Vortex Core 40% Mechanical Keyboard - Unboxing & Review

[@tenv]

_"I'm a capslock kind of guy"_ a wot

[@mikael6]

But there is capslock?

[@tebloo579]

M I K A E L i think it’s because it says caps instead of capslock

[@tenv]

Spotted two capslock users here ^

[@tebloo579]

@@tenv i really only use caps lock when im typing in all caps, otherwise i use shift

[@ireadysucks3026]

@@tebloo579 since I’m used to a chromebook, I just never use caps lock, even when typing in all caps (which I never do)

[@gammoron]

now we are waiting for some 1% keyboards to come up

[@mortimermouse3086]

2 keys, fn key for every single key, and one for the single key, try and game with that

[@TaeKeyboards]

Learn morse code and you're good to go!

[@mosk11tto]

and there are actually 30% keyboards already

[@mosk11tto]

massdrop-s3.imgix.net/img_thread/3OflUjM9R82YDA709YFK_IMG_20161116_122926.jpg?auto=format&fm=jpg&fit=max&w=1334&h=555&dpr=1&q=80

[@gammoron]

+TaeKeyboards but programming a keyboard is too much of a hassle, i am thinking about doing it to my old membrane keyboard tho. right now using cherry mx blues, they are so addicting to type on.

[@marco_evertus]

TKL is the most I can do, I really admire people who can use 60% or 40%.

[@faroth05]

I use a preonic as my main board, it took me a month to get used to it (But i was switching from azerty to qwerty at the same time) it fits perfectly gaming purposes. Switching from ortholinear to standard layout is kind of boring at first but it's mainly because of the custom layers that you really get used to. But in any case, the board itself is a wonderfull experience, if you are considering buying one, just go on you won't regret :)

[@faroth05]

On the preonic you have the arrow keys and i made a layer with the numpad and system keys so i got pretty much everything.

[@pnp072000]

I use a 60% keyboard and I love it.

[@jackarthurtaylor8318]

I use a 75%

[@TheBossGrand]

have you seen 65%? They are like 60% but have dedicated arrow keys which is a big minus from the 60%ers

[@majsus2820]

Timestamps : Unboxing - 00:20 Size comparisons : 00:30 Design - 1:13 DSA keycaps - 2:29 Layout - 3:00 Layers - 4:21 Programmability - 6:32 Disassembly & internals - 8:54 Keyswitches & sound comparisons - 10:20 Conclusion - 11:35

[@fishchipsrule3387]

spork thanks

[@leonk6950]

A quick tip for everyone using a keyboard without dedicated number keys having the same problem with mouse - numbers - mouse -numbers etc: Install autohotkey and setup a script that makes one of the extra buttons of your mouse switch the mapping of your keyboard so you have numbers. You can then let it set up a numpad on the left of the keyboard, making you able to type in numbers whilst keeping your hand on the mouse. You can also use this trick for other stuff where you would switch between simple keyboard inputs and mousing

[@keeswillems4637]

Dude your channel is awesome. You keep popping up in my recommendations and while I only have 1 mechanical cheapo keyboard I just keep watching the vids. Now I just subbed because what the heck

[@TaeKeyboards]

Thanks

[@MeowTow]

I think anything less than 60% is too far.

[@JackiePrime]

Meow Tow great, I'll keep that in mind

[@saintfrosty6165]

Anything less than a 122 key is to small

[@SohanMeegahage]

It depends on the user really, if you don't do much work on your PC other than browsing the web and writing up the random word document, this is going to work very well for you saving a lot of desk space. I can see myself using this even with an android via OTG for taking notes in class even

[@qdunne]

Slikxflame nah bro. 87 key should be the smallest. anything smaller is just... small

[@lianahaque2512]

idk i look at a 60% now and I cringe at how much space it takes up

[@sirvosterzo]

So, it's not for gaming. It's not for programming. It's not for video editing. It's not for writing. It's basically useless, and yet I want it so bad.

