GMMK Pro Review - My Thoughts

This is the GMMK Pro.
To be clear, I was not paid for this. I was given two units of the GMMK Pro keyboard to review with my honest opinions. Side note: It is important to keep in mind, sound tests have countless differences and should be taken with a grain of salt. You should formulate your own with the info given here. Love you all!
While the keyboard has some great points and some ones that need improvement. I feel the keyboard performs well for $170 despite its shortcomings.
I usually build these boards live on twitch, so be sure and toss me a follow there to be notified when I go live! / alexotos
0:00​​ Intro
0:23​​ Case Colours
0:40​​ Price & Accessories
1:12 Opening The Case & What's In The Keyboard
2:13 Reminder
2:37 The Stock Stabilizers
4:09 Plate Tightness
5:08 Plate Foam
5:33 Plate Discussion
6:26 The Finish & Cable Channel
7:02 Gaskets
8:46 Plate / PCB Discussion
9:17 Typing Feel/Sound Discussion
9:43 Who Is This Board For?
11:17 GOAT Stabilizers
12:36 Final Words
GMMK Pro - Tactile Sound Test - • GMMK Pro Sound Test | ...
GMMK Pro - Linear Sound Test - • GMMK Pro Sound Test | ...
The GMMK Pro - www.pcgamingrace.com/products...
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If you're wondering what gear I use on stream (cameras and build equipment) check out my kit link here: kit.co/alexotos

[@Glarses]

LLUV U 2 ALEX

[@coarse9452]

Dad

[@dqniel_]

Luv u glarses

[@JeryySubtoMe]

hi Brother And yes

[@JeryySubtoMe]

Love you too Gralses

[@alexotos]

I love you more

[@badseedtech]

I initially commented something obnoxious (super on brand) but the *care* for the consumer is palpable in this review. Good vibes, good knowledge, no elitism, no gatekeeping. Solid SOLID review. Bravo.

[@alexotos]

I try my best to be subtle. - Also thank you

[@walkerstandard2373]

Hey your vid wasn't too bad either! Keep it up man

[@the_racoon89]

I think ur vid was better brian lol

[@domnuske3019]

Finally a enthusiast review that actually gets it. This is marketed and noobs like me that are coming from a razor board and want to get into customs. It’s really overwhelming as it is let alone the elitism and weirdness that I’ve seen so far. It seems like some people are upset new people might be interested in their hobby and they won’t feel special anymore, bizarre

[@alexotos]

I encourage everyone to join in on keyboards! It's so much fun!

[@tomsmith3403]

Yeah just watched another review and the reviewer’s pinned comments reeked of so much elitism. But it’s a small niche community so that’s expected

[@peterklick2385]

I've been into keyboards for some time, but the elitism and gatekeeping in this hobby are a serious turn-off.

[@IOSam]

Fantastic review!!! I know from my own experience that KZbin reviews take a lot more work and time to put together than streams (which is where you do most of your work), so I just wanted to thank you here for what was clearly a well thought out (and quite laborious 😅) video! You are one of the very few luxury custom keyboards streamers out there who knows how to stradle the line between the enthusiast and the more average consumer sides of this hobby and this video is the living proof of that! Can't praise you enough here!! 👏👏👏

[@alexotos]

I really appreciate the kind words! Thank you so much! I was struggling on how I wanted to do this but I wanted to keep this more keen to me, which is top down, focused on the board.

[@justanotherpxrson]

i really love how fair and inviting you are. we need more people like you in this hobby

[@Ciz4Crummy]

After watching several reviewers, all had similar complaints and I’m glad I held off on the first batch. If they make new revisions I might pick this up because I want something with a rotary knob. Very detailed review as usual Alex, I’ll see you later for the breakdown stream.

[@johnp3224]

Yeah I'm hoping they take this feedback and make the final product amazing. I want to buy one but am on the fence. If they resolve these simple issues I'm in.

[@DoubleOhSilver]

Great review, feels like everything I was wondering about is covered in this. Glad I also picked up an Ikki68 Aurora

[@ziich1]

Thank you for making a review on this product. the video quality was amazing and the content was solid. Please keep up the good work

[@igohardkoncrete]

love you to homie also love the thorough breakdown highlighting the pros and the cons

[@sviz]

Great job brother, very informative and very well spoken. You killed it!

