Definitely brown-like. Blues are noisy and it is easy that someone around you will end up complaining, and browns because of their tactility and quietness.
@@andieluke1366 I've typed on tactile mx browns and I love how they feel. The actuation force isn't much different. I'm interested to try the optical low-profile browns.
@@Develoquent thanks! Curious, would you have access to Gateron low profile blues or a K1V4? I wonder how different the Keychron optical blues feel compared to Gateron's low profiles and/or regular height Cherry MX blues. If I think of any questions/video ideas about the K3, I'll be sure to let you know! Thanks!
Very thorough, great video. I just swapped out the reds for blue and, for me, the blues are 100x better. The reds felt mushy and would activate with the slightest touch which meant a lot of typos. Installing the blues has completely solved the issue...I also 3D printed some longer feet at the back to give it a better angle and with these two changes, this has gone from unusable to my favourite keyboard.
I did the same thing. Thinking the red might be a good choice. But, no. If I look at them wrong they activate. I do a lot of coding, and a random character inserted in an unexpected location can be a major headache later down the line. But, that's ok. Another set of switches are cheap.
Incredible video! Thanks so much for this. I was planning to buy the new Keychron K7 ultraslim I was with many doubts about the hot-swap stuff and this was very helpful, better than Keychron videos!
Great vid, I think that is THE BEST keyboard ever - slim, swappable, small footprint, I got mine today and Im happy as pig in shit. I had a normal high profile gaming mechanical one with linear switches before and for 3 months I couldnt get used to the damn thing. It was too high, with too much key travel and I was coming from a laptop keyboard. K3 is the way to go!
great info, thank you! after seeing your full-height keycap comparison, i ordered a K3 optical brown. however, i saw a comment somewhere claiming that while the regular keycaps work, the low profile stabs on the K3 are incompatible with regular keycaps… did you try the full-height keycaps on any of the stabilizer-ed keys? it’s not a deal-breaker for me, but if it’s a problem you may want to add a note. thanks again for the detailed video!
I realized after making this video that the stabilizer keys will not be compatible with other keycaps. There could be some out there, but most keycaps for stabilizers won't fit unfortunately
@@Develoquent does this mean that even if i find a conventional sized (OEM, etc.) shift keycap that is 1.75u like the K3 the optical switches stabiliser would prevent me from properly connecting the cap? is this the same for if I got this keyboard with gatreon switches as well?
I bought the same keyboard and 2 extra sets of optical switches (so now i have red, blue, brown and i also enjoy blue the most). Now im thinking if it is possible to install mechanical switches (gateron) to keyboard which is shipped with optical switches? Keychrone site says that "Soldering is required in order to alter a switch on the K3", so i believe it's not so easy as with optical switch and it means that the only way to try gateron is to order another K3 with it preinstalled.
@@RobotechLdv not too terrible but a bit more troublesome than normal switches, the smaller size gives some challenges and toughest part is keeping clean, you will get lube on your fingers.
Just got mine tonight and couldn't figure out the switch puller. Thanks for the video. I'm personally switching from an 8 year old Apple magic keyboard and using this as the bridge to this new mechanical keyboard world. Quite the difference going from the magic keyboard to red optical. The right shift key feels too small though, as my only complaint so far.
Awesome to hear. Yeah the key layout is just a bit different with the 75% layout. but its a nice size! let me know how you are liking yours now after 5+ months
@@ricardoparedes4080 I am not the best person to ask for mechanical keyboard quality regarding the switches, but I can confirm the reports of K3 models being a little unstable in bluetooth mode depending on your computer. I use the multi-device switching feature and connect to two separate computers and one of those computers will periodically freeze on a key stroke making it unusable for short amount of time. The complete lack of keycaps on the market for the K3 is also a disappointment for those looking to personalize this model.
What I did was 3d print a keycap tray to hold all the keycaps in the correct orientation. My K4 came with optical blue switches and I could no handle the all the clicky sounds so I swapped them out for optical reds.
That's a great idea to have a keycap holder. Ill have to get one made! If only I had a 3d printer hah. I am liking the optical blues still, but am looking forward to getting some browns
What was the idea of taking the switches apart? From what I understand, we can't do much with them? Or can we do something (like O-rings etc.) also to low-profile switches?
Hi Develoquent Scoured the internet without any info on whether the blue switches (or for that matter orange ones) use the click bar mechanism or click jacket. Would be really helpful if you could tell (click bars are generally much sharp, and the the sound of these blues does not seem as sharp)
Thanks for making this video. I just got a K3 and this was very helpful. Thought: could you open up the red and blue switches to compare how they are different inside?
I looked further into this, and i believe you can. Theres a spring and then a piece of plastic that keeps the switch from traveling past a certain point, you could put a rubber ring on that to soften the push when pushed all the way down.
