Gamakay TK101 review
The Gamakay TK101 seems like one of those products that's almost too good to be true. A $70/£58 keyboard that's mechanical, supports both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz wireless, RGB-backlit, gasket mounted and hot-swappable must come with some compromises, right? Otherwise, that's some seriously aggressive pricing from Gamakay.
Well, let's take a look at what we've got here and find out. The TK101 features quite an odd layout, which the brand terms as being a 98 percent option. It looks similar to a 96 percent, or 1800 layout, as featured on Keychron's Q5 HE, although chops and changes things by moving some of the nav cluster keys above the number pad and omitting the right Windows, Alt and Insert keys. This leaves others in between the Enter key and the number pad, with the arrow keys underneath. It's fine to use, providing a mostly full complement of keys, although takes some getting used to—even as a long-term enthusiast, it wasn't a layout I'd come across before.
The keycaps are comprised of double shot PBT plastic, which is excellent at this price, and come with a similar retro-inspired taller profile to Keychron's Q5, too. There is some slight curvature to the top of the caps to make them more comfortable to type on, although the fact that there is a lot of key wobble can make it a bit of a pain. What's more, as much as the keycap plastic is durable, the rest of the TK101's construction isn't up to the same standard.
The chassis is entirely plastic, with a two-tone black and red colourway, which looks okay. I don't bemoan the use of plastic here, as if it's high quality enough then there will be no flex or creaking. That isn't the case though. At a push, the TK101 is *bendy*. It suffers from a lot of flex at the corners and in the middle under pressure, which can leave a lot to be desired. I appreciate that this is a more affordable option, but perhaps a metal plate running through the middle for extra structural rigidity would have been handy.
Switch type: Gamakay
Ke
