APT clicky & tactile Hall effect keyboards review (APT HE)

[@Chyrosran22]

To everyone having difficulty buying a specific model of this keyboard, please contact [e-mail] and she will handle the order for you :) .

[@pingvino9225]

Chyrosran22 Hello,can you please review a keyboard called Redragon Yama? It is gaming inspired(I know you don't really care) and it uses Outemu Purple(Or purple ice I am not sure).It fits in at 80$ and I am really looking forward to buying it,but there isn't a very good review on the switches it uses. Thank you in advance.

[@picklejar7236]

@Dictator Dedede not to be rude but be a little patient alot of people are probably trying to order a keyboard so it might take her a little while

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

Please tell me you do voiceover work elsewhere.

[@Olafmikli]

lol China blocked it

[@RainShinotsu]

Is that what happened? I tried to send an email to no avail, so it could be that.

[@tonzillaye]

You made me chuckle with the armor piercing rounds high explosive

[@omerkaya545]

I felt that APT HE joke coming before I clicked this video

[@mazdarx-8rotary.97]

Right as i was playing war thunder too 😂

[@jjpark98]

Even with a cold you still manage to sound like a norse god

[@marcus2944]

You used your thumb for the space bar!! decided to convert?

[@01Colorwise]

He's learning.

[@doggunn]

Wait, how did he type space without using his thumb? That's insane!

[@SicSemperBeats]

what heathen doesn't use a thumb for space on a mech. I only use my index finger on my MacBook keyboard, because my posture is totally different on chiclet

[@Robo10q]

Maybe its a side-effect of his cold? Could be he is hallucinating.

[@MALO-nn5iy]

I learned to touch type in just a month of practice on keyhero site. My ave. is just 50wpm though but its less tiring for my eyes.

[@deldarel]

APT has finally become more than a proof of concept? Hall-elujah! I've been waiting for this for a while now. I hope it will go into mass production eventually, not so much for the price (will probably stay about the same) but more for the consistency. I wish that this company got more love from the bigger tech channels. A waterproof keyboard is honestly really impressive, especially now that it's more than just linear, with shorter actuation, and of course with stupidly reliable switches. In your honest opinion, is the tactile switch better than mx brown despite the super inconsistent feeling or worse?

[@Chyrosran22]

It's hard to say as the feeling on the tactiles is so inconsistent. Some are even less tactile than MX brown, some are significantly more tactile.

[@BlueBird-wb6kb]

Should i just buy Mx Brown then?

[@Chyrosran22]

I don't think I could live with myself if I recommended ANYONE MX brown :p .

[@xander1052]

If you were to design a tactile switch, which method of tactility (without going click of course) would you go for in making the perfect tactile switch for you?

[@Chyrosran22]

Well, considering my favourite tactile switch is orange Alps, I'd go for a leaf spring approach. Come to think of it, leaf springs are at the heart of my favourite tactile, linear AND clicky switches.

[@ilpatongi]

Your voice literally penetrated my ears

[@Chyrosran22]

It's how my species procreates.

[@ilpatongi]

Chyrosran22 I feel violated now

[@quasistellar]

Jeremy Clarkson I don’t feel violated. I welcome my bassy voice overlords.

[@1.21jigowatts7]

Dear Keyboards... Listen, and understand. That Thominator is out there. It can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop... EVER -even if it has a terrible cold and nasal but still distinctive voice. Until you are reviewed!! - The Thominator (2018)

[@Chyrosran22]

xD?!

[@comicalhexical]

How do these compare to your top 5 clicky switches?

[@1049662]

I love the keyfeel of this keyboard, I highly recommend adding one to a comprehensive collection, one caveat is that I have had two (linear foam) keys bind up BADLY after not a whole lot of use, a couple of replacement sliders were included in the package and replacing them was scarier than it was difficult (Quite a lot of force required to pull then from the PCB). The micro usb connector was also a bit floppy, I might attempt to replace mine.

[@bradfordc8011]

The sound of typing on that clicky board really reminds me of a higher pitched Model M sound. There's even that little bit of a ping sound from the springs.

[@chuuni6924]

I do have to say about the clicky switches, that a click that is disjoint from the actuation is about the worst thing there is, and defeats half the purpose of having clicky switches to begin with (I even think this is a bit of an issue with MX blues). This is why I like buckling springs so much, since the click is literally the same thing as the actuation. It seems to me that hall-effect switches should basically just be linear. Unless perhaps they manage to make a click mechanism that itself moves the magnet instead of having the magnet in the slider, or something.

[@dangerbob6286]

Nice to see more Hall effect keyboards out in then market.

