Keychron Q1 - The Best $150 Custom Keyboard

Keychron Q1 is the best custom keyboard you can get for under $150 but there are some issues to work around. I think this has better value than GMMK Pro.
www.keychron.com/products/key...
Additional Notes:
I used 3mm thick PE Foam on the BOTTOM of case.
Tape on the bottom also gave it a deeper/lower freq. sound but I don't love it.
I tried 2mm PE foam up top, didn't change the higher pitched ping much. It also made it sound like every other PE foam mod.
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[@CODEX919]

"I do not like the sound of the keyboard at stock" - Said every custom keyboard person ever

[@donaldantonio999]

We audiophiles now!

[@hxsjdbdjavs]

Guy

[@silentKeys20]

I don't get the point of evaluating a keyboard at stock. Like it's called "custom" for a reason, put some work and effort to it. Sound profile can be easily modded, gasket implementation is much harder to improve.

[@eidrag]

@J W yeah yours already sound TOCK at stock

[@jamess.2491]

Nah a good custom keyboard kit sounds great with no mods, if you're interested you can look at something like the Kyuu, Matrix 2.0, Jane, or Voice65 (there are a lot more these are just ones that come to mind)

[@kaiyamashita6233]

Correction: the current pcb does have the support for a rotary encoder but it will need to be soldered in rather than hot swap Edit: you can see the pads for the rotary encoder at 6:12

[@popsicle9017]

I'm down for it.

[@ventilate4267]

Pin this man

[@explawsion]

Damn, I might just bite the bullet and buy one now!

[@ventilate4267]

no there's always a better keyboard coming out next week

[@negator86]

Where did you get this info?

[@hamajineo]

This is a really unique view on the Q1, loved the review!

[@user-gb1lm1bq4s]

@@magicpaladin u can't see the time fam

[@skyhappy]

It's staggered and non split, it sucks

[@mrpenis6969]

cant wait to see YOUR review

[@user-bh8jd2hq1y]

Need your review too

[@ishaanm8270]

I concur

[@Neoxon619]

This is actually the first keyboard video I’ve seen from Dave, & I can see why everyone was hyping them up. Dave’s really passionate about keyboard.

[@nicomartin5584]

Yes. I've never seen someone more excited about a keyboard than Dave

[@anthonychung9466]

@@nicomartin5584 ohh boy go into the subreddit for it and you’ll find a lot more people excited about keyboard

[@MG-kg1eq]

@@anthonychung9466 the subreddit that has three different kinds of posts. Advertisements "Check out my first board" (either GMMK Pro or Tofu) Prebuilt keyboards

[@vedaryan334]

There are some great ones from the past

[@anthonychung9466]

@@MG-kg1eq that’s fair, but the groupbuys and ads still get people excited as hell

[@AndyVNguyen]

Dave2D has the cleanest and simplest cinematography in the KZbin game. Gotta try putting the PE foam in the case, thanks for the idea!

[@qasushii]

e

[@cl1ckrr]

andy x dave collab ??!!!

[@gvnady8380]

Sus 🤔

[@bren.r]

Didn’t expect to see you here.

[@greyox]

Even his watches shows 00:00:00 (at 6:12)

[@MrSkullhead0]

I’m so glad you did this review. The keeb community is thriving!

[@YarakaOfficial]

I never knew I needed Dave as a kbd channel in my life. Would love for you to do this stuff more, you're good at it!

[@SagvanKurdi]

Been watching your videos for so long, and can't get enough. So entertaining!

[@abhinavranjan7964]

If there can be a fingerprint sensor in the customisable area, it would be a bomb !!

[@AxxLAfriku]

One thing! Just one thing! Please tell IT to me: WHY tf do I have so many fans even though no KZbinr is unprettier than I am? WORLDWIDE!!!! WHY??? Tell me, dear abi

[@shubhamarutwar9396]

A knob with fingerprint sensor on top of it will be atom bomb

[@YashBudhiraja]

@fireroka because biometrics are always more secure and generally faster? lol?

