I like this keeb and I like that there's competition in this space - though I have to agree this one could use some work to be worth the price. Re: looking smaller; I definitely had the same impression, and did the same thing, putting it next to another 65. I think it's the generous rounding of the outside edges helping the keeb look a bit smaller. Port: I noticed the stock cable that came with mine sits mostly flush, but only because its plastic shroud is farther forward on the connector than usual. :p 3:33 That's interesting - your case badge has a bump in exactly the same place as mine, on the upper left side. Makes me wonder if there might be a little nub of plastic underneath displacing it. The wings connected by small bits: yes, that's for flex - it actually works! Some folks even call the space between the wings and the rest of the board "flex cuts". RGB / PCB issues: Can confirm. My example has inconsistent RGB behavior; kind of like when you plug a USB3 only keeb into a USB2 port, but it does it all the time.
I agree with what is said in the video about the pcb QC. Fortunately for me, my usb c port didnt break off and each key works alright but unfortunately, 1 of my backlight leds lost the "G" in "RGB". The Portico is aight but TKC really has horrible QC.
You can also get a Keychron Q1 Barebone board for 149 bucks plus shipping, seems like a way better deal for the same type of foam strip board but in metal instead
Beginner should still get the assembled one. It's probably a hard sell for a beginner to spend good money on keycaps over the cost of the board. The caps arent good but its better than nothing and cost very little extra. The switches they offer are just Gateron Pros with smokey color which are good switches. Better than old KS3 yellows.
Yea... not even close to mint. It's like a teal seafoam green. I'm still using Leopold til something obtainable, affordable, and well made is produced.
I have a black version of the board, it is not transparent at all and I think it looks fine. but I do the issue there my board would randomly shift colour for some of my keys, I like to keep all the keys purple but sometimes the entire bottom left of my board would become like a gree-yellow ish colour.
@@cognition26 quoting keebsforall: the freebird60 offers an o ring mount which feels similar to a gasket mount although im not sure if it's good enough to consider it to be as bouncy as gasket, i think it's a good enough alternative since the board is aluminum
i've had this in clear for a while now. I got it because I really wanted a clear policarb 65% board with a blocker and I couldn't afford any of the milled ones. the case also fits my other "main" keeb (KBD67) and overall I can't complain about it too much. It was expensive, more so than the other entry boards, but i got eat at early bird price, as well as got the set of 35$ caps they sold for it, which made it, populated with some old zeals i had laying around, a pretty decent deal overall. I like it a lot, it's a change from top mound brass plate and makes for an excellent back up keyboard. the lighting sucks on it though, makes it look so cheap.
I saw your older reviews about the Noxary T60 and Grid 600 where you talked a lot about bouncy typing feel of tray mounts. Was wonder if you've ever tried the Blade 60 from KBDfans. It's quite a recent board with a unique design, it too is missing the two centre post like the T60, and the rest of the standoffs are o-ring mounted by design. It's probably the most flex I've ever experienced on a keyboard however the case is very pingy, maybe the acrylic version would help in that regard.
I would've gotten one.. but paypal wasn't an option and shipping would've cost me a ton too.. Sigh.. well, my next board will be aluminum, might be quiet the upgrade from the Kara, which cost a ton :c
you might just be the most sensible, pracitcal keeb reviewer. for matching keycaps, gmk laser synthwave matches well with the similar color kbd67lite has but here this one looks more gross for sure rather than "cyber" ish or whatever its supposed to be. gmmk pro with after market fr4 plate has some flex too but it's just added cost. If I was a beginner I would got a for a oring mounted 60% like bakeneo or a converted tofu etc. It allows you to experience most things this hobby has to offer for similar money. Overall among these plastic boards, I like ikki68 quite a bit but that one is the hardest one to buy so it's pointless really.
I mean, I like the color but ehh thats more of a subjective thing. I think it looks good with Metropolis keycaps, and possibly with ePBT Aesthetic when that comes out, and as you said BoW. Otherwise, solid video. Glad you pointed out the crazy amount of reported issues this keeb was getting on Discord, it was probably the main reason I avoided this one.
