Keychron V3 QMK Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Beauty of a keyboard and customisable, so it'll be easy to repair if I need to

Good quality

OVERALL: Super high build quality for the price, great switch options and price and the knob was a stand out feature and feels premium.

This was my first custom keyboard after owning a Corsair K70 for 9 years, and I was blown away by the build quality, the chassis is rigid, hefty and feels premium, especially for the price. Given the usual high cost of computer parts in AUD as well. The delivery was fast, the packaging was reassuringly premium and the guides were well done for a first time user especially.

I also got their k Pro Brown switches which were a breeze to put in. VIA was super simple to use (once I figured out the layer situation) which was actually documented in the packaging as well.

The RGB lights are bright and shine through okay being south facing, the legend doesn’t shine as bright as it could. However i am using “pudding” while key caps which work well with the south facing leds.

Cons I’d say are a lacklustre LED customisation interface but that is more of a review of the VIA software and not the keyboard, however still something to think about.

I'm really happy with my keyboard, been using it for several weeks now. Prior to purchase I did a lot of research into keyboards, I already had some idea what I wanted and I only became more specific through research. I had considered building custom, but it just wasn't in the budget right now. TKL was my desired form factor, hot swap was a must, RGB lighting too. A knob was optional but desired, but QMK/VIA was a must. I'm so sick of garbage bloated and barely functional control software, I need it off my system pronto! I also learned about south facing LED's, PBT being the better materials for keycaps. Through watching hundreds of videos on mechanical keyboards including ASMR style ones, I also developed a preference for what sounds good in a keyboard. People like to criticize that it doesn't matter what a keyboard sounds like, only how it feels and performs. I disagree, it very much matters, else people wouldn't either hate or love clicky switches.
I learned about stabilizers, screw in, clip in, and lubing them to dampen key rattle. I discovered various mods like the tempest tape mod, holle stab mod and various filler materials one can stuff their chassis to alter sound. As well as a 1000 different switches and how to lube or franken them.

Factoring in everything I learned and my budget, there was no other option than the V3. The value is superb! The build quality is better than anything I've had from nearly every major brand. And it's designed to be serviceable - which for a Right 2 Repair advocate is great. I also really like the feel of the knob, it's so much better than my previous Logitech one (as is the entire keyboard!).

Out of the box it wasn't perfect, but it didn't take much to refine. The stock Keychron linear reds weren't my cup of tea, a little too light and activation point right at the top made for some typos. I swapped them out for Akko Air's that I had on hand, which are better, but now I want to try even more switches!

Stabilized key rattle was another thing that out of the box I didn't like. The equipped screw in stabs seem great, and although they were lubed from factory, I didn't think the lube was applied particularly well. I could have just added more but I was concerned about mixing and so, after about a week of use, I disassembled my V3, removed and washed the stabs and lubed them well with Permatex dialectic grease. I also taped the PCB with 3M 2090, 4 layers, making sure it was pressed on well. I am aware of the risk when removing but this is not something that concerns me too much. It did make reassembly a little harder, but it all went back together well eventually.

Now the sound profile is much nicer, the bottom out sound is less hollow and slightly muted and I have zero stab rattle whatsoever, and this is after many weeks.

The V3 is an excellent introduction to the hobby and you really can't beat the value. And the QMK/VIA support is the icing on the cake. One thing I will note about this is that from the website, I was under the impression that I would have to manually load the JSON config into VIA in developer mode. This was not the case at all, which is even better. Out of the box VIA recognized the V3 immediately. It was truly plug and play.

Keychron V3 QMK Custom Mechanical Keyboard