[@nightwing8666]

@fireroka ? What is this comment lol.

[@DanilErofeev]

@@YashBudhiraja not at all always. Its much easier to forcefully get a finger on a fingerprint sensor than to forcefully get a password from a person.

[@Eshcole]

I've been eyeing this one down when it started hitting my email. Thanks for the in-depth look Dave. I'm personally a fan of using silicon like RandomFrankP.

[@juhokettunen8245]

I like your natural, no-nonsense delivery. Review was a pleasure to watch.

[@ivan_off]

I've just watched a full 9 min video on a topic that I know nothing about but as always Dave makes everything easy to understand so its a pleasure, thank you for the introduction :)

[@Dr3amingAwak3]

This came a really weirdly appropriate time for me. As I was looking for a good hot swabbed keyboard. Thanks Dave.

[@jonathanhagerty7174]

I would also look into the Keychron C1; at $50 it’s surprisingly premium feeling and you can spend the money you saved and premium switches and keycaps!

[@akshaysurendran3827]

Check RK84

[@nadtz]

C1 isn't bad either and... Oh someone already said it.

[@ohwell5761]

I like that Dave did a detailed review for an entry level custom keyboard. This will get so many people into that deep deep rabbit hole of custom keyboards (:

[@innovativeadvertising6463]

Hey there! As a fellow tech enthusiast, I totally get the appeal of custom keyboards. They can be a gateway to a whole world of customization. By the way, have you checked out the HOTO Compressed Air Capsule? It's a handy tool for keeping your desktop clean and organized. The powerful vacuuming and blowing capabilities make it a game-changer. Plus, it's compact and efficient! Just thought I'd share this cool gadget with you! 😊

[@zu22779]

Thanks for shedding more light on this great hobby!

[@The8merp]

Love how in-depth you go over any technology. Would love to see more non traditional custom mechanical keyboard reviews, especially for split columnar keyboards, like ErgoDox, Gergoplex, Atreus, Iris, kyria, corne etc. as I am considering buying or building one myself

[@innovativeadvertising6463]

Hey there! Thanks for sharing your interest in non-traditional custom keyboards, especially split columnar ones like ErgoDox, Gergoplex, Atreus, and more. These keyboards offer unique ergonomic setups, which can be great for long coding sessions or comfort-oriented typing. With regards to your notebook upgrade, have you considered optimizing its cooling system? I recently came across the HOTO Compressed Air Capsule, which seems like a handy tool for maintaining a clean and dust-free environment for your devices. Its powerful vacuuming and blowing capabilities can make a significant difference in extending the lifespan of your notebook and other tech gear. Plus, the HOTO Compressed Air Capsule offers a range of features and accessories that add value to its functionality. You might find it helpful for your desktop setup too! Happy tech exploring! 😉

[@elimwambi5142]

Even with great KZbinrs like mkbhd, LTY and mrwhosetheboss, Dave manages to be a breath of fresh air

[@senkl]

whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves and call whosetheboss guy great..

[@mrsteelnutz]

@@senkl true lol his videos are mostly cringe and he hypes the products more instead of just reviewing theM

[@YourLocalCafe]

@@mrsteelnutz i have to agree with the hyping up but he reviews them fairly well.

[@raidwolf4088]

Throw Unbox in there as well. Cannot stand that guy at all.

[@YourLocalCafe]

Ah yes, LTY my favourite tech. channel.

[@FavoriteTechX]

Dave signature color 👍🏼

[@TomSGao]

How did he get that green color

[@patrickkaehuaea657]

Loved this video. Great to see the crossover and genuine interest.

[@klubhead7070]

God I love his videos. Always so clean. Going to order this right now

[@iliveinpoland]

Was looking for a new keyboard Thanks!

[@robee984]

What you do ?

