COVID has me working in my small home office. I have my work MacBook, my Windows Laptop, and my old iMac all jammed onto a small desktop. Wanting to clean up my desk, I was looking for a Bluetooth keyboard that would work with all three. Which brought me to this small, wireless keyboard with the ability to pair with three machines.
Here's the good news, this is a well-made keyboard. It's fast. If you have the ability to type very fast, the switches on this keyboard have strong tactile feedback that allows you to actuate each key without fully depressing the key. If you aren't a touch typist, this probably isn't the keyboard for you. If you are a touch typist, you have three key combos that you will need to learn, or the benefits of this keyboard miss you entirely.
This is a noisy keyboard, for a reason. If you are a touch typist, you may like the audible click each keypress makes. This is, however, not a friendly keyboard for use in a shared workspace.
This is a small keyboard, but it has full-sized keys. This is great if you are a touch typist with a small, private, workspace. It does require some tradeoffs. In order to make the keyboard small, but retain full-sized keys, there are fewer keys than a standard 101 keyboard, this machine has multiple functions or layers for many of the keys.
This keyboard has full-sized arrow keys that occupy one layer. Press Fn+Enter and that layer is disabled and now the up arrow becomes the /? key. Left arrow becomes the right Alt key and the Right arrow becomes the right CTRL-key. (I'm not sure what the down arrow becomes.) Tada!
In my case, I also need to flip the functions of the keyboard from windows to Mac. To do that, I hit Fn+A or Fn+S Then I have access to all the windows or Apple functions. I can use Fn Q to switch to my work laptop, Fn W to switch to my windows laptop and Fn E to switch to my old iMac.
Kudos to this keyboard for having EXCELLENT Bluetooth management and excellent power management. It reliably stays connected to the machine I want it connected. It reliably switches on command. It reliably reconnects after it has gone to sleep. In this regard, it is even better than my old Apple wireless keyboard.
Finally, the top row of keys acts both as your regular numeral row and your Function keys. To toggle that layer, I hit Fn+Ctrl to flip back and forth.
Admittedly, Remembering these three key combos takes a little getting used to. The instructions are sparse, but they exist, and the keyboard functions as advertised.
This is a loud, clicky keyboard. I kinda like it, though I have to close my office door or my wife will comment on the noise.
The keyboard has survived its first week of use on one charge, so that seems acceptable. It charges through its included USB cable. The battery is permanent and not hot-swappable. The key switches are permanently soldered in, so they aren't swappable either. The keycaps are swappable, and I may just buy a new keycap for the "WIN" button.
Oh, it has amber lights. I have the black version of this keyboard and they look nice, though I don't really need all the wavy patterns.
The layers thing doesn't bother me too much, but it is hard to get used to my wife laughing whenever I type.
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I've spent a bit more time with this keyboard and I've added a start. It was easy for me to add the Fn+Enter to toggle the arrow keys and Fn+Ctrl to toggle the function keys.
I'm super happy with the ability to switch between three devices on demand. This really is a great keyboard for the money, and the seller did a great job getting the keyboard shipped promptly. They even sent a personal follow up email to ensure everything went well and that all my questions were answered.
RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK61 Wireless 60% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, Ultra-Compact 60 Keys Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard with Progra
4.4 | 11,620 ratings
Price: 49.99
Last update: 01-03-2025
About this item
First Generation of Triple Mode Keyboards - Wireless mode with stable BT 5.0 chipset, hassle-free 2.4Ghz dongle plus USB-C wired mode set no limits about your keyboard connection. The RK61 is best to fit smartphone, laptop and tablet.
60% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - The Compact mechanical keyboard with 61 Keys brings you a neat desktop. Tips you might want to know is that 60% gaming keyboard without numpad is most FPS gamers’ choice, more spaces left for mouse movements.
Hot-swappable - Hot-swap PCB allows you to replace 3 pins/5 pins switches freely without soldering issue. Enjoy the fun of making your own unique keyboard.
High-capacity Battery - RK61 60 Percent mechanical keyboard Allows you to use continuously about 13 hours with lightest backlit, up to 360 hours standby time.
Single Color Backlit But Not Dull- Even if RK61 has no multicolored RGB but only single LED backlit, the 17 dynamic backlit modes keep the plain effect away.
60% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - The Compact mechanical keyboard with 61 Keys brings you a neat desktop. Tips you might want to know is that 60% gaming keyboard without numpad is most FPS gamers’ choice, more spaces left for mouse movements.
Hot-swappable - Hot-swap PCB allows you to replace 3 pins/5 pins switches freely without soldering issue. Enjoy the fun of making your own unique keyboard.
High-capacity Battery - RK61 60 Percent mechanical keyboard Allows you to use continuously about 13 hours with lightest backlit, up to 360 hours standby time.
Single Color Backlit But Not Dull- Even if RK61 has no multicolored RGB but only single LED backlit, the 17 dynamic backlit modes keep the plain effect away.
Product information
| Product Dimensions | 11.5 x 4.02 x 1.54 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 1.72 pounds |
| Manufacturer | RK ROYAL KLUDGE |
| Language | English |
| ASIN | B0731CJ4ZJ |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | 8541667752 |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. |
| Customer Reviews |
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars
11,086 ratings
4.5 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,390 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games) #21 in GEM Box Microconsole #103 in PC Gaming Keyboards |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | June 22, 2017 |
Top reviews from the United States
antattack
Nice quality, small keyboard for touch typists in a small workspace.
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020
Alex Dominguez
Great keyboard with some getting used to.
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2024
Philip Toro
Great portable wireless mechanical keyboard.
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2020