@@crushfire2004 probably true, especially with the low profile switches, a o-ring might be too big. I think people like the idea of customizing but in this case, the keyboard is better left as is (for o-rings anyway)
I've been eyeing this particular keyboard for awhile now. Currently own a HAVIT low profile keyboard. When I initially tried to switch from membrane to mechanical it was a failure for me. The keycaps were way too tall and it was more difficult typing experience. I tried like 3 different companies and gave up. A year later tried HAVIT low profile and was immediately impressed. I still am looking for an easier to press switch. Even with my current keyboard I suffer a bit from forearm discomfort after spending hours typing. When I gave up caffeine it greatly reduced my pain. Found out I'm extremely sensitive to it. I'm wondering if lower actuation switches would be the solution to my predicament? This review has been the most in depth one I've seen for this keyboard and provides a lot of insight so thank you so much for taking the time to do this! Much appreciated!
Thanks! Glad to be of help. The HAVIT is a nice keyboard. I think you would really like the k3. You should figure out what the actuation force is on your current keyboard and its switches. I tried a keyswitch that had 69g actuation force, and it felt wrong to me! Pushing down was stiff, and too much work. The keys almost felt like they would stick down after the pressure of pushing them down. Maybe I am over exaggerating, but if you switch from a 60g+ keyboard switch to something like 40 or 45g, you will feel a big difference. I occasionally get carpal tunnel but that jusy comes with bad posture and coding all day. Try some lighter actuation keyswitches my friend!
4 года назад
What is he default behavior of the function keys, the media functions or the F1-F12 functions? What is what you get when you press the Fn key?
Make sure the switch on front of keyboard is set to correct OS (mac / Windows) then press fn + f1/f12 and the key will do what the keycap shows.. brightness, media play/pause, mission control, etc. Does that answer your question?
Great question, does anyone know? I'll have to try it on a hotswal optical keyboard. The only thing is the metal prongs may not reach. It's smaller on the bottom side of the faceplate as well as the top
Thanks for making the most comprehensive review yet. Would you prefer to use these optical blue switches over MX browns? (I am planning to order the K3 with optical orange. I had the K1 gateron brown switches but did not like it as I was making more typos compared to my Logitech MX Keys)
I have had browns for over a year now as my daily driver, and they have been great. I've loved them. That being said, these low profile optical blue switches are definitely a new feel and brings a new excitement to typing. I will be using the blues for a month as my daily driver and make a better video on that question.
@@collinhayes9509 It was my unique particular style of touch typing (using 6 fingers). I used to touch type without using the home row method, but using pure muscle memory of the key positions. It worked okay on laptop style keyboards but didn't work on the keychron k1. I've been unlearning my old typing style and learning the home row method typing for the last 2 weeks (reached 40 wpm so far). Let's see if this helps on the k3
Can you swap different type switches? Say if you have the hot swappable optical keyboard but want to put the gateron mechanical switches in from Keychron's website?
I'm thinking of either the red or the white optical switches. I want something that's light but Idk. i also think the white switches's color look cleaner but obviously i shouldn't buy switches just because colors look good. what should i get
What switches do you have experience with? Reds are a safe option, browns are a great switch for a little more tactile feedback and sound, and blues are for those that want a loud show off keyboard. I would go with white, they will be easiest to press, and verry similar to my optical reds as shown in the video. The white and red switches can be almost silent if you type softly.
@@Develoquent I have only really tried the blue switches, but really disliked the sound, and I don't really find the tactile bump satisfying. i mean maybe the bump does feel better but I don't know because I haven't tried other switches.
So I’m buying the gk61 and they have gateron mechanical switches, as well as gateron optical switches. If I want to change to the holy panda switches, would it let me?
Does the RGB version of this keyboard allow for just white backlight? And I’m new to mechanical keyboards, Apple guy. Gonna use this with my iPad. Is optical or mechanical keys better?
Yes RGB is the way to go, as you can have rgb have a white light mode. Also csn be turned off all together. Or blue only, red, orange, turquoise etc!. As for the keyswitches, optical keychron switches vs. gateron low profile mechanical switches.. i would go with optical. You can hot-swap the opticals only. Dont decide for the color alone! But what the actuation force is and type of switch it is. (Linear, tactile, clicky). Linear will feel closest to magic apple keyboard.. but blue and brown are more satisfying as a non-buttyfly switch keyboard.
does replacing an optical switch on a keyboard means fixing the broken keyboard? or hot swap is just only for changing switches type? this sounds like a really stupid question but I did searched everywhere and didn't found the answer
You may have a faulty switch.. but it's just meant for giving you keyswitch customization. You can put different switches for space bar and backspace etc. It's nice to easily switch for a completely different typing experience
Shopping for keyboard and found your video. I currently use a 60% cherry mx brown keyboard. How does it feel between the optic red, blue compare to the cherry brown? I like the feel of the brown but definitely like to have a slight bigger keyboard with lower profile like this k3. Also do you know if the optic brown is similar to the cherry brown?