[@tbmblue9084]

Solid content Alex, loved the review.

[@technstuff3376]

Great vid and appreciate the honest review @Alexotos!

[@matthewgluck437]

You did an awesome job here bro. I wish I could have a keyboard made by you lol. You are awesome!! Thanks for the help with my decision on this...... Goat Stabs..... I love the effects you put in the video as well.

[@stran222]

Bro. This is best review on gmmk pro I've seen yet. And I have seen about 6 now. Unbiased , detailed. You really tested this board well. Well done.

[@60milligrams]

Thanks for the great review. This will be my introduction into the custom keyboard world and i will for sure be picking up new stabs.(:

[@Julianzazaza]

Great video Alex!

[@dallashowell7387]

So I’ve never built a keyboard ever in my life and I’m heavily leaning towards building one using the GMMK pro solely as the base and I’m a huge fan of the look and layout plus the fact that it’s available and has a two year warranty is huge for me, I think I am going to go out of my way to buy some Durock Stabs and lube all of my Glorious Pandas (wanted tangerines originally but stock is a big issue) along with buying the PC plate it’ll be expensive but at the end of the day cheaper and more available then building from scratch rn I’m excited and if anybody in the comments has any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[@mateowoetam]

Nice, I'm waiting for my Pre-order mail from Glorious, I cant wait for it to arrive, I chose a black body with gray keycaps.

[@alexotos]

Stoked for you man!

[@winniechen3949]

Wait... I didn’t c any keycaps 😭😭

[@midnight_yota]

Just bought this on a black Friday sale as my first custom board and I love it so far. I literally just put in switches and keycaps. I've got some switch lubing supplies on the way. I may eventually order the polycarb plate so see how it feels and if I like that more.

[@darakvader]

AMAZING review thank you!!

[@alexotos]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nmquyet]

wow! there are two reviews publish in a day. cannot wait to get my hand on it.

[@katsuutheunker]

such wise words, thank you my man

[@deanwalker321]

i have watched a lot of gmmk pro reviews and this was probably the best i have seen

[@Kamikazekman]

Thank you for the review! I’m not a tinkerer so I’m probably just going to lube up my Panda switches, put them in and use the GMK Laser key caps and be happy with it. Been using a 65% board but kinda miss the dedicated F keys... this seems to fit the bill! I’m only a very casual mech enthusiast so I’m happy with the first batch! Great Vid! 👍🏽👍🏽

[@alexotos]

That's a great idea and I am glad this video helped you! Super excited for you to get this

[@alexanderbruns6574]

Great video man. It will be my first build and I'm learning a lot today from different folks on KZbin. What are some stabilizers you would actually recommend?

[@EdU-od5ec]

I would recommend the C³Equalz x TKC Stabilizers for this board. They cost me around $26 for a set shipped to the UK. Took about 3 weeks to arrive, but they where worth the wait. Personally I prefer the stiff board. For me having flex reminds me rubber domed keyboards. With well lubed switches and stabs this board sounds sweet. I running generously lubed gateron reds for letters, function and numbers, and well lubed blacks for the enter, spacebar backspace (i.e. other keys). Its a good keyboard for the price. Good video btw.

[@jeffred8317]

Awesome Video man, keep it up!

[@alexotos]

Appreciate it!

[@seasesh4073]

Nothing is perfect, and pointing out problems with this product is hugely appreciated. I'm just getting into r/MK hobby and I know to get this product at this price there has to be compromises

[@schaf7716]

Euch keycap set did u use for the white/gray keyboard?

[@pheeeeebz]

Amazing video!

[@teddyc2985]

That’s the point, the board is for anyone who is beginning and doesn’t care about thin gaskets, screws on the pcb, or anything else. Good review :)

[@westleyvanzant]

Does the rotary encoder fit standard 6mm knobs like a Rama one? Or do only Glorious’s ones work?

[@TechedOff]

Great review! Any idea when those coiled cables go on sale?

[@ajcortez03]

What do you recommend doing if you're planning on replacing the stabs and getting the aluminum or brass plate? Will simply messing with it and squeezing it in with force be enough?

[@sung8171]

pretty new to keyboards. when you say feels stiff, what does that mean for a keyboard?