[@nictheguitarist]

Yesss Dave keyboard content! Coincidentally getting into the mech KB world, and this video pops up haha

[@nicholashaynes4073]

snap

[@babblebam]

same lol

[@fastlegente3430]

Good luck in the rabbit hole haha

[@YourLocalCafe]

@@fastlegente3430 i literally replied with that but youtube just removed it, godammit.

[@likethewind5088]

Same. Im considering the rk61 pro with silver switches.

[@gilmonreal7094]

i agree, loved the sound after the laptop foam went in. very noticeable.

[@deandunn206]

Thanks for the review. I ordered a Q1 to replace my Razer Black Widow I've had for a few years. I learnt to type on the original IBM PS/2 keyboard so prefer a heavier key, went for the brown switches and hoping for good things with this.

[@milkloverenterprises3367]

LETS GO never knew Dave was a sweaty keeb nerd! Hoping for more keyboard content!

[@pepega3344]

Really? Keyboards are like third of his videos

[@trs5127]

@@pepega3344 he really hasn't done one in a pretty long time. I almost forgot he's a keyboard guy

[@FusionHyperion]

I recently bought the Anne Pro II and i really like the stock version, I may change the keycaps but either its a really nice KB to me (and the rgb looks sooo good too)

[@hristomirhristov3229]

I am a happy owned of G915 TKL Tactile... love the battery life. Since I bought it on 16th June I have not yet needed to charge it (currently 65%). Love it!

[@yuusource831]

You are so honest about all your review product. I like that.

[@KoZeroSM]

Dave: Tempest tape and PE foam mods didn't work. Me: Hmm... That can't be right.

[@tangtangtang1372]

mods can fix sound. But mods cant fix the sound if the sound is not there/insufficient in the first place. This just prove that how severely muted/design oversight the GMMK pro is.

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

@@tangtangtang1372 Yea but if you've got a muted keyboard signature, you can still do something with it. I'd slap some silent blacks have a nice quiet thud sound and call it a day.

[@shakir4969]

Taeha: made fully custom for Dave Dave: Didn't make a video

[@imas234]

it makes sense. that wasn't really something you could buy. he did show it off in its own segment in his setup tour though.

[@kukuhadiprasetyo5881]

I think he'll make the video about it in his next clean desktop setup...

[@shakir4969]

@@imas234 He talked about why he didn't post a video on his tesla because it is more self serving in his opinion. I know he didn't for the same reason here for the Bauer keyboard. It's just very interesting to see his point of view assuming he is not a keyboard enthusiast.

[@imas234]

@@shakir4969 yeah i saw that podcast, it definitely ties into why there was no seperate video on the keyboard

[@yashwanthsagiri854]

Hey man was waiting for you to do a keyboard video ever since I saw Bauer build. Great content love it

[@air4703]

So excited for it to arrive!

[@DailySetupTech]

I can’t wait to see Razer or Corsair jump into the custom keyboard game 👀

[@trickyrat483]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKDEi6iGYppqfpo

[@danielitto12]

"Take a look at the customs; it's a cool world out here." Dave trying to make everyone a custom keyboard enthusiast haha

[@DivyangM]

Yep, That Line Was Heavy..

[@mehmetgurdal]

I'm interested in it but I don't think that I have the necessary will power to resist the urge of buying new stuff every month. I got my hands filled enough with the audio gear and it's a whole universe by itself.

[@stuartng08]

more custom keyboard content dave we need more people in the community!

[@pamilyadance3550]

I didn’t know someone could be so passionate about a keyboard! It’s amazingly refreshing! I won’t look at my iPhone screen touch keyboard in the same way!

[@memo90frost]

Keychron Q1 looks awesome for the price, especially for a beginner in custom keyboards. The $169 price point looks very attractive if you're just getting started in the hobby. I hope to see it soon at European stores since they don't ship to my country.

[@Sorena317]

It ships to Germany, but I payed literally 50$ just for shipping. I think I am insane, because I bought it anyway.