Ive heard the Optical browns switches for the K3 actuation point are incorrect and feel weird. For this reason, definitely go with the blue switches! they feel so great. I like blue over the red much more for the low profile k3 keyboard. Go with the optical version for your keychron k3, and you will be able to hot-swap if you dont like them. For conventional size keyboards, I love Cherry brown. Go with the Keychron K2 in mx brown switches if you go that route.
@@paichui1 it is similar to others on the market. If you prefer not having it, you can always do the wired mode. I have been Bluetooth for over 2 months now and still prefer no cord! Battery life is way good!
Great video! Question: Typing experience from blues to reds?? I have a k8 (blues) and waiting my K3 but I’m thinking about changing switches to browns or reds but not sure if it will worth it. I mainly do home office stuff.
I am really liking the blue switches, coming from brown. Reds are nice as well, but i prefer browns over reds. Reds are how do you say.. kind of boring? If i was coming from blue, i would jump on the Brown switches!
@@teotlq.maciasbravo5628 Sure thing, You will love the k3! some people say the build quality wasnt what they were expecting, but I think the quality is great. Its built to be lightweight, yet sturdy. Low profile is so nice to type on. Im running my k3 with optical blue and reds as my daily driver.. DAY 2! Ill do a video at the end of the month on it as a daily driver
Yes I’m really looking forward to receive mine. Haha ordered the optical orange. I’ll send a mail to see if they can attach the additional browns. Keep up the videos!
So is the only place to purchase this keyboard the official keychron website? How are shipping times in the US? On the website it says it’s a “pre-order” only which makes me think the keyboard isn’t even out yet you were able to get ahold of one
Yes you can buy for pre-ordwr on k3. They will be shipping pre orders in a week or two. They are finishing up backer orders from kickstarter.com in the next week. There were around 11k backers. The optical browns keyswitches are taking the longest to produce and ship. I would order the optical switches (hotswappable) with browns, but you may wait a bit. Probably get it in 3 weeks or so. (End of January 2021) as a guess.. keychron is on top of it. DHL is super fast shipping from the factory also.
@@Develoquent Yeah I actually ended up ordering the hotswappale brown ones the same day I left this comment lol. No email yet that it’s been shipped so hoping I will at least get it by the end of the January 2021.
Nice in-depth review, currently enjoying my Keychron K2 hot-swap with gateron brown. Considering to buy K3 to use it in my office, since i work both at my home and office, so i don't need to bring my keyboard back and back and forth. I'm wondering why you pick the blue - red for the K3, since you mention already long time normal profile brown switches. Are you using it for daily for coding? how it compare to regular brown?
Well I hadn't tried linear or clicky before so I figured I better try them both! I still like cherry browns, and I am looking forward to getting optical browns for my k3. The blues are a lot of fun! The reds are a little boring to me since they are quiet. Browns are the happy medium I think! I've been using my optical blues on the k3 as my daily driver for a couple weeks, and am loving them. WFH
This keyboard has two switch options, gateron, and krychron optical switches. The blue and red switches in this video are made by keychron and only keychron. There are no other hot swappable low profile keyswitches manufacturers, and no other switches will fit. Keychron makes 6 different switch colors in the optical, white, black, red, brown, blue, orange..
There is noticeable flex, but for how I type, I haven't noticed it.. Unless I'm really pushing firmly! Which I only do when I'm frustrated about my computer being slow!
Buy the switch puller with the green plastic. Works better than the supplied one. I could only get it by using two hands top to bottom with the supplied switch puller.mine is a K6 and you have to be careful because you can damage the socket using too much force.
I misunderstood you, i see thr green keyswitch puller on Amazon, great idea. It looks much better than the puller that comes with the k3. Let me know how you like the k6. Also, would you ever go low-profile??
I backed the keyboard and am waiting for my set with pre-installed browns and whites as extra set. What I am interested most is how it will handle hot-swapping Computers. I have a Mac for my own and I am forced to use a Windows 10 PC for work. So I will probably need to switch to and from Win10 to Catalina over and over again. I hope it is as easy as I think. Plus my employer is paranoid of Bluetooth keyboards (password sniffing) and I probably be only allowed to use the keyboard on the USB.
I have used this on my windows 10 laptop and with a monitor plugged in with Samsung Dex (android galaxy phone desktop ui) and paired to both with bluetooth. Pressing 'fn + 2' switches to my windows 10, pressing 'fn + 3' switches to my android. It takes about 3 seconds or less to make the switch and works flawlessly. I also have 'fn + 1' paired to my Macbook pro on another monitor and it switches across easily that way as well. Super easy and convenient!!
Enjoyed the video man, great intro. Love the sound of these blues. Are they super light to type on? As in a very light actuation force G915 linear are way too heavy for me. I have a razer blackwidow 2015-16 with blues and they’re delightful in comparison
Thanks for watching! The blues are light to type on, i looked up your g915 linear and it looks like the actuation force is 50g. That's very similar to the clicky blues. I wouldn't go higher than 55g of actuation force on a switch. It starts to feel stiff when pushing down after 55g. I would go with the reds or whites for a really light actuation press. Around 30g and 40g of force. You will love these blues! You could also lube them up and it may help a small amount.