[@there_is_nothing_here]

Claudio Lavacca "but yet I want it". Ah and there you have it, that's what it's good for 😂

[@micahsnyder7299]

Actually, programmers do use it. The purpose of the boards is that you don’t have to move your hands to reach any keys. Everything is within the reach of your fingers without you actually having to ever move your hand at all. They say it’s really great for when you spend a lot of time programming and typing, and you can get 100% functionality, without 100% size. It can get tiresome having to move your hand all around the keyboard while you’re using it.

[@hellbentangel7589]

I mean I really want it as my main keyboard and I've never had a mechanical keyboard and the smallest keyboard ive ever used is a regular TKL on my laptop which is maybe like 70% (f keys are half keys). But I want to get a num pad separate so I can use it on the left or right side. I think the minivan is the perfect keyboard though I just have to figure out if I can make it RGB, but I prefer it to this one due to its dedicated arrow cluster

[@SimonK]

its cute tho

[@zizhenchen7377]

Currently I still can't understand your feeling. I just started trying HHKB which makes me feel it damn small and need to learn how to use already. This one... maybe in the future I would also like.

[@cube_cup]

I can't believe a keyboard with so many states doesn't have a lock key for them. Replace Caps Lock with just 'lock'. Lock + shift is capslock Lock + fn1 is fn1 lock Lock + fn is fn lock Lock + shift + fn1... well, you get the idea.

[@kawanghi]

The slightly raised (uneven) right space bar really bothered me...

[@Ice_fnt]

The 2 percent keyboard: wasd and the space bar

[@ate7026]

I want that

[@UltraNyan]

that would be a 5% keyboard Your average Osu keyboard with 2 keys z and x is called 2%.

[@xdragongamerkid3726]

@@UltraNyan r/woosh

[@IronIsKing]

@@UltraNyan no that would be 4%

[@arya9509]

xDragon GamerKid not how it works

[@DJDiarrhea]

I'm using a custom 40% and honestly what let's this keyboard down the most is the keymap. What really makes 40s usable is are layers you can use without thinking twice about, for that the layer toggle key needs to be accessible. Mine for example is the left half of my split spacebar. Something like that with the layer toggle being a 1u at the edge of the board is spectacularly impractical.

[@gazwandsoxthedog5111]

Nice review. Thank you for your time and effort you put in. I have enjoyed all your efforts so far, and look forward to viewing any further reviews you publish 👍

[@DevoidVessel]

That'd work great as a travel keyboard

[@emmanuelgoldstein8233]

A slim membrane Logitech keyboard would do the job even better.

[@Cartzeoon]

it works well as a main keyboard as well, you can game just as good, use ur mouse buttons and scroll wheel, sure nimbers are handy but function key solves all of that

[@wuuq]

​@@emmanuelgoldstein8233no

[@lilyyt8627]

had this keyboard for 3 days now and the typing experience with brown switches is so satisfying and i found it easier to transition to this layout over the ducky one 2 mini

[@gravecop]

About to get mine in few days! Thank you for the video!

[@disruptityourself]

Just a little correction. At 9:16 you mention being able to see some artifacts from the router bit. CNC routers are just routers mounted for xyz movement, primarily wood and soft materials. Something like Aluminum would have been made with an industrial 3 Avis CNC mill most likely. For which the term would be the endmill.

[@daffodyl_n]

that type test was fucking delicious.

[@XBATHORYX13]

At 9:57 Where can you buy SMD LED's in the US? Also I have a keyboard that has SMD LED's that is Full RGB LED 100% Programmable, are all SMD LED's 100% RGB? Or do they come in various static LED color's and or in RGB variants? Thank you.

[@Vajranoid0815]

can you assign two different functions to the splitted space bar in games?

[@theramblingsofastoner_9876]

I picked up one of these boards a while back for sending messages on Xbox lol. Your video was helpful for the Layer programming. Thanks!

