UK Matias Wireless Aluminum Keyboard Silver

Product Information

There are many benefits to using optical switches, and one reason is latency. Optical switches actuate via light.When you press on the key, the switch will move and obstruct the light. Thus, they have a more reliable and consistent latency. An aluminum case is a good choice for a keyboard for many reasons, all of which affect the durability, appearance, sound, and workability of the keyboard. It has an ultra fast response time of <1ms and it is fully programmable, making it easy to remap buttons to give you that extra little edge when gaming. The Shadow and Snowfox refer to the same keyboard, but with different colors. The build is the exact same but they offer it in different colors with some cool sounding names for advertising purposes.

With the booming popularity increase of hot-swappable keyboards, you can find them almost everywhere nowadays. This makes it easy to install several different styles of switches into your keyboard or swap them out whenever you get bored of a certain style. With the Keychron Q1 Pro, the keyboard comes fully modded and assembled in the quality of a custom keyboard! The Q1 Pro is 75% in size, so it has all of the function row, arrows, nav keys (sort of), and if you’re feeling spunky, you can get a knob. Pre-lubed Glorious Lynx switchesso you don’t have to lube it yourself, but you still get that smooth and nice typing feel

Glorious also offers a matching numpadwith a cool slider that pairs nicely with your GMMK Pro if you find yourself typing numbers a lot. The keyboard has per key RGB lighting and side-lighting making the keyboard pop in your desk set-up. Constructed with a CNC anodized aluminum frame, the build quality is solid and there isn’t any flex. Besides providing plenty of strength, the frame also acts as a built-in switch plate for the PCB. The PCB itself is entirely hot-swappable and can house a selection of 3-pin mechanical switches.

Built with a brushed aluminum top plate that curves over to form the sides, the design is strikingly minimalistic. As there is no top piece, the frame reveals the switches as well as floating key-caps. Unfortunately, the switches are not hot-swappable, like you might expect with this kind of design. You want better, you need better, and 75% keyboards will deliver. They strike the perfect balance between the tight 60% keyboard size and the bulky full-sized keyboard, making it perfect for optimizing performance and space. There is no easy way to find a hot-swappable keyboard, so our list was meant to make is super easy for you find them! Hot-Swappable PCBs for a Custom Keyboard Tenkeyless mechanical keyboards aren’t as novel as they used to be, that’s for sure. The increasing popularity of compact keyboard sizes such as 75% and 60% makes the TKL seem slightly old-fashioned. But the best TKL keyboards prove that there’s a lot of life left in the layout, no matter how popular its smaller rivals get. The plastic case also allows for a stronger and more stable wireless connection than with a metal case.For switches, the board comes with a reliable set of Gateron Reds. These are linear mechanical switches that require a 45+15 actuation force for a very short 0.6mm pre-travel. When typing, the short pre-travel guarantees rapid keystrokes to suit a variety of different scenarios. You also see aluminum 5052 used for keyboards. Alloying elements like magnesium and chromium give it a better finishing and corrosion resistance. However, 5052 is much harder to machine and it often isn’t worth the extra effort. Innovation does not come without its downsides, and the K3 switches are no different. The Optical Low-Profile switches have been known to be overly sensitive, with even the lighest touch and minimal travel to cause an actuation. The navigational cluster is formatted in a much different way then TKL and full-sized boards. Instead of being placed in the a 3×3 format, the keys are aligned vertically to save space. The Drop CTRL comes in two versions. The standard CTRL has a “floating key” design, where the switches and keycaps rise above the frame. We prefer the High-Profile version, which has a more traditional raised body that covers the switches and only leaves the keycaps standing proud.

For those of you that are looking to build a custom keyboard, finding a hot-swappable PCB can be quite difficult.

The Drop CTRL is the perfect keyboard for those of you in search of a satisfying do-it-yourself experience. Admittedly, it’s not entirely on par with some of the high-end custom mechanical keyboards. But it’s a great keyboard if you want an accessible DIY project that you can put together over a cup of coffee or two. Sure there are other options out there, but the ones that do, cost more than double what the Q1 Pro costs. PBT plastic keycaps in OEM profile are once again included to avoid interference and show off the different RGB lighting.

Wireless keyboards serve many masters. They're great if you're trying to declutter, or like typing with your keyboard on your lap. Mobile productivity hounds who want gear that’s ready for travel swear by them, too, and some models let you swap one typing peripheral among desktops, laptops, and tablets. In the vast majority of situations, there’s no difference between using a keyboard with a wireless connection and a standard wired one. The only time you’ll notice is when it’s time to charge it—or when you forget to.

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Overall, both versions of the Drop CTRL are worth considering if you want a heavy, all-aluminum TKL keyboard that you can build exactly to your preferences. It might take some work to get it perfect, but that’s just part of the fun of a DIY kit. Closing Thoughts Despite being a metal, aluminum is also easy to work with. It’s about 3 times lighter than steel and lighter than most other metals. The malleability of aluminum makes it easier to accommodate different case sizes and designs, and you can create a high-quality case with minimal effort.