Ganss ALT 71 Wireless/Wired 2.4G + USB Mechanical Keyboard with Cherry MX Brown Switch for Mac and Windows, PBT Keycaps for Desktop and Laptop Computer, 71 Keys (Can Be Customize to 68 Keys Layout)

What drew me to this keyboard was its very unique layout. It's slightly longer than your traditional 75% keyboard because it has a full size shift key on the right side. The full size right shift is nice. It is smaller depth wise because it doesn't have the f-keys. It's missing the menu key, but I never use the menu key.As a programmer, it's nice they included a dedicated Tilde key on the top right. It definitely takes some adjustment since its on the right instead of the traditional left. But I think that adjustment is easier to make that using a function key which other keyboards usually do.The Insert/Home/End/Page Up/Page Down/Delete keys are all there. Though some may argue the delete key is in an odd place. The delete key is above the right arrow, not next to the Insert key. The End/Page Down/Delete keys can be removed and covered if those keys are being accidentally pressed when accessing the arrow keys, but I didn't have such an issue.Overall it's more portable than a 75% keyboard.In terms of portability, this keyboard has an option to go wireless. It's not a Bluetooth keyboard though so it comes with a 2.4 ghz dongle and 2 AAA batteries. Initially I thought it could be cool to be able to replace the battery immediately if I was low, but in hindsight having to keep a stock of AAA batteries seems dated. I think I would rather have a built in rechargeable battery and plug it in if I were running low. It's not a big deal if you only use it as a wired keyboard. But I think requiring batteries makes it less convenient when you do want to use it wirelessly. Another downside is that there's no slot in the keyboard to store the dongle especially if you are using this as a "portable" keyboard. Just need to remember where you put the dongle.This is not an LED lit keyboard. There is not backlighting on the keys which is a shame. Though I often prefer having no LEDs on, I think not providing the option to have the keys backlit is a miss. There are three LEDs on the bottom of the keyboard indicating status like caps lock.The key caps that come with the keyboard have a nice retro look. It's a combination of grey, blue, white and yellow. I really like the color scheme, though the printing of the letters on them could be crisper and seem a bit fuzzy.The keyboard is at a good height but it doesn't come with any legs to adjust the height of the keyboard.The Cherry MX Clears are good, but feel a little stiff compared to browns. I feel like it takes a little more effort to press the keys. They are much quieter than brown switches. There's still some audio feedback, just a different quieter, more muted sound.

I picked this up to test against a variety of other keyboards. Since I type for so many hours per day; I like to test keyboards and see which ones are better than others. I also scout out new keyboards for the variety of machines that I have for the software I make. This is one of the best mini keyboards I have tested, however it has no back-lighting or RGB which might be a deal-breaker for some people.Pros- Cherry brown keys; I really like how this keyboard types. After testing so many keyboards I typed on this and instantly liked it. I didn't realize until a week later that it had cherry brown keys and this is why I liked it so much. I don't actually have a cherry brown keyboard anymore on any of my machines, so this was like a blast from the past. Very good key stability and uniformity showed me that there is still a gap between the real cherry keys and the clones. I haven't used something as good as this in a while.- Included '`' key; Yes the ~/` key is a huge thing for programmers like myself. I use the ~ symbol all the time in programming and ` is used by some games like CSGO for the console and is also used in SQL programming. Most mini keyboards don't have it and require a key combination in order to use it (which I never remember) and as such I end up reaching up and touching my "default keyboard" to get the key. This keybaord doesn't have this issue.- Arrows with Ins/Del; Most smaller keyboards also don't have these keys dedicated either which help for developers like me too. While they aren't used as much as the ~ key is; they are definitely appreciated here.- Color scheme; while everyone might not like it, I think it has a nice flare without being too racy the way that some keyboards really try to stand out with exotic colors.- Wireless + wired; since this is a 2.4Ghz wireless keyboard it doesn't have any BT connection stuff I have to deal with. Either I turn it on and plug in the dongle or I just plug the keyboard in via USB-C. This time I have just plugged the keyboard in via USB-C and left it at that.- PBT Keys; Over the years I have gotten used to PBT keys and just like them much more than the ABS keys found on most cheaper keyboards (or just most keyboards in general) and really appreciate that this comes with a nice PBT set with the PBT "grain" that makes for such a nice typing experience.- Chassis stability; I know that this is subjective but this keyboard chassis is very nice. It isn't boomy at all and remains extremely solid even with long typing sessions!Cons- No extendable feet; this is a issue for me even if the chassis itself has a good angle. I like the keyboard to be propped up a bit more for long typing sessions. This means that my wrists take a bit more of a beating with this keyboard vs some others.... this might have been perfect with some adjustable kickstands...- No Print Screen Key; I use this all the time to capture stuff that I share with my staff. However I can use the key combos to cut parts of my screen on W10 (Win + Shift + S) but having Print Screen is much better. I would dump Home for Prt Screen in the case of this layout.- No Backlight; While I technically don't NEED a backlight, almost everything has a backlight these days and even a simple white backlight would have helped this keyboard to hit it out of the park. Even if it only worked with direct power via USB-C it would have still been greatly welcomed!- No stamps for F keys; I would have loved to have F-Key stamps on the top keys so that I could know what is what for using the function keys which I use all the time as a programmer...These mini keyboards have been all the rage over the last year and many of them are not so great... I think that every company is trying to get into this space and most just throw stuff together. This keyboard is in another league. Usually I cannot test these mini keyboards for more than a day or two because of too many missing keys (especially ~) but this one I have been using for almost 2 weeks without too much discomfort outside of what I have explained above.All in all I really like this keyboard for a tiny keyboard and I think it is a serious contender for anyone into these smaller keyboards who actually wants to be able to get work done!

