Today we’re gonna check out a custom mech that has a lot of potential, and there’s
like hardly any information out there about this.
It’s been on Aliexpress for a while, and now it’s on Drop for like a few more hours
at the time of this video, my apologies.
And to be clear, this one is from Aliexpress, and is from the first batch of 50.
So there are slight differences between what I have, and what will be released with Drop,
and in the future on Aliexpress, so keep that in mind as I do run into a couple of issues.
First impressions, it’s pretty light in the hands, but it's the form factor and layout
that piques my interest.
But before doing anything, as always, chuck on the rubber feet so we don’t damage anything.
In shipping there were just 2 screws holding this bottom panel.
And then another two holding in the PCB.
Super simple design, there’s just two parts.
We have the main piece, and basically a panel that closes off the bottom.
So as we can see, the plate is not separate, and this is what we refer to as an integrated
plate design.
The way the plate is mounted in a mechanical keyboard makes huge huge difference in how
it feels when using it.
This design isn’t seen too often, but can potentially feel a little stiffer, because
it’s connected to the case all the way round.
But we also have some standoffs for the PCB to screw into.
And of course, it’s made from aluminium, and contributes to most of the boards weight.
The sides are pretty thin, but the bottom, and top in particular have a bit of chunk.
However, for the future versions the top will be slightly shorter with the revised PCBs.
At least that’s what I’ve been told, and have read.
The bottom aluminium panel is super basic.
It’s literally just to close off the bottom, and doesn’t add much weight or height in
fact to the board.
It’s just 3mm thick, and about 1mm for the thin bit.
Okay, here’s the PCB.
A couple of interesting things going on here.
First of all, a huge feature is that it has Kailh hotswap sockets.
These will accept pretty much any MX style keyswitch.
So Gateron, Kailh, Cherry MX, etc.
And you can see the contacts that will press against the switch pins, so that the pins
don’t need to be soldered.
Interestingly for whatever reason there’s holes for through hole LEDs.
Of course these make no sense because it would make the hotswap sockets useless, as they
will secure the switches.
So no, it isn’t an RGB backlit keyboard like the Aliexpress listing suggests.
But it does have underglow LEDs, which again doesn’t really make sense as it’s a solid
opaque case.
And then a bunch of SMD LEDs on the top side, which again is blocked.
So yeh, PCB is a little weird.
Another unusual thing.
I only received 3 stabilisers, so one was missing.
Anyway, these are clip in stabs, and a 100% requirement is that you lube them.
I’m using dielectric grease with these.
It’s pretty easy to find.
And this will just eliminate that terrible rattle.
Sometimes I go pretty thick depending on the build.
Of course the thicker you go, you can potentially make it feel sluggish.
But yeh, I did go on pretty thick here.
You can also brush on the insides, but with something thinner.
It’s not necessary to screw the PCB onto the plate, as the switches will hold it in
place.
And it may potentially feel better for you without the screws in, as they add hard points
around the board.
However, when putting in the switches, it’s much easier with the screws in.
And yeh.
Gotta love hotswap, you just drop em in.
Just make sure the pins are straight.
It’s almost certain that you’ll bend a few pins when doing this.
And when that happens, you just have to take them out, straighten the bent pins, and go
again.
For hotswap boards, personally I prefer 5 pin switches.
So these Gateron Ink Blacks have these 2 extra plastic prongs that friction fit into the
PCB.
Just gives that little bit more stability, as these of course aren’t soldered into
place.
Aaand another hiccup.
The bottom alu panel wasn’t going in flush, which isn’t a great sign.
Regardless of what’s hitting it, it’s never comfortable for the internals to be
in contact with the aluminium.
But I brute force screwed it into place.
After all of that, my stabs weren’t going up and down, which just makes you cry inside,
because it’s like right at the start of the process.
But, a great thing about hotswap is that it isn’t a huge deal, no desoldering required.
I took it all apart, and put the stabs back in.
First of all, I just put the wire into the wrong hole.
That’s my bad.
BUT, I found the problem.
There’s just not enough clearance between the spacebar stabiliser and the alu panel.
Said panel is thinner in that area, as we saw before.
But it still hits.
I was able to screw it shut, but the problem with these clip in stabs, is that it pushes
them out.
So if you remove your spacebar cap, it’ll just pop out, which is a nightmare.
So, I had no choice but to use screw in stabs.
But it didn’t fix the clearance issue.
Weirdly enough, I haven’t seen anyone else have this issue with these early boards.
And I checked what I was doing over and over again, with no switches and everything.
But anyway, all of this doesn’t really matter, as it only affects the first batch that hardly
anyone has.
So future boards should be all fine with everything.
And here it is, the highly anticipated ID80.
And yeh, changed to GMK Minimal because it looked better.
