INTRODUCTION

   As far back as i can remember I’ve always used regular sized 101-109 key keyboards not because that was my preference but because there wasn't anything else in the market to choose from. As a matter of fact it's only been a while since we've seen quite a few manufacturers offer keyboards that either lack the numeric keypad, are modular and thus can be arranged according to what the user thinks is best for him or have the keys placed differently. A few weeks ago with us we had the latest mechanical keyboard from Deck Keyboards called the 87 Francium Pro which is basically a somewhat compact keyboard due to the fact that it lacks the numeric keyboard entirely and thus only offers 87 keys. Deck however didn't forget all of you who are used to using regular sized keyboards and so they also released the brand new 1080 Hassium Pro a full-size mechanical gaming keyboard with a total of 108 keys.

   TG3 Electronics, Inc. is a leading supplier of engineered input solutions. These solutions include; standard and custom keyboards, bump bars, and control panels. TG3 was incorporated in 1986 by its founder, Tom Giles. With an international sales force and the best engineers in the industry, TG3 has grown steadily over the past 23 years. Headquarters is located in a 45,000 square foot, state of the art facility in Kenosha, WI. TG3 also has a major manufacturing interest in Zhuhai China and Hong Kong. TG3 sells into a very diverse marketplace that includes but is not limited to; medical, industrial, point of sale, military, mobile data, telecommunications, white goods, and gaming. Whether your input requirements are large or small, complex or simple, TG3 can handle your application from concept to completion.

   Just by taking a quick look at both the 87 Francium Pro and the 108 Hassium Pro it's very easy to see that to save as much space as possible Deck has tried to keep things very simple so the first thing you will probably notice is the lack of the typical lock LEDs placed at the top right corner of virtually every keyboard in the market. That however is not the only similarity these two keyboards have and so they also share the same Cherry MX mechanical keys (Full N-Key Rollover), programmable LED illumination effects (thanks to the NUC123 32-bit Cortex™-M0 microcontroller that runs at 72MHz and features 10-bit ADC with 20KB SRAM), direct macros and of course the same high build quality. Now as you all know the 87 Francium Pro lacks the numeric keypad found in the 108 Hassium Pro but on the other hand for reasons unknown to us Deck seems to have left out the media control key markings with the 108 Hassium Pro (F1 through F6) and although i can't say i care much for that feature still some people might not feel the same. So the time has come to move forward with this review and take a closer look at the 108 Hassium Pro.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like the 87 Francium Pro the 108 Hassium Pro arrived inside a black box with part of the keyboard seen at the top (blue illumination although our sample came with white), the company logo and the model name.

The type of Cherry MX switches used with the keyboard is printed at the front along with the N-Key rollover feature.

The product features are listed at the bottom of the box right next to the OS compatibility and bundle contents lists.

Deck packs their keyboards quite well so once again no problems here.

Along with the keyboard you are also getting a user’s manual and a metallic keycap puller that can also be used as a bottle opener.

THE 108 HASSIUM PRO

The 108 Hassium Pro is actually a bit smaller compared to other keyboards and so it measures just 440mm in length, 136mm in width and 44mm in height (highest end) and weighs roughly 1220g (as you can see from the above picture our sample came without any media control key markings).

A tiny yet nice touch i liked with the 87 Francium Pro was the company logo engraved on the space button something which is also present here.

Another tiny yet nice touch is the lock placed on the Caps lock key.

If you decide to use the FN/PN keys to record macros (can record up to 64 characters) you can also adjust their delay up to 50 milliseconds by using the above keys.

Instead of the usual lock LEDs Deck has placed four more keys and more specifically the typical FN (Function) key, lightning key (enables/disables N-Key Rollover and doubles as the lightning mode key when pressed with the function key), macro key and the toggle key (switches to the fully programmable layer of the keyboard).

The keycap puller is made out of aluminum and can also be used as a bottle opener (beware that it's somewhat easy to scratch the keycaps with it).

Our sample features Cherry MX RED switches as you can see from the above picture (my favorite ones for gaming).

At the bottom of the keyboard we see a long channel that allows you to route the cable in 3 different directions, 4 long rubber feet that keep the keyboard in place and two lifters.

I was surprised to see that the lifters are actually four, two short and two slightly taller ones.

The tall lifter lifts the highest end of the keyboard 14mm from the desk while the short one just 6mm.

Deck uses a 1.8m long braided cable and a normal USB plug.

USING THE 108 HASSIUM PRO

Deck offers new firmware and program updates from their official website.

You can use their firmware downloader as seen above to update the keyboard.

To upload/download custom scripts you can use the LED utility by Deck (recommend searching online for custom scripts since there are quite a few available).

Just like with the 87 Francium Pro the 108 Hassium Pro comes with four lighting modes. Recording them was not easy like with the 87 Francium Pro so i just shot the low/high modes (however you can easily find several custom ones showcased with GIF files online).

CONCLUSION

   Take the 87 Francium Pro strap a numeric keypad on it and you've got yourself the 108 Hassium Pro, that's just about it so in the end it all comes down to whether or not you really have use for that numeric keypad. That aside both keyboards feature the same excellent build quality and finish (although i have to say that the 87 Francium Pro feels sturdier obviously because of its smaller size), Cherry MX mechanical switches (blue, red or brown), amazing illumination effects (in white or blue LED color), direct keyboard macros and full N-Key Rollover. On top of all those with the 108 Hassium Pro you're also getting two height lifters and an wrist rest (showcased above) which for good or bad is sold extra (since some may need it while others may not). Finally as expected from the Cherry MX Red switches you are getting good audible feedback but at the same time you don't need to use much force thus they can be pressed faster something that will appeal to gamers.

    Once again we were unable to locate the 108 Hassium Pro by Deck inside the EU (at least not at a reasonable price) it is very much available inside the USA for a price ranging from USD169 and up to USD179 depending on the type of mechanical switch you choose to get while the extra wrist rest can be purchased for around USD35. Of course just like with the 87 Francium Pro i sincerely hope that Deck can widen availability of their products since now more than ever before there are countless people out there who'd like to get their hands on a sturdy mechanical keyboard. In conclusion the 108 Hassium Pro may not offer much in terms of exciting features and it's indeed very "simple" in terms of appearance but thanks to its sturdy build quality, Cherry MX mechanical switches, illumination effects, full N-Key rollover and direct macros it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Superb Build Quality (Sturdy/PBT Keycaps)
- Cherry MX Switches (Red/Blue/Brown)
- 6-Key & Full N-Key Rollover
- Backlighting (4 Preset Modes/Custom Scripts)
- Keyboard Based Macros (No Software Needed)
- Available Wrist Rest (Extra)
- Braided Cable

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Media Keys Not Printed (Our Sample?)
- Current Availability