[@SportLairVids]

he starts typing at 10:32 for anyone who’s wondering

[@sbobi4551]

I swear we're gonna end up having a board with just w, a, s ,d, shift, ctrl, a tiny ass space, and maybe esc

[@derkaiser9881]

Have you seen the illuminati keyboards ISO board? It's literally a massive ISO enter on an aluminum case. Absolutely beautiful.

[@wrth]

@@derkaiser9881 I love how you say it's massive, but being British it's the national standard for us 😂

[@derkaiser9881]

@@wrth Yeah. I'm American so not only am I used to ANSI layouts without that fucking gargantuan enter key, but I main a 40% keyboard. (BM43a if you're curious) So not only does that thing look absolutely massive, but it would take up a good 5th of the total size of the keyboard I use every day.

[@zacharybennett3249]

Macro boards exist now if you're still interested

[@kaela420]

i want this keyboard but i want to tweak a couple of things. i'd change the shift key to the / & ? button since i don't use the right shift. & i'd change < & > to ' & " since i never use < & >

[@reignick1133]

This keyboard almost has a retro look to it , and being mechanical I imagine a fairly good feel as well , but good friggin' gods would this drive me insane trying to work on it.

[@iLiokardo]

One thing I would love to change is putting Caps Lock under shift, and to turn it on and off you simply hold Fn and tap shift. What do you replace the past ctrl key with? Your choice.

[@iLiokardo]

What was I thinking about the Ctrl key?

[@daxey]

Im actully sad that this does not ship to uk

[@sK0pe-d9b]

I was interested in getting the Core purely due to the great build but it's a bit too much for programming, if I was just doing word processing this would not be an issue. I'll stick to my Pok3r.

[@onyxSSfreak]

can you actually program foreign letters like ä or ö on the keys?

[@blyaticon8190]

you can only program stuff likt that in the OS, there is no Keycode for that in QMK (usually ö ä ü are keys that have different meanings like ' ( and that stuff on an English layout and Windows translates that in ö ä ü).

[@nlknighteagle5847]

@@blyaticon8190 actually there are specific h files in QMK that give other languages there special keycodes back. For example there is a keymap_french.h that enables not only the AZERTY layout, but also the keycodes to get the three characters keys, and all the accented letters used in french.

[@blyaticon8190]

@@nlknighteagle5847 didn't knew that was a thing, thanks for the tip!

[@DoomWalker42]

Holy cow this is a small keyboard!! I am so tempted to skip 60% keyboards and get one of these. Never knew that 30% keyboards exist.

[@kolvis6626]

I want to kindly and politely point out that these are referred to as 40%, not 30%. Not sure if that was a typo or assumption but it is what it is. I also want one of these keyboards, whatever percent they may be. They're f$$$ing tiny.

[@dndcsndvddvsj7637]

Awesome video! I'm looking to get a black switch keyboard (due to the fact that I'm a heavy typer) and I was wondering what are your top 3 best black switch keyboards? (Not just cherry mx black) but an overall opinion on your top 3 favorite, thanks!

[@BankofTech]

What would you recommend for my first "real" Mech Keyboard?

[@kevinqiu9164]

How much are you willing to spend on one, and how large do you want it to be?

[@TrueZtyleZ7]

Qisan Magicforce 68-key is a good start, imo. Though even if it wasn't as an introduction to your first mech keyboard, it's still a good one nonetheless.

[@BankofTech]

Well, I have a Velocifire VM01, I really like the Brown Switches. I stay up super late and I think that the clicky Blues would drive me insane. I have a budget of around $100, and I'l looking for like a 60%

[@TrueZtyleZ7]

Qisan has the Gateron Brown switches as an option for around $60. Has LEDs, though only in white.

[@BankofTech]

Hmm, I mean, I'd like either White or Purple LED, all the other colors seem too "gamer-y" to me. Is there an MX keyboard under $100 that's recommended with Browns?