[@lefteriseleftheriou5435]

Great video as always Dave! Would you consider doing a review on the new budget-friendly Royal Kludge RK68 65% keyboard? Keep it up!

[@akshaysurendran3827]

Yep .. Also the RK84

[@W0Rd0n32sTre3T]

Wow, how knowledgeable Dave is about keebs is an unexpected but welcome surprise

[@jeyfloh]

I've been watching a lot of reviews for both the Q1 and the GMMK trying to decide what's best for me. Dave's style and insight just resonates with me and really helped me decide which is best for me. Now to save up to actually buy lol.

[@YoutubeLover-np9lu]

Which one did you choose?

[@NuanDaa]

@@KZbinLover-np9lu talking bullshit he won’t buy anything

[@thenightknight1539]

When Dave makes an entire video about a keyboard, you know it has to be legendary

[@RacingPotato12]

Keychron boards are average at best. Even a cheaper KBD67 Lite is way better than this.

[@TheOrisya]

Mkbhd post it on his instagram too.. seems like keycron marketing is in the work

[@Levi_Allen]

I am so bummed there aren’t more low rise Mac friendly full size keyboards. I love my small k1 v4 because of the nice low rise feel. But I wish keychron would restock the full size version. I’ve been on the wait list for over a year. Any other tips out their from keyboard peoples? I like low rise mechanicals and being Mac friendly is a plus.

[@poolkrooni]

I'm not a major keyboard enthusiast, but does Hexgears X1 fall into that category? it's low profile though. I use it with macOS daily

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

What do you mean by low rise? But keychron is porbably the most mac friendly brand in this segment. I wouldn't bother getting a 100% layout if you don't really regularly use the numpad (because you can always get a seperate one) to save space on the desk. If you are not using the iso layout you could look into Drop's boards, they tend to be pretty low profile.

[@Levi_Allen]

@@Daniel-dj7fh yeah I really want a dedicated number pad. I use it constantly for shortcuts and all of the separated ones drive me nuts when they don’t match the feel and height of my main keyboard. What I mean by low rise is whatever the k1 rise is. Keycrhon have this hybrid size where it’s mechanical but not the full height of most of the other mechanical keyboard I have. I guess it’s simply that I prefer the slimmer profile off the desk. So that’s kinda what I’ve been looking for, but hard to find a full size that people are really impressed with. I’ll look into Poolkrooni’s suggestion

[@eastonarnett2050]

Verified with 4 likes and 3 comments??? What???

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

@@Levi_Allen Ah you could look for boards which support low profile switches like those from cherry, they need different keycaps tho

[@impendio]

I have a K4 and I love it, nothing fancy but a very nice intro to mechs.

[@helloukw]

Watching people trying to find their "best keyboard" while I rock a wired mac keyboard for years now and its great, for anything from gaming to coding, and its full size, which matters a lot for me. It also sounds very good and it also has very stable keys and space and it has enough travel to be nice to type on.

[@AlejandroNovoaWorks]

Darn maybe Dave finally getting into more custom keyboards?

[@nurudino_]

At this point, Dave is more excited about keyboards than his kids lol. He has such wonderful energy.

[@BenBjork]

I must just be here for that energy, because I can tell you for certain I’m not in the market for a custom mechanical keyboard, lol.

[@austinemerick191]

Looks (and sounds) like an awesome keyboard! Here's hoping for a ten-key version!

[@tubester358]

This is such a good video for beginners for a channel that isn't focused at all on keyboards, so many other channels seem to talk a lot more terminology & describing their experience instead of showing details & comparing sounds clearly. This is also a good example of "thock" I guess?

[@_roscoe]

Dave: I have a strong preference for the brown switches. Glarses: *stares motherfuckerly*

[@TheInstaShark]

Ah, but they're GATERON Browns, not Cherry MX. Loophole.

[@offbrandegg5378]

THEYRE CHAD BROWNS NOT CHERRY BROWNS

[@stevenr3544]

@@TheInstaShark Im pretty sure he said that he just doesn't like brown switches in general so not really a loop hole

[@RacingPotato12]

There should've been a warning before that blue switch typing test. My ears are bleeding and my house blew up.

