Right?! Full review has (finally) been written. Now I just have to find time to record & edit. Hopefully somewhere within the next 2 weeks or so if the work/life onslaught can back off for a bit :-)
It's been WAY too long, I know. Unfortunately life's not letting up on the fires to put out so there hasn't been time. I was relieved to see they are at least still selling the K1SE so hopefully I won't be too out of date by the time it's done!
The Keychron K1 SE is great for a mobile minimalist setup. I use: - Steamdeck - Keychron K1 SE - Glorious model D (black) - Massdrop 6XX Headphone - Fiio BTR5 Buetooth DAC/AMP - a noname powerbank - Uperfect 17inch QHD portable monitor.
It's coming! (Worked on it last night.) I can't believe it's been two months. *sigh* The main difference came from lubing the switches (Krytox 205g0) and stabilizers (Krytox and Permatex dielectric grease). See Taeha Types for the ultimate lubing guide. (You’ll need to own a *hot-swappable* K1 SE, of course.) I did add case foam, which is probably helping to ‘tight up’ the housing to remove vibrations.
Hey! stumbled upon this video while trying to learn about the K1 SE. Wish there was a review out there specific to this model. Your modding sounds great, the stock browns sound a bit loud to me. I'd prefer quieter, should I go for the reds? Also, how do you like the RGB on the K1 SE? They seem pretty discrete compared to many other RGB keyboards out there. As in, they arent overwhelmingly bright, and they appear to primarily light up the individual character for each key. Let me know your thoughts! cheers.
Hey Tyler, The review is coming, I swear. Lots of (metaphorical) fires to put out IRL so there just hasn’t been time. I think you’ll find a bigger difference in the feel of browns vs reds than you will in the sound BUT I should add some caveats: 1.) I haven’t-done / won’t-be-doing a red/brown comparison of the central typing keys though I do a comparison of the stabilizer-supported keys around the edges using reds and browns and the difference is negligible. (My keyboard is a mix of reds on the edges and browns in the middle.) 2.) If you don’t care about the feel of browns (they offer a small amount of resistance before dropping, so your fingers can rest on them a *smidge* heavier than with reds), the reds are your safest bet. I only have the white (not RGB) LEDs and they are not blindingly bright, no. I just want to be able to see the keys backlit in a dim room and they work great for that. Hope that helps.
@@elucidatious Thank you for the response! how long does the RGB stay on before going to sleep? Can you adjust this feature at all? Also, how well has the bluetooth worked out for you? are you on windows or mac?
@@tylerthiel8470 RGB timer: Not sure. Several minutes? (I don't really think about it.) It might only turn off when bluetooth turns off, which is settable as 10, 20 or 30 minutes. www.keychron.com/blogs/news/k1-se-key-combinations I’m on a Mac and the bluetooth seems to connect quickly (
Hello! I’m thinking about buying this keyboard with the red switches that seems to be the quieter. It would be my first mechanical keyboard for everyday use, work and travel. Do you recommend this model? I’m not a keyboard enthusiast or gamer, but I do want a quality keyboard for work and travel. Cheers, and hope to see more videos from your channel :)
Hi Duvalle, I’m not super experienced with mechanical keyboards either so my comments are definitely for “unsophisticated” keyboard users like ourselves. :-) If your main goal is quiet, reds are safest. It’s not a big difference but there is a small additional ’fik’ sound with the browns and when you multiply that by hundreds of keystrokes per minute it will make it a *little* louder. The construction of the board is great. The metal backplate they built into it makes it surprisingly rigid (for an otherwise plastic keyboard), but is still light to carry. I prefer to use my keyboard in “wired” mode but (long story) my keyboard is also moved around a lot and the constant movement has created a short in the connection. I don’t know if that’s an issue with all K1SE models or just bad luck with my unit but I would suggest trying to not-move your keyboard a lot when it’s plugged in. (Mine still works I just have to be extra careful now to avoid cable-strain on the port or it loses power.) Travel specific: 1.) Because the keyboard has no edges it’s easy to get the keycaps caught on something and have them come off. You may want a bag or wrap of some kind, so you don’t lose a keycap taking it in and out of your bag. 2.) You’ll only get a couple of days of use if you have the backlight on (I use the solid backlight, and it’s on all the time). I tested for myself how long it goes without the backlight. The full review is coming, I swear... though probably not this week... again. 😫
