Keychron K8 Hot-swappable Wireless Bluetooth 5.1/Wired USB Mechanical Keyboard with Gateron G Pro Red Switch/White LED Backlit/N-Key Rollover, Tenkeyless 87-Key Computer Keyboard for Mac Windows

I'm really impressed with this keyboard. It's not my first mechanical keyboard, but it's my first hot-swappable board. I got this because I wanted to dive a little deeper into the mechanical keyboard world but didn't want to screw with soldering and all that hassle.The version I bought has Gateron red switches and I'm very impressed with them. My old daily driver has Cherry MX Browns, and while I love tactile switches these Gaterons are super smooth. I might switch them out when I eventually get sick of them and want to try something new, and that's the awesome thing about a hot-swappable board. I've already replaced the stock caps lock switch with a heavy clicky switch and the space bar's for a slightly heavier linear switch.The board is nice and quiet, the stabilizers seem to be lubed from the factory which in my opinion is a nice touch for this price point. The factory keycaps feel well made and don't make a ton of noise on their own.The board looks awesome, it has a nice industrial orange/gray look to it with the stock keycaps. The model I'm reviewing has a white adjustable backlight but they also make RGB hot-swappable versions that cost a bit more. For this board I wanted the keycaps to do the talking instead of RGB so the white backlight was a good price compromise.This keyboard can switch between Windows and Mac on the fly and comes with keycaps for both.This model/price point has a plastic outer frame with the switches mounted into a metal plate for rigidity. It's really well constructed. I'm not trying to twist it into a pretzel, but I don't see any noticeable deck flex on it.The Bluetooth works well, I use it to sync up with my work laptop so I can run that off my big 27" monitor without moving anything around on my desk. It does have a bit of a delay when it's reconnecting after sleep and there is some slight input lag (I think) compared to wired mode. Not a huge deal to me when I'm doing low-intensity work stuff, but I wouldn't try gaming on it on Bluetooth mode.I would really like to see some kind of volume knob/roller on this board. Right now volume is controlled via the function + F10/F11/F12 keys. It's not the end of the world but it's a downgrade compared to similarly priced "gaming" keyboards. I get it's tenkeyless and comprises had to be made, but I would ditch the Cortana button, move the backlight mode button over to the left and put a volume knob at the top right corner of the board.Overall I'm super impressed with this keyboard for the price point. I think this is an awesome value for anyone looking for a hot-swappable, Bluetooth, Mac and Windows-friendly mechanical keyboard.

I bought one of these to use with the MacBook Pro I use for work after I got sick of typing on the built-in keyboard or trying to use a PC keyboard on a KVM with my Windows desktop. In general it seems to be difficult to find decent keyboard options for Macs that don't cost an arm and a leg, and Keychron seems to be the only mechanical keyboard manufacturer offering proper Mac support. The hot swappable switches are a plus as well.The current keyboard on my desktop at home is a HyperX Alloy FPS Pro TKL model with Cherry Red switches in it and single color red backlight. Comparing the Gateron red switches in my K8 to the Cherry red switches, the Gaterons are definitely quieter than the Cherry reds, although so far I think I might like the overall feel of the Cherry switches a bit better than the Gaterons. The nice thing about the hot swappable model is that I can customize as needed.The packaging and presentation of the Keychron board are very good. It comes in a nice box with plenty of padding, and comes with a number of extra keycaps (Windows and ALT keys, plus an orange version of the backlight key if you want to match the orange ESC key), a nice looking USB-A to USB-C cable and two separate tools for removing keycaps and switches. Note that the the keyboard does come with the orange version of the ESC key and the Mac Option and Command keys pre-installed, so depending on your preferences and what operating system you'll be using the keyboard for you might need to swap some keycaps straight out of the box.One of the nice things about the K8 is that you have lots of options for connecting it to things. It can be used both as a wired (USB-C) keyboard and as a wireless keyboard via Bluetooth. As is now standard for many Bluetooth keyboards you have the option to swap between three different devices with the FN+1-3 keys. There is a switch on the side of the keyboard to swap between Mac and Windows/Android/Linux modes (don't know for sure what that does but I'm guessing it mostly just remaps some keys) and another switch to toggle between wired mode and Bluetooth mode, with an OFF switch option in between. The manual claims that the K8 can operate for a month on a battery charge in Bluetooth mode with the backlight off, but I haven't had it long enough to determine for sure how long it would last. That said, I can easily get 6 months+ on two AAA batteries with some of the wireless Logitech keyboards I use, so that does seem a bit short. For some people, the fact that the USB-C port is on the side of the keyboard next to the switches may also be an issue if they plan to use the keyboard in wired mode. I also found that if I plugged the keyboard into my MBP in wired mode I got a "USB device using too much power" error (presumably because it was charging the battery), so I ended up switching to the Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth seems to work fine on a Mac so far, although in my experience Windows is just terrible at supporting Bluetooth devices, so it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't work as well there.The white backlight on my K8 is, admittedly, a bit on the dim side, which is something I've seen as a common complaint about these in reviews. Even at its maximum setting it is noticeably dimmer than the backlight on my HyperX keyboard (which I don't think is even at max brightness), and the keycaps that come with the K8 don't seem to help much. I don't think the relatively dim backlight would matter as much if there was just a bit more contrast between the keycaps and the letters but it's a fairly minor complaint. As is typical of these types of keyboards there are a number of backlight effects available, but I plan to keep it in solid color mode.Another complaint I've seen is that the K8 is a bit on the thick side for a mechanical keyboard. Comparing it to my HyperX with the feet retracted on both, I find that the tops of the keys on the HyperX are at the same level as the top of the K8's base. I tend to prefer having a bit of height to my keyboard so this isn't a big deal for me, but some people might want wrist rests. Keychron sells matching wrist rests, but they are on the pricey side ($28 for a wooden model.) If you want a thinner keyboard Keychron sells the K1 model in both full and TKL layouts with low profile switches, but doesn't offer a hot swappable version of that.Although I don't currently have any switches besides the ones built into the keyboard to test with, in a quick test it appeared to be rather easy to pull and replace a switch with the provided tool. At some point I'll probably experiment with some different switches, which is why I wanted the hot swappable version.Overall I'm liking this keyboard so far, although the height compared to my other keyboards will take a bit of getting used to. The main issue with these right now is that the hot swappable modes seem to be frequently out of stock, and even if you can find one, finding one with the particular key switch you want can be a bit of a crapshoot. Still getting used to the Gateron switches, but if I decide I don't like them I can always switch back to my preferred Cherry Reds.

This Keychron K8 has been my daily driver for nearly 2 years, and is still working as well as it did on the day I bought it. The full support provided for Macs, including Mac-specific keycaps, is a rare thing and a very welcome thing.The only fault I would point out is the longevity of the stock keycaps, as they are printed over a clear interior to make them shine-through capable, but are susceptible to wear from finger oils. It only took a few weeks for things to start getting funky on frequently used keys (worn out holes where legible keycap printing once was, with light bleeding through), to the point where I just had to toss them and start over.This turned it into a project keyboard ($$$), which honestly is a major part of the fun with hot-swappable keyboards. I bought Kailh Polia switches to replace the Gateron Browns, and sturdy non-shine-through dye sublimated PBT keys, which left me with a solid, reliable keyboard that performs very well. I just had to spend a bit more money to get there. Having said that, you could just swap out the keycaps alone for not that much money to address the problematic stock keycaps and call it a day.In the end, the asking price is still very fair for what you get.