[@vojtasTS29]

I like TKL, but i can't live without a full nav cluster and F buttons. I have all of them mapped for stuff i do.

[@kolvis6626]

I enjoy full size keyboards as I basically get a shit ton of macro keys out of stuff I don't use.

[@Lojz.]

Anyone know the name of the keycap on the 60 percent keybored with the Mario keycaps on it

[@nokiaphone5442]

Biggest problem is the apostrophe and quotation button location requiring a fn combo press. Meanwhile you have duplicate shift keys.

[@Triannosaurus]

I like the split space bar, it would be great for gaming due to your thumb being limited to really only 1 button on a normal keyboard. I’ve always wanted to utilize my thumb for multiple tasks since it doesn’t mess with my movement keys

[@Missing2007]

Me: notices that the 40 and 60% keyboards are longer than the 100% keyboard My brain: wait thats illegal

[@RedXBlade]

my vortex's tab for some reason is the caps. is there some way I can change it back to the default?

[@oatswithmilk]

Hi Tae, I love your reviews, but I've noticed that you've not reviewed one of the most popular 60% boards i.e. The Pok3r RGB. Any chance you could do it? Cheers!

[@TaeKeyboards]

Haha yep. It's really just because I never had one, I have a Poker 2 though. Maybe if Vortex are willing :)

[@lughers]

My only design complaint is that it doesn’t have a top part of the case, that rim, if you get what I mean.

[@reginr]

Thanks for the post! You mentioned 7:55 that the FN PN keys can be moved to another position, do you have a video that can show how it is done? Many thanks in advance!!!

[@joeseida8715]

Can you replace them with other switches? Please Answer this I want to find out.

[@TaeKeyboards]

You would have to desolder.

[@darthollpheist1156]

I would love a keyboard like this but the space bar would be an issue for me. I use my right thumb to hit it and every one of these 40% boards seem to have the space on the left. I've even tried typing using me right for space but I just can't do it. I don't use my a lot of my fingers when I type. I only use 2 fingers on my right hand (pointer and middle).

[@qhoil]

How exactly do u move the fn key

[@ryguy9509]

Sound test 10:32

[@sant6902]

Ryan Davis thanks

[@rasmussiira9151]

Daumn

[@l0ka508]

0:40 what is that key board on the right?

[@lilkyroo3128]

Likk Anne pro 2

[@seanparko1961]

Is there any way to remove the split spacebar and replace it with a normal longer spacebar. It just really bugs me.

[@Lindaine]

guys i have a problem, one of my LED on my keyboard died or loose since when i pressed the LED a bit it will turn on again but when i let go of my finger the LED died again. what should i do?

[@TaeKeyboards]

First of all contact Vortex or whoever you bought it from. If you can't do that, open up the keyboard and have a look, but you won't really be able to fix anything without soldering.

[@Lindaine]

TaeKeyboards my keyboard is some chinese mech keyboard, so i can't do anything if i dont have the soldering tools? i have no experience in soldering and this is my first mech keyboard. i guess i'll have to leave it loose then.

[@vladnex1052]

Just try the soldering! I didn't know anything about soldering, and I fixed my keyboard(M key switch was dead. I replaced it). So just give it a go, if you haven't thrown it out already

[@laplantamichay]

me 4 months ago: lmaoooo 40%? Who uses that anyway haha me now: i need one please

[@stefanhansen5882]

Try placing the pen under the lower part of the keyboard instead. Much better typing experience. ;)

[@franciscocasillas6562]

Audio glitch 1:16?

[@Slacking02]

Vortex Core + Num Pad would be amaze kinda like the vibe

[@gmcenroe]

I like the mechanical build of this keyboard, but I could not get used to the Fn key required for numbers also. I just added a numpad keyboard. The other thing I found unfortunate was that as in this model, they did not label the keycaps with green characters for !@#$%^&* symbols that the newer model of this keyboard now seem to come with. Was this a design flaw or a manufacturing error? I think I will be looking for a slightly larger keyboard than this one soon. In all fairness I didn't discover this until about 5 years after I bought the keyboard and decided to give it a try. The new models completely labeled keycaps.

