INTRODUCTION

   Although space on my desk has always been a serious issue (much more since i started doing reviews) I’ve always used full sized keyboards since i just can't seem to let go of the numpad keys. You see i happen to use the numpad keys quite often for calculations and even in some games so i may never jump onto the tenkeyless wagon, at least not for my primary test rig. Of course as many of you are aware until recently the only tenkeyless keyboard models in the market were just as plain as all the low-cost membrane models out there so if you wanted one with bells and whistles on it or even mechanical switches well you'd be out of luck. Recently however not only have we seen many manufacturers up the build quality of tenkeyless models by adding mechanical switches (either from Cherry and Kailh or their very own) but some of them have also improved on features. Rantopad is a very new player in the market but since it seems that quite a few of you out there have taken interest in their latest MXX tenkeyless mechanical gaming keyboard we decided to check it out.

   Shenzhen Sake Trading Co. Ltd. was established in April 2004. With about $15,000 worth of registered capital, our main business engaged in computer peripheral product distribution, Rantopad brand promotion, and operations. Our company headquarters and warehouse were located in the Futian district of Shenzhen city. In 2006, an overseas division was established in Hong Kong. Intellectual property rights are very important to us. For this reason, we pay attention to the nature of developing our own brand and technology through our Research and Design division, and set an example by personally safeguarding legitimate rights and interests. Our Research and Design team rigorously established new technology and allocates special funds towards product development and support. Over our years as a company, we have applied for 7 technology patents; two for a PCT International Invention patent (AUDIT), 4 for registered trademarks, and 1 for application of a logo design. We consistently work towards achieving advanced system management experience through improving internal systems and processes. After three months of system governance, we achieved an ISO9001 International Quality Management System and an ISO14001 Environmental Quality Management System certification.

   Much like SteelSeries, Logitech and Razer Rantopad has also followed their own path so instead of the usual Cherry MX and Kailh models they've used their very own Gateron mechanical switches (rumor has it they developed them with Kailh). These switches have a lifespan of approximately 50 million actuations and currently the MXX tenkeyless mechanical gaming keyboard is available with Gateron Blue (50cN actuation force, tactile/clicky) and Red (45cN actuation force, linear) mechanical switches. The keyboard itself is a 87-key tenkeyless model housed inside a 5000 series magnesium aluminum alloy enclosure a high-quality and endurance material which we don't see used much (if at all) with keyboards. In terms of features it only offers backlit illumination for the keys, N-Key rollover, media keys (not dedicated ones) and a removable braided cable so if you're looking for something similar to the G410 Atlas Spectrum by Logitech this is not it.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the MXX tenkeyless mechanical gaming keyboard inside a yellow box that has a large product image at the front, the company logo and some words in Chinese (i think).

There’s some empty selection boxes at the base of the box which may be used to mark the type of switches used but regardless they were all empty in our sample.

The product pictures are showcased at the rear of the box with the use of 5 pictures placed right above contact information for Rantopad and several barcodes.

Inside the box Rantopad has placed the keyboard between several pieces of cardboard so no problems here.

Along with the MXX tenkeyless mechanical gaming keyboard you're also getting the removable braided cable, user manual, product catalog and an yellow keycap remover.

THE MXX

The MXX tenkeyless keyboard is quite small and to be more exact it measures 385mm in length, 222mm in width and 41mm in height and weights just 650g.

As mentioned earlier the top of the housing is made out of magnesium aluminum alloy (looks and feels great) and as you can all see Rantopad has placed two plates with their name on both sides.

The usual caps/scroll/Num lock LEDs are placed on the right side of the keyboard (however just over the arrow keys) right next to the model name.

F1 through F8 double as media keys while F9 through F12 can be used to lock the windows keys (Game mode), rotate all illumination effects and adjust the brightness levels.

Here we see the Gateron Red backlit mechanical switches (identical in design with Cherry MX and Kailh ones so if you want to mount new keycaps shouldn't be a problem).

Taking a look from the rear of the keyboard we see the removable cable port (and how much the keys stand out from the housing making it very easy to clean).

Unfortunately the base of the keyboard has no height adjusters just three rubber feet.

A pleasant surprise was that both ends of the 1.8 meter long braided cable are gold plated.

Here we've placed some of the illumination effects for all of you to check out (maximum brightness).

AUDIBLE FEEDBACK

Many people ask my opinion on what keyboard they should get for their needs. Some want a “silent” model for use in their living room or even in their bedroom while others ask for a model with good audible feedback for use in the office or for gaming. Because of this I decided to test keyboards by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically over each keyboard (5cm distance) and typing NikKTech a total of 6 times with each (after that the max recorded number - max hold - is placed in the graph). I have to admit that this may not be 100% accurate but it does give a good idea on what you can expect from each model since aside the type of switches used keycaps and keyboard material also matter.

CONCLUSION

   It’s not often that a product from a new player in the market leaves us with the best possible impressions but that’s exactly what happened with the MXX Tenkeyless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by Rantopad. Sure it may not have RGB key illumination, macro keys and a removable wrist rest like the majority of keyboards we’ve reviewed lately but it has a top made out of durable magnesium aluminum alloy (which as we mentioned earlier both looks and feels great), it offers backlit illumination for the keys with several effects, it’s small, very easy to clean (since the keys are basically outside from the housing) and has a removable braided cable. As for the Gateron Red mechanical switches well Rantopad has done a great job mimicking the Kailh Red ones (not surprising especially if Kailh is indeed behind them) but these are actually quite louder as you can see from our chart (something that may have to do with the material of the keyboard as well) and thus are quite good even for typing. All that’s left is for us to see just how much Rantopad asks for it.

   Luckily Rantopad seems to be doing very well here as well especially since our model with the Gateron Red mechanical switches currently retails for just USD65.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 71Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Of course you can find other tenkeyless models at around the same price range but I doubt any of them will offer the build quality of the MXX (at least in terms of housing – the switches are another story, one which only time can tell). Overall Rantopad has a winner in their hands and although it may not get to become a best seller still it comes highly recommended by us and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality (5000 Magnesium Aluminum Alloy Top)
- Size (Tenkeyless Model)
- Available Effects
- Gateron Red Mechanical Switches (50M Actuations)
- N-Key Rollover
- Removable Braided Cable With Gold Plated Plugs
- Available In Silver And Blue (Purple)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No USB Ports
- Fixed Height (No Height Adjusters)
- Current Availability