WATCH BEFORE YOU BUY: GMMK Pro - HYPE or NOT?

[@ooharloo]

I dig this review! I’m loving my GMMK pro to bits. It’s not for the high end enthusiast for sure. But compared to the Razers and Corsair keyboards, this is truly a better option.

[@AndyVNguyen]

It’s interesting because the Bakeneko was able to slide in as a really good board at a low price point that explicitly cut some minor corners (aesthetics, machining) to provide a high end experience. It just seems Glorious didn’t just do a tad more research and kind of rushed the project.

[@poppygin4807]

@@AndyVNguyen 60% vs a more usable 75% layout. There are 5 people in my office that got the GMMK Pro because they want a customized experience but not willing to sacrifice the F-row and arrows. They also did not want to spend more than $300 for a build. So, this board hit the targeted audience perfectly. For programmers that use IDE heavily, 75% is the smallest that we willing to go to. Sure, there are "better" typing experience at a lower cost, but it is a trade off for productivity. Completely agree that Glorious should have done more research, but they did provide a great alternative at $170; too bad their competitions are 60-65% boards.

[@Tunnelsnakes]

@@poppygin4807 They took the advantage of that segment, seeing that there's not much competition in the budget 75% board market, but unfortunately they didn't use that advantage to the best of their abilities...

[@FF18Cloud]

@@poppygin4807 oh right forgot about eclipse and that f3 key

[@poppygin4807]

@@FF18Cloud I need my F10 to F12 for Visual Studio

[@clivengu]

19:37 "GMMK Pro is more like a one and done grab it and go focus on more productive hobbies honestly" that sentence hit me right at the spot... I don't want to spend thousand of dollars buying different keyboards . I just wan a cool and good keyboard and go on with my life... I guess this is for me. Lol

[@blasstois]

Agree with this too. I like the hotswap capabilities because it allows you to try stuff out because it’s not unreasonable to just give something a shot.

[@antoine7269]

Yeah, it's basically more of a half custom keyboard, for people not wanting to get too deep into the hobby but still have a keyboard they can keep for a very long timle without ever getting bored of it because of the modding possibilities with different plates/switches. I think its not talked about enough that aside from modding possibilities and sound and all, a full aluminum plate and hotswappable switches allow for a much longer lifespan of your keyboard (as long as the PCB holds out)

[@teddyc2985]

This is a good review! I fit right into the group that would like this board as a beginner who doesn't care about everything being perfect. This is how reviews should be, informing the audience about who would like the product and not just as a video people watch to hype themselves up before or after buying it.

[@jellybeannzz]

man i hope these comments made your day. stay awesome my dude and was nice to see another perspective regarding the board. in the end, its really up to whichever feature that you can bear with

[@winitypes]

The best GMMK PRO review I've watched (FULL GMMK PRO review with PROS and CONS) Thank you for the great review Andy it really helps cause I pre-ordered this board and now I know what will be the best modifications will need to do ☺️ PS: I watched the whole stream of your GMMK PRO build ☺️

[@lil_syba]

dude you're so conscious of your audience's mindset coming into your vids, i love that. keep it up!

[@sleeper1023]

Please always remain like this. Your objective reviews are always on point and this is what we're here for.

[@badgerone-5959]

After seeing this review and the effort you put into it, I was surprised that I haven't found your channel until now. Great quality content.

[@frebasaurus2331]

dude, this was explained so freaking well and in detail. You perfectly showed who this board is for and who it isnt. Really great review man.

[@lw8882]

BEST explanation of the problems with the gasket in the GMMK pro that I've seen.

[@Aldarris]

Yo I love how your reviews are outside, its pretty refreshing lol

[@AndyVNguyen]

A little more background noise (usually a fountain) but I think it's worth the tradeoff. Now I'm wondering if I should pull a dynamic mic and use that outside too..

[@MiggyBunny11]

@@AndyVNguyen Tbh I think I like the "natural" part of your recent outside reviews! Thanks for the beautiful and informative video!

[@danielp121]

@@AndyVNguyen I noticed the background noise. But it does not bug/annoys me. Hoping for more "outside of the house"review. 👍🏿

[@GS-xp5jq]

I actually find the fountain noise relaxing and feel that it compliments the smooth music nicely!

[@matrious2485]

@@AndyVNguyen encouraging enthusiasts to touch dat grass

[@nomsfud]

Glorious taking care of you is 100% right. My original GMMK Pro had a stripped standoff screw that was so bad I couldn't remove it. They had me initiate tracking on a return and sent me out s brand new one right away. No shilling, it was a great experience

[@nomsfud]

@Marius sometimes a stripped screw happens. I'd rather have bad QA and a company that's ready to make the problem right than a terrible product.