@@elucidatious thank you for all the details provided! I’m thinking about buying one this week. Just waiting to see if any Black Friday will happen soon. The travel case was a great tip, definitely will buy one. Looking forward to see your video
Not that I know of (and I’ve looked)! Seems like that would be a much-in-demand product; I definitely would have liked to have been able to buy a ready-made quiet-as-can-be mechanical keyboard (for less than $US 200). My backup plan was to go with a full profile, barebones, Keychron Q1+Knob, then buy Boba U4 (pre-lubed) switches and PBT keycaps, just to avoid having to lube switches individually (and for the better quality case / PCB). But lubing wasn’t as bad a chore as I expected. Just put on a movie (or two) and you’ll be done before you know it. :-)
As is tradition, I used the very thin piece of packing foam that came in the box. I needed to cut it away near the front (space-bar-side) of the case as there's not enough room. Doubled-up a bit in some spaces at the back, on either side of the battery.
@@elucidatious No wayy... Thanks for the tip!! xD It's astaunding that this is your first video.. I whoul'd assume that you deliver such a professional work daily. I bought the K1 SE with hotswappable Gatheron Reds on release and I'm nearly done lubing it. I'm the lucky 15nth subscriber.
@@DragonDrop4758 You'll be gobsmacked at the difference the lubing makes. So great. Glad you liked the video! It's only half-way decent because I remade it 18 times. :-) Joys of starting out. Learning lots though! I'm having similar problems with getting the full review finished. I scripted a few things that aren't working so I need to redo some parts (and, I'm sure like many these days, all my time is going to putting out fires so there just hasn't been any time for progress). AND I've only got access to the recording space I'm using for another week. If I don't find time to fix my script and at least re-record the audio soon, it'll be October before I can get back in. (But if I can get the recording done then I can at least get back to cutting it all together if time should magically appear.) If you do put in case foam, you may need to cut it away from the area directly under the stem of the left shift key since the stem protrudes through the PCB and, with so little room in the case, the foam makes the key landing too squooshy. Good luck with the modding!
@@elucidatious That's fine, I'll wait, watch it and give you feedback on day of upload. What's your plan with this channel. Do you want to invest more time and resources in creating tech videos? What might be the general topic? Yeah, I know. :) It's the third Keyboard I lubed. The first was a Ducky One2 Mini and the second a Commodore 64. I added the foam yesterday evening. I removed 1cm from the bottom part and added the leftovers from the wide side right and left to the akku. I placed the Large piece over the two smaller ones. The result is great, it was really worth it!
@@DragonDrop4758 Ha! How did the C64 turn out? Assuming life calms down a little (double-ha!) I’ll be talking about fairly “fundamental” questions that interest me (What’s a society? What’s the internet?). If you’re familiar with David Foster Wallace’s (awesome) “This is Water” speech: I’d like to talk about the water.
I suspect this is how keyboard collections get started. “...and one one that goes with my blue suit, and one for lazy Sunday drives up the coast, and...” :-)
I am *in* the studio! Recording the extra footage I needed for the full review is happening!
Excellent video and narration on the Keychron SE thank you:)
Even with the switches being tactile, I somewhat felt like my ears were being assaulted before you modded them. In other words, great job!
just what i was looking on the internet. incredible
Mate this sounds so good
Right?! Full review has (finally) been written. Now I just have to find time to record & edit. Hopefully somewhere within the next 2 weeks or so if the work/life onslaught can back off for a bit :-)
Would love to see the detailed modding :)
It's been WAY too long, I know. Unfortunately life's not letting up on the fires to put out so there hasn't been time. I was relieved to see they are at least still selling the K1SE so hopefully I won't be too out of date by the time it's done!
