VELOCIFIRE TKL Mechanical Keyboard, 87 Key Ergonomic TKL02 Wired Brown Switches Mechanical Keyboard,with White LED Backlit for Copywriters, Typists and Programmers

Totally fine mechanical keyboard with fun (white LED) lighting effects. Heavy, solid base and decent feeling switches. I have used Cherry MX blue switches but haven't tried the brown, so I don't know how well this compares with the feel of those. It's maybe a smidge mushy, but it could just be that I'm used to the click rather than just the slight tactile bump. The keycaps are fine, and the curvature and size makes accurate typing easier. The font on the keycaps is not GAMERZ ONLY--just a standard, staid font. I haven't tried macros, but for normal typing it's a pleasant experience. Has a decently long USB cord permanently attached in back. Brightness can be adjusted through six levels from off up to full, with full being noticeable but not particularly bright in a fully-lit office. In the dark I am sure it would be a little too bright, so there's a decent range. I believe there are nineteen different lighting effects available (seems like a weird number, but I counted twice--still might have missed one): 1) all on 2) all pulsing together without input (breathing) 3) pulsing in vertical lines from left to right without input 4) pulsing in horizontal lines from top to bottom without input 5) pulsing in circular waves without input 6) turning on several keys at a time spread across the board then fading those keys as others turn on (also without input) 7) pulsing outward from center to the left and right in groups of keys 8) keys flashing on and off in kind of a random-looking way 9) each row in turn from top to bottom pulsing left to right 10) pulsing in diagonal stripes from bottom left to upper right across the board 11) bunches of keys pulsing left to right and bouncing back across the board 12) individual keys lighting up as you strike them then fading 13) all keys illuminated and turning off individually as you strike them before turning back on again 14) illuminating in a fast-moving sine-wave pattern left and right across the board 15) pulsing outward from each key you strike 16) pulsing outward across the row of each key you strike 17) pulsing in vertical bars outward from each key you strike 18) illuminating the key you strike and all adjacent ones 19) all off Purchased on sale for about $25 and I feel like it was a good value.

I'm typing this review as a connoisseur of cheap, mostly-plastic mechanical keyboards that I've been purchasing from Amazon and hoarding. I have a collection of sub-$40 mechanical keyboards that would make any sane, rational person's head explode, and this one is so far my favorite to use. My first impressions on this thing, based on appearance, were overall very good. One very, very welcome difference in the keyboard I received from the one pictured on this listing when I purchased it (seems to have been updated since), is that the logo had been moved from just above the arrow keys, to just below them, on the front edge of the keyboard. It's there, but it's subtle enough that you don't really notice it unless you're looking for it. That results in a much cleaner appearance that I would guess a lot of people prefer. Otherwise, it's just a very clean, standard tenkeyless ISO layout. The included keycaps are not of amazing quality. The legends are legible and clean enough. The backlights (a nice cool white) are visible, but some of the translucent white is a little uneven; however, I don't really care about much about th keycaps. Honestly, who among us does not have a small box full of all sorts of keycaps stashed nearby? No one, that's who (Honestly, if you don't like the keycaps, just search "backlit keycaps" here. There are several offerings, including Tai-Hao, which are affordable and of decent quality). There are two small LED indicator lights below the Print Screen/Scroll Lock/Pause keys, also white, unlabelled, one of which indicates if Caps Lock is active, and the other--to my surprise--not if Scroll Lock is active, but if the Windows key is locked (activated by pressing Fn + Window). This seemed out of the ordinary, but also didn't bother me, because I honestly don't have the first clue what Scroll Lock even does. The feel of the keyboard is, in my opinion, very satisfying. The housing is plastic, but is extremely sturdy. I couldn't get the thing to flex if I wanted to. It is also surprisingly heavy. I do not have a scale on hand, but it feels pretty similar to my 87-key WASD v3 keyboard, which is a pretty hefty keyboard (site lists the weight as 2.0 lbs). Whatever that's worth to you, I like the heft of it. What is probably a deal breaker for many of you will be the switches. I was under the impression that this keyboard had Outemu brown switches, which I've used before, and are pretty okay. I discovered the brown switches are actually from a brand called "Content," which I'd never heard of. I can kinda compare these to brown switches from Outemu, Gateron, and Cherry, and in my opinion, these feel much softer than all of those. The tactile bump is much less pronounced, so if you want tons of tactile feedback, you may not enjoy these. To me, they felt "different," but not bad. Overall I've enjoyed using this keyboard both at home while gaming, and at the office while coding and composing sarcastic email replies. One other point I'll make is based on the sound. Obviously, these are not blue switches or similar, there is no auditory feedback, no click, but still there is some sound generated by any mechanical keyboard. The sound from this one, I've found, is very satisfyingly dampened. The keys generate a very relatively soft sound on bottoming out. I also noticed that there was no rattle from the stabilizers, particularly on the space bar. On removing the space bar, and subsequently the shift and other longer keys, I noticed that these stabilizers are already lubricated. This may be just a small thing, but it's one that caught my attention and I was pretty impressed by that. IN CONCLUSION, I'll say if you are here in search of a starting point, wanting to see what mechanical keyboards have to offer, get this one as long as you're ok with the tenkeyless layout. If you're wondering what exactly a mechanical keyboard that costs less than $50 could possibly have to offer, definitely try this one. Are there better keyboards out there? Well, probably, but that's all subjective, and more often than not, in the case of mechanical keyboards, you should probably go ahead and say a prayer for your wallet. Brown switches offer a pretty good starting point, I think, and a lot of folks probably agree, and although the switch maker is a little lesser known, in my limited experience quality is not an issue.