But yeh, what a stunner.
I’ve had so many comments asking for a hotswap alu 75% mech.
This particular style of 75% has been pretty trendy lately, like with the 7V.
So we have our dedicated arrow keys, our function row, and a few nav keys, but it’s spaced
out in clusters.
It gives it a sense of space, where a typical 75% can feel a little cramped just in how
it looks.
But also in actual use.
Having clusters separated does make it a little easier to navigate and press keys, especially
when touch typing.
It is essentially a tenkeyless keyboard in regards to primary functionality.
But about 2 columns shorter, giving us a little bit more space for our mouse.
We have 1.25u keys to the left of the spacebar.
And 1.5u keys to the right, with just a standard 6.25u spacebar.
The arrow keys are lowered to separate them from the enter key.
But yeh, it’s just a very aesthetic layout in my opinion, and is currently one of my
favourites, along with just the classic TKL.
This is available in a range of colours which is also a nice feature.
I just went with a simple silver.
The anodised finish looks clean and even.
I didn’t see any noticeable defects, although the two alu pieces don’t match perfectly.
Not that it matters anyway.
And yeh, the panel.
My one just doesn’t fit in properly, so there’s a bit of a bulge.
Although with this sort of thin bottom panel design, this is a pretty low profile mech.
It’s about 17.5mm at the front.
And 32.5mm at the back.
With the rubber feet.
This is a few millimetres shorter than most of my other mechs, and I actually really like
it.
It’s comfortable, creating less of an angle with my wrists, so less strain.
And it just looks different.
Even though it’s just a few mil, it just looks lower.
Overall, it’s a pretty simple design.
Flat sides, curved corners.
The corner gets a little close over here.
On my version, the bottom and top bezels are equal, however on the new ones, and what’s
pictured on Drop, the top is shorter.
With the thin bottom, there’s no extra weight like you see on many customs.
So it’s relatively light for an alu 75%, coming in at about 1.2kg.
I mean it’s not light, it’s still heavier than even just a typical full size retail
board.
But this is another thing that I’ve come to appreciate overtime.
Light customs.
Heavy mechs are amazing, they naturally exude quality and toughness.
But what I noticed about myself, and how I play with mechs, I really struggle with heavy
boards as I constantly move them around.
And find actual delight in lighter ones, so this board has been amazing to use.
I used Gateron Ink Blacks from my mate Idyllic.
Check him out, he makes some really cool DIY stuff in particular, I’ll chunk links in
the description.
And some 35g Kailh Box switches for the rest of them.
Everything affects how a keyboard feels and sounds.
The desk, case, switches, keycaps, etc.
But it’s the switches here that make a big difference.
These are lubed and filmed somewhat heavily, so they’re nice and buttery.
As said, this has an integrated plate design, with a 1.5mm plate.
It is on the hard side for the bottom out, and that reflects on its sound, being again,
a little harsher and higher pitched than say a top mount.
But there’s no real right or wrong.
I actually like that tighter bottom out for some linears.
And what I noticed also with the last integrated plate board I played with, is that it doesn’t
transmit a lot of desk noise, and sounds like it’s all contained, which I love.
My desk is pretty bad in that regard, and you can try it with your mech.
Depending on your desk, there can be a huge difference between how it sounds on your desk,
compared to your lap.
I’ve heard some people suggest that it feels hollow.
I didn’t really get that feel, even with other switches.
Again, gotta love hotswap.
But overall, it’s a solid typing experience, and with hotswap, you can change whenever
you want to whatever switch you want.
And that’s the ID80.
Assuming all of the issues I had are fixed with the Drop version, and the new ones on
Aliexpress, this is a real winner in my eyes.
If you’re into keyboards, you know that this is a unique product, and is really by
itself.
It has a very attractive spaced out 75% layout.
Which contributes a lot to how it looks aesthetically.
It’s completely made from aluminium, and is available in a range of colours to suit
you.
It’s powered by QMK, so you can customise the keys to whatever.
AND, it’s hotswap, which makes building this thing super easy.
And all of that, for just $110-130.
Yeh, that’s a good amount of money, and you have to buy your own switches and keycaps,
but for something like this, with all these features, it’s unrivaled.
And for me, it’s a near perfect starter mech.
It’s great for someone who doesn’t want to drop several hundreds more, because that
can easily be the case.
And to top it off, no long group buys.
At least for now.
But don’t expect some crazy high quality level custom, because it’s not that.
Going back, to be very clear, this is from the early batch.
So all of these fitment issues I had, should not be present with the newer versions.
So with that in mind, yes, I do recommend it.
I think it’s a steal on Drop at the moment, and even at normal price it is.
And once again, we’re seeing things trickling down into more affordable options.