Oh man, how glad I am for choosing to wait for reviews instead of preordering this; All I wished for is for K3 to be QUIET, while heavy gaming 8-12 hours at a time (+ low profile so my fingers won't suffer as much), but noooo, this horrible clicky loud noizes from RED opticals will hound me in my dreams; DISGUSTING. I start looking at my Ducky 2 mini with Cherry MX Silent Red (pink) in a new light after this vid. I guess it doesn't suck as much as I thought before.
Glad it helped, I think the low profile switch is a tad louder than a mx cherry red option. At the same time, I do push down fairly hard when typing. Its almost silent if you aren't typing hard. Also mske sure you aren't mistaking my blues as reds, I only have the top row as reds
I must say. I have brown and blue switches and I do not like any of them. I had previous keyboard HAVIT keyboards and it had better KAILH keys ant they were better than optical. Optical switches feel "fake" in a way that they feel shallow and even blue switches have different click height. But most importantly, ladder profile is not for me. I prefer bend profile like cherry.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Question for this video: What is your favorite switch? Linear, tactile, or clicky? And why!
For me I really like tactile switches, such as cherry browns. But these blue switches are changing my mind!!
@jh 64 nice!
Definitely brown-like. Blues are noisy and it is easy that someone around you will end up complaining, and browns because of their tactility and quietness.
Clickies as I type a ton for work. That said, have always been curious about tactiles. Wonder if it will feel too heavy?
@@andieluke1366 I've typed on tactile mx browns and I love how they feel. The actuation force isn't much different. I'm interested to try the optical low-profile browns.
Have been looking all over for in depth review of the optical blues. Thank you! Subbed!
Glad to help! Thanks for subscribing! Let me know any other video ideas around the k3, and I'll make it
@@Develoquent thanks! Curious, would you have access to Gateron low profile blues or a K1V4? I wonder how different the Keychron optical blues feel compared to Gateron's low profiles and/or regular height Cherry MX blues.
If I think of any questions/video ideas about the K3, I'll be sure to let you know! Thanks!
Very thorough, great video. I just swapped out the reds for blue and, for me, the blues are 100x better. The reds felt mushy and would activate with the slightest touch which meant a lot of typos. Installing the blues has completely solved the issue...I also 3D printed some longer feet at the back to give it a better angle and with these two changes, this has gone from unusable to my favourite keyboard.
Why not just buy the blue switch instead? Why bother switch from red to blue? Maybe a naive question, new to mechanic keyboard, just curious.
@@timanderson5683 I didn't know what the reds were like.
I did the same thing. Thinking the red might be a good choice. But, no. If I look at them wrong they activate. I do a lot of coding, and a random character inserted in an unexpected location can be a major headache later down the line.
But, that's ok. Another set of switches are cheap.
Awesome video, very useful and detailed. Thank-you for making it!
One of the best videos on this keyboard, on the Internet! As at Sept 2022. 👍🏽👍🏽
Incredible video! Thanks so much for this.
I was planning to buy the new Keychron K7 ultraslim I was with many doubts about the hot-swap stuff and this was very helpful, better than Keychron videos!
Im glad this was useful! What is the k7 ultraslim keyboard?
Great video. I’m looking forward to mine.
Thanks for watching! Remind me again what kind of switches you ordered? Optical or gateron?
@@Develoquent optical red rgb
When does yours come in? I ordered the same thing.
@@siamsaechew6653 I was backed 2420, and I got my shipping info dec 21, and got it dec 24th. So far, I'm loving the keyboard!!
The perfect review on my birthday... :)
Ik it’s too late but still happy bday bro
Great vid, I think that is THE BEST keyboard ever - slim, swappable, small footprint, I got mine today and Im happy as pig in shit. I had a normal high profile gaming mechanical one with linear switches before and for 3 months I couldnt get used to the damn thing. It was too high, with too much key travel and I was coming from a laptop keyboard. K3 is the way to go!
Thanks man. You saved my day. I have been pulling the switch on left right. No wonder it didn’t work
Its still difficult but you figure it out after a bit
Great video!
great info, thank you! after seeing your full-height keycap comparison, i ordered a K3 optical brown. however, i saw a comment somewhere claiming that while the regular keycaps work, the low profile stabs on the K3 are incompatible with regular keycaps… did you try the full-height keycaps on any of the stabilizer-ed keys? it’s not a deal-breaker for me, but if it’s a problem you may want to add a note. thanks again for the detailed video!
I realized after making this video that the stabilizer keys will not be compatible with other keycaps. There could be some out there, but most keycaps for stabilizers won't fit unfortunately
@@Develoquent does this mean that even if i find a conventional sized (OEM, etc.) shift keycap that is 1.75u like the K3 the optical switches stabiliser would prevent me from properly connecting the cap? is this the same for if I got this keyboard with gatreon switches as well?