[@adamchoo9110]

Not sure if it has been said, but the screw in durock stabs do not fit in the plate because the cut outs were also made to fit plate mount stabs aswell as their [glorious] screw stabs

[@HackDaMainframe]

I think I’m going to get this board eventually. Hopefully they address the stabs. There’s a 90% chance I never open up the board, just put in some switches and key caps and chill. I’m not looking to get into the hobby, just want a dope keyb

[@schaf7716]

Same

[@ROFLWAFFLELAWL4]

Thats what I thought before I realized what I needed to do considering I bought the PC plate (assuming they would assemble it with it). But that said, it helped me be more comfortable with the insides of a keyboard much like I am with PC hardware so really, I'm glad I was forced to take it apart and put it back. Makes it less daunting of a task if I ever decide I need to change stabs or anything else.

[@joshmaag2457]

Do you think with a little work with some fine grit sandpaper on the poly plate it would make aftermarket switches work without hurting the placement or anything?

[@scottwangkl8882]

This board looks great and it's a steal for the features it has plus it being an aluminium board. I think it will be a great help to the community by introducing custom mechanical keyboards to the community and it's a great first try by Glorious. If their mice are anything to go by, is that the board can be revised and the flaws can be fixed. So perhaps a couple of months down the road, a v2 will be released, be it a stealth release or an announced release (likely the former to prevent any buyer's remorse) and then we will have a great 75% option for entry-level mech enthusiasts. Right now my top two choices for entry-level boards are either the Ikki68 Aurora or this and if they get this board perfected, this would be my top choice easily.

[@tommytypes1721]

As a stock as is board, it looks great tbh. I'm 100% a tinkerer so I'm looking forward to messing around with the foams, plates, gaskets or even maybe removing gaskets, probably going to remove ALL of the screws from the pcb and plate assembly if I could. I can see this board sounding even better imo and that's the fun for me.

[@AitchC]

New to the whole custom Keyabord thing and came across the GMMK Pro. I'm really liking the look especially the knob, are there any other keyboards that are "better" than this with a similar design (knob/dial) ?

[@Madkraft]

What are the caps on the first board (the one from the intro) White ice varient!

[@max_zh4]

What are the two keycap sets at the begging of the video?

[@LeTheory]

Great review, thank you! As for the stabs, I feel like the reason why the tolerances are really tight is because it looks like the plates are meant to also support plate mounted stabs which usually have tighter plate cutouts. It would've been cool if they just made for PCB mount stabs only.

[@DeeJaysWord]

Taeha be like: "Its not a keycult 8/10"

[@utterkid2]

taeha had a fairly positive review, but also the quality is nowhere near a keycult (though id never get a keycult as i think its pretty dumb to pay so much)

[@zeonic_keys6375]

@@utterkid2 I mean, keycult is the polar opposite of this (exclusivity vs inclusivity) I would rather support a no name Group Buy of similar quality than them at this point. Paying for rarity is kinda lame in a hobby based around making things yourself and experimenting

[@utterkid2]

@@zeonic_keys6375 yeah i agree, thats why i said i wouldnt ever get a keycult

[@sirtoasty9293]

@@utterkid2 every 60 seconds, a minute passes in Africa.

[@elevator-_-6083]

What are the keycaps on the white ice? Kinda like them lol

[@IronCan88]

Question, overall between this gmmk pro and drop alt high profile,which do you think is better with regards to build quality and sound? I am new and trying to learn which one I should get. Thank you.

[@AshTailor]

Hello all, does anybody know what those white keycaps are on the black board? They're like the strikers but white. I like it.

[@alexotos]

Hello! So, that keycap set is called Kuro Shiro and I got it from KBDFans at the time! :D

[@darkness_val2882]

Would you mind taking a look at the Akko Mod007? Its another 75% keyboard thats in competition the GMMK Pro and the Keychron Q1

[@matthewho1053]

What stabilisers will you recommend for this board?

[@colesheehan9929]

What Keycap set did you use on the white iced gmmk pro in this vid?

[@TooMuchTech]

Brother Xotos has spoken Edit: *BroXo*

[@R6Pato]

Ok so what Stabalizers size should I get from zeal please help for the gmmk pro (polycarbonate)

[@natnaelmulat6016]

can you please make a video assembling it from the begining for those who havent assembeled keyboards before?