** 04/26/2019 UPDATE ** After typing on this keyboard for a few weeks, I've found that the "F" & "J" bumps are super annoying (too shallow) since I can't barely feel it when I need it to reposition my fingers. This flaw leads to a lot of typing errors. I really want to like this keyboard but it's just getting me nuts with this shallow F&J bumps issue. Sorry I had to take one star off or even more stars if I really can't stand it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ============================================== I’m pretty picky about my keyboard. I had a Aukey’s 87-keys with blue switch but it sounded too loud than any other blue switch keyboard I’ve experienced. I also have a DasKeyboard Model S with brown switch at home, therefore I thought I’ll get another brown switch equivalent keyboard a try. Then I found this Velocifire TKL02. First impression: the brown switch feels great! Thus, it’s not a Cherry MX it feels very like a brown switch would do. It’s not as clicky as blue switch and it’s much quieter. I don’t need the backlight LED but it’s a plus. There are a couple of LED display options you can switch from but just them it off. Ergonomic: The keyboard feels pretty ergonomic, at least, I don’t feel any irritation from my palms and wrists so far. Functionality: This keyboard is primary for coding purpose. I can’t rate for any gaming experience on it. However, the function keys and volume controls work pretty good in my Fedora 28 without any issue. Overall and summary: I would recommend this keyboard to anyone who’s looking for a mechanic keyboard with specifically brown switch experience. The price is right and the switch isn’t too bad at all.

I wanted a new keyboard because I had purchased a new computer desk with a narrower pullout keyboard tray, and my old beige 104 keyboard wouldn't fit. I also wanted backlights so that I could see the keys without turning on a light in my office. I looked at a lot of different models, and chose the Velocifire TKL02. I've been using it for a week and am very satisfied. The ABS keys feel comfortable under my fingers and they are doubleshot, which means the the letters/numbers are molded into the key as a different color plastic (a translucent white), so that they will never rub off or fade. The backlighting is adjustable for different brightness levels, or can be turned off entirely. I find that on the lowest level, the keys are plenty bright enough to see in complete darkness. The keys are mounted on mechanical switches made by a company called "Content". They are copies of Cherry brand "Brown" switches which means that they offer some tactile feedback which typing, i.e. you can FEEL the switch make contact as you depress the key. However there is no loud audible "click" as on the Cherry "Blue" switch. The only sound is that of the keycap itself bottoming out on the metal plate which mounts the switch, and every mechanical keyboard makes that sound, easily fixed (if it bothers you) by installing rubber O-rings under the keycaps. I find that if I think about it, I can type a little more softly and reduce the sound. The Content switches are rated for 16.5 million cycles, not as good as Cherry's 50 million cycle rating, but still acceptable. (If you pressed the same key once each second for 8 hours/day, every day of the year, it would take you approximately 18 months to press the key 16,500,000 times). The outer case is plastic, with a metal plate inside between the printed circuit board and the switches. The keys are slightly recessed into the top of the case, instead of being "floating" keys. This means that, from the side, you cannot see the gap between the keycap and the switch. It's a more modern look, popular in the 80s and still looks good. The overall weight is more than two pounds. The keyboard feels substantial and doesn't move around when typing. The USB cable is permanently attached to the case, and covered with soft rubber/plastic. I actually compared this keyboard side-by-side with an IKBC CD87, which costs more than twice as much. The IKBC is very nice quality, and uses genuine Cherry switches (good), and has keycaps made of PBT plastic (also good) BUT, those keycaps are NOT doubleshot, but merely laser engraved (not good), so eventually, the letters/numbers will wear off. Also, the IKBC CD87 does not feature backlighting (not good). Visually, the two keyboards are very similar as far as their overall styling, both are black with recessed keys, almost exactly the same size and layout of leds. From a tactile standpoint, this Velocifire feels very close to the IKBC, and for me, having backlit keys makes the Velocifire a better choice, even with the cheaper switches and even with ABS keycaps (remember, the keycaps are still doubleshot)....so maybe it only lasts 10 years instead of 20, or 30? We will see.....perhaps someday Velocifire will offer this same board with genuine Cherry switches?.....Until then, I'm very pleased with the TKL02. Update: After slightly more than 6 months, I began having a problem with two of the keys (A and P) failing to register when pressed. I would sometimes (often?) have to press them multiple times to produce the desired character on the screen. After researching the problem online I found that not only Velocifire, but many mechanical keyboards experience this type of problem at times. To fix the problem, I removed both keycaps using the special tool which came with the keyboard, depressed the switch plunger, and sprayed a few shots of CRC electrical contact cleaner into the switch, basically filling the switch body with cleaner. I operated the switch plunger a few times while the cleaner evaporated, then replaced the keycaps. This appears to have resolved the issue. Both keys work as they should once more. The fix was easy and took only a few minutes from beginning to end. I still like the Velocifire keyboard, and still think it was an excellent value. It has exactly the features that are important to me, and I'm glad that this repair was so easy to accomplish.

