Plastic Keyboards Can Be LUXURY...

[@piccomail]

unpopular opinion: $189 is not a budget keyboard

[@wuachurra]

i'm with you

[@jacktee4030]

same here. i feel like anything near the 200 range is midrange. that or im just poor :(

[@vuri3798]

Especially when it's not even aluminium

[@bluejaysakko]

@@vuri3798 aluminum for this keyboard is more cheaper than this acrylic one on the video

[@statixfear]

"Budget" is subjective, as it varies from person to person. That being said, what I can tell you is that spending close to $200 on a barebones kit with a plastic case, and a PCB without LEDs (which, by the way, makes no sense since the case is literally translucent/frosted), is absurd. I love Mode Designs but when I saw this, I was literally scratching my head.

[@HipyoTech]

69 likes and I'll build it without foam on stream. www.twitch.tv/hipyo ⬇Affiliate links to help out the channel ⬇ Get my new deskmat: kineticlabs.com/desk-mats?ref=hipyo Get the envoy: modedesigns.com/products/envoy?sca_ref=1424737.SSCCX9L0Sz Switches I used: shop.wuquestudio.com/r?id=r61d8h

[@GodOhMyGosh]

lol u got way more then 69 likes

[@KxngIsntcool]

get to building lmao

[@gamingsoups]

im not sure you mounted the envoy correctly...

[@modekeyboards]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the Envoy! As a side note, the PCB does have 2 rows of RGB underglow that you can enable in VIA 😉

[@art1_san]

oh slay does it really

[@danielgamingyt2640]

@@art1_sannah nah nah aint no way bro came over from yt shorts

[@art1_san]

@@danielgamingyt2640 ?

[@danielgamingyt2640]

@@art1_san “slay”

[@art1_san]

@@danielgamingyt2640 It was ironic lmao

[@2A9H]

Mode made a mistake sending the Envoy for this guy to review.

[@stills2359]

ikr

[@iantune]

he really fell of real hard

[@EricLab97]

I think everyone is misunderstanding Hipyo's use of the term "budget" don't view this as the fact it is a "plastic" keyboard (even though it is made from a more expensive polycarbonate material which is different) but the aluminum version which is $196 (added the $7 for hotswap), compare it to the other aluminum boards in the space. Zoom 65 EE V2 $175, Keychron Q2 $159-169 (Knob dependent) it is pretty close to that price which the extra $20 might be a consideration if you like design and/or the mounting style of the Mode Envoy over the other aluminum options. Something else to note specifically for the Mode Envoy vs the Zoom 65 is that Envoy comes with the option of either FR4 or POM plate with no extra cost while Zoom 65 is only polycarbonate plate included and it is $19 for an FR4 or POM plate separately making it essentially the same price.

[@dudebroguymate]

Mode is in a different universe compared to Keychron.

[@TwisTed1803]

PE foam does round the sound out and make it sound pretty much the same as every other PE foam board

[@ameri5903]

I genuinely was surprised i got into trying mechanical keyboard because of you and Glarses and for my birthday i got a budget keyboard from epomaker and i was expecting something not great because of the price but was genuinely surprised by how good it felt and sounded so even keyboards with a budget price can be decently good

[@ATBananaMan]

It has underglow RGB, don't know if you left that out so that people would comment, but you didn't even plug the keyboard in for the whole video.

[@eeveeblazelol]

yo hippo was wrong? impossible!

[@HipyoTech]

Very possible

[@BikesnBiscuits]

@@HipyoTech i refuse to believe it

[@TheMelodicNightmare]

Some REALLY nice looking boards here though, but that copper.. oh LAWD 🤤

[@respect386]

Great video! I invested in a Sonnet from Mode and, as someone who never built a keyboard before, I have to say their directions and build process were super easy to follow. I’m not gonna get an envoy cause I honestly don’t feel like I need another keyboard, but that’s because I’m super pleased with my Sonnet. I think if you like the design of the envoy and know what you want, I think you’ll really love it. But if you’re unsure about your build then I’d recommend going a cheaper route imo.

[@SadWitchBree]

Excellent advice!

[@dylanherron3963]

I'm very curious to get started with Mode, thanks for the input

[@RNLafferty]

​@@dylanherron3963 I have a Sonnet and absolutely love it! It's one of the best mid-range 75% boards out there, and is wildly customizable! Mode is killing it!