[@darrenlam4189]

The day vendors start to move towards the in-stock model is the day that my bank account dies. You're spot on about the group buy model and I feel like the hobby is getting too big to be propped up by GBs and Raffles. Thanks for another great vid, Andy!

[@AndyVNguyen]

Some vendors have done it! It's just really hard to land if it's a higher end board. GBs zzzzz. I was never really into it and I still am not

[@bakeraus]

@@AndyVNguyen Same, I'm not into it at all. I find it works for the smaller vendors who aren't able to front a high cost but some of these vendors are now businesses and they could get investment or go to a bank to get a business loan like any other business in retail/distro.

[@tonchok9488]

your videos are honestly underrated, its so calm and soothing and it does not put me to sleep btw congrats on 1000 subs on twitch

[@darkhaven328]

This wasn't nearly as negative as I expected. I don't think you even needed to make that "don't watch" disclaimer. This was totally fair and honestly accurate. It is definitely a slightly above entry level board that is affordable and has plenty of ways to tweak and have fun with for the price point, but is by no means *end game* for 170 USD lol. The sound is muted but it's gonna be a solid board for most new comers.

[@johnchan4468]

Great detailed and critical (but honest) review. I feel like most reviewers are afraid to be harsh on some of these points as they know their audience won't like hearing that.

[@keebtoys5355]

because most of them are sponsored and this is not

[@mento730]

honestly, it's what I expected, actually even more. For the price point, I did not expect it to be premium by any means. If they pulled it off it would have been a bonus. I bought the board out of curiousity of what Glorious could give me for $170 for their first keyboard of this kind. If this is what we get from their first board, with them taking in our criticism, I can't wait to see what they will come up with on their next one.

[@tetrisguy4208]

Holy shit your friend is so right....i watch reviews for shit i buy all the time....just to hope that i didnt mess up and spend money on something dum or something i dont need.

[@barrylinkiewich9688]

One advantage to watching reviews after the fact is the feedback, like the broken screws... stuff that you'll never find in an instruction manual.

[@chainofenkidu9451]

I just picked up my gmmk pro and to the point of the target demographic of the product is pretty spot on, I think a custom mechanical keyboard is cool and all but I have no interest in waiting that long or paying that much for one (it’s call having other hobbies). Gmmk pro is at a decent price that won’t hurt the bank too much and give u a keyboard that’s pretty premium to the uninitiated.

[@AndyVNguyen]

Yessirrrr that’s what it is

[@blasstois]

I agree entirely. It’s nice but not unreasonable. As a fellow “too many hobbier” I agree with this.

[@chainofenkidu9451]

@@blasstois kinda ashamed to admited it, but during the time of this comment I might have fallen a bit deeper into the rabbit hole...

[@joshua910]

Felt this was a very balanced review. You gave props when it applied but also drilled down on the areas you had concerns with. For people trying to get into the hobby and navigate through the jungle of noise this kind of content really helps.

[@friendlycaspr9799]

For someone coming from only ever owning razer keyboards I'm super exited on this board and how u described it is exactly why I cant wait to get mine in the main. Never built a keyboard before and this will be my way to get into the hobby with a board better then a razer board. Amazing review mate!

[@AndyVNguyen]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@friendlycaspr9799]

@@AndyVNguyen I hope so too!

[@matthieuzglurg6015]

got the GMMK Pro this week and so far, I'm happy. True, the gaskets aren't really working at all since the board is so cramped, but I prefer a firmerboard that does not move up and down too much so I'm okay with this. No really though, the biggest problem of the GMMK Pro is the terrble stock stabs that you absolutely want to replace (I haven't replaced them yet if someone has any suggestions that would not mean fining dozn the board by the way)> I did everhting there was to do with them : cleaned the factory lube ( I mean really cleaned it, with water, soap etc), did very fine wire balancing, removed the horrible piece of tape from the PCB that is making them stick, band aid modded the PCB, holee modded the stems, lubed the stabs housings and stems accordingly, and they somehoz still tick a bit and the space bar still has a bit of rattle. Not the end of the world, it's very subtle but dang it's a weird feeling to have stabilizers this bad. software that goes along is enough for almost everybody, and the rare few that would ned more hqve acces to QMK and Via. It's a decent board overall, clearly not perfect though, and overhyped. Reminds me of Cyberpunk 2077 in a way About the screws : I bought my GMMK Pro through the Amazon warehouse program, so that was an open box. There was clearly proof that the board had been used before it gor returned, maybe it got opened once before I got it. For the modding the stabs, I might have opened the board and disassemble the plate at least 3 times, and so far nothing to report, maybe ou just had a bad screw

[@flyingwhales1991]

I know this is an old video, but I recently bought a gmmk pro for my dad (to which he didn't want). I do think the problem is the housing on the stabs. I used the same wires that came with the board, balanced them, transferred it over to a c3 equalz stab housing I bought a while back, and it's perfect. I also took off the standoffs and the plate foam to give the board some life because it sounds SOOOO MUTED. The c3 equalz housing works on the brass plate so I went with those. Lastly, I used a higher pitched switch: JWICK black lubed and filmed. With cheap pbt keycaps, board sings. I didn't like the sound of ABS keycaps on this particular keyboard. IMO, this is really good for the price. It just needs some work in order to achieve the sound signature you desire.