[@rafflesmaos]

Clicky honeywell hall effect switches did exist, but they are extremely rare and were found in only one keyboard. They also clicked on the way up which was pretty weird... and in general were not particularly good for a clicky/tactile switch.

[@MrJAM-np7go]

As very destructive name it is, and I think the fuxxed up paper clip is quite self-destructive. Even bigger tougher alps leaf spring is quite easy to deform in severe usage. I really don't like per switch differences, but at least it's easy to replace.

[@hi-friaudioman]

Did I hear him say "tiny, fucked up paperclip?"

[@ASAPKep]

I absolutely lost it when he said "fucked up paperclip" Would have never expected that from the rest of the review xD

[@rapterranger771]

I’ve been looking for a review of either of these keyboards, and I only found a sound test, and a comment saying the clicky switches are pretty tactile.

[@rajvinder89]

Very interesting, I'm sure with further refinements of the switch and of course economies of scale we may see a fairly popular design for prebuilt boards. Now if they could figure out a way to allow people to make custom boards, as well as change to standard Cherry stabs we may have a real winner on our hands.

[@JelloPotate]

How on earth can you tell that it's the clicky version from the site? I can't find reference to the switch type anywhere.

[@Camhin1]

JelloPotate yeah I was wondering this too.

[@Chyrosran22]

Contact [e-mail]; she will handle it for you.

[@themaximus144]

I really like the way these sound

[@greyareaRK1]

I love the idea of them, if not the sound so much (clicky), but then a good set of keycaps would improve that. Two-fingered typists' hands always remind of squirrels foraging in a garden.

[@greyareaRK1]

PS. I finally replaced the Matias Quiet Click click plates with Clicky click plates, added some lube, and the sound and feel is amazing. The spacebar sounds and feels like that of a well-oiled manual typewriter. Living the dream, man.

[@lettuce7378]

"tiny fucked up paperclip" is not how i imagined a clicker mechanism being described. but i like it

[@FatheredPuma81]

Now do a review on the EVGA Z10 :P.

[@FluffyDragonKitten]

Nice review, surprising to see no one over on DT going ape shit about these :) (really like them myself, might get one in the future, especially the 1 piece wooden ones, since I imagine they sound great). Get well soon as well :)

[@MatthewDeluca300]

So much potential with this design

[@worldhello1234]

Thomas, grip coating is IMHO the best printing method. The imprint looks like new, even after heavy usage. There is no discoloration as far as I can tell. AFAIK only Cooler Master used it on its Quickfire lineup.

[@Chyrosran22]

I'm not familiar with this technique. What advantages does it have over dyesub and doubleshot?

[@samdeur]

i like that they have the caps-lock light on the right.. They need to work on the tactile switches... And they need to go with QMK compatibility (OpenSource). Don’t misunderstand i am not asking everyone go out and learn QMK.. They can use what ever they want to ship with their boards.. As long as they give people the option to flash it using QMK.

[@lmWombo]

hope you feel better

[@sekayegaudet131]

I remember seeing the original video and being really excited for the clicky version but forgot about it and now they seem to be mostly unavailable truly a shame unless I'm dumb and they're somewhere

[@CiCaruana]

I'm weighing up the idea of grabbing an APT hall effect keyboard I found used on a local listing, do you think removing the wireframe piece from the clicky switches would linearise them seeing as they're not dissimilar from Alps clickies in concept? It'd be neat to be able to try out linear and clicky hall effect switches without having to hunt down and buy two separate boards.

[@legend131000]

Is it possible to fix a mismatched click and actuation by hand or is it just a design flaw in the switch that needs to be redone from scratch not only on Hall effects but also on generic Cherry MX Blue Clones,,since I found nothing on the internet I'd like to ask over here.

[@CaiJLe]

I have very first generation of this keyboard and I got disappointed due to QC problems. Hope some more improvements may have made in future.(for example, switch with lower housing so that the waterproof coating of PCB would NEVER bleached..)

[@brettknoss486]

I'd really like to see these keys in a Kinness Advantage type keyboard.

[@martinma4973]

How does the clicky switches compare to SMK Monterey and Kailh BOX white and pale blue? I'm looking for an affordable compact keyboard with clicky switches with crisp tactility without being overly heavy, so I'm deciding between picking up the APT tkl on Massdrop, waiting around for a good deal on a Siig Minitouch/k110 or building my own board with a Team wolf Zhoque and BOX white/pale blue.

[@rajvinder89]

Hmmm, I'll probably wait a few more iterations before jumping on board(no pun intended) with something like this, perhaps they could try out something like the click bar used in the BOX switch from Kaihua? Also I think it'd be great if they did a full Aluminum/Stainless Steel chassis for one their models akin to a Model F frame.