[@dylanherron3963]

@@RNLafferty again, more awesome input. I don't have the, um, barrier of opinion that Hipyo has developed at this point, and this keyboard sounded fucking GREAT with included foam. (with respect to the switches that Hipyo used)

[@RNLafferty]

@@dylanherron3963 I rock my Sonnet foamless with Boba U4Ts, a heavy tactile on an FR4 plate with the brass weight and GMK caps.

[@SurrenderNein]

The irony being that I plan on building an Envoy with Osume keycaps. At least now I know they'll sound to my preference. Thanks for that.

[@isstylertho]

Honestly I want to get the envoy, but I wouldnt want the polycarb and I wouldnt want foam. I think it shines more as a clacky board with maybe a copper or carbon fiber plate

[@GemuTyme]

I genuinely hope that we see some sub 150USD Budget keyboards from you soon. I love the content and have used your videos asa basis to venture out to make my very first keyboard. I just feel like most KZbinrs focus on the 160+ range when it comes to "budget" keyboards.

[@nbaid836]

You got me into trying mechanical keyboards and i feel i am going to spend a ton on keyboards in a few years

[@J7T800]

Idk, but Envoy is such a cool name for a board. That being said, if I had to choose an end all be all plastic board, I'd take the Moontower. I love how high pitched that board sounds.

[@Jdjdjrb]

The Envoy also has alu options which are actually cheaper than the plastic for some reason

[@fzh4296]

​@@Jdjdjrb cuz the plastic version isnt plastic, its polycarbonate, muuuch harder to properly CNC than Alu

[@MrElariv]

I think it's worth mentioning the foam kit is an extra 12$. Otherwise I think i prefer the no foam version. The foam one oddly sounds a lot like my plate foam only qk65.

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Unpopular opinion the zoom keyboards sound entirely uninspired. Like say what you want about Qk boards but they are at the very least very distinctive in the way they sound. I feel like the zoom boards just sound pretty average and nothing that I couldn’t essentially create with say an Akko acr board with an added PE foam and a tape mod. Just my two cents

[@kevinliang3919]

Does it mean not to buy envoy? 9:07

[@shakattak7905]

I really love that you started doing builds both with and without foam. ty

[@skweetis]

Mode Envoy, Zoom65, QK65 etc are not budget keyboards. They're entry-level enthusiast boards.

[@NeonLine1982]

Probably one of the best budget 65%. Each layout deserved it's best budget category

[@jebbbo8761]

Can’t wait to watch this in 7hrs🔥🔥🔥

[@brocky]

When you say, "without foam," I think most of us think of it as the keyboard not having any foam - no PE foam, no plate foam, no case foam. But your reference to it having no foam means that there is no case foam, while there still being a PE foam and plate foam. Kinda threw me off a bit.

[@peterlucus2062]

Can confirm, the GB unit has 2 rows of RGB leds for underglow. According to someone I know who got an advanced unit.

[@wolf-xf6hf]

I’d love to see a comparison between all the WS switches ngl

[@xAoWxZmaN]

Thanks for making great content as always, Hipyo!

[@SarcasticJohn]

I bought my K8 Pro for £126, very happy with it

[@Ken_Jones]

The Mode Envoy is best with an Aluminium case in my opinion. Then specc it with a Carbon Fiber plate for Clack and with an Alu/Brass/Copper plate for Thock (my preference is Copper, but some like the Alu or Brass sound more) - all without foam. But of course for the real thock, get the Polycarbonate botton with a POM plate and foam. I like the no-foam copper, because you get a thock and some singing from the metals. I don't like the plastic foam thock. To each it's own. The Mode Envoy giving me these options is great, the ZOOM doesn't give me these options.

[@Queens.Shadow]

Great vid Hipyo! My fav pokemon is umbreon

[@o5hrs]

Not really related, but i was wondering, what switch should i go for for my new keyboard? I want a deep-thocky sound and i have a few switches in mind but i want to know what everyone else thinks! Any help would be appreciated :)

[@itaysharir]

Do you have a new editor or something?

