When the manufacturer AKKO Gear approached me and offered me the latest movement in ISO-DE layout, I was skeptical at first. A Chinese Glorious GMMK Pro, right? After taking a closer look at the specs, I agreed to the test after all. What the 5075B can do, you can read in the test!
In the past, we didn’t always have good experiences when a Chinese manufacturer offered us their latest creations. Yes, there were always highlights like Soundpeats, which we had never heard of, but which offer decent products for little money. Of course, there are also black sheep and blenders, which we here at Igor’s LAB also like to let run up in public. But if you’re already prepared for an official review, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you.
After initial skepticism, the keyboard actually turned out to be a very decent input device and even offers some custom features that are often missed by our readers on many keyboards (including much more expensive mainstream models). Terms like gasket mounted and PBT keycaps are absolutely familiar to the custom scene, but most “normals” have usually lost interest in such topics long ago. I myself am still new to the wondrous world of custom keyboards and I am already dreading the moment when the spark will finally fly.
Because custom keyboards are one thing in any case: expensive. Here times 30€ for a cable, there times 80€ for a set of keycaps and look, there are also carrier plates from other material and differently colored frames – a vicious circle and not seldom that such a finished keyboard devours also times 500€ and more in the end. Fortunately, such custom boards are usually in a smaller form factor (TKL or smaller), which is why they have not yet been able to arouse my interest. Thanks to arrow keys and a real DE layout with a decent Enter key, the 5075B can almost be used in productive use without any problems, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself and free the device from its packaging first.
Unboxing
The black and white packaging is quite plain, but somehow it is also an eye-catcher.
The back is mostly in Chinese, but at least you can guess the DE layout and see which switches are installed.
A black cardboard box with a reflective logo is hidden under the slider.
Meanwhile, everyone goes the same way with the type of packaging: The keyboard is wrapped in a cushioning foil and provided with a dust cover. I don’t recall ever putting this transparent cover on my keyboard when not in use, and think you might as well not bother with this plastic waste.
Here’s the thing! Quite plain in white, no frills – an input device for adults?!
Nothing but white ABS plastic on the back, too. Soft rubber feet with a very good grip are attached to all four corners, and we’ll get to the folding feet and other elements right away.
For the toggle switch, 2-way would probably have been enough, since it is actually only possible to switch between the shortcuts for MAC OS and Windows. How the center position differs from the “Win” position is beyond me.
The 2.4 GHz USB receiver is also directly on board.
The rear feet fold out in two stages. Sorry for the dirt, the pictures were corrupted on the SD card and had to be reshot after a few hours of use.
There are discreet light strips on the sides, and of course the complete lighting can also be completely deactivated.
At the rear we still find the USB-C port for lag-free connection and for charging the permanently installed 3000mAh battery. The cable’s fit is okay, but not bombproof either.
The PBT double-shot keycaps are a bit flatter than the regular Cherry MX keycaps, but the quality is very good.
Keycaps removed:
The rotary knob on the upper right has an aluminum casing and is used to regulate the volume as standard. However, pressing the switch does not mute the system – as I had expected – but changes the functionality of the switch, which then allows the brightness of the lighting to be changed instead of the volume.
As standard, the provided model is equipped with the linear Akko Creamy Yellow Switches.
The board is hot-swappable, so the switches can be changed even during operation. All 3- and 5-pin switches fit inside.
The carrier plate is made of plastic and “gasket-mounted”, but I’ll talk about that later. The LEDs are “south-facing”, which I guess makes them compatible with more switches. For the illumination of translucent keycaps maybe not quite ideal, since most keycaps I’ve come across so far are geared to “north-facing” LEDs and the illumination of the letters on the Akko is then not particularly bright. Also, depending on the switches used, the LEDs don’t glow a strong blue, but rather a cold white. But I’ll get to that later, too.
On the other hand, the “stabilizers” for the large keys are very well done. No matter where you press the large space bar, it always moves smoothly and evenly.
However, the stabilizers are allegedly not lubricated ex-works.
Accessories are also included. Keycap and switch pullers, replacement keys (!), a USB-C cable, some silicone mounts for the gasket mounting system, and (a small dig at the competition) a whole bunch of alternative keys that are also PBT double-shot and not cheap printed keys.
For comparison, Akko also packed a complete set of the alternatively available tactile Creamy Blue Switches, which we will of course install and test later.
26 Antworten
Kommentar
Lade neue Kommentare
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Veteran
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Urgestein
Veteran
Urgestein
Alle Kommentare lesen unter igor´sLAB Community →