I have a confession to make. Since getting into the custom keyboard hobby a few years ago, I have spent several thousand Ringgit on this hobby. However, most of the keyboards I have bought have been resold at purchase price, or close to purchase price, and to date, I have only kept about three keyboards that have sentimental value or a “story” of their own.
So when I was offered to review one of the latest Tecware keyboards, I felt a little excited because before I often said that keyboards like the Tecware Phantom Elite can be said to be an affordable “entrance” to the wallet-popping hobby of building keyboards.
With the Tecware Alloy 75 keyboard, they seem to have opened a new entrance to the “end game” of keyboards.
Design and Specifications
The Tecware Alloy 75 comes with a 75% keyboard design, where the number pad and the middle of the keyboard are removed for a more compact design. The right corner of the keyboard houses a rotary dial that can be used to adjust the audio volume level, and can be modified through software.
What's interesting about this keyboard is its external frame construction, which is made entirely of aluminum blocks that make this keyboard heavy and not easy to move when placed on a table.
This Alloy 75 keyboard is marketed as a ready-to-assemble keyboard, but comes with many internal components that give users a premium typing experience, which we will explain below.
Although this keyboard comes ready-to-assemble, just like the previous Tecware Phantom Elite, it comes with hotswap support, where you can remove the Huano Red key switches, which are linear switches. In terms of key switch covers, it comes with a black cover with white alphabets.
This Tecware Alloy 75 circuit board also comes with a south-facing design, which means that the legs of the installed switches will face the bottom of the keyboard and support five-legged keyboard switches without any problems.
You can open this keyboard using a reasonably sized hex screwdriver, and inside you will see many layers of rubber and plastic that help give this keyboard that premium sound and typing experience that we mentioned earlier.
To open this keyboard frame, you will need your own set of hex screwdrivers as this keyboard only comes with a keycap and key switch removal accessory. You will also need to be careful when opening this keyboard frame as it comes with a weight of around 1.4kg.
It is built using PBT material and comes with a double-shot construction which means that the keycaps are made of two types of plastic, one for the body of the keycaps and one for the alphabets only.
This ensures that the alphabets displayed on this keyboard will not fade, no matter how long you use this keyboard.
In terms of connectivity, the Tecware Alloy 75 features three different connection methods, via a USB Type-C cable, Bluetooth wireless connection and WiFi via a USB adapter stored on the back of the keyboard. Wireless connection is the best option for a neater computer setup.
You can also go to the Tecware website to download the Tecware Alloy 75 software which allows you to change various settings on this keyboard, such as RGB lighting settings, change the input settings of each key and show details such as battery percentage.
Speaking of wireless connectivity, this keyboard also comes with a 4000mAH battery, which Tecware says will allow this keyboard to operate wirelessly for 400 hours continuously with the RGB lighting turned off.
User Experience
To be honest, even though I am a fan of Tecware keyboards, my expectations for the Tecware Alloy 75 were initially not that high. This is because even though their keyboards come with an affordable price and good “upgrade” capabilities, usually many people will quickly move on to other offerings on the market.
With the Alloy 75, I can say that Tecware has seen the custom keyboard market, and used their skills as a large-scale gaming accessory maker to introduce a keyboard with a premium design, feel and sound.
Not only that, the entire keyboard package offered by Tecware is ready to install, and you just have to unbox it and use it right away. As shown in this picture, the Alloy 75 keyboard comes with various layers
Some would say that one of the experiences of owning a custom keyboard is the process of building this keyboard, and yes, I also agree with that opinion. However, a keyboard like this for me is more suitable for those who want to start dabbling in this hobby.
For me, this product is seen as a gateway to that world, and if you want to make any modifications to this product, you can do it with a hex screwdriver set, but you will have to get it yourself because it is not offered with this keyboard.
Moving on to using the software, you can download the Alloy 75 software through the Tecware product page. This software will allow you to change various types of settings such as LED light colors, macro buttons and shortcuts, and others.
I will say that using the software seems a bit complicated, especially when it comes to customizing the keyboard’s macro settings, but for settings like RGB lighting, the steps are pretty straightforward for the user to understand.
Oddly, in my experience using this keyboard, I found that the keyboard can only connect to the software when used in WiFi mode with the USB adapter accessory. I’ve tried several times to activate the software, but WiFi seems to be the only way to connect the keyboard to the software.
After using this keyboard for a few weeks, I’d say that the Tecware Alloy 75 is a ready-to-assemble keyboard that is on par with some of the much more expensive custom keyboard offerings on the market today, if you’re into this hobby.
If you’re a fan of the “thocc” sound, I’d say that you’re definitely going to love this keyboard. Without having to go through the hassle of building your keyboard from scratch, you’ll get the same experience as if you were building a custom keyboard right out of the box.
If you want to experiment with other mechanical switches, you will also be happy to know that this keyboard comes with support for the hotswap feature, which means you can remove the mechanical switches built into this keyboard, and replace them with other switches.
In terms of the types of switches supported, this keyboard can be loaded with mechanical switches with 3-pin and also 5-pin. I just need to remind you about the orientation of the switches, which will be facing south, or so-called south-facing.
This means that when you install new mechanical switches on your keyboard, the orientation of the switches must be exactly with the holes shown on the circuit board.
Because of this orientation, the LEDs on this keyboard are also shown at the bottom of the switch holes. If you want to use transparent keycaps to show the illumination of the alphabet on the cover, this keyboard is not suitable for that purpose.
For the battery life of this keyboard, I have charged it fully, and since then, I have never had a problem with the battery running out, except on the first day, before charging it. When the keyboard reaches a point where it is almost dead, the LED light on the right Fn key will flash red, indicating that it is time to charge.
What's in the Box
This is what is offered in a Tecware Alloy 75 box when you buy it:
1x Tecware Alloy 75 keyboard
USB Type-C to Type-C cable
Mechanical switch removal accessory
Extra mechanical switches
Cover
At a price of RM369, Tecware has once again shown that we don't have to spend a lot of money to get a high-quality keyboard, with support for features that are usually only seen on premium built or custom keyboards.
Although technically a plug-and-play keyboard, you get a great typing experience with a custom key layout and a keyboard that can be customized to your liking, if you want.
Pros:
A compact design that still retains most of the useful features of the keyboard
Comes with a hotswap feature that allows users to easily change the switch
Various connection modes to the computer
Long-lasting battery
Audacious typing sound
Affordable price
Cons:
Heavy
Connection to apps can only be done via WiFi mode connection
Accessories for disassembling the keyboard are not included, only for removing the keycaps and switches