You all know the biggest gaming brands: Logitech, Corsair, Razer, Steelseries, etc. However, what if I told you that you could get keyboards, of better quality, layout, and aesthetics (imo) than those brands, at a better price? Well, an example of that is the SK64 by Yunzii. After some testing, here are my thoughts.
First Look
First, we need to talk about the looks. This keyboard has a beautiful and simple design that suits everyone. It's the size of a 60%, so it's quite easy to take on trips, but still keeps the arrow keys, and even manages to add in the delete key as well. I like the two-tone gray colorway that reminds me of the popular GMK Oblivion keycap set, and the red accents keep the keyboard looking modern and vibrant. There is also a white version where the alphas and numbers are white, and the side keycaps are a light grey. Additionally, all the keycaps are PBT, which is a nice bonus. Overall, the aesthetic is clean and modern, and will be respectable in any gaming or office space. In terms of lighting, you have full snazzy RGB lighting. However, the lights are PCB-mounted and the keycaps are not backlit, so the light is going to be quite soft.
The switch choices are the standard three, but optical: you can get Gateron Optical Red, Gateron Optical Brown, or Gateron Optical Blue. These switches have almost no scratchiness, since they're optical, and are also more durable than many mechanical switches. However, a downside of optical switches are that they cannot be swapped out for mechanical switches, something you'd want to do for the wider range of options, such as silent, exotic, or very high-end switches. Currently, besides the switches available with the SK64, you could also buy black, yellow, silver, or white switches, although these are priced at a fairly high 70 cents per switch.
There is a USB-C port on the back left side of the keyboard, which is slightly set into the case. Speaking of the case, it is super thick, and allows no flex. The build quality of this keyboard, although plastic, is great all around - the keycaps are also quite thick.
Extra Features
YUNZii (Yunz innovation, Inc) has also included some perks that are super awesome for any keyboard enthusiast. For one, there is a detachable USB-C cable, which is super great for portability, convenience (use any length that is the right length from your computer), and customization (maybe you want an aviator cable?). Additionally, many professional users use MacOS, and Yunzii has accordingly included extra keycaps for those people (mainly cmd), a really thoughtful touch. For the gamers out there, or just power users, this keyboard also has full N-key Rollover (NKRO), meaning you can press as many keys as you'd like and they will all register. Lastly, this keyboard is rated IP68, an international durability standard for electronics. IP68 is described as, "deemed fit enough to withstand dust, dirt and sand, and are resistant to submersion up to a maximum depth of 1.5m underwater for up to thirty minutes." You aren't losing this keyboard to a water bottle spill!
User Experience
The unboxing experience was nice, the keyboard was nicely wrapped and protected. Inside, you'll find the user guide, keyboard, MacOS keycaps, braided USB-C cable, metal switch puller, and keycap puller. You also get two facemasks included with this keyboard, which is super thoughtful (not sure if this will last). The keyboard switches (mine came with brown switches) felt great to type on. There was a little sandiness, but that was fine. However, the stabilizers that came with this keyboard were awful - rattly, scratchy, sandy, you name it. For those who don't know, stabilizers are under long keys such as space and shift to keep them from tilting sideways. I had to replace the stabilizers with some of my own in order for the keyboard to sound decent.