
Upsides:
Looks
KDE-level customization
Downsides:
Price
Wired (I'm completely spoiled on wireless keyboards, I refuse to live without them)
Would nice to have the Heavy with the typing sound of the Light (I spend a lot of time alone too :D )
PS: I like your watch! Oris?
I like the split space bar, but I prefer my Home and End keys are close to the arrow keys as possible, me being a dev and all
ANSI for me is an instant no. The long shift on the left is useless, and removes an important key. In Hungarian, it's not symbols or something, but a vital letter í/Í. I wouldn't mind the Enter/Return situation, but one key less is unacceptable.
The price compared to the rest of the mechanical keyboard market isn’t very good to be honest; I can get a Keychron Q1 for less than $200 with a better build quality, same hot swappable mech switches, and customizable layout, just for example. Cool keyboard, wayyyy to pricey, maybe $100 less on the big one, and $50-100 less on the other two and they’re viable.
This. I don't see the appeal of the 76 relative to a QMK-compatible Keychron.
The side you used is the switch pulled, not keycap
The wire side was the switch puller.
11:24 I love it!
Are these keyboards hot swappable ? I'd be interested, although shipping to France is actually extremely high...
Every time he tries to remove a keycap I got a heart attack, looks like a monster breaking the keycaps and not using the right side of the tool
Hahaha I always did it this way 😅
For that price I'd just build my own. USB keyboards don't really have compatibility issues. Unless you went with razer and now you can't change stuff
Was excited. Then saw it's $299. No thanks.
What did you expect? It's a normal price for high-quality mechanical RGB keyboards with hub.
yep. the price is a joke :-D
@@domtheruggeda No, it's not. Just look on the price for other mechanical keyboards and have in mind that they use milled aluminum for the case.
How much did your phone cost? More than 400$ for a piece of metal? No thanks.
300$ for a high-end keyboard is a fair price.
You can buy a cheap plastic membrane keyboard for less than 20$, and if you're fine with spongy switches, shitty keycaps and a flexing board then by all means go for it, but saying something SHOULD cost less than x dollars is dumb.
You pay for the build quality, for the switches, for hot-swappability, for pre-lubing, the keycaps, etc. etc.
@@whalemailxd Are they hotswapabel, highly programmable, and have pbt caps, an USB hub with 4x USB 3.2 gen 1 outputs as well as a full-body aluminum frame? I guess not. So, what are you comparing?
it has some similarities to the keychrone kbs...
i personally use a keychron 75% board for gaming and the zsh planck for working...
At first I bought the Khail Box Jade switches, and I loved them, but after a few days of typing, it was too much stress on my fingers. I moved down to the Box Whites which are much better IMHO. If you are a touch-typist, don't look at your keyboard, and you like that nostalgic clicky feel, you may even wan to try the Speed Brown's for a lighter/faster feel.
You and I type exactly similar. Hands suspended on the air. 🤣
Hahaha yeah, I used an iPad for too long and didn’t relearn to touch type afterwards 😅
@@TheLinuxEXP I sometimes hit "q" with right hand. 😎 Very few can compete with me. 😅
I got interested in this keyboard while watching this vid, but then the price tag immediately deterred me. I hope they will drop their prices significantly (at least 40 to 30 percent) and then I might be in for 2 units. And a normal shipping fee of course 😉
welp
time to add this to my first desktop build’s parts list…
For this kind of money, unless you are highly uninterested in the details and want prepackaged, you can get a superb custom qmk/vial enabled keeb and the pleasure of lubing the switches to perfection.
I wish their heavy would sport the numpad on the left instead of standard position on the right. Then it would be somewhat unique as a prepackaged keeb.
Definitely interested in the keyboard. Been considering getting one of their desktops and I didn't know what this was.
Super expensive, but this looks pretty good and would likely be the last keyboard I ever buy. Why is there no link to it from anywhere, even on their own website?
Really would love to see the regular version but with a trackpoint (and trackpoint buttons). Basically fully open source version of the TEX Shinobi.
Knowing you were not really into mechanical keyboards when I suggested to try one a while ago, this was fun to watch! Did these keyboards change your mind on mechanical keyboards in general?
Yep! Now that I found switches I like and that aren’t too noisy, I’m interested!