[@pepperbean243]

This keyboard seems to be really annoying to get hold of. Would you recommend jumping through hoops to get this keyboard, or buy the ABKO (NIZ Topre Clones) Keyboard?

[@LawrenceNahum]

really like your videos great content. Also I wonder what microphone and camera you use for them, mind sharing?

[@Chyrosran22]

The mic is an sE Electronics X1 with Cube4Nano and the camera is a Canon Rebel T3i.

[@TCGProductions03]

Nice voice, despite the cold

[@bludude41]

I just got my APT HE board from the latest round on Massdrop, did they change up the switch design in this latest run? Because I don't know if it's just me, but the clicky switches I got don't feel like they have a crisp, clean tactile bump OR a click the same way. For sure the key actuation clicks in your video sound more crisp than mine, but that may be your microphone vs. my ear. The bottoming-out feels padded, which I like because the bottoming out doesn't feel as harsh, but the tactile feedback and the click just feel rattly. Then again, that may be just me.

[@fairextl]

What's the weighting of the springs and how does the tactile bump compare to other switches.

[@fishblade2]

I went to the links for the keyboards but I started looking at the older models they made. They do not clearly explain what type of switches are in the 2017 models. Do you know how to tell from their website?

[@Sheltada]

how rigid will you say they are? are they relatively sturdy, like most high end modern mechanical keyboards, or good keyboards from the 90s and back, or do they flex like a dell membrane board?

[@TCGProductions03]

Do a typing demo with the S.A. caps

[@Ian-zu3eq]

Could you give your opinion on the best tactile or linear switch that has a standard cherry stem? I plan on getting the Glorious Modular keyboard, which can use any plate mounted switch (I want a standard stem for the large selection of keycaps available). Glorious recommends Gateron or Kailh. I’m used to a rubber dome keyboard so like feedback, but since I bottom out most of the time I don’t need the bump.

[@InvidiousIgnoramus]

Have you tried them with the clicking element removed? curious to know if they fixed the awful scratchiness.

[@brettknoss486]

I wonder if magnetic separation can be combined with Hall effect.

[@igfoobar]

Where did the Dasher caps come from? I miss my Dasher TP.

[@monchiabbad]

What hapened to Ace Pad Tech ?

[@humanoidrobot8967]

can you turn the tactile switches into linear by removing that weird paperclip thing

[@adamszuszkiewicz1709]

If these were compatible with qmk that would be fantastic

[@SonofThrainOfficial]

Thanks so much for the video! How would you say that the tactile switches feel in comparison to Topre? Is there any similarity?

[@Chyrosran22]

Not really, no.

[@SonofThrainOfficial]

Cool, thanks!

[@gorma453]

are those also available in iso layout?

[@SockyNoob]

gorma 85 what about big ass enter?

[@dkboy60]

I will not buy another ANSI keyboard. Using a European ISO layout on ANSI is terrible. I sure hope they make an ISO version.

[@Robo10q]

$107 Shipped to the US is not a bad price for the TKL model.

[@pingvino9225]

Hello,can you please review a keyboard called Redragon Yama? It is gaming inspired(I know you don't really care) and it uses Outemu Purple(Or purple ice I am not sure).It fits in at 80$ and I am really looking forward to buying it,but there isn't a very good review on the switches it uses. Thank you in advance.

[@MiiaFoxx]

So, I'm assuming that if these ever go into mass production that the clicker inconsistency will be completely eliminated, right?

[@Chyrosran22]

Canaan the inconsistency probably derives from the fact that it's a wire, not a leaf. They bend out of shape a little bit.

[@FridgeLogician]

A comment on an old video, but I'm thinking of picking one of these Hall Effect ones up since the last two keyboards I got died because I keep making the mistake of keeping uncapped beverages around my keyboards because I'm kind of an idiot, so the thought of fool-proofing myself with one of these keyboards has a sort of appeal. Quick question, though. The actual means of creating the tactility and the click of these switches seem relatively superfluous to the switch itself. Could you remove the paper-clip thingy and still wind up with decently usable linear switches?

[@nerdyneedsalife8315]

Well these were linear before being tactile or clicky so you can get linear switches without modding. As he shows it's smooth and not as plastic sounding as before.

[@vincentma4681]

I was gonna go for a GMMK TKL with Gat Blacks, but now i think I'll just go with this lmao Does the Linear version work with o-rings and would o-rings help?

[@Chyrosran22]

Vincent Ma no and no, besides, it's already got dampening foam in it ;) .