Summary: Take a 104 key keyboard, lop off the numpad and keep the standard layout. Love it. Review: This is for the VELOCIFIRE TKL02 Mechanical Keyboard TKL 87 Key Tenkeyless Ergonomic with Brown Switches I have a couple of mini keyboards, but all of them had the same problem; they would remove the gaps in the F1-F12 keys and rearrange the right side of the keyboard. I've only had this for a couple of hours and I already love it. It wasn't until I started using the common mini keyboards that I realized how much I depended on the standard 104 key layout (including the key clustering and gaps) I'm happy with the keyboard so far and will update if anything changes. The keys are fairly quiet and have the travel that I would expect. There are no stuck key or inconsistent resistance issues. The lighting on the keyboard is nice, but I probably won't have a need for it. The keyboard does have the ability to change the brightness to four levels and off. It has a bit of a weight to it, and seems well constructed. it also has media keys, which is really nice. You have to use function to active them, but it is a nice inclusion. Also, the function key (Fn) is on the right side instead of the left like a lot of keyboards with a Fn key. I like this decision since it keeps the left modifiers in the common locations. From my keyboards with the rubbed off labeling from heavy use shows, the left ctrl and alt keys are almost exclusively used :) I have to say that I'm very happy so far and would buy again. Quick update. The manual doesn't say what the yin yang symbol on the scroll lock does. It is a set of light patterns that can be enabled. Several of them are based on the key hit. For instance, when a letter is pressed, it makes a ripple effect from that key's origin. Thought I would mention it since for some reason I found it hilarious.

I ordered the wired version and found myself disappointed in this keyboard and returned it. On the positive side: it was heavy (didn't slide around my desk that easily) and the keycaps had a great texture to them without much wobble. Backlighting was fine and the price is very budget friendly. On the negative side: the mechanical switches for some reason didn't seem very smooth. To me they felt like they were sticking a bit on the way up after bottoming out. This just made the typing experience not as enjoyable for me. Also the positions of the adjacent volume up and down media keys is backwards (volume up is on the right and volume down is on the left... strange choice). If you're not too concerned with a smooth typing experience (don't mind the keys not springing back up smoothly) this keyboard is probably a great choice. But if you're looking for a really satisfying typing experience, you're probably better off looking elsewhere and will likely need to spend a bit more.

Picked up a TKL02 as a BF deal and it is proving to be a nice keyboard. A decently weighted device with its metal frame, offering a nice feel and quality while absorbing noise well. Switches on the keys are pretty quiet to start with so no complaints there. Touch is good, ditto for the layout and spacing. While I could whine for wanting a bit more relaxed spacing of the keys, its not too tight to be annoying for all day use. Key caps are nicely done (especially for the price) providing a lightly textured surface, nice illumination, and functional back lighting (albeit not the brightest if you like blindingly bright keyboard lighting). Picking up a bit of sheen already on the space bar, so the finish may not be the most durable. All of the features are working without complication. I'd buy it again, and may well do it to have one at home and the office...