[@TheDredgenProject]

Great review as always. Quite balanced. As all things should be!

[@sweetsansui2829]

Another super informative review Andy. Been following you for a month and I just got to say you're my go to guy for making mechanical keyboard purchasing decisions. And thank you for introducing me to the sound world of custom keyboard and turning me into a well-educated keyboard enthusiast. I wanted Jelly Epoch because of you. Although I missed the group buy, I'm sure as long as you continue to make reviews, there will be plenty of well-designed custom keyboards waiting for me to discover. Keep it up and don't worry about haters out there. The group buy rabbit hole has tormented consumers long enough. Just do your thing and sooner or later more people will realize your role does serve a good purpose.

[@mosk11tto]

Thanks for that analysis of stuffed/muffled sound! And the comparison to id80, that hollower doesn't necessarily equal worse sound.

[@thediplomat1124]

I love my gmmk pro and got it when it hit the online store as a staple. I think it's an amazing board for someone getting into keyboard modding!

[@AndyVNguyen]

it's a decent start, but especially today there's so many better options

[@zu22779]

Glad you kept it 100% bro. I canceled my pre order. Getting higher end stuff now (Jelly, Sirius, Maja). But I do commend Glorious for what they are doing for the industry.

[@CaloysKeyboards]

Great video, Andy. I've seen a lot of GMMK Pro reviews and so I didn't really expect much from yet another one. But how you created the narrative with relation to the group buy model and the expectations created by Glorious' marketing was very well done, enlightening, and entertaining. And maybe I'm just not watching the right people but I feel like I don't hear enough about how certain keyboards can make switches sound the same, which you've said of this and also of the KBD67 Lite. Keep it up! You and your guns are kiling it lol

[@TheManicGeek]

Great video man. I have a GMK Pro on my desk atm and I basically agree with your final thoughts on the board. I can't say I had issues with the case screws on my model, but I did have an issue where the plate foam was slightly shifted on my model and caused one of the "gaskets" to get a bit chewed up so I had to use two of the extra gaskets to replace it since it turns out the extra gaskets are half the thickness of the originals. I feel like the gaskets are more there to keep the resonance of the plates in check since the message for the gaskets says they're there for tuning for the sound of the board... such as it is. I'm also using some tactile switches (Halo Trues, 63.5 g spring lubed with G-Lube) so I'm a bit happier with the sound of the board than I might have been with linears, it seems. Also screw these GOAT stabs, spent so much time trying to tune them and they're just kinda not great lol.

[@sh3ll602]

damn bro this guy provided all the info i could have possibly ever needed about this board i appreciate your criticisms and knowledge, im just not one of those people that care about having the best sound. this board is worth it to me, because of how easy it is to buy. im thrilled to finally be getting a custom keyboard after so much waiting and searching online. this board clears the confusion for me.

[@AndyVNguyen]

Glad I could help brotha. As long as you're informed, it's all that matters!

[@sh3ll602]

@@AndyVNguyen you definitely deserve more recognition for the video and editing quality, and effort put into your videos :) interacting with your fanbase and reading comments is just going the extra mile. youre for sure an underrated youtuber. keep up the great work

[@barrylinkiewich9688]

As someone new into the hobby and with a GMMK pro on order this review was of interest to me and having watched it, I'm not dissuaded at all. I'm willing and enjoy tinkering and I can see myself messing around with this board for a while, I really appreciate the heads up on the screws, it sounds like they torqued them down way too tightly on final install or the screw holes weren't threaded fully all the way down and they bound up because aluminum does like to gall and bind when given the chance.

[@BANNANA2212]

Great review! I dont mind these longer videos as they are super insightful and I think your perspective is really informative and professional. Glad I held off on the GMMK Pro, but I hope they can fix the issues in a (potential) V2, I think it could be a great product if so. Keep up the good work!

[@jlu]

Just wanted to say, I really like your enthusiasm and presentation, seeing keyboard reviews outside with the sound of the environment in the background makes for an enjoyable viewing experience :) PS. I agree with your thoughts on the group buy model, I literally got into custom MKs a week and a half ago, and a KBD67 Lite was what I was gonna go for, but it's out of stock everywhere (even with other entry level boards like Portico, NK65, Ikki68). I'm leaning towards this instead because it will at least (hopefully) be consistently in stock

[@shaunmontano9720]

I like the perspective, you have a great voice in the hobby and i really appreciate your work.