[@figgletinkle]

The locals in the comments saying that 189 isn't budget 💀

[@meatcan]

Cant believe that no one has mentioned that beautiful rendition of the glarses transition lol

[@sarahfitch]

the nola content at the end was much needed! +1 mental health

[@wuachurra]

that sounds really good, but i wouldn't call 189 budget 😢

[@figgletinkle]

This hobby isn't cheap, so for a custom mechanical keyboard it is budget.

[@wuachurra]

@@figgletinkle dude, i built my custom keeb for less than 100. Got myself a hotswap barebones, akko jelly purple + lavender and cheap double pbt redragons. I spent like 80. But you have to put the extra work if you don't have the money.

[@figgletinkle]

@@wuachurra Ok good for you, but the Envoy is nothing like whatever hotswap barebones you got.

[@wuachurra]

@@figgletinkle that's not the point, i only said you CAN make your custom keeb without saving money first

[@figgletinkle]

@@wuachurra Good for you

[@VeryHappy101]

I was a personal fan of the envoy and the entire time I was just screaming "THATS NOT HOW YOU BUILD AN ENVOY NOOOOOOOOO"

[@maolcogi]

Honestly I love the polycarb case, simply because Polycarbonate is such an awesome material. It's not your standard plastic, it's tough, see through, and even absorbs UV light (probably doesn't matter for this use case, but still). Just more interesting to me than standard boring Aluminum. Now ... I have a 1 lb bar of fine Titanium, if anyone wants to make me a sick ass Titanium case! XD

[@FromPlsNerf]

Except it scratches if you so much as sneeze on it. My parallel array is super super prone to scratches.

[@janmichaelsuarez2996]

does polycarb case produce good sound? its really light.

[@creationfied]

@@janmichaelsuarez2996it will sound fuller than metal cases

[@williamwong5480]

Hey Hipyo, Can you please do the NuPhy 65?

[@ichigokeebs]

How is the mode envoy or Zoom65 budget?

[@SadWitchBree]

You just saved me from regretting my decision to get the zoom 65 v2 before I knew about the Envoy. 😂

[@benjarvisz]

The Envoy is the better board

[@aubrynobicop6924]

I'm convinced that budget keyboards are not like budget anything else in terms of price

[@z4k1_zaki65]

I think you miss a point, Mode started making keyboards around $400 with the Mode80, then $300 with the Mode65 and Sonnet, and now Envoy at $189. They hobby is getting more accessible, we more options now, at lower prices

[@kennyhuynh6713]

is there an inconsistent sound on the mode envoy?

[@GodOhMyGosh]

nicce vid! keep up the hard work! ur doing so well

[@heloperson5857]

Do you know of a TKL ISO layout keyboard?? im really struggeling finding one that is white.

[@liyah7867]

what are the keycaps in the thumbnail i love them

[@ZeynepKarali510]

Hey Kevin, i have a thocky frankenswitch idea. You need Novelkeys Creams and Everglide Aqua King V3. To make it you need to swap out the Everglide Aqua King stem with Novelkeys Creams and thats it! Don't forget to use Durock V2 stabilizers and lube them!

[@GodOhMyGosh]

nice idea, maybe hipyo shoud do some more switch vids?

[@ZeynepKarali510]

@@GodOhMyGosh Yeah Kevin should!

[@GodOhMyGosh]

@@ZeynepKarali510 whos kevin

[@ZeynepKarali510]

@@GodOhMyGosh It's Hipyo.

[@GodOhMyGosh]

@@ZeynepKarali510 oh, i thought his name was daniel

[@gavinlarson4520]

about 2 years ago I got a budget keyboard for like $30-40 on amazon because my old one broke and I only planned on using it for a few months but I still use it. It came with the stabilizers prelubed and it had foam in it so that's cool ig

[@elliottsalt]

Interesting. I am glad I watched the new hipyotech video.

[@itayron5684]

i knew your going to review this keyboard!!! the best one yet

[@sergondig21]

you used a photo of the cooler master ck720/721, as the zoom 75. What do you think abaut that keyboard as a budget keyboard? the ck721 cost like 60€ in my country

[@MmmmmmmmEarHair]

100$ is where budget ends and mid range begins. Not 200$

[@figgletinkle]

Are you poor or a local? A lot of prebuilts cost like a hundred bucks

[@MmmmmmmmEarHair]

@@figgletinkle Bro really, poor shaming? You can get excellent prebuilts for less than a hundred.