The Keychron K1 SE is great for a mobile minimalist setup.
I use:
- Steamdeck
- Keychron K1 SE
- Glorious model D (black)
- Massdrop 6XX Headphone
- Fiio BTR5 Buetooth DAC/AMP
- a noname powerbank
- Uperfect 17inch QHD portable monitor.
This is awesome! Would love to learn how to achieve this result. How is your video coming along?
It's coming! (Worked on it last night.) I can't believe it's been two months. *sigh*
The main difference came from lubing the switches (Krytox 205g0) and stabilizers (Krytox and Permatex dielectric grease). See Taeha Types for the ultimate lubing guide. (You’ll need to own a *hot-swappable* K1 SE, of course.)
I did add case foam, which is probably helping to ‘tight up’ the housing to remove vibrations.
@@elucidatious thanks a lot! You rock!! Can’t wait for the video. The information already helps a lot though
ty for info man
Hey! stumbled upon this video while trying to learn about the K1 SE. Wish there was a review out there specific to this model. Your modding sounds great, the stock browns sound a bit loud to me. I'd prefer quieter, should I go for the reds? Also, how do you like the RGB on the K1 SE? They seem pretty discrete compared to many other RGB keyboards out there. As in, they arent overwhelmingly bright, and they appear to primarily light up the individual character for each key. Let me know your thoughts! cheers.
Hey Tyler, The review is coming, I swear. Lots of (metaphorical) fires to put out IRL so there just hasn’t been time.
I think you’ll find a bigger difference in the feel of browns vs reds than you will in the sound BUT I should add some caveats:
1.) I haven’t-done / won’t-be-doing a red/brown comparison of the central typing keys though I do a comparison of the stabilizer-supported keys around the edges using reds and browns and the difference is negligible. (My keyboard is a mix of reds on the edges and browns in the middle.)
2.) If you don’t care about the feel of browns (they offer a small amount of resistance before dropping, so your fingers can rest on them a *smidge* heavier than with reds), the reds are your safest bet.
I only have the white (not RGB) LEDs and they are not blindingly bright, no. I just want to be able to see the keys backlit in a dim room and they work great for that.
Hope that helps.
@@elucidatious Thank you for the response! how long does the RGB stay on before going to sleep? Can you adjust this feature at all?
Also, how well has the bluetooth worked out for you? are you on windows or mac?
@@tylerthiel8470
RGB timer: Not sure. Several minutes? (I don't really think about it.) It might only turn off when bluetooth turns off, which is settable as 10, 20 or 30 minutes.
www.keychron.com/blogs/news/k1-se-key-combinations
I’m on a Mac and the bluetooth seems to connect quickly (
Hello! I’m thinking about buying this keyboard with the red switches that seems to be the quieter. It would be my first mechanical keyboard for everyday use, work and travel. Do you recommend this model?
I’m not a keyboard enthusiast or gamer, but I do want a quality keyboard for work and travel.
Cheers, and hope to see more videos from your channel :)
Hi Duvalle,
I’m not super experienced with mechanical keyboards either so my comments are definitely for “unsophisticated” keyboard users like ourselves. :-)
If your main goal is quiet, reds are safest. It’s not a big difference but there is a small additional ’fik’ sound with the browns and when you multiply that by hundreds of keystrokes per minute it will make it a *little* louder.
The construction of the board is great. The metal backplate they built into it makes it surprisingly rigid (for an otherwise plastic keyboard), but is still light to carry.
I prefer to use my keyboard in “wired” mode but (long story) my keyboard is also moved around a lot and the constant movement has created a short in the connection. I don’t know if that’s an issue with all K1SE models or just bad luck with my unit but I would suggest trying to not-move your keyboard a lot when it’s plugged in. (Mine still works I just have to be extra careful now to avoid cable-strain on the port or it loses power.)