I’ve experienced similar dental molding. It wasn’t mint-flavoured from what I recall but they mixed it up and basically formed a mold for my teeth with it (I was getting an oral plate, don’t think it worked out in the long term, but was wild having a metal plate in my mouth for like six months straight haha)
is it weird to be "more sensitive in lower price brackets"? I guess it makes sense in terms of varying ranges of quality among plastics and included accessories, but one would think that people would be more picky as they spend more money. so i agree with the assessment but it might make more sense the other way around. or maybe relationship to pickiness and price is a bell curve :/
as someone who owns a few high-end boards, this is definitely my best value build and i would pick this over a GMMK Pro any day of the week as the portico sounds very similar to my 500 dollar satisfaction (with a slight plastic echo compared to the metallic one) and the GMMK Pro sounds like a stiff prebuilt. and the portico has VIA whilst the gmmk pro doesn't
the $150 is even a conservative estimate of a total. it'd basically only be $150 if you live in a state with no sales tax. if you live in NY, thats ~9% on top of the $135, making this approx. 162. i eventually sold mine. bought not even the board itself but as a bundle and found it underwhelming. not sure why i bought it at all given i didn't even find the kbd67 lite impressive.
I will say all of the points in this video were valid. However, comparing this to the gmk set that you have on this board the value of the board wins completely. I always see videos like this saying the board isn’t really worth the price. But they have a +100 dollar keyset on the keyboard which seems wild to me. I’d love to hear how you say that a keyboard shouldn’t be 150 for what you get compared to a keyset that is +100. Not saying I’m for or against anything but would love to hear your take.
Well I never really suggest that this board be paired with any particular keyset. I do all my testing with gmk so that it's a constant across boards. Realistically something like this should be used with keycaps in the $35 range
It's alright - but it needs work. I recommend keeping an eye out for the next run of KBD67 lite; I think the only think the Portico has on it is the lack of visible seam.
10:57 I can really relate to that feeling. The moment I unboxed and picked up my ID67, I really couldn't stop smiling. Sure, it's not heavy for a full aluminium kit, but hey, metal is metal.
@@BA-oy9uo its not bad quality control, its literally just how plastic cools in the mold. these people talk out of their butts because they dont know anything about injection molding and qc
Always hyped when my favorite grumpy keyboard content creator drops a vid. Kept it real, as always!
Amazing review! You captured almost exactly how I felt about this board when I got mine.
I got mine and the firmware doesn't even work with my comp.
I like this keeb and I like that there's competition in this space - though I have to agree this one could use some work to be worth the price.
Re: looking smaller; I definitely had the same impression, and did the same thing, putting it next to another 65. I think it's the generous rounding of the outside edges helping the keeb look a bit smaller.
Port: I noticed the stock cable that came with mine sits mostly flush, but only because its plastic shroud is farther forward on the connector than usual. :p
3:33 That's interesting - your case badge has a bump in exactly the same place as mine, on the upper left side. Makes me wonder if there might be a little nub of plastic underneath displacing it.
The wings connected by small bits: yes, that's for flex - it actually works! Some folks even call the space between the wings and the rest of the board "flex cuts".
RGB / PCB issues: Can confirm. My example has inconsistent RGB behavior; kind of like when you plug a USB3 only keeb into a USB2 port, but it does it all the time.
I agree with what is said in the video about the pcb QC. Fortunately for me, my usb c port didnt break off and each key works alright but unfortunately, 1 of my backlight leds lost the "G" in "RGB". The Portico is aight but TKC really has horrible QC.
You can also get a Keychron Q1 Barebone board for 149 bucks plus shipping, seems like a way better deal for the same type of foam strip board but in metal instead
Beginner should still get the assembled one. It's probably a hard sell for a beginner to spend good money on keycaps over the cost of the board. The caps arent good but its better than nothing and cost very little extra. The switches they offer are just Gateron Pros with smokey color which are good switches. Better than old KS3 yellows.
Yea... not even close to mint. It's like a teal seafoam green. I'm still using Leopold til something obtainable, affordable, and well made is produced.
