INTRODUCTION

   As far back as i can remember consumers always had a plethora of basic membrane based keyboards to choose from including many budget oriented models going for as low as USD5/4Euros. Microsoft of course changed all that with the introduction of their natural keyboard line back in the mid 90's but still their prices were nowhere near to what manufacturers ask today for a good mechanical keyboard using Cherry MX switches. This (cost) is also the main reason as to why many people have yet to take their first steps in the mechanical keyboard market. Several brands have recently emerged to offer lower-cost mechanical switches (and to cover the gap in the market since Cherry was unable to keep up with the increasing demand) but to date we haven't seen any really low-cost models using Kailh and Gateron (the two leading brands after Cherry) ones. HAVIT is a Chinese brand which aims to bring affordable yet feature-rich mechanical gaming keyboards to the masses and today we're testing their latest HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard.

   Founded in 1998 by Ms. Lee, a lady who loves and respects technology, HAVIT Group provides a tremendous range of consumer electronics with unbeatable value, fashion-forward and trend setting design, but what is never compromised is the quality of our products, which were approved by tens of thousands of satisfied customers. Step by step we have grown from a start-up company to a leading PC & Mobile accessories supplier for customers in over 120 countries worldwide, only to provide products of advanced technology, featuring the best built quality and durability for every intelligent, creative and motivated user. We are all working on something: some of you may be endeavoring to get the best score both in school and in games with your keyboard and mouse combo set; some of you may be engaging in coding a sophisticated program with your mechanical keyboard while chatting with your remote teammates through your webcam; and some of you may be striving to improve your triathlon skills to expand your physical limit with a pair of wireless earphones in your ears… As for us at HAVIT, we are working on making the best equipment to help you reach your goals and make the difference. Learn more at www.prohavit.com.

   To keep cost to a minimum HAVIT decided to take an entirely different path compared to most other manufacturers so instead of opting for Kailh or Gateron mechanical switches they chose the new ones made by Outemu. Outemu is not a particularly popular brand among gamers since their mechanical switches haven't been used widely but just like their competition they do offer a very high number of actuations (50 million) and are currently available in Black (linear), Blue (clicky), Brown (tactile), and Red (linear). The HAVIT HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard uses the blue switches (actuation force of 80g) which as clearly stated by the product name also feature support for full RGB (16.8 million colors) illumination. The keyboard also features an aluminum enclosure, supports anti-ghosting for all 104 keys and has a total of 4 brightness levels for the keys with five different modes (off, single static, breathing, static marquee, moving marquee). Are all these enough to take on the big boys? Let’s find out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

HAVIT uses a plain cardboard box that has a product image at the front right next to the main features and beneath the company logo.

The features are also placed at the rear next to a drawing of the keyboard and right above its specifications.

Once you remove the top paper cover the cardboard box has an note on it (Enjoy what i have).

Packaging is very good and includes two black foam spacers and a fabric cover.

Contained inside the box is the keyboard, keycap puller, paper with happy and unhappy faces (depending on whether you liked the product or not) and the user manual.

THE HV-KB366L

The HV-KB366L may not have any bells and whistles on it but it's still a full sized keyboard that measures 438.2mm in length, 133.7mm in width and 38.2mm in height.

You may not know this but in some countries the HV-KB366L is marketed as the Magic Eagle keyboard a name also used to describe this particular line.

The top of the keyboard is covered by a brushed aluminum piece and the same applies for the left, right, front and rear resulting in a very solid construction. HAVIT has also used plastic edges to ensure that you don't damage anything you may push against the keyboard (blue may not be the color I’d use but at the same time it stands out so it's not half bad).

As you can all see the switches are raised allowing for easier cleaning (much like with most current mechanical gaming keyboards).

Here we see the Outemu blue clear mechanical switches with RGB LEDs.

You can switch between N and 6-Key rollover with the Fn and Insert/Delete keys.

Controlling the 5 different lighting modes (single, breathing, static marquee, marquee, off) can be done via the Fn key and the one next to it.

The arrow keys can be used to control the brightness level of the keys (up/down) and the marquee effect course (left/right).

I was surprised to see that the base is also made out of aluminum (it also has two height adjusters and 4 small rubber feet).

The height adjusters are rubber coated and keep the keyboard 10mm from the desk.

HAVIT has used a 1.8 meter long braided cable with a gold plated USB plug at the end.

RGB LIGHTING

Here I’ve placed a picture of the Marquee mode (goes from left to right but you can switch that with the arrow keys) and several single colors. Surprisingly enough the keycaps and LEDs used provide very good results.

Brightness levels are also important so here we have the marquee mode in min and max and a single color in min and max.

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

   First of all when we learned that HAVIT was sending the HV-KB366L keyboard we all expected (I don’t think anyone would expect anything else) a cheap plastic keyboard with a poor excuse for mechanical switches. Instead we got a solid aluminum keyboard with surprisingly good mechanical switches that also feature RGB LED illumination. Granted the Outemu blue switches need more power to press (HAVIT gives a required actuation force of 80G but I doubt it’s more than 60G) and are quite louder compared to Cherry MX (much like Gateron ones) but these two are not necessarily bad for a switch aimed towards people who like to type a lot. Now some of you may not “believe” the number of actuations (50 million) Outemu gives for their mechanical switches but even if they are good for half that they still offer a very good price/endurance ratio. Unfortunately the HV-KB366L lacks multimedia controls and individual RGB key illumination while the available colors and effects are nearly enough to compete with what we see from other manufacturers but I doubt most users looking to get an affordable keyboard will care much about those features.

   As I type these lines the HAVIT HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard retails for USD70.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 63Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) so it’s pretty much the lowest-cost model to ever reach our lab. Of course had HAVIT used plastic instead of aluminum cost would be even lower but as it stands the HV-KB366L lands between the really cheap mechanical gaming keyboards and the more expensive ones by known manufacturers so I don’t think it was a bad move. Overall if you’re not willing or just can’t climb more in price for a mechanical gaming keyboard the HV-KB366L seems like a valid choice and since it does much better than we had hoped and scores high in quality and features it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality (Aluminum Housing)
- RGB Key Illumination (4 Brightness Levels & 5 Modes/Effects)
- Outemu Blue Mechanical Switches (50M Actuations)
- N-Key/6-Key Rollover
- Plastic Edges
- Braided Cable / Gold Plated USB Plug
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No USB Ports (For Some)
- No Individual Key Illumination (For Some)
- Few Available Colors And Effects (For Some)