[@mike_nba]

Are Shine Through PBT keycaps gonna work as indented with this ?

[@gravex]

the polycarbonate plate seems to make my spacebar not move...am i doing something wrong

[@algrst]

What’s the keycap set on the black one? Love them! If you have an affiliate link it’d be great

[@Pandered]

little late response, but its epbt kuro shiro

[@oliverallen998]

Does anyone know what the black and white Japanese key caps set he had

[@skyboy884]

This board isn't that bad after all, yeah it has its flaws but you can work around it if you want Anyway I'm glad I ordered Ikki 68 aurora after your review of it, I know it's a board for a different type of crowd but still I feel like I will like it more than GMMK PRO

[@hamburger3539]

What are your keycaps?

[@matthieuzglurg6015]

the stabs need a lot of work. I : -washed the excessive amount of lube present in the stab stems -relubed them with 205g0 -wire balanced all of them -band-aid modded them (in place of the piece of soft plastic tape that renders them sticky on bottom out) -holeemoded all of the stems The left shift, enter key and backspace are sounding okay. The spacebar however, is not good at all though, and rattle is still there. Since I was considering the polycarb plate, I might just replace these withe DUrock V2s and throw them in the trash

[@fluid6375]

What are those keycaps on the black and white version pls answer 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@akessonmikkel]

So, can you use aftermarket stabs? Yes or no?

[@aspectz709]

Can someone tell me what keycaps those are on the black one

[@SldgeHammr]

What keycaps are those? The white ones with the ?Kanji? on it?

[@cathyomalley2772]

i brought it to learn about mechanical keyboards and so far it's great.

[@Wizardhandz]

What are those black and blue keycaps those are awesome

[@RPGPiixe]

what keycaps are those on the black one? those are sick!

[@itaysharir]

Does anyone know what are the keycaps on the right?

[@rodrigodantas7627]

The plate cutouts for stabs don't make sense. It looks like it's meant for plate mount stabilizers instead of pcb. The person that designed it really didn't bother to look there?

[@Adam-tp8py]

The white hiragana keycap set is beautiful. Anyone know of any hiragana/ISO sets?

[@tomahawkear]

anyone know the name of the black and white keycaps at 9:58?

[@thepdails]

What’s the keycap set on the “white ice”?

[@WastedPancakes]

can someone please tell me what size stabs i’m going to need and how many ? durock/zeal or anything not goat i guess

[@blazeofvse]

I don't know nearly as much as you do about keyboards, but I thought one of the purposes of the daughter board was to make it ESD safe, meaning those metal washers you showed on screen wouldn't really do anything in terms of static damage to the board.. I mean unless it fails, right?

[@jldkrank]

Do you think a softer typing experience can be achieved by not using all the screws?

[@jldkrank]

Also, what unit size was the spacebar stab?

[@DonkeyTeef]

I second these questions!

[@nicholaslim8817]

u mean on the pcb?

[@jldkrank]

@@nicholaslim8817 yeah between the pcb and plate.

[@scottwangkl8882]

I would imagine (can't confirm since I don't have the board myself) that it will be softer if you did not screw in the standoffs and used the PC plate instead of the alu or brass plate. But based on other reviews I've seen, the gaskets needing to be double stacked may contribute to it being stiffer, but I think you can just double stack 4 rather than all the gaskets so the plate and PCB float between those four and bottom out on all the bottom tray gaskets. If I had this board, I'd experiment by doing that, but I didn't place an order since I'm not a big fan of pre-orders with no proper review and seeing how most reviews on this board is mixed (although mostly positive), I'd rather wait for a revised version since it will always be in stock anyway.

[@throughdus]

does anyone know the name of those black keycaps?

[@MrSnowy10]

What are those artisans on the black keeb?