[@xNoxianGuillotinex]

You should check out the LK switch from Bloody

[@Chyrosran22]

Have had two of those boards for ages now xD .

[@neilis2405]

The "buy them here" link doesn't mention anything about the switch type (clicky vs linear). Does anyone know where we can buy the clicky version?

[@Chyrosran22]

Contact [e-mail]; she will handle it for you.

[@olik136]

can you get them somewhere else than on Alibaba?

[@Crokto]

Can you even get them on Alibaba? I'm only seeing the full-size and 60%, and none of them specify the switch type. Maybe I'm just Alibaba-ing wrong, but man I really want this keyboard...

[@C04tl3]

You have to go here: acepads.en.alibaba.com/productgrouplist-801916463/Mechanical_Keyboard.html?spm=a2700.icbuShop.88.16.1bbd4b31C0WGZX

[@Chyrosran22]

Contact [e-mail]; she will handle it for you.

[@ianv3180]

From what I understand, their page on alibaba doesn't say which keyboard has linear, clicky or tactile switches. Am I just looking over it or does it really not say which ones are which?

[@Chyrosran22]

No, their website is just ultra shit. Contact [e-mail] ; you can order them through her.

[@ianv3180]

Chyrosran22 Thank you! Everything was indeed really unclear.

[@JessHull]

These seem fairly nice. As well, a company that seemingly listens to customer feedback and make gentle changes based on that? What is the world coming to....

[@303urch]

Still no analog input from the hall effect switches? ;(

[@Chyrosran22]

The input IS analog. It's just not that easy to get a good analog signal OUT of it.

[@303urch]

That's what I mean. I'm looking for an output from the keyboard that the computer can read as an analog input.

[@nthn-]

Jonathan Ulrich If the driver is open-sourced you could probably pull analogue data off it and smooth it out?

[@Chyrosran22]

Magnetic field strength is proportional to distance over r-3. You would need to tinker with the switch before you could get a useful analog range out of it.

[@royalarchergaming3541]

How would you make a clicky hall effect board?

[@nicholastheologhidis235]

Hey chyro I've been told to ask you for help identifying a keyboard I got for free from my neighbour It is a anacom an-1000kb and I can't find any info of it online at all Thanks in advance

[@Chyrosran22]

Never heard of it, and can't even find a picture of one Oo .

[@DTJump]

What's ur mic settings. The bass is too deep

[@johnsihn4520]

Wow! I didn’t know there was a tactile and clicky Hall effect boards! Do Hall effect boards feel better or smoother than common mechanical switches?

[@Chyrosran22]

If done well, they can, yes.

[@ImMortal468]

Is there any place where can I buy just few switches?

[@catoflado4977]

Where do you buy these keyboards?

[@kyle.santiago]

Is it possible to linear mod the clicky version?

[@vincentma4681]

Wheres the TKl version of the acrylic linear

[@Chyrosran22]

Contact [e-mail]; she will handle it for you.

[@namernum5692]

No reason to use hall sensors if it dont support midi melosity

[@dudlus2757]

Rattling sound :( sounds like an improved version of MX blues

[@MasoHQlC5GW5btFZ]

*do a mouse review*

[@sguzaki4545]

I think this will defeat major brands once it's reaches 100% of it's power...

[@toweltowelie4782]

I wonder why no one, exept unicomp perhaps, does not make 101 keyboards? In my opinion 101 is great gaming layout, i know that you can disable windows keys, but i have to pull em out because i still will eventually press windows key instead of leftAlt, and when i'm doing thath while gaming in online - thats upsetting to say the least. Am i the only one who thinks that 101 keyboards are great and looking forward to buy a new one? I would love to get one, especially with Hall effect swhitches, but for today my choice is limited to really old or unicomp keyboards.

[@woodyofp8574]

I too greatly prefer a 101-key board layout to any other. I never use Windows keys, myself. It really bothered me when one company did the newly produced model F keyboards, as even though the price was unaffordably high, they did not produce a single full sized model. I suppose the main reason people don't manufacture the 101-key boards anymore is due to it being such a minor detail, that tooling costs would make it an innefective use of funding.

[@toweltowelie4782]

I guess we won't see brand new 101 keyboards anytime soon, good thing - old 101's are still available, a lot of them are durable and repairable.

[@awl649]

I use windows key all the time, but still winkeyless/101 looks damn beautiful. I'd like to build one if the price of the case aren't upwards of $500 :p well there is kbdfans' 8x, but right now im enjoying my 60% and 40% too much :D

[@Mega_Arrow]

Does it work with a PS/2 adapter?