I bought the same keyboard and 2 extra sets of optical switches (so now i have red, blue, brown and i also enjoy blue the most). Now im thinking if it is possible to install mechanical switches (gateron) to keyboard which is shipped with optical switches? Keychrone site says that "Soldering is required in order to alter a switch on the K3", so i believe it's not so easy as with optical switch and it means that the only way to try gateron is to order another K3 with it preinstalled.
I'm about 2/3 done with lubing the optical blacks for my K3, I also cleaned and re-lubed the stabilizers.
Would you be able to make a video?? I'd watch :)
@@RobotechLdv ruclips.net/video/EM2Lnh54ce8/видео.html sorry for the sound is not great and my video card fan was running (it has a busted fan blade)
@@cmtravis13 Thanks! Was it hard to lube the low profile switches?
@@RobotechLdv not too terrible but a bit more troublesome than normal switches, the smaller size gives some challenges and toughest part is keeping clean, you will get lube on your fingers.
How did you get K3? I can only pre-order it
On the teardown of the optical switch - where's all the electronics?? Like isn't there supposed to be a little LED in there, etc?
Just got mine tonight and couldn't figure out the switch puller. Thanks for the video. I'm personally switching from an 8 year old Apple magic keyboard and using this as the bridge to this new mechanical keyboard world. Quite the difference going from the magic keyboard to red optical. The right shift key feels too small though, as my only complaint so far.
Awesome to hear. Yeah the key layout is just a bit different with the 75% layout. but its a nice size! let me know how you are liking yours now after 5+ months
you still using de keychron? what do you think about it
@@ricardoparedes4080 I am not the best person to ask for mechanical keyboard quality regarding the switches, but I can confirm the reports of K3 models being a little unstable in bluetooth mode depending on your computer. I use the multi-device switching feature and connect to two separate computers and one of those computers will periodically freeze on a key stroke making it unusable for short amount of time. The complete lack of keycaps on the market for the K3 is also a disappointment for those looking to personalize this model.
thanks very much! I was struggling with removing the switches, your video gave me confidence to be less gentle and successfully remove them.
Glad to help. It definitely feels wrong at first, but at least the switches won't be bouncing out anytime soon hah
@@Develoquent yeah. Very weird, expected some kind of lip or hole for the tool to grab on to, didn't expect to use just plain squeezing force.
Cheers!
As a keyboard noob, does anyone know if these low profile keycaps are replaceable? Are there low profile keycaps that would fit the k3?
They are, but some of the stabilizers on the side keys like spacebar, shift, caps lock, backspace, etc may not be compatible.
Try DSA profile keycap, it's lower than cherry profile and mostly compatible with many layout
Can you please try adding all bigger caps to just to see how it would look like? :p
What I did was 3d print a keycap tray to hold all the keycaps in the correct orientation. My K4 came with optical blue switches and I could no handle the all the clicky sounds so I swapped them out for optical reds.
That's a great idea to have a keycap holder. Ill have to get one made! If only I had a 3d printer hah. I am liking the optical blues still, but am looking forward to getting some browns
@@Develoquent doesn’t it come with a clear plastic dust cover?
I dont think mine came with a switch puller. First time I ordered switches and first time saw that thing. Been trying to figure out how to do this
Does LP Keychron optical is replacable with mx low profile?
What was the idea of taking the switches apart? From what I understand, we can't do much with them? Or can we do something (like O-rings etc.) also to low-profile switches?
Hi Develoquent
Scoured the internet without any info on whether the blue switches (or for that matter orange ones) use the click bar mechanism or click jacket. Would be really helpful if you could tell (click bars are generally much sharp, and the the sound of these blues does not seem as sharp)
The click seems to be from the little rubber piece sliding in an out of a small hole. And tactility comes from the resistant key switch spring
Can u put those switches also in other hotswapable keyboards ?
I havent tried but cant say it will work. You can try other optical keyboards (non-low profile) but not sure they will fit
Thanks for making this video. I just got a K3 and this was very helpful. Thought: could you open up the red and blue switches to compare how they are different inside?
Thanks, yes ill make a switch video when the new k7 arrives (low profile 65% optical keyboard from keychron)
Hello! Would you suggest reds or browns as a first mech coming from scissor macs?
I think browns! Although linear red switches are smooth and thr closest feel to a scissor / butterfly switch keyboard.
Is it possible to put ring rubbers at keycaps to reduce the noise?
I looked further into this, and i believe you can. Theres a spring and then a piece of plastic that keeps the switch from traveling past a certain point, you could put a rubber ring on that to soften the push when pushed all the way down.
