The Hexgears X-1 was impressed by the Bell X-1 supersonic plane, and while you obtain a keyboard touted because the desktop equal of a groundbreaking supersonic craft it’s tough to not get a bit of excited – and in addition set your expectations very excessive.
Despite its namesake this keyboard’s design is discreet and compact. It’s technically a tenkeyless design, but it surely’s been so squished and squeezed the tip result’s no greater than some totally mechanical compact boards we’ve seen. It’s additionally exceptionally effectively put collectively, too. The easy, rounded edges on all 4 corners the one actual flourish throughout the pristine silver CNC-machined aluminium case.
As for connectivity, this board might be each wired by way of USB Type-C – and there’s a stunning braided cable included within the field – or related by way of Bluetooth. Device switching is a excessive level on the X-1, full with on-clearly marked and fast to make use of board shortcuts to shift between units and USB or Bluetooth connections. Hence the X-1 is a good single answer for multitasking throughout a number of units.
The X-1 can also be fitted with full-key RGB lighting, to gorgeous impact, however these RGB LEDs are mighty thirsty and will sap the life out of the battery sooner than you’ll be able to say “it’s not worth it”. With RGB lighting on the battery will final eight hours on a single cost. However, with lighting disabled, you’ll get two weeks of reasonable utilization out of the board’s 2,400mAh battery earlier than it calls it a day.
At least wired up you’ll be able to benefit from the fairly lights with none detriment to usability. And general it’s a quite neat answer, with the on-board reminiscence storing lighting profiles in your behalf so no software program is required.
Also folding into the wi-fi and transportable nature of this board is its astonishingly skinny and glossy profile, made potential by the Kaihua Choc low-profile mechanical switches underneath each key cap. These fully-mechanical switches had been launched again in 2017, a number of the first of their variety, and the tactile switches included with our evaluation pattern characteristic a 1.5mm actuation and 3mm whole journey.
And so we come throughout my first, and maybe solely main, gripe with the X-1. I don’t get together with the Choc switches by any means. The tactile suggestions feels gritty to the contact, for one. But it’s the actuation, or lack thereof, that disagrees with me most of all. I don’t think about myself a very mild contact in terms of typing – roughly someplace in between feather fingers and smashing my keyboard to bits – however even this was not sufficient pressure, or accuracy, to register a key press each time.
These switches inconsistencies, mixed with wider than typical key caps, makes for a typing expertise that may be a mighty dirge. It’s positively not a keyboard I discovered conducive to WPM, and it’s additionally a little bit of a stick within the mud in terms of gaming efficiency, too. The stodgy really feel to the important thing press would typically take me out of the motion, and I’d discover myself reaching for my full-size Cherry board all too typically for some reprieve.
But there’s one use that I discovered this board completely suited to, and that’s when I wanted a light-weight gadget to shove into my bag and take away travelling. This is the X-1’s saving grace, as a result of it’s not typically you’ll be able to take a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard in your carry-on. There’s additionally an ideal journey case included within the field.
So whereas I wouldn’t suggest the X-1 as a desktop keyboard, it makes for a implausible on-the-go companion for work journeys as a substitute for dire laptop computer or pill keyboards. But is that sufficient to warrant the Hexgears X-1? At $120, it’s a onerous promote. While the board could be very effectively constructed, and appears and feels very good in-hand, all of it unravels as quickly as you start to sort.
Sadly then, the Hexgears X-1 doesn’t stay as much as its namesake. But I’m not likely certain what connection there ever was between this keyboard and the rocket-propelled Bell X-1 to start with. Or no less than none very obvious to my very restricted data of 1940’s plane. What I do know, nevertheless, is that the Hexgears X-1 isn’t going to grow to be my every day driver anytime quickly. Not for an absence of desperately eager to like it – I actually do – however as a result of I merely can’t come to phrases with the typing expertise it gives.
Source