I received this keyboard through the Vine program in exchange for an unbiased review. If you are considering this keyboard you are probably already familiar with mechanical keyboard. If you aren't familiar with mechanical keyboards or want to know more about them, the end of this review will cover what you need to know.[Overall Impression]This is a quality keyboard with a good build quality.• I prefer “Cherry” brand switches although some knock offs may be as good, the original is ALWAYS good. This keyboard has Cherry switches, so no worries here.• The key well (outer top edge) seems very sturdy.• The rubberized feet are firmly attached (and white in color matching the rest of the case)• It is rather heavy and thick -- mechanical switches will always be heavier and thicker• The on / off switch seems like it can take a lot of operations.• The battery compartment door is well molded and is solid.[Design]• Very concise footprint and attractive.• The use of the LEDs on the bottom is unique and a good design choice. (see image)• I like the choice of color, keep in mind the keycaps are replaceable• The key layout is “normal” as far as I can tell. Some keyboard remove the “\” above enter key or add an extra key between the left ctrl and left alt which will throw typing when using multiple keyboards[Electronics]• Anti ghosting works well. I tested with 10 keys (sorry I only have 10 fingers)• The on off switch is INSTANT. I can't discern any measurable amount of time between turning on the keyboard and the keyboard being able to register keypresses.• The [fn] button combinations all seem to work as best I can tell* for a Windows machine. (* I couldn't test the lighting related keys as my keyboard does not have background lights)• The 2.4gHz transceiver and it is working well at a distance, with no dropped keypresses-- I am usually within 2 feet of the transceiver but test from a distance of about 5 feet.• There is a low battery indicator light (3rd light on bottom)[Things I wish were different]• There isn't any battery retention, so the batteries may "pop out" when you open the door.• I wish the battery compartment had a slot to put the dongle for safekeeping while travelling.• I wish there was a brand name or some marking on the plain white dongle to let me know it goes to this keyboard.[Bonuses]• This keyboard also does come with a key puller and dust cover (as well as battery and usb-c cable)[Things to consider before]• The use of the function button is good, I haven't used many 87 key keyboards before so I'm not sure how common the layout is. You can review the pdf on the product page to see what you think of the key combinations but basically to access F1 you will need to press function + 1 etc. The included key caps do not have the function keys printed on them. This is a good design choice for aesthetics (clean looking keys) and very common but may be an annoyance to some.[Verdict]• This keyboard seems to be more or less flawless and would be a good purchase in my opinion.=====================[Background for mechanical keyboards]If you are new to mechanical keyboards.. Here’s some background to help you make a decision on switch type:This keyboard is offered in multiple switches, I choose clear because I needed something quiet and wanted to try something more tactile than brown. (Blue keyboards are banned in my house because of the noise)A mechanical keyboard means each key operated by a mechanical switch similar to a light switch. The characteristics of the keystroke can be changed using different switch types. By that I mean the amount of force you feel as you press the key, if that force changes as you press (linear vs. Bumpy or tactile) how far the key has to travel before the press is registered, and whether there is a “click” when you press the key. Cherry's website has animations of each switch type so that you can see the operation. They are typically named a color like “Blue, Brown, Red, Black.” Or “Cherry Black” etc.Non-mechanical keyboards usually have either a rubberish/silicon membrane and some sort of plastic “spring” that is deformed when pressing. Over time these may wear out becoming “squishy” or stick when being pressed etc. In general the “feel” of these keys may not be as good as well as the performance, recovery time (time before the key “pops back up”) etc.[Switch Recommendation]Blue switches sounds great and gives audible feedback which really helps in typing. It is also very satisfying to hear the click as you're rolling out source code (or reviews.) You can hear the by searching online videos. WARNING.. This keyboard will drive your neighbors crazy if you work in a cubical or share an office, I do not recommend this keyboard unless you are isolatedIf you want something silent a Brown switch is a good choice. I wanted to try a more tactile (heavier) switch so I went with Clear switch, simply because I already have some brown keyboards and wanted to try this one. I wouldn't recommend Clear for gaming or most users.[Anti Ghosting]This feature used to be a property of mechanical keyboards only but now you may see it in other non mechanical keyboards. Anti-ghosting means that basically the keyboard can register all your keypresses even while holding down other keys. This means if you are playing a game and you try to mash 5 keys at once all keys will be registered. You can test this on your own by trying to mash "asdfjkl;" at once. Did all the keys show up? If not some of your keys are "ghosted"[Switch Guide]FYI here are the types of cherry switches by category. Each switch type (color) will have a force measured in centiNewtons (cN) next to it. The higher the cN, the stiffer the keys are.Category: Silent with Linear (Constant) force:Red: 45cNSpeed Silver: 45cN ( 1.2mm travel vs 2.0mm)Black 60cNCategory: "Clicky" and Tactile ("Bumpy" / Graduated Force)Blue 50cNGreen 80cNCategory: Silent and TactileBrown: 45cNClear: 65cNGrey: 80cNWhite: 80cN