[@4kallday]

That camera looking crisp AF and the lighting on point man. Love the attention to details on your channel!

[@notsully473]

I canceled my gmmk pro order and got an id80 and i’m glad I did. Used gat milky yellows, mt3 keycaps, case foam, pcb foam, and durock stabs and it sounds great

[@brando_100]

Production quality gets better every video. Keep it up.

[@karlomarkodaniel9726]

Best review along with Hypno , so far between the keyboard ytubers i watch. More comprehensive and realizes that the customer buys with their preference. Tbh its a great keeb for first timers out there looking for a fully customizable keyboard. Thanks 👌

[@rarityd]

Thank you for the spot on review. I’m a headphones wearing and soft typing gamer. I preferred this board with the fox switches over the glorious panda. That was the only change I made and I’m happy . But that’s just me

[@underdoglucifer]

Awesome review video that i watch from beginning to the end. No bs straight to the point. I see you face, I fell like actually listening to a person and makes me listen to what you have to say. Awesome job. Thumbs up of course. I dont have the luxury and time to go through your entire stream. I wish you can do more breakdown such as this for many boards.

[@rainvdecastro]

Ahhh yes another amazing review good sir! As for someone who always wants to see the pros and cons of products, this hits a good spot.

[@therealponsoy2843]

I love your straightforward and honest approach to these reviews. Love ya Andy

[@JL-fh4qw]

If you pretend it's a sandwich mount it's a killer board for the price, otherwise get ready to make a lot of modifications to give it flex. Hopefully they make a true gasket pcb plate combination that can be used in these v1 models

[@ryanxu9983]

yess

[@rks5457]

Nah, they did the right thing in making it more durable and have those standoffs support the pcb better. Those gasket mount boards that give "flex" also flex the pcb and could shoot out soldered hotswap sockets and could eventually crack the board. It's a good mix between what boutique kb companies currently think is the best design for sound and what has been proven to be durable for the life of a keyboard. Enthusiasts have multiple boards and flip and buy all the time so they don't care about long term tests bc they just want the newest board design innovation and the best possible sound. How many long term tests have we seen of enthusiast keyboards? Especially ones that have actually been used as a daily and used hard? We only have customers who could tell us but if you go to any msg board or reddit, they never talk bad about these kb companies or vendors bc they feel like it's a small hobby and don't want to harm anyone's reputation. It's crazy how crappy the quality control and customer service of these kb companies has been in my experience. I got my nephew an nk65 entry edition and the inside lip of the board was cracked, the screw holes were cracked and the plate was warped. I couldn't get a replacement so they gave me a partial refund. So I just kept the damn board and had no gift for my nephew. Same shit with these vendors, as they constantly treat customers like they're doing us a grand gesture instead of like professional store owners. It's a shame and hopefully boards like this get more consumers involved so they can give this niche a swift kick in the ass so they can evolve and move forward instead of the stifled innovation we have right now. 20x holy panda tactile switch copies that sound mildly different... Wow! End rant.

[@schlomoshekelstein908]

what's with this flex obsession with keyboards? why the fuck would u want ur keyboard to flex?

[@cruzkinestudios9882]

Got the GMMK pro during launch and for some weird reason I cant give it up. Something about this board makes this a keeper. Just did an overhaul and can now enjoy the experience with this board and it still sits in my rotation. This is the OG in which many have imitated.

[@AndyVNguyen]

This board is literally an imitation of the satisfaction75 tho lmao. But if you’re happy with it that’s all that matters! Save your money

[@cruzkinestudios9882]

@@AndyVNguyen that’s is true lol. 2019 I believe was the satisfaction 75 group buy. I came into the hobby when GMMK pro was first launched at $99 and maybe that’s why I have an attachment to it. Now, if I can get my hands on the true OG that would be awesome.

[@hbfbghnjnghnbnjnhjn]

Love the review, just bought the board and looking for the affirmation bias and still appreciated this review

[@AzureBeastKing]

definitely agree with the people who just want a good looking keyboard than a good sounding one, had some of them text me and goes "hey, you know keyboards rigtht? is there a keyboard that looks good and has rgb, and for the switches i want those clicky switches like those on a razer keyboard". pre-ordered these and definitely got the thumbs up from them.

[@AndyVNguyen]

and sometimes they're so used to scratchy mx reds or clickies that ANY reasonably smooth linear sounds amazing to them. and they're all better sounding (no matter the board) than the loudest prebuilt mech

[@jonavin]

Very fair and balanced review. Please continue to point out flaw so they can improve. I do believe a rev 2 would address some of these issues as the have been continuously improving their other keyboards.