[@kiwi9402]

‘And this takes it just a *touch* further.’

[@blackarc]

When a keyboard this short the review should concentrate on whether you will miss the full form factor. How is it wgen you are typing a document or coding( do you miss keys?)

[@newtonapple8688]

Can you remap the pn key & the fn keys? I don’t think their placement is very logical.

[@bieleepy]

Okay, but why does it have two space bars?

[@thomb.9013]

what if som1 made a 10% keyboard? would that even be possible?

[@Jazril]

Can you bind the left and right space bar keys to different functions? Also, any 60% keyboards with that split spacebar that i could assign different functions to each spacebar key?

[@pnp072000]

Is this wireless? I see a cable, but it looks removable, so is it just a charging cable?

[@petrkarasek6657]

bit off topic but anway. would you rather choose anne pro or ak33? i mean...does better switches and wireless option pays the price difference? thanks for reply.

[@sonicase]

I've tried it, i didn't like it because the space bar split is right where I normally press

[@iLiokardo]

The fact you have to use both hands to type in numbers is just bad key placement. Set Fn1 to where Pn is (it shouldn't be _there_ anyway)

[@fishblade2]

Can you please tell me if with the firmware update (1.04.05) can you finally program the Fn1 to the left space bar and is it possible to program the right shift key to acts as Fn1 + R shift so that you can press and hold right shift key to access the secondary functions like % $ @ sign and so forth.

[@BillShanklyFan]

If you use this for anything other than gaming your a trooper

[@ate7026]

are the keycaps able to be replaced by normal keycaps like a raver keycap

[@Fernando_H]

Tae, you seem to like linear switches for typing, do you suggest them? I haven't seen anyone make a case for typing on linear switches, but I am inclined to buy one because it sounds soo goood

[@TaeKeyboards]

Sure I do like them for typing. But I like anything for typing really. It's nice to have a clicky keyboard, but also nice to experience linear.

[@ctud8916]

Everyone: 40% super small Me: o s u k e y p a d

[@Lelanyan]

You can get a good osu keypad for about 30$

[@vivid_xyz]

came to find a comment like this lol

[@eriah420]

ChaseT0511 what the fuck is osu

[@HitoriGnocchi]

i wish i could borrow one for a day. i have a TKL and unsure to give up dedicated keys for layers. hmmmm

[@flitzxo]

nice did you get it from papa smurf himself?

[@eyeborg3148]

How is this usable in at all? I don’t understand this obsession with smaller and smaller keyboards.

[@tychothorpe4515]

the best spacebars I have ever heard... are there any other keyboards that are like this spacebar

[@KENTOSI]

Dude where did you get those super mario keycaps? They look amazeballs!

[@bobbyz9052]

I'd love to try a 40% but in dvorak the "?" Key is mapped to z. So I'd need to use a function layer to type z

[@kolvis6626]

Ouch

[@villok137]

Hey dude, love your vids, but there's no timestamps in the description. Thought I'd point that out :)

[@TaeKeyboards]

Yep, my bad, I feel asleep because it took so long for the video to upload. I put em up now, but the video isn't as long as I first anticipated :)

[@stephenathon]

Thank you for convincing me that I don’t need this, as cool as it looks. Just impractical.

[@YunusAricanli]

Its dope though -Typed on my Vortex Core Mini

[@cayronnnlol29]

I would want a 65% keyboard because the arrow keys are pretty useful

[@stylesc8907]

If you get a anne pro 2 you can bind arrow keys to other buttons

[@arshiatalebi7319]

U can acctualy get one believe it or not

[@HitoriGnocchi]

Styles C or just enable tap and have 2 functions in 1 key. Mute/vol down/col up on left ctrl/win/alt and right side arrows w/o having to use fn keys

[@dimaas_c]

hey, where do u buy that anne pro keycaps? can u give me a link? thanks :)

[@creativebusinessunit7506]

I have small hands and I find it so hard to reach the keys I need to press in FPS games so this is perfect for me.