GMK Nautilus Nightmares re: color matching
Great review! Glad I avoided it and stuck with my KBD67 Lite R2. By the way, what are those gray/turquoise keycaps?
They are GMK SoWaRe
I have a black version of the board, it is not transparent at all and I think it looks fine. but I do the issue there my board would randomly shift colour for some of my keys, I like to keep all the keys purple but sometimes the entire bottom left of my board would become like a gree-yellow ish colour.
Similarly, you could pick up a Freebird60 for $135 and get a full aluminum 60% with a multi-layout hotswap PCB.
Gasket mount makes a big difference in typing feel.
@@cognition26 quoting keebsforall: the freebird60 offers an o ring mount which feels similar to a gasket mount
although im not sure if it's good enough to consider it to be as bouncy as gasket, i think it's a good enough alternative since the board is aluminum
@@tehchonka5031 orings are decently bouncy. It's a better experience that a lot of foam gasket boards out there that have 0 flex.
60% = e w
@@Fleshlight_Reviewer L
do people really think that gasket mount is over-hyped? what other mount gives flex that isn't just another form of gasket mount?
plateless tray mount? half-plate top mount?
@@foreverwewin both of those require soldering which is mega cringe
@@nbshftr L
it be like that sometimes
@@nbshftr soldering is based and cool though
Moar plastic keyborb
Pls review the NCR-80
Nice review! Will u be doing one for the Ikki68 Aurora ?
i've had this in clear for a while now. I got it because I really wanted a clear policarb 65% board with a blocker and I couldn't afford any of the milled ones. the case also fits my other "main" keeb (KBD67) and overall I can't complain about it too much. It was expensive, more so than the other entry boards, but i got eat at early bird price, as well as got the set of 35$ caps they sold for it, which made it, populated with some old zeals i had laying around, a pretty decent deal overall. I like it a lot, it's a change from top mound brass plate and makes for an excellent back up keyboard. the lighting sucks on it though, makes it look so cheap.
keep making videos like these and the keeb community might stop ripping people off
Dude, we need you to do a review on the soon-to-be latest keyboard trend, the class 65! You would be the best person to review such keyboard(s)!
Now I'm excited for you to talk about the Ikki68, and see if it's worth it or the 'best' entry custom board haha
Can you please review the Iquinix 96%?
This is a fantastic review and really appreciate it!!
whats the name of the cat keyboard @ 8:32 ? link ?
Exactly. I'm so damn tired of these entry-level boards.
They did bring alot of newcomers to the hobby which is fairly nice I guess
I saw your older reviews about the Noxary T60 and Grid 600 where you talked a lot about bouncy typing feel of tray mounts. Was wonder if you've ever tried the Blade 60 from KBDfans. It's quite a recent board with a unique design, it too is missing the two centre post like the T60, and the rest of the standoffs are o-ring mounted by design. It's probably the most flex I've ever experienced on a keyboard however the case is very pingy, maybe the acrylic version would help in that regard.
I would've gotten one.. but paypal wasn't an option and shipping would've cost me a ton too..
Sigh.. well, my next board will be aluminum, might be quiet the upgrade from the Kara, which cost a ton :c
you might just be the most sensible, pracitcal keeb reviewer.
for matching keycaps, gmk laser synthwave matches well with the similar color kbd67lite has but here this one looks more gross for sure rather than "cyber" ish or whatever its supposed to be.
gmmk pro with after market fr4 plate has some flex too but it's just added cost.
If I was a beginner I would got a for a oring mounted 60% like bakeneo or a converted tofu etc. It allows you to experience most things this hobby has to offer for similar money.
Overall among these plastic boards, I like ikki68 quite a bit but that one is the hardest one to buy so it's pointless really.
I mean, I like the color but ehh thats more of a subjective thing. I think it looks good with Metropolis keycaps, and possibly with ePBT Aesthetic when that comes out, and as you said BoW. Otherwise, solid video. Glad you pointed out the crazy amount of reported issues this keeb was getting on Discord, it was probably the main reason I avoided this one.