[@wes4565]

I really hope it's a just a separate piece of PCB and not an entire board replacement. I would really love that knob. Thanks for this video Dave! I'll seriously be considering this with the Everglide EG Aqua King switches.

[@drycleanonly]

Nice! The keyboard sounds way poppier with that thicker PE Foam underneath the PCB

[@i_am_acai]

PSA: shipping for the Q1 $30 in the US while the gmmk pro has free shipping, effectively making the Q1 $10 more expensive

[@TheInstaShark]

It was $48 for me. 😔

[@penguinkraftz3329]

Gmmk pro is $60 shipping for me 🙃

[@i_am_acai]

@@penguinkraftz3329 yea that sucks if your country doesn't have free shipping

[@supersop1367]

@@i_am_acai 10$ isn’t really a big deal considering ur getting a much better board

[@supersop1367]

@Joshua So wait it is? I’m new to keyboards and people always trash glorious products for no reason and praise gmk for their overpriced garbage and everyone seems to praise this board

[@Leowulfs]

I'm so happy a "normal" human being is reviewing this and not a socially dented keyboard weirdo.

[@fablesbyutsho7651]

6:13 That metalic sound is sooo satisfying!

[@beersandbacon]

Hey Dave, looking at the accessories for this board it looks like the caps are dye sub and not doubleshot. Picked one up and looking forward to reviewing it myself. I like the GMMK even though it isn't a true gasket mount so I will need to see how it compares. I really hope they release a rotary knob add on. Great review as always.

[@Racoon-Man]

Me watching this on a 150$ smartphone: *INTERESTING*

[@shaswatdas6553]

Don't trust keychron with promises. 2yrs over and still no software for keychron K series. Edit: I use k2v2 (75% tkl)

[@impartial6119]

They didn’t even make the software for this keyboard. They just made it so it can support better software than what they can make

[@shaswatdas6553]

@@impartial6119 big oof😂 I'm literally heartbroken. I use a different keyboard layout (workman). But my employer doesn't allow me to install anything on work laptop. I'm stuck on what to do. Keychron software was my last hope.

[@mystichavin5330]

​@@impartial6119via and qmk is standard in the custom community and its miles better than proprietary software

[@mystichavin5330]

@@shaswatdas6553 you can flash the firmware onto the pcb. meaning that you can edit whatever you want onto your board on another pc and it'll keep those changes when you plug into a new computer

[@discocrocodile6310]

Such an insane value! I was actually hoping that the keycaps were PBT but it looks like their website says ABS doubleshot. Maybe they were PBT up until recently because the ones you have look different from what they're advertising now. None the less, great deal.

[@ArchieGee]

Would love more keyboard reviews!

[@xprez1130]

The way he just stacks his keyboards make me uneasy..

[@js4981]

I mean I’m not a super enthusiast even though I loved the video… but aren’t they made of metal? If they were to be damaged from this type of treatment I’d be highly disappointed, but anyways I know nothing about keyboards so

[@todoroki4418]

That's only ugly ass keyboard.

[@DeepLyricist]

Omg look at it's subtle off white color and tasteful thickness

[@joerozell4882]

Love the review bro! Thanks

[@OreOmod]

Too have brown switches. fully lubed them and placed thicc foam at the bottom. They sound like rattling bones now, super smooth to listen

[@rohittkrr]

Your GMMK Pro sounds glorious 😍

[@Voltedge89]

I switched to mechanical keyboard the corsair k100 and a desk set up moving from a purely laptop use. Typing anything on a decent mechanical keyboard is so satisfying that it makes you smile. Now I understand why people spend premium for keyboards.

