INTRODUCTION

   It's safe to assume that most of us never had the chance to really use a classic typewriter but how many times have we seen others do so either from up close or on the big screen and have had their unique (annoying to some) sound stuck in our minds? Personally i had the pleasure of using a "vintage" underwood manual typewriter back in the late 80's and although i wasn't even 8 years old then and didn't pay too much attention i still remember the mechanical sound of its keys. Fast forward almost 3 decades later and although typewriters are still considered to be vintage collectible items gaming peripherals manufacturers have in a sense brought them back by releasing mechanical keyboards that feature key caps and tactile/clicky switches which aim to deliver at least part of the experience when using a typewriter. Today’s review is of course about the quite interesting MK Retro typewriter mechanical keyboard by AZiO.

   Azio Corp. is a manufacturer dedicated to providing innovative tech gear to make everyday life more engaging and fun. We believe that design has the power to alter not only perceptions, but also emotions. Through superior design, we are driven to provide a better experience for people of all ages from all walks of life, no matter what your hobby, profession, or need may be. Technology can simplify complicated things, or complicate simple things. Our design goal is to create cutting-edge products that are intuitively easy to use, provide maximum comfort, and leave a minimal environmental footprint. Through the use of color, material, and finish, we strive to design our products with the perfect blend of elegance and ferocity. Our brand, Azio®, is an acronym for "A to Z, Input-Output". This reflects the core of our business as a manufacturer of computer and electronic peripherals. The Azio brand logo employs a simple, geometric typeface to resemble solidity, efficiency and forwardness. This simplicity and cleanliness avoids all decorative and nonessential elements to demonstrate that Azio aims to only offer succinct products that have the optimum balance between aesthetics and functionality.

   The MK Retro typewriter mechanical keyboard by AZiO focuses solely in bringing back memories from the past so if you were expecting backlight RGB illumination, extra macro keys, detachable wrist rests and other features found in today’s gaming keyboards you will probably be disappointed (although AZiO is about to revamp the MK Retro with illumination for its keys). What you are getting however is a keyboard that features a water and dust resistant elegant housing with pillar style feet, handcrafted round key caps, tactile/clicky mechanical switches developed by AZiO themselves (OARMY Olive - 50 million clicks - probably made by Kailh) and 6-key/NK rollover. Before we move on with our review this list may indeed sound a bit lacking but let’s not forget that the target audience of the MK Retro typewriter mechanical keyboard is not gamers.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

AZiO ships their MK Retro keyboard inside a black bot that has their logo at the front along with a drawing of the keyboard (part of it anyways).

A few words about the product are printed at the rear of the box right over a sticker that has a product picture and the unit specifications.

The keyboard is placed underneath a clear piece of plastic and between two black foam spacers.

In terms of bundle the MK Retro is shipped with a piece of cleaning cloth, thank you card and the user guide.

THE MK RETRO

The MK Retro is a medium sized mechanical keyboard weighing just 1043g and measuring 455mm in length, 147mm in width and 40mm in height.

Thanks to the unique socket design of its keys the MK Retro can be easily cleaned and is both water and dust resistant.

AZiO used tubular LED lights for the lock key status.

F1 through F2 can also be used to launch the home page of your internet browser, open My Computer, launch your default email client and launch the Windows Media Player.

F5 through F11 are basically the media navigation keys (previous/next/play-pause/stop/volume down/volume up/mute) while F12 launches the calculator.

Via the print screen key you can switch between 6-key and N-key rollover.

Here we see the OARMY Olive mechanical switches.

At the base of the MK Retro we see 4 large rubber round feet.

The feet also double as height adjusters by just rotating them around as seen above.

The pillar style feet raise the top end of the keyboard roughly 6mm from the desk.

The 1.8 meter long braided cable has a gold plated USB plug on its end.

Here you can see the MK Retro plugged in and although it does look very nice the lack of key illumination is unfortunate.

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

   We used the MK Retro for a total of 8 days during which it left us with mixed impressions. For one the key caps may look similar to that used in the old typewriters but at least the one i used had keys made out of metal so these don't feel anywhere close in terms of durability. Of course this is understandable since the increase in cost alone would mean the MK Retro would be far from affordable but still it would be nice to see a version like that especially since that would land a lot closer to the classic typewriter. Perhaps even more important is the lack of key illumination and although there are quite a few mechanical and membrane based keyboards in the market without key illumination (let’s not forget typewriters also never had that) AZiO is obviously missing out on potential gamers (which is also why they are about to equip the MK Retro with that feature). On the other however thanks to the elegant design (chrome parts) of the water and dust resistant housing the MK Retro is quite honestly one of the best looking keyboards around currently. The OARMY mechanical keys also provide sufficient feedback and seem quite durable but if you hope for the same actuation force as with typewriters don’t get your hopes up since this is somewhat impossible to recreate.

   Currently the MK Retro typewriter mechanical keyboard by AZiO retails for just USD99.97 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for around 120Euros inside the EU so although it’s not among the most affordable mechanical keyboards in the market it’s not what we’d call expensive either (perhaps a bit higher than we were expecting however). In conclusion people who happen to have used a typewriter in the past or who just like the sound typewriters make will probably love the design and quality of the MK Retro typewriter mechanical keyboard by AZiO but since it’s a no-thrills keyboard with limited features gamers should really look elsewhere like the L80 RGB keyboard again by AZiO which we have already started testing.

PROS

- Build Quality (Water And Dust Resistant Housing)
- Design (Chrome Parts And Handcrafted Round Key Caps)
- OARMY Mechanical Keys
- Available In Black/Silver And White/Gold 
- 6 Key / N Key Rollover
- Pillar Style Adjustable Feet
- Braided Cable With Gold Plated USB Plug

CONS

- Lack Of Features Including Key Illumination
- Current Availability
- Plastic Key Caps
- Switch Durability?