[@figgletinkle]

@@MmmmmmmmEarHair I'm not poor shaming I'm just asking. And also a prebuilt is nothing like a custom board, so the comparison isn't good. But since you think 100 is budget, a prebuilt may be for you. Just saying

[@w1LYAm]

Did MKC send u their new keyboard mkc75, will u review it?

[@amizan8653]

Never thought I would hear "mode" and "budget" in the same sentence (other than the sentence explaining that mode is NOT budget)

[@waffle911]

Hipyo says "Hold on!" and my browser immediately holds on and locks up.

[@worm7019]

The wait better be worth it

[@GoFastBeSafe]

Please always mention pre travel when talking about tactile switches

[@gelatin.skeletin]

yeah but what about the cidoo 65?

[@soggycracker5934]

Plastic is good, when thick enough to hold up. These days, I'd have the "Budget" range between 50 and 100 usd.

[@TeamRSGesports]

u should do a build in the gmk67

[@Adudenamedyoshi]

I think you should try the gmk67 it’s only 45 dollars

[@Laughingcoyote1213]

I bought an Epomaker EK 68 (I know it's an gmk67) but its surprisingly a really good 90$ prebuilt keeb. Maybe check that out if you're feeling up to it?

[@MaxximumKB]

for all the people saying this board is not budget, it is more in the tier of premium budget imo.

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

Me after buying a Keychron K8 pro: Now this is a PREMIUM KEYBOARD Hipyo with 200 dollar keyboard: Just how bad are budget keyboards? Or can you use them? Let us see!

[@TheRealAstro_]

K8 pro for half the price with double the features tbf, I think you're just paying extra here for the customizability and maybe some of the materials. The hobby sure is crazy some times haha

[@PhoenixKeebs]

Literally the perfect opportunity to use WS browns, and you wasted it 🤦‍♂️

[@gertinnamusic7785]

Hey, what 80% (TKL) hotswap keyboard (wired) do you recommend? That will be my first ever keyboard. And where I can put all keycaps on :). I like the drop CTRL layout but I heard people have problems with it.

[@ericxueAAA]

Thanks for your real talk.

[@hungrywallaby]

"five minutes of screwing later..." MUST RESIST JOKE!! (Oh well, at least he lubes...

[@ChubiPanda]

I don't get the hype around Mode boards. The Sonnet is pretty but the 65 and 80 are boring and this looks too much like a QK65, save for the weight, for me to buy while also owning a QK65. Is it VIA compatible?

[@JesusXina]

From what I’ve heard of the Envoy. I prefer the Envoy vs the QK65 because the wide range of sounds you can get from the envoy. You can make it clack like crazy (which I’m a fan of) vs QK65 being too reliant of foams to sound good

[@chendusingh]

Yeah if you choke any board to the brim with foam it'll sound better if thats what you want. The QK without foam is horrible. It's a piece of metal with foam to the brim. The Envoy actually uses a new mounting style, 2 screw disassembly, the most customisation of any custom, and sounds great without foam. The Eighty and 65 again crazy customisation, two mounting styles. What do you mean looks too much like a QK65? By that logic every 65 you see looks like a QK. QK wasn't the inventor of the layout

[@topofthemorning4959]

What do you mean looks too much like a qk65? It’s not like the 65% layout is copyrighted or anythinn

[@figgletinkle]

QK boards sound like trash without foam, and it's the truth. Mode boards do not. The Envoy doesn't share the same mounting style as QK boards. It doesn't look like a QK65 either, not even the bezels look similar or even the weight, not even the side profile either so there's no similarity other than the layout being the same, and the QK65 isn't the only 65% board. You might as well say the Kohaku and TGR 910 look like the QK65 too if that's how your logic works

[@figgletinkle]

@@topofthemorning4959 It's probably a person who only knows QK65 and all the mainstream boards

[@Icyblade01]

gonna get the mode in mirage with ink blacks and classic hangul caps

[@JoshPricePlus]

How about reviewing an actually budget board, like the GMK67, or a cheap Epomaker..?

[@figgletinkle]

The envoy is considered "budget"

[@extra4405]

Wait until hippyo learns about the tecware veil 87

[@Rayu25Demon]

3:33 ay lem ennam 🤣

[@totallynotmyeggalt6216]

Do you think you could do a little review on the KiiBOOM Phantom 81 (Linus Media Group recently took a look at it)? For $159 USD it seems like a really solid value, and if $189 is "budget" now then it should be pretty competitive within that space.