[@dl88889]

As a newbie coming from a Corsair K95, the GMMK Pro was incredibly frustrating to work with. I got mine from a reseller, and i think it was one of the early batches. I experienced all the issues you described and then some: 1. 'goat' stabs came overlubed, causing my spacebar to stick. Had to clean it up, wait for it to dry and then relube them. Still didn't feel like a 170-dollar keyboard and a whole day wasted. 2. Bought durocks, but realized the alu plate doesn't fit Durock stabs so I had to sand it down. More time wasted. 3. A million screws holding the plate down is really discouraging me from opening it up to change or mod stuff. On the bright side, I liked how it sounds now (Akko Matcha Greens + Durock V2s holee modded + imitation pbt GMK Botanicals) but the whole experience just didn't justify 170 USD for me. Looking forward to get the QK65 as my second board. Btw great content, i just subbed. :)

[@easydiy224]

New subbie!! Hi, what advice would you give for mods if I want to put dark jades on this keyboard?

[@alexotos]

Same mods as I used honestly! You can also try the force break mod on the case and welcome!

[@darrenmanuel5867]

Awesome content, Alex. Keep up the quality content and the good vibes!

[@KindOldRaven]

Hmmm... Honestly I think I might get one of these as it's quite easily available and moddable, but I don't think I'll keep it in the standard configuration very long.

[@brando_100]

Can you build it without the 2 big stand-offs in the middle for a bit more flex?

[@thatswavy]

I'm willing to bet that people will come up with some great mods to improve the board over all over the next couple months. Check out the things people have done to the Tofu over the past year. Gasket mounts, sandwich o-ring mounts, custom silicone pour molds, etc.

[@slightlylifted]

I built mine without the two middle standoffs and durock stabs. Had to file my pc plate a little and now they fit perfectly.

[@nicholasmanning4307]

Can you recommend a high end DIY kit to folks please? I’m hesitant to grab this one and would love a rec

[@lol360noscope6]

I’m going with the white ice and ePBT Ramenstop. I can’t wait

[@jimmygreen3051]

I’m tied between the two for RamenStop. Still not sure

[@kamilpasciak3228]

Does this keyboard have 6.25u spacebar size?

[@thomaslau1749]

I forgot which review I watched, but someone mentioned that Glorious plans to make there plate to be compatible with 3rd party stabs in the future.

[@elo_888]

So I can get Durock stabs with the Polycarbonate plate?

[@elo_888]

i got my gmmk pro and you can!

[@Orion-redx7]

How do you film this video? Camera and tripod or?

[@utterkid2]

"Who is this for?" A very certain crowd. People who want a hot swap expanded 75% and are going to replace the stabs and mod the keyboard anyways.

[@fredneverdead773]

yeah i think its for poeple getting into the hobby like myself, but whos past the gk61. ive joined the Saka68 gb and am going to get this just cause i love the aesthetic and all the customizability. i honestly dont see anything really wrong with the keyboard, a lot of people bashed on it and i dont really understand.

[@zeonic_keys6375]

@@fredneverdead773 literally just because it’s glorious lol. I have plenty of custom keebs, but this price point is so good honestly, the complaints are pretty petty for how cheap it is

[@fredneverdead773]

@@zeonic_keys6375 yeah tahts what i feel it is, kinda dumb tbh. ig people just dont like that its a big company or something.. strange

[@rks5457]

@@fredneverdead773 for real. Those people just like exclusivity and prob the reselling aspects of enthusiast keyboard industry.

[@coral5200]

only real bad thing about the board is stabs arent great

[@ngagehostile]

Reserved one for myself, the deal is too great. Luckily I have Durock smokey stabs to put in, I'm hopeful

[@holztisch011]

Not a big fan of the middle usb c slot and I would have prefered a white board instead of a silver one. But it is a nice start into the hobby

[@cloakedz]

what is that white keycap set?

[@Zeurgthegreat]

I think they REALLY need to fix the issue with stab compatibility. Not something that would stop me personally from buying the board but definitely an issue that I hope gets fixed by the time I wanna buy this.

[@terrancebiggles5486]

What keycap set is on the black board?

[@replylul]

I NEED THOSE KEYCAPS

[@merpt7140]

Hey man can you do black inks sound test maybe with the polycarbonate plate

[@noahwilson1929]

Whos here after seeing Taehas video

[@bliiblaablue]

Durock, Durock v2, Goat, Goat-SE (special edition)?

[@am897]

What keycaps are those on the black keyboard? They look so nice! Or if anyone can recommend something similar?

[@hiroshilim4827]

Believe it's the kuro/shiro set