While it might possible with thin o-ring, it will make keyboard mushy much like membrane keyboard
@@crushfire2004 probably true, especially with the low profile switches, a o-ring might be too big. I think people like the idea of customizing but in this case, the keyboard is better left as is (for o-rings anyway)
Hi, can we swap the optical switches with the gateron one ? cant find an answer on the internet :(
No, they are different
I've been eyeing this particular keyboard for awhile now. Currently own a HAVIT low profile keyboard. When I initially tried to switch from membrane to mechanical it was a failure for me. The keycaps were way too tall and it was more difficult typing experience. I tried like 3 different companies and gave up. A year later tried HAVIT low profile and was immediately impressed. I still am looking for an easier to press switch. Even with my current keyboard I suffer a bit from forearm discomfort after spending hours typing. When I gave up caffeine it greatly reduced my pain. Found out I'm extremely sensitive to it. I'm wondering if lower actuation switches would be the solution to my predicament? This review has been the most in depth one I've seen for this keyboard and provides a lot of insight so thank you so much for taking the time to do this! Much appreciated!
Thanks! Glad to be of help. The HAVIT is a nice keyboard. I think you would really like the k3. You should figure out what the actuation force is on your current keyboard and its switches. I tried a keyswitch that had 69g actuation force, and it felt wrong to me! Pushing down was stiff, and too much work. The keys almost felt like they would stick down after the pressure of pushing them down. Maybe I am over exaggerating, but if you switch from a 60g+ keyboard switch to something like 40 or 45g, you will feel a big difference. I occasionally get carpal tunnel but that jusy comes with bad posture and coding all day. Try some lighter actuation keyswitches my friend!
What is he default behavior of the function keys, the media functions or the F1-F12 functions? What is what you get when you press the Fn key?
Make sure the switch on front of keyboard is set to correct OS (mac / Windows) then press fn + f1/f12 and the key will do what the keycap shows.. brightness, media play/pause, mission control, etc. Does that answer your question?
Also, use fn+right arrow to switch color mode on a given rgb light mode.
Can you use cherry compatible keycaps with these switches
It's in the video! Yes you can. But the keys with stabilizers may not work die to stabilizer incompatibility.
is it possible to hot swap a conventional switch keyboard with low profile switch?
Great question, does anyone know? I'll have to try it on a hotswal optical keyboard. The only thing is the metal prongs may not reach. It's smaller on the bottom side of the faceplate as well as the top
Thanks for making the most comprehensive review yet. Would you prefer to use these optical blue switches over MX browns?
(I am planning to order the K3 with optical orange. I had the K1 gateron brown switches but did not like it as I was making more typos compared to my Logitech MX Keys)
I have had browns for over a year now as my daily driver, and they have been great. I've loved them. That being said, these low profile optical blue switches are definitely a new feel and brings a new excitement to typing. I will be using the blues for a month as my daily driver and make a better video on that question.
Why do you think you were making mistakes with K1 over the MX? I’m pretty unhappy with my G915 linear keys
@@collinhayes9509 It was my unique particular style of touch typing (using 6 fingers). I used to touch type without using the home row method, but using pure muscle memory of the key positions. It worked okay on laptop style keyboards but didn't work on the keychron k1. I've been unlearning my old typing style and learning the home row method typing for the last 2 weeks (reached 40 wpm so far). Let's see if this helps on the k3
Thanks, good details.
Please pay attention to the relative volume of your voice vs. the music in these videos. Some correction seems to be warranted.
For sure! I've noticed that and have since improved my mic and lowered the volume
Can you swap different type switches? Say if you have the hot swappable optical keyboard but want to put the gateron mechanical switches in from Keychron's website?
No they are different
@@Develoquent Okay thanks!
I'm thinking of either the red or the white optical switches. I want something that's light but Idk. i also think the white switches's color look cleaner but obviously i shouldn't buy switches just because colors look good. what should i get
What switches do you have experience with? Reds are a safe option, browns are a great switch for a little more tactile feedback and sound, and blues are for those that want a loud show off keyboard. I would go with white, they will be easiest to press, and verry similar to my optical reds as shown in the video. The white and red switches can be almost silent if you type softly.
@@Develoquent I have only really tried the blue switches, but really disliked the sound, and I don't really find the tactile bump satisfying. i mean maybe the bump does feel better but I don't know because I haven't tried other switches.
@@TonyZhang01 yeah, it seems like linear is your fit then. Go eith one of those!
@@Develoquent thanks!
So I’m buying the gk61 and they have gateron mechanical switches, as well as gateron optical switches. If I want to change to the holy panda switches, would it let me?
Like is there any shape difference that will stop the switch from going into the keyboard?
Does the RGB version of this keyboard allow for just white backlight? And I’m new to mechanical keyboards, Apple guy. Gonna use this with my iPad.
Is optical or mechanical keys better?
Yes RGB is the way to go, as you can have rgb have a white light mode. Also csn be turned off all together. Or blue only, red, orange, turquoise etc!. As for the keyswitches, optical keychron switches vs. gateron low profile mechanical switches.. i would go with optical. You can hot-swap the opticals only.
