So, I don’t really have a specific question, more so just looking for any general commentary on or critique of this particular keyboard.
Basically, my old kb broke, been thinking about getting a new one, and this just is the closest to perfect for what I want, that I can find.
Firstly, ability to split, got decent tenting too, at least thats my impression.
Good for ergonomics while sitting, but also I could just run it to / from a nearby couch or bed and be maximum lazy… also I’m kind of crippled and mostly bedridden with support pillows when I’m not doing PT.
But its 2.4/BT/Wired, so… basically pretty versatile within a given location, probably not optimal for frequent transport, but again, I’m currently crippled, so… thats not much of a concern for me at the moment.
I like the color scheme, I like the layout, macro keys, I like the backlighting but not obnoxious level of GAMER RGB.
But… I dunno, I feel like this is somehow too good to be true, there must be something I am overlooking… does anyone see anything amiss about this board, maybe its way too expensive compared to something similar, maybe Royal Kludge has some particular reliability problem I’ve not heard of?
I guess, beyond that, maybe… what do people think of split keyboards generally?
There do not seem to be too many pre-built, split mechanical boards, at least not around roughly $100.
Dang, ok, thanks for all the details!
Yeah I have uh,… been out of the game for a bit, when it comes to… well, everything really, but also mech kbs.
I… think my old board just had MX cherries?
I will definitely look into the Epomaker Split65, don’t think I’d even heard of it.
Also, as you say closed source drivers… well I would be using linux… so… how much of a problem would that be?
I have been fairly good at getting basically any windows exe to work via WINE or Proton or something like that… but actual core driver level stuff I’ve not fucked with, so… maybe the macros wouldn’t even end up working any way, on the RKS70?
I’ll try to look into that more, I suppose.
For the Epomaker, not bad at all. You can either futz with your privacy settings to let it work in a Chromium based browser, or simply download the contained VIA app. I dual boot, so I haven’t tried to install or run software from RK or Redragon or any of the other brands still using proprietary software. It might work, but honestly I am just not sure. If you do have to dig up a Windows PC, any changes you make should be stored on the keyboard itself and will be persistent across reboots. On the plus side, it isn’t so much the driver you have to be woriied about. It is just USB HID. The onyl issue is whetyher you’ll be able to remap keys and adjust lighting without resorting to whatever Fn+Key combos Royal Kludge builds in.
As I mentioned, Epomaker are no saints, and stories of their poor customer support are numerous. Buy from a third-party retailer (Amazon works well if you can stomach it) with a generous return policy and assume you’ll need to make a final decision by the time the return window closes. Beyond that, they just commission factories to do a run of a given board and re-badge it. Sometimes no one else does the same board, sometimes several someones do. They’re a glorified White Label, but that has the benefit that sometimes the hardware itself is quite nice.
For the switches, the same basic types still exist as with Cherry, but that market has exploded since their patent ran out. There’s still clicky (self explanatory), linear (smooth action on press), and tactile (a bump of some sort that requires extra pressure to overcome, but not intentionally noisy). There are also still multiple weights. The original Cherrys and clones are still around as a baseline: Red = Light-medium Linear; Brown = light-med Tactile; Blue = medium clicky. Heavier versions of each are Black, Clear, and Green, respectively. If the name of the switch is any more complicated than that (e.g. “Epomaker Wisteria,” or “Holy Panda” or the like), you need to parse the listing to see if it’s the type of switch you’d like. Switches also frequently come lubed from the factory these days, which can be nice for Linears and Tactiles.
Ok so I looked into the RKS70’s software a bit, and it says it only is supported on Windows… but I could just try my luck running that software through WINE or some Proton version.
I guess worst case scenario I could run Win7 off of a thumb drive or something, lol, RK says 7 will work with it.
Also, it apparently is fully RGB gamer lighting capable, but most of thats via the software, but also I don’t care, just having a solid light with adjustable brightness is doable via the keyboard itself.
Would recording custom keybinds and/or macros work? Still no clue, maybe maybe not.
But ok, so as you describe Brown switches… that honestly sounds great, basically a old school cherry but with two kind of trigger stages, so to speak?
Yeah, that sounds good to me, with the way I tend to type, and would be using this for both gaming and programming/office type tasks, iirc the listings I’ve been eyeing saying they’re Brown switches.
But! I will also look more into the Epo Split65 more as well, thanks again for a very feature/form/price close alternative suggestion!