Compact, customizable, and a clacking good sight better than many membrane keyboards at the $89.99 price point. If only our review of the Gamakay LK67 keyboard kit was half as punchy as this mini mechanical offering.
Unlike plenty of pre fab gaming boards, the Gamakay LK67 that currently holds centre stage on my desk is a very personal affair. While devices like the Hyper X Alloys and AOC GK500 come built to succeed straight out the box, there’s some accommodation to be made to design, construction, and keys that come embedded in these. This small cross section of keys, however, is a custom build kit that bundles in a whole set of matching keycaps and switches to make the DIY experience as simple as picking up and plugging in.
Specifications
- Current Price: $89.99
- Switch: GamaKay Crystal / Bumblebee / Phoenix Silent Switch
- Type: Mechanical
- Installed Switch: GamaKay Crystal
- Switch Operation Style: Linear
- Actuation Force: 45g
- Key Travel Distance: 2 mm
- Total Travel: 4 mm
- Light effects: Per key RGB lighting and 4 brightness levels
- Connection type: USB Type-C / Wireless 2.4Ghz / Bluetooth 5
- Media control: Yes
- OS compatibility Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7. Mac OSX
- Cable Type: Detachable, Braided
- Product Dimensions: 33*12*4 cm
- Weight: 990g
Out The Box
Getting the LK67 out the and into action is, as you can see form our video, a straightforward experience. A compact carboard sleeve and a simple box seems to be enough for the LK67 and unlocks the keyboard in a pre built form. Normally we might expect these kits to come without any switches or caps protruding from the top of the setup, but this time the pre fab option makes a striking impression at first sight.
This also comes combined with a braided USBC cable and a 2.4Ghz wireless receiver that shouldn’t be too overbearing in its low profile form.
Initial impressions are that this device is as robust as they come and surprisingly elegant. Despite its girthy form factor and compacted footprint, the outer shell is a consistent and cool plastic material that seems to have a matt finish without feeling cheap. As you’d imagine, there is absolutely no flex given and the plastic moulding of both the outer shell and the keycaps really do feel like they are made to last.
While the 65% size means some compromises in terms of travel between keys and a cut down character count, GamaKay still manage to drop a media control knob at the top right of the keyboard. Protruding above the rest of the keycaps and with its very own flash of LED color, it does stand out a little from the uniformity on show. Flipping everything over, there is a focus on simplicity. A USB-C port is obvious on the back, alongside a wireless switch, while a grid of vents peppers the bottom of the LK67.
Initial impressions
Plugging in and getting going does not take any amount of time once the LK67 is dropped down in front of you it’s simply a case of connecting the device, using any of the available modes. Bluetooth requires a combination of Function keys, but once this is done you’re good to go. The aforementioned switch at the rear provides easy switching between wired USB-C, 2.4Ghz wireless, and Bluetooth, meaning that there is plenty of potential for taking this on the go. If you are likely to grab and go with this, you’ll probably want to be prepared for the dazzling RGB display integrated into the device.
Even among the distraction of a highly illuminated workspace, the inclusion of Gamakay’s Crystal Switches turned out to be a solid and flexible choice for this particular review. The Gamakay Crystal Switches come situated under PBT double shot caps and plugged into a tray style base. They are one of three options available to consumers and incorporate a linear motion, no actuation feedback, a total of 4.0mm of travel distance, and a 2.00mm pre travel distance. After a week of general use and the odd game of Genshin Impact, it’s clear that the LK67 has a very definitive feel when armed with Crystal Switches. The constrained layout does not mean that the key layout suffers much and typing is generally comfortable. The overall design feels firm and the built in stabilizers do a decent job or eliminating wobble. The lack of leg stands on the bottom of the is somewhat mitigated by the gently sloping design, although I did still find myself typing down onto the LK67 occasionally.
Switch movement is fluid thanks to out the box lubrication, ensuring the flow from first press to actuation feels consistent, all the way down to the very bottom of the board. This means that much of the force of the keystroke is absorbed straight down, but yet the acoustic kickback isn’t half as bad as some other boards I’ve got on my desk. A subdued, if still present, noise from using the LK67 and silent switches seems to be thanks to a mix of the various keyboard components and plastic exterior that gives the LK67 a much lighter touch than I expected when hauling it out the box. Both the Bumblebee and Phoenix switches are also available from Gamakay, both bringing their own unique sound and effect to the table. While both the Bumblebee and Phoenix are silent switches, the Bumblebee has an earlier actuation point and requires a more definite amount of force consistently applied to move through the full length of the switch than either of the alternatives. The Phoenix, with a significantly smaller distance to move pre travel still seems to sit at the same starting point as the other keys but this makes it feel far better for spamming heals in the backlines of LOL. The results is that the Crystal switches are a solid in between that will support all day use and every day gaming consistently.