[@JanosKehl]

Thanks for your thoughts. Delivery didn't make it before my vacation so my video on it comes on saturday. (german version) 👍👍👍

[@dzus]

I got a keychron myself after my mac keyboard failed. But for reasons other than because its a mechanical keyboard. Which is a nice bonus. The BT keyboard I got allows me to switch between 3 devices with ease. Compare to a similarly price mac keyboard that lets me pair to a miserly 1.. Bottomline, love the Keychron, never going back!

[@avaishdhanshe7650]

Great video as usual Dave

[@bloop7282]

PE foam anywhere in a board makes it sound amazing. slapped it in my rk61 and it made stock cherry reds much deeper and thocky

[@Tactical1944]

Probably the only KZbinr that can get he to watch an entire video on custom keyboards I have no interest in lol thanks for the great content sir

[@pita1963]

Glad a brand like Keychron get into this so those keyboards won't be so expensive and hard to buy. Still loving my GMMK pro and will consider getting a new one if Keychron when bring their Bluetooth + wired connection to this type of keyboard.

[@hotdogpopsicle]

Woahh that's the first time i see the q1 , it looks hella sick

[@joelalex5432]

Love your work dave ❤️

[@greyareaRK1]

Yeah, that white keyboard sounds amazing. There is a blue PE foam that is making the rounds. I'm not sure if it's the same material as what you used; seems denser. Supposedly really good at deepening and reducing switch noise.

[@thomastran6845]

That PE foam addition made a difference. holy.

[@hritikzurange]

i bought a 30$ bajeal k100 (blue switches) keyboard from banggood, and i’m totally in love with it

[@DeadEyeJ]

I got a Keychron K3 V2 and a K4 V2. Amazing keyboards.

[@drainis]

The moment they have the rotary version, I'm definitely getting one

[@tyrosine87]

Putting taehas custom board in a video about budget customs feels kind of cheeky, not going to lie. I think this one is a winner as an entry board.

[@Ryuudo123]

that volume spike at the outro...holy crap

[@karanmadhwani2261]

PE mod, tape mod, Dave2D is keeping up with the trends!

[@ahmedkamalhasin2070]

I think this is the most sweaty I've seen Dave go about something in a while.

[@bob3578]

Thanks to this review the newer revisions have more PE foam that removed the ping. :D

[@jonathanhagerty7174]

I just grabbed the KeyChron C1 and for $50 I think it’s a steal. I went a little overboard and spent an arm and leg for some C3 Tangerines and oooooweeee does she thonk now!

[@ChopTheViking]

I think feel and feedback are also big reasons for mechanical/custom keyboards. So far my favorite keyboard I've ever typed on was the Logitech G915 TKL. I'm not sure what they're doing with those Red Romer-G switches but it just feels amazing to type on.

[@cgaWolf]

Full circle: A keyboard video is how i first found Dave :)

[@georgesimon2730]

Never been a fan of fancy keyboards and such, but this has made me very nostalgic. I don't know why, though...

[@alfred.clement]

1:19 it's the feel for me, but the sound got me into this hobby... Cherry mx blues, good times.

[@richardt.rogers2730]

god the sound of that bauer from taeha is unbelievable

[@luisdeleon3447]

Ayyyy I did the same foam thing underneath on my Keychron C2. This is a legit method.

[@Eridu]

just the video i needed!

[@MartinAaberge]

Great review Dave. I have considered this keyboard, but I'm not buying a keyboard right now. I am adding it to the list of boards to consider though.

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

Really dope set, it even comes in iso :DDD

[@evilkamatis542]

That Q1 has a lot of flex but showing that custom Bauer from Taehatypes definitely was a FLEX.

[@itst1998]

That extra PE foam makes all the difference!

[@Shaurya_Pant]

WTF did I watch? Why the fuck I even watched it, I have no idea. Damn, this therapeutic Dave 2D is getting addictive. This man can probably even make me listen my college lectures in their entirety.

[@stephanieho7686]

so happy to know youre an enthusiast :D

[@rainpatch4358]

Did I just watch a 9min review of a keyboard? Yes, because it's Dave2D! 😌