[@raduluben]

The spacebar flex really seems concerning. I see a lot of foamless builds, seemingly this is best suited for envoy, but nobody mentioned that. It makes sense, having only the two lattice blocks on the bottom, as opposed to the four on top. Also, having foam blocking the pcb for it not to wobble around doesn’t sound optimal. This may just be big enough that i would go for the tofu 2.0 or even upcoming jris65 gb.

[@benedicvelasco]

This is first-world budget tier. For me and most third-world people, budget tier is less than 50 USD.

[@Arzdback51]

Have you tried a NuPhy keyboard?

[@m.l.9385]

Will it support ISO?

[@ZonaGeeWon]

Great video! (fav: Rayquaza)

[@levisuno]

hey Hipyo, great video! I wanted to ask you if you could you maybe review the yunzii yz75 at some point? I kinda wanna get It but don't know if I should and I'd love to hear you opinion on it

[@felicia9578]

Why did you change the title and thumbnail of the video?

[@m-1917]

10:10 are you kidding?

[@vhxynh]

hipyo!!! pls make a keeb from temu, i’ve seen so many switches on there but idk whether they’re gonna scam me of the quality or something

[@screes620]

Wish i could buy a QK65, but since i can't... At least this one is in stock, and it does have some led's.

[@oscarsanchez298]

Hmm, that off tilt flex looks really odd, the kit doesn't have foam included so it seems like this is a big design flaw...

[@Agirly16]

U gotta try the gmk67

[@goodguyfabi]

Does anyone know if the hotswap PCB is ISO compatible? Ive found no info on it anywhere, the website only says the plate supports ISO, but nothing about the hotswap PCB. Literally the only reason why ive not ordered one yet. Thanks!

[@chendusingh]

If the plate supports it, the PCB has to support it 😂 So yes, it does support ISO of the plate is ISO compat

[@MIsterISmiley]

How about you review the KZZI K75? Just in terms of features, price and switch options it seems to beat a lot of other popular keyboards to the point that it's kind of suspicious. Maybe it's a hidden gem or something I dunno. Just wanted to bring that info to your attention.

[@MIsterISmiley]

...And no i am not a spy sent by KZZI to promote their product, because that would mean I would get paid :)

[@elegantcastle00]

Do a 100$ budget pleb challenge

[@VieiraBBX]

Sooo... the title says "I Was Wrong About Budget Keyboards..." Buuut the description says it's a midrange budget keyboard... soooo... it's not a budget keyboard? I would love if you reviewed the GMK67 tho 😁👍

[@Shqdows1]

Can you please review the Flux Keyboard!! PLEASE

[@Nabe0s]

the budget keyboard i have now is Itou65. it is zoom65 clone and pretty good for the price.

[@figgletinkle]

Where'd you get it?

[@Nabe0s]

@@figgletinkle got it straight from taobao/xianyu from china market. The build quality is decent, but the the spray coating is so bad. I bought it for nearly 500 Yuan including aluminum weight and shipping fee.

[@figgletinkle]

​@@Nabe0s The price is pretty good, I should probably check out Taobao and see what other stuff they have on there

[@shrekthevik]

Please try the YZ75 by Yunzii(budget?)

[@Efthimisko]

I trust Hipyo's opinion but man...does this thing look cheap. Might just be my taste, but this particular transparent case and the flex / moving aroud makes it look more like a 50$ keyboard at best.

[@topofthemorning4959]

The pc case is just if you want more flex and that pc sound, you can get an aluminum version for cheaper

[@figgletinkle]

It's the keycaps

[@z4k1_zaki65]

You might wanna watch other reviewers like Alexotos, much better review on this board

[@rcmlit9767]

hipyo try a prebuilt budget keyboard that has lubed switches and stabs , gateron yellow and a screen it is the fantech maxfit 81

[@joechua8426]

Still waiting for my current mech keyboard to give out before trying any of these cool ones 😅

[@KxngIsntcool]

Atrix sniper = best budget gaming keyboard

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

I still want to try one of the iqunix boards. I haven't seen too much about them.

[@Jdjdjrb]

They should’ve sent you the aluminum version