@@TheLinuxEXP Maybe once my financial situation improves somewhat I'll hook you up with a keyboard. Not right now tho... I gifted my best friend a completely custom $1000 keyboard for xmas. That stings in the wallet for sure.
@@TheLinuxEXP Good to hear! Enjoy the rabbit hole :)
For once a sponsor that's related to the channel's topic 😃
I hope to eventually have a numpad only keyboard.
You don't type weird. I use only my index, middle, and ring fingers and sometimes my thumbs for the spacebar. More accurate and faster than "home row/traditional" for me
The "Ultimate Hacking Keyboard" is my favorite mechanical keyboard, and it's made in europe, so might be more accessible for folks, though it is very pricey.
Man there's a lot to like about these keyboard:
100% open source soft/firm/hardware
Super customisable with on board settings storage
Solid build quality
These alone are absolutely amazing, I just wish they had a less cramped layout and a wireless option.
The RGB is eh, I would prefer without as it's just an unnecessary physical component that can break. I would turn it off tbh.
Agreed. The F1 key is too close to the escape key, and when you need help (F1) you're hitting bye (ESC) LOL. But honestly, they missed the boat when their "TKL" which is not really a TKL layout. And for the Launch Heavy... well numeric keypads are better served by a separate unit for if/when you need to enter some numbers (accounting/taxes/etc). For coding, I almost never use it and really need the home key section instead. I'd have to completely reprogram the Launch Heavy and even remove some keys and totally change the layout to get close to the true TKL layout. So sad as they ALMOST had this right.
Ahahahahaha, scene with desk is awesome!!!)
😂
0:39 Nice segue there, also I too love your sponsor, I've used OnlyOffice and it's great!
I’m glad they made a lower cost minimal option,
Hey nic do you have macbook ?
The click of the keys is an appealing feature to me. But I can buy an antique typewriter for the prices.
not really about the keyboard, but
have you updated your firefox gnome theme? it now has libadwaita rounded tabs.
Yeah, I use the l’inadéquat user chrome cas theme for ir
Nick, I don't line the end screen music, I like the old music better!
Excellent comprehensive review. Dear manufacturers, send Nick things he can keep. Stop with the review units already.
Is there a variant of the keyboard:
- without leds
- whole enter button :D
- whole space :D
:D ?
With an AZERTY over QWERTY preference briefly mentioned where you say you want that keyboard layout, then a lot of time talking about it being customizable through software, and even expressing keycaps can be replaced and partially rearranged, why didn't you cover your experience having converted it? Did you not want to convert it or are there other reasons why you couldn't complete the conversion.
The LEDs under solid keycaps just seems like a gimmick though one shot you did of them in the dark to show off the LEDs looks like they bleed through the top and maybe enough of the lower parts that characters can be observed on the white keycaps. On my Ducky Shine 3, I've had issues with the lower symbol on multisymbol keys being difficult to make out even though the symbols are designed to pass the light. Then again, I've had so many LEDs failing on it that its just a mess to look at and some are important ones like numlock. Keycaps on my keyboard are also prone to wearing through the thin layer that makes the black surface. How durable are the symbols on this keyboard's keycaps? Is it printed on or plastic molded deeper into plastic or all the way through so it handles wear better?
Other comments made it sound like the switches are socketed so they could be replaced. Is that true and can LEDs also be replaced just as easily? Details of parts availability and the process involved could help win points with right-to-repair type of shoppers.
My Ducky Shine 3 has a few other things like ability to disable Windows(=super here?) key and ability to have the keyboard send key repeats with customizable delay before repeating and speed it repeats which can go as far as no delay and 16x the normal Windows key repeat rate. Does this keyboard offer any special features like that? Maybe where a key or sequence performs a set of keypresses (or other actions). I didn't notice a mention of the purpose of the 'fn' key in this video.
Why no link to the company's product page? After getting past sponsor links (wonder if this review sample was sponsored too or under different terms?) and social links, there is a lot of text about the keyboard as discussed in the video but no link to it.
I know I like Cherry switches over membrane keyboards though there is room for improvement on them. Being another type of switch used here brings up keycap compatibility, feel, and durability for how they compare. I haven't seen a keyboard using those switches personally so would want to at least feel a switch sample before considering a keyboard at those prices.
