CONCLUSION

   To have a better understanding of what this product's all about initially I was planning to showcase many different types of switches with the barebone edition of the GMMK mechanical keyboard by Glorious (noise levels included), something which unfortunately didn’t happen (miscommunication). With that out of the way the minimalistic approach Glorious decided to take with their GMMK line of mechanical keyboards is something some people will like while others will probably look for more feature-rich offerings. For my daily needs the GMMK is more than enough, it offers exactly what I was asking all these years ago (the ability to replace switches) and its per-key RGB lighting is quite good (so are the 18 available modes). Unfortunately, since the RGB LEDs are practically located on the keyboard and not on the switches themselves brightness levels are less than expected and that’s pretty much the only serious drawback of this model.

   The GMMK Barebone Edition (ISO) by Glorious currently retails for USD59.99 inside the USA (Glorious) and for 74.90Euros inside the EU (Caseking) while the Gateron Brown switches retail for USD34.99/39.90Euros and the ISO keycaps for USD24.99/19.90Euros (USD119.97/134.7Euros total). So even though I don’t see a serious issue with the price of this particular model I do think Glorious should consider trimming it a bit to make it more appealing to the entire market (from regular consumers all the way to gamers, enthusiasts and professionals). Overall, I am very satisfied with the GMMK Barebone Edition, yes, it’s certainly not the most eye-catching keyboard out in the market and it does lack features like dedicated media and macro keys and a USB passthrough but compared to its modular switches these are secondary which is also why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Sandblasted Top Aluminum Plate)
- Minimalistic Design (For Some)
- Gateron / Kailh Mechanical Switches (50 Million Actuations)
- Modular (Can Add/Replace Switches)
- NKey Rollover With 100% Anti Ghosting
- Per Key RGB Illumination (19 Effects)
- GMMK Software

CONS

- No Dedicated Macro & Media Keys
- No USB Passthrough
- Brightness Levels