UPDATE2: After 4 months, I had to throw the keyboard out. It was simply not accepting keystrokes so often that I couldn't log in to systems, would fail to run commands, etc. So very frustrating. UPDATE1: After several days of use, under moderate but nearly constant typing, I find the keyboard stutters too. Every few hours of active typing, the keyboard will pause/stutter, and repeat one key 20 times, plus a couple random, and then refuse input for a second, then back to normal. It's not specific keys, but is more often on the left half. SUMMARY: Typing is good, tactile is top of stroke (bad), backlight controls are good, Fn-Function keys do not work at all (bad), and various keys will stutter/repeat. Support is by email only and does not respond. PROS: * Accessible manual in digital form * Excellent construction * Half as loud as MX Blue * As quiet as the Zorro (A33) and Outemu Black switch keyboards. CONS: * Takes a few days of use for the tactile feedback to be noticeable * Tactile is very mild, and at the top of keystroke. * Keycap echo on bottom-out (Gateron silent browns would be better) * Fn-Function keystrokes are not processed * Key input stutters and repeats every few hours. * No support response. DETAILS: The company has their manual in PDF online, which is nice. They also offer the same keyboard with o-rings pre-installed, and sub-key kits which swap out escape, arrows, and WASD for red. Of course, standard Cherry/Gateron keycaps will work for 87-key modes. I got the wired-only version, and the cable has a small strain relief at each end, and a smooth, thin, PVC coating. Pretty standard. The wires inside are thick enough to hold a shape, which means lower resistance, and longer duration if you move your keyboard around often (such as LAN parties without laptops, but does anyone really do that anymore except for Bridge Crew?) “Brown switches” usually means like Cherry MX Brown, which are tactile, without the click. These switches are "CONTENT" brand Brown switches. The actuation and spring are fine, but from the start, there is no noticeable tactile feel at all. They feel a little dry, but once you type on them a little, you don't notice the very faint vibration of dry plastic on dry plastic. It's very little resistance. After a few days of typing, the texture feel of the plunge let up, and I could find the tactile bump at the very top of the keystroke. This is not as ideal, since the bump goes away long before you are activating the key. It feels more like the keys are almost stuck at the top, and only move when you break them free. If you push VERY light and slow, then you can feel the drop. I'm a heavy typist, so I bottom out every keypress. These feel a little light, and I have some misclicks, especially when hesitating over what to type. Typing speed is good, and the noise is about half that of Cherry Blue switches. The sound is lower pitched, and adding o-rings to the plungers help dampen another couple of dB on the high end. Occasionally, I hear a faint metallic ring from the keyboard when I'm typing at medium speed. The overall sound level is on par with Zorro and Outemu black switches. Not as quiet as cherry silent or things with soft landing pads, of course. The keyboard frame looks a little thicker than say a BESTEK or Reddragon, but that's just because the lip around the edges comes up higher. This keeps the light coming out of the keys themselves, and the inter-key gap, and less spilling out over the desk. There is a wide variety of modes for the backlight, from pulsing, to sweeps, to strobes or anti-strobes. All kind of cool, but in the end, solid-on with a medium-high brightness is the best. The keys are double-shot, with the letters being a translucent white, that goes all the way through. The backlight comes through the letters, and there is no texture on top. The fn-key functions are printed in bronze paint, which would eventually wear off. There are recordable macros, a few app starts, and volume adjustments. Unfortunately, those functions are *not* standard keycodes. My other keyboards send the proper volume controls, and it just works. This keyboard does not. Only the keyboard internal functions work, such as backlight controls. Fn-Tab blinks both status LEDs (caps-lock and win-lock), but does not seem to do anything. It's not called out in the instruction booklet. Fn-Ctrl-Esc is supposed to do factory reset, but it just passes windows key. Win-Lock works. Backlight controls work. Computer, home, email, media controlls, volume control, and calculator are all printed on-key and they do nothing. I have a variety of keyboards from different makers, including HP, BesTek, and all sorts of others. All of them work, so I think this keyboard simply does not process those keys, or has some kind of special driver rather than actual keyboard processing.

Pros: Good weight Solidly built nice lighting(white LED) keys are nicely molded Cons: cable is not detachable

After 2 months of use,the 3 keys stopped working reliably, made it super inconvenient to type in.

TKL keyboard without xmas tree lightings, what more can I ask for?

Lovely keyboard, like a “proper typewriter” with depth to the keys.

Very happy with this keyboard purchased for working from home and my shoulder feels so much more comfortable with having the mouse closer due to the shorter keyboard. I bought the number keypad to use when needed which is very handy for finance tasks.