Dont decide for the color alone! But what the actuation force is and type of switch it is. (Linear, tactile, clicky). Linear will feel closest to magic apple keyboard.. but blue and brown are more satisfying as a non-buttyfly switch keyboard.
does replacing an optical switch on a keyboard means fixing the broken keyboard? or hot swap is just only for changing switches type?
this sounds like a really stupid question but I did searched everywhere and didn't found the answer
You may have a faulty switch.. but it's just meant for giving you keyswitch customization. You can put different switches for space bar and backspace etc. It's nice to easily switch for a completely different typing experience
I see...
So hot swapping is only for changing into different type of switches, not fixing the broken keyboard sensor or anything else.
Thank you.
Blue ones are not too noisy? Can it be heard from another room? I wonder if it not gonna be annoying for others.
They aren't that loud. Similar to gateron browns really, but a tad louder.
@@Develoquent ok thx
Shopping for keyboard and found your video. I currently use a 60% cherry mx brown keyboard. How does it feel between the optic red, blue compare to the cherry brown? I like the feel of the brown but definitely like to have a slight bigger keyboard with lower profile like this k3. Also do you know if the optic brown is similar to the cherry brown?
Ive heard the Optical browns switches for the K3 actuation point are incorrect and feel weird. For this reason, definitely go with the blue switches! they feel so great. I like blue over the red much more for the low profile k3 keyboard. Go with the optical version for your keychron k3, and you will be able to hot-swap if you dont like them. For conventional size keyboards, I love Cherry brown. Go with the Keychron K2 in mx brown switches if you go that route.
How is the Bluetooth connectivity? When re-activating(after 10min), do you have to wait for a few seconds?
It takes about 3-4 seconds
@@Develoquent Thanks man, is this normal or relative slow comparing to others on the market. 3-4 seconds can be annoying.
@@paichui1 it is similar to others on the market. If you prefer not having it, you can always do the wired mode. I have been Bluetooth for over 2 months now and still prefer no cord! Battery life is way good!
@@Develoquent Appreciate it. I think I will order one. Really nice review !!
@@paichui1 thank you! It's a nice keyboard and so slim. I would go with optical brown switches
which the best Low Profile Gateron Mechanical OR Low Profile Keychron Optical (Hot-swappable) ???
Tough to say. Gateron might feel a little more satisfying.
@@Develoquentwhat's Gateron ?
Great video! Question: Typing experience from blues to reds?? I have a k8 (blues) and waiting my K3 but I’m thinking about changing switches to browns or reds but not sure if it will worth it. I mainly do home office stuff.
I am really liking the blue switches, coming from brown. Reds are nice as well, but i prefer browns over reds. Reds are how do you say.. kind of boring? If i was coming from blue, i would jump on the Brown switches!
Just get an extra pair of browns, with a blue switch k3. (optical switches)
Thanks!!! Really appreciate it!
@@teotlq.maciasbravo5628 Sure thing, You will love the k3! some people say the build quality wasnt what they were expecting, but I think the quality is great. Its built to be lightweight, yet sturdy. Low profile is so nice to type on. Im running my k3 with optical blue and reds as my daily driver.. DAY 2! Ill do a video at the end of the month on it as a daily driver
Yes I’m really looking forward to receive mine. Haha ordered the optical orange. I’ll send a mail to see if they can attach the additional browns. Keep up the videos!
So is the only place to purchase this keyboard the official keychron website?
How are shipping times in the US? On the website it says it’s a “pre-order” only which makes me think the keyboard isn’t even out yet you were able to get ahold of one
Yes you can buy for pre-ordwr on k3. They will be shipping pre orders in a week or two. They are finishing up backer orders from kickstarter.com in the next week. There were around 11k backers. The optical browns keyswitches are taking the longest to produce and ship. I would order the optical switches (hotswappable) with browns, but you may wait a bit. Probably get it in 3 weeks or so. (End of January 2021) as a guess.. keychron is on top of it. DHL is super fast shipping from the factory also.
@@Develoquent Yeah I actually ended up ordering the hotswappale brown ones the same day I left this comment lol.
No email yet that it’s been shipped so hoping I will at least get it by the end of the January 2021.
Nice in-depth review, currently enjoying my Keychron K2 hot-swap with gateron brown.
Considering to buy K3 to use it in my office, since i work both at my home and office, so i don't need to bring my keyboard back and back and forth.
I'm wondering why you pick the blue - red for the K3, since you mention already long time normal profile brown switches.
Are you using it for daily for coding? how it compare to regular brown?