[@spikezz8964]

where did u bought those mario keycaps

[@reccatyo]

Where do you buy the grey/cyan keycaps on the left top keyboard (anne pro I assume)?.

[@TaeKeyboards]

Got them off Aliexpress, but they don't have those colours anymore. They have heaps of other nice keysets though.

[@reccatyo]

What is the store link?, or keyword maybe?. I like those 8 bit fonts.

[@TaeKeyboards]

search kbdfans in Aliexpress and go to their store :)

[@reccatyo]

Thank you very much.

[@191.]

Can you switch [Pn] and [Fn1] position?

[@arthurdenny8929]

Is there a way to remap the function key to a macro button on your mouse? I feel like that would help a lot with a keyboard like this.

[@martinbull4915]

What key caps are on those Anne pros (blue ones)?

[@ate7026]

I've had a razer keyboard for 3 months now and it is in great condition... but I really want this keyboard.

[@SullenG00JR]

Is the Vortex hotswapable?

[@Thezombiekiller06]

For people who hate easy access with number keys while gaming

[@eris_goddess]

but you cant alt f4 your game

[@frauperchta5339]

for me as a gamer i think this would be cool because i dont use the numbers on my moise anyway

[@SukottoSama]

i know the comment section in this video is dead but... There's a common meme with hackers and programmer in tv shows and movies. Often you'll see a user hitting random keys and the pc does a lot stuff. People will go on rants on "how that not how programming and hacking works" and "how unrealistic their doing it" and 40% keyboards are where the joke started. The whole idea behind these keyboards is there size, placement of the keys, and macros. The size makes it easier to carry around while the keys are close together. This makes reaching for key easy instead of reaching far away for a key. A good example would be pressing 'fn' key to make your I, J, K, and L the arrows keys or 20 keys on your left side a keypad (both are missing from a 40% keyboard). A basic users you can work a keyboard faster but you can do more than access other keys with ease. You can open programs (browsers, video games, editing tools...etc) or run scrips stored in memory. It has a hard learning curve and you can be very creative with macros. If your into it and you can set it up right it can be amazing.

[@there_is_nothing_here]

I love the look of these keyboards but there is no chance I could ever get used to one

[@pinedae]

So this is a Windows-only keyboard?

[@juno_99]

did you ever build a planck keyboard? its 40% too...

[@TaeKeyboards]

Haven't tried it. They've been quite busy at the moment.

[@juno_99]

TaeKeyboards there is a drop at massdrop right now... for 110$ ;)

[@TaeKeyboards]

Yep, and that's why they're busy :) (I can't afford to buy every keyboard that I want haha)

[@juno_99]

haha ok i bought it last week, its the first keyboard i will build my self. I own a ducky shine 4 69 fire edition too *-*

[@parsharikko8039]

+NDB whoa a ds4 69 fire edition user :o im using it too :)

[@luftgarten_mc]

Nice video man :)

[@PiriyaSambandaraksa]

Coming from a language that requires the top shelf for many of the commonly used characters, I'll have to pass, but this is cute as hell. :D

[@SCP--dt2hf]

Thinking about picking one up for school

[@imbatize]

where can i buy one from Asia?

[@ThaoPham-vx8gw]

How to work with this keyboard?

[@aurematic]

No numbers? It's not good for writing. How do you put quotes, question, exclamation marks...?

[@kw-0917]

Layers? Dual purpose keys? There's so many ways

[@jonsdogg2400]

that moment when a keyboard with less functionality is way, way more expensive than keyboard with a-lot more function keys. damn

[@4fiHysteria]

Its more expensive because it moves much less volume and has lots of custom "one off" type stuff, ie custom layout/caps, case, pcb, etc. its going to be more expensive for novelty reasons.