Keychron K2 75% Layout QMK Wireless and Wired Options Mechanical Keyboard Super Brown Switch, Paired with Shine-Through Double-Shot PBT Keycaps for Mac Windows-Version 3

Phenomenal. We needed a better keyboard at home, and I bought this K2 with Red switches when it was on sale on Amazon. I’d had a higher end K2 with brown switches previously at work and liked that quite a bit, but I like this one even more. The red switches are so pleasant to type on. Even my kids love it and say, “It’s so satisfying” when they feel and hear the switches.

Once you get experience one of these keyboards, whatever the size, you’ll be hooked. I used to think the guys geeking out about keyboards online and in subreddits were out of their minds. Nope. These keyboards rock. Solid construction. The backlighting is great. Light weight. I’m current using one on a lightboard for musical theater and it is simply divine for typing in labels for cues (75% size)

So first off, a few disclaimers. One, I am no mechanical keyboard expert so take everything I say as experience, not expertise. Two, this is my very first mechanical keyboard purchase so I have no other mechanical keyboards I can compare this to. Three, if you know nothing about mechanical keyboards - go and read at least a couple articles about what the different aspects to them are. Especially the different types of switches. Depending on what type of sound and feel you want, knowing the switches will potentially make the difference between a happy purchase and an unhappy one. I’m glad I did the research because I ended up very happy with both the sound and the feel. Ok, all that said… on to the review.After using my last keyboard for about three years, I decided it was time to replace it. I had been hearing a lot about mechanical keyboards for a while and had been talking to others about their experience. I decided it was time to take the plunge. The challenge here is that there are A LOT of options out there. Here’s how I chose.I’m a big fan of the folks at the Wirecutter (don’t love that they sold out to NYT, but whatevs). So I read their research and testing on best options. Their pick felt way over my head, both in terms of acquisition (had to go some mechanical keyboard online shop), costs, options, and wait time. Their budget pick, the Keychron C1 caught my eye. But this was a wired KB and I wanted wireless. I also noticed that their upgrade pick was also a Keychron - so when I found this one, I thought it couldn’t be too bad. Plus it had the two main features I wanted (bluetooth and backlight). Plus it looked pretty awesome.The overall package - I have to admit for a brand I had never heard of before, the whole package - keyboard and all - was made with a considerable amount of quality. The construction feels solid and sturdy. The instructions were understandable and clear. It included extra keycaps if you wanted to use this keyboard with a windows machine. You could even change the keys in the corner to gray or orange. Your choice.But the most important question - how does it feel to type? Mind you I’m not wildly picky nor a typing snob - but I thought it was great. I love the feel of it and it has just the right amount of feedback and sound. I got the brown switches for just this reason. Again, I will stress the importance of knowing what kind of switches you want.What I like - Typing feels awesome. It looks amazing on my desk and blends well with my Mac and all my accessories. Holds a charge for a long time. Lots of fun backlight options. Easy to configure. Can use as wired or wireless. Everything is high quality.What I don’t like - It goes to sleep a little too frequently for my taste. Mind you, this is configurable and you can change the amount of idle time before sleep or turn off auto sleep altogether.I tried this, but I think I got something wrong and now it seems to go to sleep even faster. But this is truly a PEBKAC and not a problem with the keyboard itself.Who would I recommend this for - I would definitely recommend this keyboard for anyone looking for their first foray into the mechanical world. Nothing to overthink here. Just pick the type of switches you want (thank goodness there are only three available as opposed to the dozen or so that are out there) and order and you’re on your way to clickety-clackety nirvana.

Very good keyboard. The keys are SUPER sensitive though. I like how satisfying it is to type but I do not like how sensitive it is. I can brush my fingers off the keys next to it by accident and now i have to backspace to fix my errors. The color is nice and the build quality is good for the money. Feels solid although made of plastic. The battery life is pretty good especially with the lights off. Lasts me about 3 weeks in a charge. could be more if i turned on sleep mode

Truly enjoy typing on this keyboard and it matched perfectly with the Mac mini. Build quality is awesome. Highly recommend!

Great keyboard

Just replacing a Keychron K2 that finally failed after 5 years. Love the feel so I got a completer replacement. Works well.

UPDATED REVIEW:I switched back to my full size keyboard, SteelSeries Apex Pro. I like the responsiveness of the SteelSeries keys (Cherry MX) and the size. I made too many typing errors using the Keychron keyboard. The muted switches were not springy enough for me.In the end, I made too many concessions to save some space on my desk. I'm not good at remembering to charge the keyboard due to the lack of charge indicator. The Keychron became a liability when it died while I was working. This occurred several times.As for Windows 11, the USB disconnect/reconnect issue must have been patched during the course of using the Keychron keyboard.So the Keychron K2A1 is losing a star: 2.5 out of 5 because I am unhappy with the 75% layout, the damp/not springy switches, no cognizable charge indicator, and the lack of 10 key. I am not a 10-keyless fan.ORIGINAL REVIEW:I purchased this keyboard based on the favorable reviews. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.Most of the time, I use this for typing (work) and some light gaming, in Bluetooth mode.(Windows 11 is annoying as !@#$ with USB devices: it keeps beeping with USB connect/disconnect noises while gaming, despite all the tweaks of keeping the USB power on in Windows. I've tried them all. I want Windows 10 back.)PROS:1. The 75% footprint and lack of ten keys allows me to my the keyboard tray without an awkward work-around for my mouse.2. The backlighting is not distracting (I used to have a Steel Series keyboard. Yes, I did set the lighting to my preferences.)3. Small footprint that allows me to properly use the mouse and keyboard on the tray for gaming. The ten-key took up so much space that I had to jury rig a mouse pad area next to the tray. It's awkward.CONS:1. No warning on when the keyboard on low battery. Keychron's documentation regarding this is bad. The keyboard just dies while I'm using it. The back light has some fancy flicker pattern when it connects to the computer: it looks the same all the time. I'm not going to scientifically watch the pattern to see if it "speaks" to me regarding the battery charge. That. Requires. Too. Much. Work. For. A. Keyboard.2. The screenshot key placement is REALLY ANNOYING. I have more accidental strikes on it because the DEL key is right next to it. I had to use Microsoft Powertoys to remap the key to "undefined".3. I gave up the ten-key for real estate space on my keyboard tray. I actually use the ten-key 50% of the time, so I'm not sure about whether I'm happy with the trade off. (I have a separate BT mechanical, ten-key as a replacement, which is ANOTHER thing I have to charge.) This is why this is a CON, right now due to the effort I have to put in for real estate space.