Well I hadn't tried linear or clicky before so I figured I better try them both! I still like cherry browns, and I am looking forward to getting optical browns for my k3. The blues are a lot of fun! The reds are a little boring to me since they are quiet. Browns are the happy medium I think! I've been using my optical blues on the k3 as my daily driver for a couple weeks, and am loving them. WFH
Hey, great video! I just wanted to know whether the optical blue switches are from keychron? Also, would other optical switches fit the k3? Thanks :)
This keyboard has two switch options, gateron, and krychron optical switches. The blue and red switches in this video are made by keychron and only keychron. There are no other hot swappable low profile keyswitches manufacturers, and no other switches will fit. Keychron makes 6 different switch colors in the optical, white, black, red, brown, blue, orange..
Is it possible to hot swap optical switches for Gateron mechanical switches ?
Not possible because the switches will not slide in far enough without hitting the under plate
Can you swap optical switches and use Low Profile Gateron Mechanical?
Good question. I bet you could! I don't have a optical normal keyboard. I'll have to try it
Are they pre lubed? Or is that not a thing with the optical switches?
Not pre lubed that I can tell.
which switch is the quietest for the k3? @develoquent
White switch probably
Because white is linear and has lowest actuation force
@@Develoquent thanks! how is the gatreon low profile red and brown for sound, vs kechron optical black and white?
Does it work well on a m1 MacBook Pro?
I've been using it with the 16" MacBook pro.. its Awesome!!
@@Develoquent thank you so much for your video
the board flex when you press down on keys is very noticable, it's insane. no one mentions this? such a deal breaker
There is noticeable flex, but for how I type, I haven't noticed it.. Unless I'm really pushing firmly! Which I only do when I'm frustrated about my computer being slow!
Exactly... I heard that the case is not entirely aluminum that’s why it is flimsy ..
I heard that K1 is sturdier..
Can they be swapped with high profile switches?
Not this one. They are unique switches
is this good for gaming?
Yeah i works good, but i would recommend a keychron k6
Buy the switch puller with the green plastic. Works better than the supplied one. I could only get it by using two hands top to bottom with the supplied switch puller.mine is a K6 and you have to be careful because you can damage the socket using too much force.
I just use my fingers, so much easier
I misunderstood you, i see thr green keyswitch puller on Amazon, great idea. It looks much better than the puller that comes with the k3. Let me know how you like the k6. Also, would you ever go low-profile??
You should use IC extractor to pull switch easier
I will have to get one! They seem much better than what I have
I backed the keyboard and am waiting for my set with pre-installed browns and whites as extra set. What I am interested most is how it will handle hot-swapping Computers. I have a Mac for my own and I am forced to use a Windows 10 PC for work. So I will probably need to switch to and from Win10 to Catalina over and over again. I hope it is as easy as I think. Plus my employer is paranoid of Bluetooth keyboards (password sniffing) and I probably be only allowed to use the keyboard on the USB.
I have used this on my windows 10 laptop and with a monitor plugged in with Samsung Dex (android galaxy phone desktop ui) and paired to both with bluetooth. Pressing 'fn + 2' switches to my windows 10, pressing 'fn + 3' switches to my android. It takes about 3 seconds or less to make the switch and works flawlessly. I also have 'fn + 1' paired to my Macbook pro on another monitor and it switches across easily that way as well. Super easy and convenient!!
Enjoyed the video man, great intro. Love the sound of these blues. Are they super light to type on? As in a very light actuation force
G915 linear are way too heavy for me. I have a razer blackwidow 2015-16 with blues and they’re delightful in comparison
Thanks for watching! The blues are light to type on, i looked up your g915 linear and it looks like the actuation force is 50g. That's very similar to the clicky blues. I wouldn't go higher than 55g of actuation force on a switch. It starts to feel stiff when pushing down after 55g. I would go with the reds or whites for a really light actuation press. Around 30g and 40g of force. You will love these blues! You could also lube them up and it may help a small amount.
Oh man, how glad I am for choosing to wait for reviews instead of preordering this;
All I wished for is for K3 to be QUIET, while heavy gaming 8-12 hours at a time (+ low profile so my fingers won't suffer as much), but noooo, this horrible clicky loud noizes from RED opticals will hound me in my dreams; DISGUSTING.
I start looking at my Ducky 2 mini with Cherry MX Silent Red (pink) in a new light after this vid. I guess it doesn't suck as much as I thought before.
Glad it helped, I think the low profile switch is a tad louder than a mx cherry red option. At the same time, I do push down fairly hard when typing. Its almost silent if you aren't typing hard. Also mske sure you aren't mistaking my blues as reds, I only have the top row as reds
I must say. I have brown and blue switches and I do not like any of them. I had previous keyboard HAVIT keyboards and it had better KAILH keys ant they were better than optical. Optical switches feel "fake" in a way that they feel shallow and even blue switches have different click height. But most importantly, ladder profile is not for me. I prefer bend profile like cherry.
After using the k6 when brown switches, i agree with you. Going back to the k3 just isn't as satisfying
You hold that puller wrong that’s why ‘hard’ to use. Lol
Lol 😆 I don't usually use them for keycaps hah
To bad no comparison between the clicks.
hand pulling keycaps is faster lol. :)
is this good for gaming?