[@marginalmeaning]

Great review - very objective and does a great job looking at the whole package. I had one on reserve, but ended up cancelling. Absolutely love the layout, but the reports of how it feels and deadens switch sound characteristics changed my mind. Something I will confirm - their customer service is absolutely fantastic. I couldn't cancel through their account system so I sent them a message, within a day it was resolved after 2 messages. There was no asking to reconsider, no upsell, etc. They just cancelled the reservation and I had a refund in 2 days.

[@Misoandricegamer]

Thanks for the review, really enjoyed it. Only recently started looking at building a keyboard, haven't jumped in yet, but I dig your breakdown of this board. Cheers!

[@ethantran7180]

All of your videos are so well produced and in depth keep it up !

[@ralph17p]

Mine is arriving today and is my first step into custom keyboards. I must admit, this review didn't worry me. I guess I'm not the typical custom keyboard demographic, judging by the videos I've watched recently. I really don't get the obsession with keyboard sound. For me, less is more. I want to hear my keyboard as little as possible, so I've gone with Gateron Silent White switches, but I might switch it up and go for Dolphins if it's not quiet enough. But my main must-have feature, and something that seems to be mostly ignored by the custom keyboard reviewers I've watched, is programmability. It's almost never mentioned whether a particular custom board uses programmable firmware, what processor or onboard memory is present, how many layers can be configured and so on. My other must-have is UK ISO layout - also something that is fairly thin on the ground when it comes to custom keyboards/keycap sets. I'm too old and use too many different computers that are configured with UK layouts to learn to type American. On those two factors - an ISO model and a QMK support - the GMMK nails it at a decent price. The alternative I considered was the Keychron Q range, but the order was going to be shipped from China vs a supplier that had GMMK in stock for NBD (I clearly wouldn't be in the group buy demographic given my lack of patience with a 10 day lead time). So yeah... I think I'm happy with my choice... although it was a touch expensive (for me, £300 is pricey when you've been used to £30 keyboards)

[@DarknessXX10]

I really liked this detailed review. I kinda already knew I was shooting myself in the foot once I heard people release sound tests, but I’m still gonna wait for it to come in. Gonna be my first custom board lol. Got my Gat Black inks ready too. Hopefully it’s better than I am expecting it to be as of right now

[@johnlopez1717]

Same here! Got my ink blacks already lubed. Just got my email today to place my order.

[@awatermelonplant]

16:45 I had the same exact problem when I got a gmmk compact (non pro) I was challenging myself to try to make it sound ok and almost all the screws just snapped in half when I unscrewed them

[@AndyVNguyen]

So they are using cheap screws then... interesting..

[@Alckee]

@@AndyVNguyen I had the same issue, when I finally worked up the courage to open up my first mech keyboard (gmmk compact) the screws ended up snapping and were stripped. My screw drived slipped from the screw, hitting the pcb, and completely disabling the caps lock, shift, x,s,a keys.

[@normconel2907]

Fantastic review. I really appreciate your balanced approach to your critique. Great insights from your experiences with other premium and budget boards.

[@maped4]

Loving the longer style reviews!

[@willisiswillis]

Just got this board with clicky Kalih box whites. Maybe if you're using linear or more quiet tactile switches, the rigidity and "over padding(loosely used.. I think it's great)" might impact the sound profile but if you love the very clicky switches, this will bring down the sound while not taking away from the feel. The sound for me is very premium. This keyboard beats the crap out of anything you get pre-made from a major brand (e.g. razor, corsair, Logitech, etc...). I 10,000% recommend it. If you're a keyboard enthusiast who spends 600 bucks+ on a on board, you probably already know you don't want this. If you're thinking about getting this board and are on the fence, just do it. 10/10. Build quality is unbelievable.

[@antoine7269]

As a european, one cool feature about the GMMK pro is that you can find it with an ISO layout, wich is great for people who don't want to be stuck with a different layout than what they know just to be able to have a custom board. Haven't got my hands on it yet, but seeing different reviews and users opinions, i think it is a great board for beginners and/or people who want the pros of having a custom board without having to dig too deep into the hobby/their wallet.

[@Ragnorok64]

Really thorough review. It's also interesting how it highlights the differences in preferences. What you mention about the sounds signature and side lighting are actually things like like, seeing as I put foam or silicone in almost all the boards that I can. I like a more muted sound profile apparently. I guess I am waiting to try out a real super flexible gasket mount one of these days though. I'm guessing a truly flexible gasket built would need to be soldered since I believe I've heard flex is bad for hotswap sockets.

[@jimmyk9636]

Nice review Andy! Also loving the format of these reviews, well done !