[@sniper2elite781]

you should check out e-blue keyboards mechanical

[@theonebrick]

Damn these are some dangerous switches! :D

[@gamegroomps]

How smooth are the linear switches?

[@Chyrosran22]

Quite smooth. I've reviewed them before, go check it out!

[@MetrologyEngineer]

Reminds me of buckling springs.

[@danyCD17]

What is your favorite at 100 dollars?

[@ze_or]

i got one of these tactile. i really regret not getting clicky. i will probably just mod it to linear.

[@Chyrosran22]

ze_or you might be able to order some click wires!

[@quasistellar]

What’s the full key travel on these?

[@Chyrosran22]

4.5 mm IIRC

[@quasistellar]

Chyrosran22 wow that's a long stroke. . .

[@ADoughnut]

Is there a 2021 link?

[@jacobhan593]

How would you compare these to skcm blues?

[@Chyrosran22]

Oh, no way these come close to SKCM blue xD .

[@constantinosschinas4503]

look laser or hydrojet cut rather than cnc milled.

[@darkholyPL]

The caps are pretty nice on those, but the font is pretty ugly imo. I have the XMIT first run linear, and it's nice, but the sound in crappy on those.

[@sonicase]

i bought the XMIT board, which I am assuming is just a rebranding of the apt board. ....the click is incredibly inconsistent and just doesn't work properly on some switches...i can imagine it will get bent out of shape over time as well. the stabs are pretty bad too. do you really feel like it feels like alps? i didn't think so...compared to white alps i thought the "crunchyness" felt like the difference between crunching egg shells vs candy wrappers...i think i may remove the click and have a linear board since it does feel ok for linear.

[@Chyrosran22]

I didn't say it feels like Alps at all Oo .

[@SockyNoob]

Clicky version sounds awesome. Very clacky compared to most switches.

[@KarrasBastomi]

Socky Noob until you tried kailh x novelkeys's box navy

[@christophertaylor8166]

A. Socky Noob said "compared to most," and B. This is a commercial product, not a "build it yourself." I wouldn't trade my Jades and Navies for anything, but that's because I'm insane. The market for mechanical keyboards has become a massive commercial venture. The market for collecting parts from multiple vendors, fiddling around with stabilizers and then doing 200 solder joints for anywhere between twice and ten times as much as the commercially available pre-made products is miniscule. If these clicky switches are even *as nice* as Matias Click, let alone Box Thick Clicks, it's a victory for the community.

[@christophertaylor8166]

Navies are an unproven product on the larger commercial market. They're a finicky, enthusiast switch. They're heavier than anything any commercially produced keyboard uses, which means they're wildly unappealing for gamers, which is where all the money is. They're an unknown quantity re: how they hold up to mass production, whether they would respond well to wave soldering, etc. Critically, they're also co-developed with NovelKeys, so that means rights could get in the way. It's just not the sort of thing Kailh would want to shop around to large manufacturers of keyboards. To companies like Logitech, Corsair, and Cooler Master, Kailh is a cheap Chinese knockoff company that makes cheap Cherry clones. Their originally-developed products likely aren't even on the radar. The products Kailh is likely to sell in quantity are Browns, Reds, Blacks, Blues, and the speed variants of those switches. No one knows what Navies are, and until you find a big company willing to take a risk making boards with them, and a big retailer willing to take a risk putting them on display, they just have no chance.

[@ugurugutugu]

too bad on Alibaba it's not possible to choose switches

[@Chyrosran22]

Contact [e-mail]; she will handle it for you.

[@mr.epic001]

man i need those switches

[@LourensRolograaf]

9:15 niiiice!

[@nocturnalorange8691]

bruh i could hear the bass in your voice thru my headphones.

[@TheSpiritOfTheWest]

somehow it sounds scratchy to my ears......mx brown like. am i trippin?

[@esra_erimez]

This keyboard was good until I tried to use my 5th hand with it and the rollover failed miserably. I dare not try my 6th lest I be even more disappointed.

[@SockyNoob]

How the hell does one go about buying one of these in America? Only ones mechanicalkeyboards.com have are the ones in the shitty 60% layout.

[@petertm4188]

Fuck me i want my hands one one of those clicky keyboards right now but im poor as fuck atm

Hey, the clicky ones sound great.

[@symplesy2056]

Man, that ping sounds pretty bad. I think some lube would help the sound tremendously

[@Chyrosran22]

Hmmm, I really didn't notice much in the way of ping when I used the board (partially because the chassis is also the plate). What bit specifically are you referring to?

[@SockyNoob]

Symplesy ping isn't a bad thing in a keyboard D: