Hey, it’s been awhile! And I’m back with the successor to the ever-popular GMMK keyboard, the GMMK2. Now I’m sure you might all be wondering, how well does it hold up to the original? The original had a good overall package, after all. With it’s low price point, mechanical-ness, colorful lights, and customizability, what was there to change?
Well, as they say on their website, “This modular mechanical keyboard is designed to be redesigned,” so let’s see what they actually mean by that.
The biggest difference I noticed was the weight – because they gave it half an aluminum body, it certainly feels heavier, and sturdier, than its predecessor. The bottom still being plastic aside, simply making the top portion of the casing aluminum does wonders for the keyboard. It makes it sound and feel premium.
The other difference, and this isn’t exclusive to this specific keyboard (or if it is, it won’t be for long), were their new pre-lubed Fox Linear switches. According to their specs, it bottoms out at 60g but when I tried using it for a day at work, it felt a bit heavier (might be the lube they used – probably their own). This isn’t a bad thing, of course, especially if you like a bit of smooth resistance. Personally, while it felt good in the beginning, it just wasn’t my thing; this is most likely because I’m not a smooth sailor when it comes to switches – clickies are still my favorite after all, and tactiles after that. I admit though, it does still feel good if I’m just tapping on it rather than typing.
What about the lights, camera, action? Well, lighting-wise, it’s definitely colorful, especially if you order the white version, which is what I did. But! It doesn’t have a lot of options in terms of colors and modes. It’s all just very… rainbow. Much rainbow. And while I appreciate a good rainbow (I mean, look at the Aaru keyboard I geeked out about), I would much rather have a pastel rainbow or more single color options. Not sure if I’m doing something wrong but when I cycle the solid color options, all I see are rainbow, blue, red, or green. That’s it. Anyway, not the biggest deal-breaker… but I would have appreciated a yellow or white or even purple (spoiled, I know).
But, back to plus sides! The compact keyboard accounts for everything, all the buttons you could ever need in a small form factor (except tilde, which you need for funny faces – not sure where that is). Even scroll lock and print screen! Even in the top custom mechanical keyboard world, you don’t currently get a lot of options like those right off the bat in my experience.
Other than that, it’s hotswap! Great for those looking to break into the custom market. And it’s 5-pin! No snip-snipping necessary here. After all, those switches cost a small fortune by themselves and who’d want to ruin them?
All-in-all, this is a great keyboard option for those on the market for a new typing buddy. Typing feels good for linears (plz don’t kill me) and it’s at a pretty decent price point of $79.99 USD for the barebones ($119.99 for the whole thing – Fox Linears are default with this board) – it really is a good and solid option. Aside from the lighting choices (picky, I know), I don’t really have anything negative to say about the board, so you should definitely go and check it out!
As always, thanks for reading~
EVERY DAY A MYSTERY 