I’ve experienced similar dental molding. It wasn’t mint-flavoured from what I recall but they mixed it up and basically formed a mold for my teeth with it (I was getting an oral plate, don’t think it worked out in the long term, but was wild having a metal plate in my mouth for like six months straight haha)
is it weird to be "more sensitive in lower price brackets"? I guess it makes sense in terms of varying ranges of quality among plastics and included accessories, but one would think that people would be more picky as they spend more money. so i agree with the assessment but it might make more sense the other way around. or maybe relationship to pickiness and price is a bell curve :/
as someone who owns a few high-end boards, this is definitely my best value build and i would pick this over a GMMK Pro any day of the week as the portico sounds very similar to my 500 dollar satisfaction (with a slight plastic echo compared to the metallic one) and the GMMK Pro sounds like a stiff prebuilt. and the portico has VIA whilst the gmmk pro doesn't
Oh I mean in the sense that a $20 difference in the $100 range is 20% vs 4% in $500, so you can't just tack on a couple dollars willynilly
where did the dude go its been 3 months :(
Where he at?
even though the color looks like silicone id say it is a big deal for me they put metal stand offs in it rather than plastic screw holes
1:16 coiled cable included, got jump rope instead...
Thanks!
the $150 is even a conservative estimate of a total. it'd basically only be $150 if you live in a state with no sales tax. if you live in NY, thats ~9% on top of the $135, making this approx. 162.
i eventually sold mine. bought not even the board itself but as a bundle and found it underwhelming. not sure why i bought it at all given i didn't even find the kbd67 lite impressive.
Why don't you like the 67 lite?
Looks like you had more fun with the dampener then the board haha
I will say all of the points in this video were valid. However, comparing this to the gmk set that you have on this board the value of the board wins completely. I always see videos like this saying the board isn’t really worth the price. But they have a +100 dollar keyset on the keyboard which seems wild to me. I’d love to hear how you say that a keyboard shouldn’t be 150 for what you get compared to a keyset that is +100. Not saying I’m for or against anything but would love to hear your take.
Well I never really suggest that this board be paired with any particular keyset. I do all my testing with gmk so that it's a constant across boards. Realistically something like this should be used with keycaps in the $35 range
*Price cut please*
- My Asian sense is tingling
good lord that usb cable is an insult. great review
I'm glad I missed the gb and didn't buy this
I am sad that I grabbed myself a Kara..
so expensive for plastic... well, this will be my travel Keyboard in the future I guess..
It's alright - but it needs work. I recommend keeping an eye out for the next run of KBD67 lite; I think the only think the Portico has on it is the lack of visible seam.
jyvm sounds so jaded here
he's had to deal with this community and it's bs for like 5 years now I'd be pretty tired of it too.
Your reviews are enjoyable, pls keep it up
Boys when they hit puberty: @8:48
i can picture u as a kid pimping it with a gold tooth in Korea. 😆
Best reviewer
Thank you for the content!
10:57 I can really relate to that feeling.
The moment I unboxed and picked up my ID67, I really couldn't stop smiling. Sure, it's not heavy for a full aluminium kit, but hey, metal is metal.
What are those keycaps your using?
The gray ones are GMK SoWaRe. The white ones are GMK Minimal
@@JYMV GMK minimal is not available anymore, sad lol
We love jymv uploads
mx browns are bad you're in denial
Mx browns are bad you're in denial
mx browns are bad, you're in denial
mx browns are fine
@@foreverwewin mx browns are bad, you're in denial
@@notnicknamed mx browns are fine
@@foreverwewin mx browns are bad, you're in denial
Second
Amazing review! Definitely one of my top picks for a budget. MX Browns are bad and you're in denial.
Oh no my keyboard has shiny spots only visible under certain lighting conditions when held in front of my face!! Time to throw it out ig
bad quality control is something to note and complain about for the price you are paying. It's not trivial.
@@BA-oy9uo its not bad quality control, its literally just how plastic cools in the mold. these people talk out of their butts because they dont know anything about injection molding and qc
@@danzo5521 I mean he's just describing what he sees and his own opinion?
Notice how he only brings attention too it rather than say it’s a dealbreaker at its price
@@danzo5521 even though its a natural occurrence, it should still be caught and that unit should not be sold. There are keyboards that get this right