Switch Parameters
Switch Name: Crystal Switch / Bumblebee Switch / Phoenix Switch
Behavior: Linear / Linear / Linear
Travel Distance: 4.0mm / 4.0mm / 3.30mm
Pre-travel: 2.00±0.6mm / 1.30±0.5mm / 2.00±0.6mm
Actuation Force: 45±10gf / 45±10gf / 40±10gf
Trigger Force: 30gf Min / 35gf Min / 35gf Min
End Force: 65gf Max / 65gf Max / 45gf Max
Build Time
The hot swappable nature of the LK67 keys means that whichever switch you ultimately pick is up to you, so long as it fits. The alternative 35 piece packs of the aforementioned options mean 70 sets will come in at around $33.98, discounted to $12.99 per 35 right now, and still leave a couple of spare. Pulling keycaps off the very top of the board isn’t as quick a job as the HyperX Alloy Origins, requiring plenty of peripheral pulling to get right into the middle of any layout. This doesn’t make things difficult. It is simply a factor inherent in such a small build. Brining the pre fitted switches out and plugging in alternatives proved less problematic and slid out with little complaint. While the LK67 flashed away in front of us.
RGB
No matter what colored switches and carefully crafted keycaps you decide to decorate the LK67, it means nothing if you can’t crush all opposition among waves of RGB . Thankfully Gamakay provide a bewildering array of potential RGB options to play with. Whether it’s waves of RGB or a solid snowfall of lights, the number of potential patterns, light intensity, and color tweaks is a little mind boggling.
Anybody currently connected using a Bluetooth can cycle through 19 pre-configured key light patterns, 5 separate lighting effects for the base of the board, and 4 levels of lighting using a set of function key presses. If you want to dive deeper than the available on board options, then Gamakay provide a PC and Mac compatible software suite.
Desktop Control
Available for PC only as far as we can see, the Gamakay Driver software is primarily where owners of the LK67 will set and configure the device’s onboard lighting. In general, it functions as expected. Menu options are clearly labelled, and this unlocks the ability to modify global key sensitivity, bind macros, change key functions, and even individually light each key. While I’d call the supporting software functional, it does throw up a few issues. The interface could still use some work. I didn’t, for example, even know that the Gamakay had individually illuminated key configurations until I found the setting named “User Picture”. Again options like turning on “Dazzle” make little intuitive sense and just make this feel a little rough around the edges. The desktop control suite also lacks some features I’d expect. Most obvious, it appears there is no way to modify the LEDs set around the control knob set at the top right of the keyboard or the base of the LK67. Thankfully, the base zone can be cycled using the Function keys at least.
Battery Life
All that RGB does come at a cost to battery life, however. The built in 2400mAh battery is expected to hit the 200 hour mark, so around a month of straightforward use. Testing this in reality is difficult when we’ve only hammered away on the LK67 for a week. Suffice to say that over the last 7 days we didn’t have any issues with unexpected blackouts or excessive overheating during out initial charge.
Both Bluetooth and Wireless modes necessitate the hefty power source, but its not so large that you can’t roam free. The LK67 managed to keep typing on while moved out of the same room, along a hallway, through a door, and up into another floor of our house. At a whole storey and over 7 meters of direct distance away, We have no doubt you’ll find the LK67 more than sufficient.
Latency was not noticeably impacted by this either. Yes, wired connectivity will provide the best experience, but if you’re gaming at range then lack of competitiveness is unlikely to be a problem with your tools.
Conclusion
After a week of using the Gamakay LK67 Ive got to say that this is a fantastic option for entry level keyboard construction. The low entry price for this type of device, the high quality keycaps and an arrangement of different pre built switch choices makes this an easy choice for novices that want a stunning start to their journey. The clean lines, semi transparent upper, and mind boggling amount of RGB make it stand out even while powered down. Where the LK67 makes a final compelling argument is the ease of upgrade. The compatibility with 3 and 5 pin switches provides a ton of range to swap things up later on, with minimal fuss. When I started this review I thought I’d spend most of my time talking about the different switches, but they are only part of a package that could be one of the best looking budget keyboard kits we’ve seen in a while.
The Gamakay LK67 is available now from the official Gamakay website at a sale price of $89.99 with any of the three tested Gamakay switches included. You’ll also be able to use the Code ”GK001” 5% off anything on site too.