As someone who likes mechanical keyboards, pricing here reminds me of what I've seen for custom made keyboards such as those done by hobbyists though I presume the System76 keyboards are likely comparable to other keyboards I've known of where an kit (assembly required) costs more than these American made offerings. If so, I still see it as very high priced but that would make it better than competition.
Do you ever see keypads with all the keys for hexadecimal?
4:55 I thought I was the only one that typed like that
It would be cool if System76 released a mouse to go along side the keyboards.
300 bucks for a keyboard (plus 100 bucks if you don't live in the US)? I'm all for supporting System76 and their endeavour in the open source market, but that price is a dealbreaker for me (especially since I live in the EU).
EU is a toy for the US.
I've been waiting for this... although I got a Q6.
The letters on the keycaps don't illuminate? For $300?
No "AltGr" and "Alt" in wrong place!
... The best traditional (staggered) keyboard layout is "ANSISO" (ANSI+ISO), not ANSI.
And, of course, you don't need RGB to type.
And for a heavy price too😉 I'm not gonna pay $300 for a keyboard.
Since when do Super and Right Ctrl go next to the space bar(s)?! From the left: Ctrl, Super, Alt, Space, AltGr is the standard layout. We want more keyboards with super keys that are blank or say SUPER or have Tux on them instead of the Windows logo.
“ANSI, the not ISO layout” is wrong. There are more than 2 standard physical layouts for keyboards.
Please tell me it supports the compose key in the firmware :x
That looks like a really nice keyboard! What I want however is the limited Discord Snowsgiving keyboard... Does someone have 220$ to spare 😭
That's some pretty sweet configuration, esp with on board storage of your config. Wish more devices supported this idea, especially open source tools to perform config. Alas, the non standard key placement does turn me away.
Sadly, like so many others they doesn't seem have any options for international caps
A tiny hint that you can see from outer Jupiter orbit:
I think you might want to use some Auto-Spelling app...
Why no link anywhere to the keyboard?
hate the space bar and this might sound silly, but the way the caps, shift, ctrl dont line up on the left with tab just feels so out of place. also the single coloumn home, pgup/dn keys kinda suck
Lol that price though.. Are they trying to out-apple apple?
For a mechanical keyboard, it’s not that bad
Have been using a Red Dragon K557 keyboard for my daily use....but looking at THIS?..I think its time for an upgrade...so I'll start saving my pennies for that "Heavy" KB!...thanks for the review Nick!!
For 300 dollars I would have at least expected a capacitive buckling spring keyboard 😵
Not if you want hot-swappable switches. But yeah, I loved my NMB The Right Touch keyboard with space invader switches...
Here already Nick!
Nice!
They missed out on making the launch heavy a detachable numpad
As I’m not a keyboard aficionado the price makes it hard to justify. But I find myself wanting it anyway so maybe I’ll splurge when I buy my desktop from System 76 😂
what palmrests do you use if any ?
I don’t use any!
It's expensive, but also one of the only keyboards I've seen with a numpad in the exact same design I like... shoot
I'm confused by the pricing and slightly weird layout. If I'm spending 300 dollars it's gonna be a custom keyboard. Seems like the right choice for some people though I guess
Not sure how it think to compete against the Keychron Q6. ...As far as I can tell with the Keychron you get the same features, swappable switches, more keys, LOWER price, a nice knob (😏) and they even have an ISO variant for us Europeans, plus IMO it looks much better.
Is the firmware open with the Keychron though?
@@cameronbosch1213 the firmware on the Keychron is QMK which is open source. For the GUI it uses VIA but nothing stops you from using an open source alternative such as VIAL.
@HabboElite S like I said in my previous comment, the firmware is open source (QMK), the GUI real-time configurator officially supported by the manufacturer is VIA which is not open source, but there are open source alternatives such as VIAL.
One them is my next keyboard.
Sorry, were the switches swappable?
Yes you can hot swap the switches with the tool that comes in the box.
I would like to get lite, but price is too much even without international shipping. Also I would like to get some 40% ortho more
Wow so saving your configs on the keyboard itself means you can use it on windows Mac and Linux just plug and play like
these look really cool, but honestly the price is a bit much. I applaud open design, though.
Nick, you might want to redo the chapter markers; one of them isn't working.
Ah crap