The Ganss ALT71 wireless/wired keyboard is very good, with some unique features and a good comfort, it is almost perfect, but a few minor negatives are keeping it from being a perfect five star product. There are a lot of positives that are worth talking about and some negatives that I will try to outline below, but before that a few quick words about the packing and presentation of the product. The keyboard comes in a modest but well protective box, with not a lot of information about the features, the only few things mentioned are the Cherry MX switches on board and that is compatible with both Windows and Mac. And inside the box you have the keyboard covered in the plastic keys protector, a small user manual in English, USB-A to USB-C cable, key caps removal tool, the 2.4G wireless receiver, L shaped lid, and two AAA Duracell batteries.  Positives:- Quality - Ganss has made some good products in the past and this one is no different, heavy solid construction, high quality PBT keycaps in distinctly different colors.- Detachable off centered USB cable, creating convenient routing of the cable around your monitor and desk, the cable has hook and look strap and is white.  - Very good and sticky rubber feet, two on the back and two on the front side of the keyboard.- Included an extra L shaped lid for converting the keyboard from 71 to 68 keys by removing and covering the 3 right above the arrow keys. - Included keycap removal tool, making the exchange of keycaps easy and fast.- N key rollover on board, helping with getting a better gaming experience.- Unique design of the status LED's, placed on the bottom side of the keyboard and throwing light on to the surface where you place the keyboard. Although the keyboard doesn’t come with LED backlight, the bright colored key caps are easily visible even in dark.  - Yellow, white, grey and blue keys - interesting keys, the clear Cherry MX clear switches are the first ones of their kind that I have tried, I have a very good experience with most other type/color keys out there, but these we new to me, they are offering a medium tactile and light clicky. They are ideal for people who want to use their keyboard for both gaming and typing. The clear keys in my experience are feeling like something between brown and red switches, good feeling and not too noisy.- Reasonably priced at $75, for the quality and level of customizations, that is a good price.- Both wired and wireless options, with included Duracell batteries - personally I am not a fan of wireless peripherals, but I do recognize the convenience as an option, plus you will have to additionally spend money on extra batteries in the future. The USB-C cable is a much better option for me and being detachable, gives an extra functionality, as you can replace it with your own preferable cable in the future.     - The battery cover is offering a place for the 2.4G wireless receiver as well for easy storage. - Wireless On/Off switch on the bottom side. - Plastic dust cover for the keys. Negatives:- No backlight - I am not a huge fan of RGB, but at least a single color uniform backlight would have been great. And yes there are options to DYI a backlight, but that would reflect on the total budget spent.- The included cable is soft, but not braided and it looks slightly on the cheaper side, in addition it is only 5 feet long, 6 would have been perfect.  - All plastic construction, no metal base or top surface.- No height adjustment of the back bottom rubber legs.  Overall, this is a great keyboard by Ganss, there are only a few shortcomings, but it is great for gaming and typing.

So far, I’m finding it hard to come up with any complaints with this keyboard. Although I’m no expert in mechanical keyboards, from my research it seems uncommon to find Cherry MX switches in a board at this price point. I went with the clear switches, which for me are a fantastic compromise of the tactile response of blue switches with the noise level that is closer to reds. Something similar can be said for the brown switches, but I’d recommend doing your own research to decide between the two.I like using the keyboard in wired mode; the cord that comes with it is perfectly serviceable but nothing exceptional. I haven’t used the Bluetooth mode quite as much, although it’s quite nice to have available. Usually you would expect to pay much more for a dual wired/wireless board, solidifying this keyboard as being a great deal. I do wish that the board charged with a cord instead of taking batteries (who wants to buy batteries?) but I believe the board can go quite a while without needing to replace them.Others have commented on the inability to adjust the keyboard’s height; I think it’d be a great feature to be able to customize, but personally the default height works fine for me. I experimented with replacing a few keycaps already, which was easy and painless (there’s also a Cherry MX logo on each switch!).Personally I use this keyboard at work where I type a lot of numbers, so the smaller size and lack of a number pad takes away from my experience. That comes down to preference though, and I know that the ~68 key boards are perfect for a lot of people. All in all, I think this keyboard is a great lower-budget option that makes very few compromises compared to some boards that cost twice as much.