[@BraXdotexe]

As far as mechanical boards go, I've only have a das keyboard before buying a GMMK pro in 10/21. I'm not opposed to other custom keyboard brands now, but I do enjoy this keyboard. I'd still be willing to look at other brands and boards. I feel this board has just opened my eyes to how big of a hobby keyboards were. This video was awesome and very helpful. Hope I don't sound rude or anything, just an open minded unbiased opinion here. Thank you & subbed!

[@redeye259]

I’m def customer #1 and I’m really excited to pick up this board as my first custom. I’m sold on that knob and 75% layout. Really don’t care that much about sound of the keys as long as they’re not clicky lol

[@AndyVNguyen]

Oof clickies hurt

[@LucasXDLeon]

Nice review man, I'm waiting for these to release in Brazil so I can give it a try since we don't really have a multitude of options to choose when building a keyboard. It will be my first one and I'm really excited to try it out. Thanks for the great review quality !

[@AndyVNguyen]

i heard it's really tough to get custom keyboard stuff in brazil! thanks for watching.

[@LucasXDLeon]

@@AndyVNguyen It really is ! If we want the good stuff we have to do international shipping which is really expensive most of the time but we also have banggood and aliexpress but the options here are really scarce tbh

[@itscasualdave7922]

Hey Andy! Do you happen to know the screw size? I was wondering if getting longer screws would allow more void space. But with adjustments. I know that the gaskets are pretty much cramped, so I was planning on sanding down the gasket posts, and adding extra poron foam in hopes that this would help. No pcb or case foam either. Im also planning on sanding down the screw posts on the pc plate, to make it more of a traditional looking plate, on top of not installing the diffusers - no more sandwich brick. I’m still waiting for mine, but these are my hopes for the board. I was trying to get the jellu epoch haha but I wasnt as lucky. Hoping my modifications to the gmmk pro can be enough

[@AndyVNguyen]

That feels like it'd leave a gap in the case if you use longer screws

[@itscasualdave7922]

@@AndyVNguyen thanks for your input! Ill scrap the screw idea but ill try out the rest.

[@trevwagner666]

For me its a decent form factor hot swap board that's good enough with various plate materials and i can kind of customize it without having to wait as long as i would for my ideal board from a group buy. it's basically dipping my toes and is a step up from my regular gmmk

[@spawn999]

Always show up to your streams, love the vids man keep it up! your reviews are great and honest

[@AndyVNguyen]

Happy to have you, spawn!

[@wagonet]

great review dude, i wanna see more honest reviews like this.

[@mk177]

Good good points. Been a customer of gmmk for boards but passed up and this and got ID80V2 and i had more of what i was looking for.. gmmk feels like it is hiding more of beginner mistakes but that definitely has value too.

[@stanley909]

It did lived up to the hype for me, that's because I kept my expectations relatively low. The only game-changer for me IMO is that it's readily available (when supplies come in) retail. Other than that, it's pretty much like any other custom keyboard out there.

[@AndyVNguyen]

Setting expectations low is a protip for life lol

[@KarnakOvy8]

About the stabs, doing a holee mode make them really really decent. I holee mode all my stabs for longevity and wanted to give a go on these GOAT stabs. And I kept it in my unit !

[@AndyVNguyen]

holee mod helps a lot!

[@hamadmusabeh]

i have the gmmk pro , and i agree with your review ,,,it on spot . i got unlucky and faced an issue in the LEDs not working after cycling though the effect and profiles. after opening a case with GMMk and troubleshooting with me , which was prompt and technical , asking me to try different firmwares , they requested me to send them back the board for replacement. not sure if others are facing a similar issue on the LEDs not the best option after giving out your older board :-) so ,, this a good board to start this hobby.

[@Andrew-cp7mc]

Thanks for a very balanced review and helps me decide if I am in the target customer group - I think I am. I want an upgrade for a malfunctioning Keychron K1 and this looks like a good introduction to a customized keyboard.

[@darianlow7412]

First off, great comprehensive video! But I was curious what keyboard stand you use for the shot at 19:50 in the video? I've been looking for a stand and I'm not a fan of the oversized acrylic ones or oversized 3D printed ones. I've just been looking for just a nice minimal looking stand so any recommendations would be great!

[@AndyVNguyen]

It’s on my kit.co/andyvnguyen/keyboards it’s a tablet stand!

[@darianlow7412]

@@AndyVNguyen Thanks!

