Altar I Keyboard | Review

[@EddyGann]

Not sure if you’ll necessarily want to invest the time and money, but I had the same general feelings about the Alter I, and made some modifications that I feel made typing on it much more enjoyable. 1. Put a thin layer of 99¢ sticky back foam from a craft store under the PCB (you need to remove the keycaps and unscrew the board to get the foam underneath) 2. Lubricated the stabilizer bar (with 205g 0) under the space bar (requires you remove all the key switches to separate the plate from the PCB to get to the stabilizer) 3. Put pieces of slightly thicker sticky back foam on the underside of the biggest keys. Especially the spacebar You could also swap out the key switches (I did), but that’s more preference than anything else. I like tactile more than linear, personally. It takes a little time, but I find it noticeably more enjoyable to type on. It’s still imperfect with the problems you pointed out with the keycaps, but you can make some solid improvements if you feel it’s worth it for you.

[@Yogomi]

Hey! Thanks for checking out the video. I feel like I’ve spent enough on that keyboard that I’m not sure if I want to put more into it. At the price the keyboard is offered I don’t think it should be a “fixer-upper”. HOWEVER, you have piqued my interest, so I might consider this for fun after I’ve tried a few more premade keyboards and eventually make one of my own from scratch. I have another new keyboard coming that was confirmed shipped this weekend, so new video coming. It’s a keyboard I discovered around the same time I found the Altar I and I will definitely be comparing them. Their styles and aesthetics were somewhat similar, so it will be interesting to see if this other company does a better job.

[@EddyGann]

@@Yogomi totally understandable. Just wanted to offer up things to make it feel a bit better for folks that feel the way that you and I do about the board. Definitely not worth it for everyone. And you're absolutely right. It's far too expensive to be a "fixer-upper." Hopefully your future keyboard endeavors go better. Looking forward to the future vids!

[@ClaudeBot-f5f]

Agreed. Thanks for sharing !

[@Yogomi]

@@ClaudeBot-f5f Thanks for watching!

[@Omarock]

I personally don't like flat keyboards for the reasons you mentioned. Nice to hear you're getting into pc gaming. As a computer peripheral enthusiast myself, I'm looking forward for more reviews!

[@singularityvc]

Problems with the dial: * red doesn't match their monochrome + orange aesthetic as a co, fwiw * the red-to-black connection isn't smooth, and thus feels cheap * turning it sends too many incremental changes to the volume control, and you lose precision you should've had. You're spot on about the pairing nightmare. The key feel is just awful, and the spacebar feels like its clicking when it isn't, but over all just mushy. Shame, I had the same initial reactions you did :/ Waiting for my nomad(e) and hoping.

[@Yogomi]

You know, I actually contacted them months before this came out and asked if you could change or customize the color on the dial. They told me it wasn't possible. I agree it sticks out, but I didn't mind the shape of it.

[@jedispidey]

Good review. I'm not a fan of small keyboards. I need my numpad on the right.

[@Yogomi]

@@jedispidey Same! I also have to have the numpad.

[@FernandezEmG]

i had the same problem with a similar form factor keyboard. it was a brand named "Onikuma" the only difference is, no side keys and no knob. but i liked what it looked like. but the same problem happeend. I kept hitting the wrong keys. i am not a great typist by far bu is the only keybaord that makes my dyslexia tame in comparison. i kept hittign side keys by mistake. and I have tried different keyboards, and i even have a ortholinear one that had the similar form factor (a 40% ortholinear) but I didnt get any problems with that and the only difference is, that didnt use chicklet type keys, thus even thought eh ortholnear has the same spacing, the keycaps used made up for the gaps that was meant to give you a guide.

[@Yogomi]

Thanks for sharing. I'm gonna take a look at that board.

[@iamsteezze]

I wouldn’t mind taking that keyboard from you. If you don’t mind

[@charlibratfammanfanstan]

hilo

[@getoffofhere]

it kinda just looks like a keyboard that would be on a laptop

[@crosd5564]

BTW, try Keychron Q15 Max

[@Yogomi]

@@crosd5564 I’ll take a look at one. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@crosd5564]

@@Yogomi My pleasure, m8!

[@ulkigmeme2703]

imo looks suprisingly cheap

[@Yogomi]

I think I can relate to that a little, but actually in person it’s pretty nice. There are some design details that are, in my opinion as a professional designer, really nice. The main problem with this is functionality; that’s what feels cheap. The design and aesthetics work really good in person if you decide not to use the keyboard. And the cost… I expected WAY more.

[@crosd5564]

Damn, man, how about cleaning the keyboard b4 recording this? Looks awful....

[@Yogomi]

Thanks for checking out the video. What you see is the natural changing of the surface material of the keyboard once you start using it. That is not dust or dirt. I only had the keyboard for two weeks, not long enough for it to get “dirty”. The Lofree Flow you see in the video is months older and I used it way longer and the surface didn’t change visibly; at least not as much as the Altar I.

[@crosd5564]

@@Yogomi That means the quality of those caps is pretty low, sad....