Travel specific:
1.) Because the keyboard has no edges it’s easy to get the keycaps caught on something and have them come off. You may want a bag or wrap of some kind, so you don’t lose a keycap taking it in and out of your bag.
2.) You’ll only get a couple of days of use if you have the backlight on (I use the solid backlight, and it’s on all the time). I tested for myself how long it goes without the backlight.
The full review is coming, I swear... though probably not this week... again. 😫
@@elucidatious thank you for all the details provided! I’m thinking about buying one this week. Just waiting to see if any Black Friday will happen soon. The travel case was a great tip, definitely will buy one. Looking forward to see your video
Love k1 SE modded . All the others are crap. Il it possible to get a stock keyboard That sounds like the modded one?
Not that I know of (and I’ve looked)! Seems like that would be a much-in-demand product; I definitely would have liked to have been able to buy a ready-made quiet-as-can-be mechanical keyboard (for less than $US 200).
My backup plan was to go with a full profile, barebones, Keychron Q1+Knob, then buy Boba U4 (pre-lubed) switches and PBT keycaps, just to avoid having to lube switches individually (and for the better quality case / PCB). But lubing wasn’t as bad a chore as I expected. Just put on a movie (or two) and you’ll be done before you know it. :-)
Are there supposed to be LED lights at the top left on the Keychron K1 SE? Do they ever activate?
The gap to the right of the escape key has two small LEDs: One indicates capslock engagement, the other is for bluetooth connectivity.
@@elucidatious Ah okay, I was wondering what exactly that was
where do I get the case foam
As is tradition, I used the very thin piece of packing foam that came in the box. I needed to cut it away near the front (space-bar-side) of the case as there's not enough room. Doubled-up a bit in some spaces at the back, on either side of the battery.
@@elucidatious No wayy... Thanks for the tip!! xD
It's astaunding that this is your first video.. I whoul'd assume that you deliver such a professional work daily.
I bought the K1 SE with hotswappable Gatheron Reds on release and I'm nearly done lubing it.
I'm the lucky 15nth subscriber.
@@DragonDrop4758 You'll be gobsmacked at the difference the lubing makes. So great.
Glad you liked the video! It's only half-way decent because I remade it 18 times. :-) Joys of starting out. Learning lots though!
I'm having similar problems with getting the full review finished. I scripted a few things that aren't working so I need to redo some parts (and, I'm sure like many these days, all my time is going to putting out fires so there just hasn't been any time for progress). AND I've only got access to the recording space I'm using for another week. If I don't find time to fix my script and at least re-record the audio soon, it'll be October before I can get back in. (But if I can get the recording done then I can at least get back to cutting it all together if time should magically appear.)
If you do put in case foam, you may need to cut it away from the area directly under the stem of the left shift key since the stem protrudes through the PCB and, with so little room in the case, the foam makes the key landing too squooshy.
Good luck with the modding!
@@elucidatious
That's fine, I'll wait, watch it and give you feedback on day of upload.
What's your plan with this channel.
Do you want to invest more time and resources in creating tech videos?
What might be the general topic?
Yeah, I know. :)
It's the third Keyboard I lubed.
The first was a Ducky One2 Mini and the second a Commodore 64.
I added the foam yesterday evening.
I removed 1cm from the bottom part and added the leftovers from the wide side right and left to the akku.
I placed the Large piece over the two smaller ones.
The result is great, it was really worth it!
@@DragonDrop4758 Ha! How did the C64 turn out?
Assuming life calms down a little (double-ha!) I’ll be talking about fairly “fundamental” questions that interest me (What’s a society? What’s the internet?).
If you’re familiar with David Foster Wallace’s (awesome) “This is Water” speech: I’d like to talk about the water.
Logitech for typing, k1 for regular use, k2 for gaming
I suspect this is how keyboard collections get started. “...and one one that goes with my blue suit, and one for lazy Sunday drives up the coast, and...” :-)