[@alejo36]

I’m considering buying the GMMK pro, but every review and sound test I’ve seen and heard doesn’t convince me, it sounds very “metallic” if that makes sense, it’s like the whole thing is a pice of metal with switches. All the switches sound the same, and it’s very high pitch, I haven’t heard one that sounds thocky or have any pop. I was trying to understand the mounting system, looking for some way to mod it, and the conclusion was the same as yours, try cutting those legs from the plate, and maybe trying diferente gaskets, thinner ones, but I’m afraid it won’t make a difference and I would end having a keyboard I don’t really like. On the other hand, lately, I’ve been attracted by silent switches, and there are a couple of builds with silents, and I love the way it looks, so probably I will try that combination, but I’m not sure. Excellent review man

[@AndyVNguyen]

Thanks for taking the time for such a detailed response! Yeah I don't know if I'd actually cut the plate because they definitely wouldn't warranty that. Killing one of the plates pushes the cost of this board to $200+ unfortunately. I've had people DM me for advice as to what to do about this board to make it sound better and I don't know if there is anything I can actually recommend barring from yeah straight up cutting chunks off of the plate.

[@香噴噴-p6f]

nice video and very detailed ! but i saw in forum said there's a new gmmk pro version ? but not as the v2 maybe just the newer one , is it true ?

[@AndyVNguyen]

afaik I don't think there's a new version or updated version

[@香噴噴-p6f]

@@AndyVNguyen i see, because some seller told me there's revision version which has solved the Durock stabs fit in problem

[@jenhwa71]

Good review. Is the K3ychr0n Q1 a GMMK Pro OEM ?

[@SamuelJamesVideos]

Are all the base models on Kono that start with "GMK" going to fit the gmmk pro fully? I've had a hell of a time figuring out exactly which keycaps I want to order and it's becoming annoying that I have to wait on ordering just to find decent keycaps. The ones glorious are offering are ass, that gradient is such a weird ass spread, it looks really crooked and off, and I'm not going to spend 50 dollars on all black or white keycaps with no real accent to them, so I want to find keycaps elsewhere, and it looks like kono has a lot of options but I'm curious if they'll all fit the bill for the gmmk pro seeing as it has the odd shaped keys I keep hearing about. Thank you for reading and keep up the good work

[@AndyVNguyen]

short answer is yes. only thing special about gmmk pro is that it uses a 1.75u right shift.

[@SamuelJamesVideos]

@@AndyVNguyen thank you very much. GMK Fox here I come!

[@iquaniqua]

Are the mount/sound complaints coming from comparisons to high-end gasket mounter kits / high end kits in general or just similarly priced kits? I wanna build a quiet 75% and I'm choosing between the GMMK pro, KBD75v2 and ID80v2, if it sounds/feels about as good as those 2 which aren't gasket mounted I think I'll still get it cause it looks best.

[@DomesticLlamas23]

You ever make a decision? I'm in pretty much the same boat currently

[@Luci_71]

i figured out that you can remove the plate and mount the switches using doulbe sided tape, that in addition to stacking gaskets and removving the case form, really make it flex.

[@AndyVNguyen]

that doesn't sound like a keyboard anymore

[@Luci_71]

@@AndyVNguyen lol, its pretty sketchy

[@AndyVNguyen]

lol the irony is sometimes the keyboard case sounds so bad that the plate/pcb sounds better by itself on the table

[@Luci_71]

lmao your so right

[@tho4318]

Great review, and some straight honest truth regarding group buy, which is exactly why I'm in the position of considering the readily available GMMK Pro, 75% and hot-swap, exactly what I'm after. The fact that I'm new to building keyboard and want to focus on lubing switch/stabs without having to also worry about soldering, it just seems like potentially 30 - 40% less work to do. For me it's either that or the Idabao ID80 Best type, as I'm not a huge fan of the acrylic look, I already have a KDB75 as my first keyboard, I don't see a point to purely upgrade the case to a v3. That might be one of those projects where I completely upgrade my KDB75 at some stage. I really don't want to settle for a less than 75% board, as I feel like I might need the function row key at some stage lol, I probably don't, maybe I need to hit up some 65% hotswaps.

[@AndyVNguyen]

So you have a kbd75, are not interested in the kbd75v3, and want hotswap to test stabs/switches.. I would look in the 65 market because the options there like the kbd67v3, ikki68 aurora, sun68, kbd67v3 case, and a bunch of other hotswap options are more plentiful and will do the same job i never use frow lol. f5 for refresh maybe? and when i used to work in engineering i think i used f8 for design.

[@cherrytofu8939]

Love the addition of some house music in the start!

[@AMaguire90]

Good video mate, I'm still looking forward to my board as I'm a noob who doesn't have the eye for quality yet.

[@keokio7]

talk about software? qmk support?

[@Liquidpain3000]

Great review. I have a gmmk pro, while it's nowhere near perfect I've learned to enjoy it by accepting it is what it is. I do agree that it was overhyped by Glorious and if they would have done a better job to set our expectation from the start it might have been received better by the community. I just felt like I had no options for other boards. I'm pretty new to the custom mech scene and have either missed out on some great boards in group buys or have taken a big fat L's in fcfs sales (looking at the Jelly Epoch). It's pretty discouraging not being able to buy what I want without going through the second-hand market and potentially supporting the flippers. Maybe one day I'll be able to score a premium 65/75% layout board, but it already looks like that won't happen in 2021.

[@AndyVNguyen]

I definitely feel ya there. As it stands right now, the one board that has everyone buzzing is the Bakaneko. I have one here and I can say it obliterates the GMMK Pro, and even swings close to my Unikorn.. but it's a 60% keyboard and that's just a no go for a lot of people.

[@jkon156]

I'm pretty interesting in getting one. I've only ever done one build, a DZ60 with aqua zilent 62g switches. brass plate, bamboo case that I stuffed with foam. gave a healthy thock but I messed up on stab selection. got clip ins not screw ins, and it bit me. I feel like this would be a good option for me.

[@djartyom1243]

I deffintly fall into that market you mentioned the sound of the switches is not really a issue for me I'm always having music playing or playing games so how it sounds is irrelevant to me I'm more for looks and ease of working on it its something I can buy when I can unlike groupbuys

[@RitzyBusiness]

I am the headphone demographic, what I really like about this keyboard is the south leds and it's weight. For me a board like this is endgame, at least until wooting makes a 75%

[@kuyt20]

Very informative and honest review. I'm glad I watched this beforehand (because I was really really close to pulling the trigger on this keeb). I wanted a budget gasket mounted keyboard. Now I know this board is not it. Thank you. Liked and subscribed.

[@AndyVNguyen]

Glad I could help!

[@kuyt20]

@@AndyVNguyen - Yep. I had previously watched other popular reviews and no one went in-depth about the scuffed gasket mounting system and the overly muted monotonic switch sounds. What most of them said was that it was not that flexible and that adding more foam somewhat fixes that issue. And as someone who is very budget-concious and has never bought a gasket mounted keyboard before, I thought, "Well, if its that simple to fix, it might be worth the pricing." But now I see that there is no easy fix. Now I understand why people took a saw to the plate edges or cut a huge hole in the middle of the plate in order to "add more bounce" in some videos. Its because this keeb has very little to begin with. And IMO, anything that needs that much drastic work to fix, is definitely a failed implementation in the first place. And at $195(where I'm from), its just not worth it for me.

[@chigga76]

Great review. Havent got one yet but really thinking about doing so.

[@easydiy224]

New subbie!! I just picked this up for a bargain of a price…haven’t opened it because not sure how to go about modding it with dark jade switches. Can you please advise what mods to do since I really like the dark jades?? Any advice is appreciated. ❤

[@gamcd]

The production quality of this video is so impressive

[@TParkcasual]

Thanks for all this info on the GMMK Pro my man, was much appreciated =) Cheers good lad

[@AndyVNguyen]

Glad I could help!

[@twknowswsg]

Video is well done! The background is amazing, how you explained everything, done well! one thing, the fuzziness sound in the background of the mic really threw me off. it was hard to focus on your voice sometimes for me.

[@AndyVNguyen]

It just happens when I film in public places. I don't control the waterfall thing..

[@albertastucia8453]

it is what it is, andy, do you have any recommendations for something with side glow or bottom glow that sounds good, probs around $200 perhaps

[@o.oswift181]

Thanks for making this review. I've been deciding for a good gasket mount hotswap 75% or higher board for a while now and I had been eyeing the gmmk pro for a long time. The gasket mounting to me is the biggest part. If you are going to advertise your board as being gasket mount I expect it to flex xD. For now I'll keep looking, but you saved my butt on this one.

[@MiggyBunny11]

20:45 I think clicky switches might work best on this board. Those switches need to get muted and more flat than they should LOL

[@PapaShuffler]

This is like a college professor grading a 6th grade paper. Still a great value and a great showing from Glorious imo. Now if they would just fill the flex batch orders...🤣

[@AndyVNguyen]

My fiancée said I sounded like a professor! Lol

[@darrellciruela1116]

great honest review man. Me from months ago wouldve loved this board.. but me now looking forward to my jelly and using my mode80 just wont be able to enjoy it as much. Wish i can cancel my preporder but i cant. Still a solid board for people getting in the hobby.

[@nikolakostic5667]

Good review. I find the sound quite decent on the alu plate, Holy pandas, and mt3 keycaps. From your previous videos you seem to like clacky keyboards (or at least variety) but for a deeper - although muted - sound at this price and with the above components, you can do a lot worse. And you nailed the mentality... This was my "good enough" board and now it's time for me to move on to other hobbies, hopefully something more productive haha

[@alexcornejo2162]

I feel like if they changed the plate issues like the mounting points basically getting rid of the gasket mount and fixing the lights would make this board be 10x better it’s still a super great value I still haven’t gotten mine and after watching this vid and many other I’m still gonna keep my order not many other 75% boards out that aren’t crazy expensive and exclusive