[Keyboard Review]WASD V1 Keyboard

So I have been a member here for over two years now, which isn't that long compared to the veteran members, and I have noticed that whenever a member gets to a special number of posts i.e. 1000, 2000, 3000 etc. you do something to give back to the community.

Well it just so happens that I bought a new mechanical keyboard at the same time that I hit 1000 posts, yay ez content! I just clipped my fingernails and am ready to write this review for you all. The keyboard in question is the WASD V1 Semi-Custom Mechanical Keyboard, as named by it's builder.

The Board Specs

These are the specs right from the site:

Cherry MX Brown Switches
Full N-Key Rollover with included PS/2 adapter
6-Key Rollover with USB
Blue LED keyboard status indicators
Discrete, low contrast logo
Heavy Duty 6' braided USB cord
Wire Keycap Puller Tool included

Dimensions (LxWxH): 17.4" x 6" x 1.7" / 442mm x 152mm x 43mm
Weight: 2.66 lbs / 1200g
Interface: USB and P/S2 (with adapter)
ANSI 104-Key Layout
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux
Case Material: ABS
Key Material: ABS
Switch Mount: Plate mounted
Switch Life Cycle: 50 million operations

They were kind enough to include a wire keycap puller instead of the standard plastic one. This is a nice addition that most other keyboard brands don't include shockingly Ducky, Das, and Leopold to name a few do not come with a wire keycap puller. However the legendary brand, Filco, does come with a wire keycap puller. This is going to set the stage for the high quality and performance of this keyboard.

Get ready for sexy iPhone photos, apologies in advance it's the only thing I have!

Unboxing

We are greeted with a nice white/red/black combo logo keeping in line with the theme of minimalistic that WASD is going for.

What's inside:

-Keyboard
-USB/PS2 Converter
-Wire Keycap Puller

I was a little bummed that it didn't come with extra keys or a user's manual but the money was spent else ware as you will see later in the review.

The USB is gold plated, which does nothing, but it is a nice touch that I would have expected.

Here's the puller that I was drooling about over.

First Impressions

When I first took the keyboard out of the box I was really excited at how the keycaps looked, I was skeptical of going with the engraved over the standard laser etched that most boards come with. Red Esc key, might have been better with a black one, not sure though.

I was not disappointed.

I wanted to go for this printing style because the print would never fade and it looks pretty badass, the latter being of personal bias of course.

It tips the scales at 2.7lbs or 1.23kg.

The keys are made of ABS rather than PBT which does suck but then again this board isn't a super expensive board. ABS keys will just basically wear out faster and 'shine' over faster than the PBT keycaps. I have had a couple other keyboards, a Razer Blackwidow and a XArmor from iOne, the Razer keycaps did shine over quite quickly and become smooth, about a year or so whereas the iOne keys lasted a bit longer with the same plastic type. This 'shinning' or 'smoothing' of the surface doesn't effect the performance of the plastic or anything it just makes it look greasy all the time...

So it would seem to be a hit or miss as well as the print style that is used on the keycaps.

The WASD is very subtle which a lot of purists are going to like, myself included. Three blue LED lights indicate Caps, Num, and Scroll they are on the bright side, so if you are a typist in the dark it could get annoying, however I have not tried this.

WASD provides a lovely braided cable which you don't have to bend straight when it comes out of the box, I'm looking at you Razer. It is firmly connected to the back of the board so you don't have to worry about the mini USB failing that is currently plaguing Newegg's house brand Rosewill, or having to route it under the board through 90 degree bends.

The sloping style of this board mimicks many of the high end brands I did some comparisons to the keyboard that I was previously using, the Razer Blackwidow.

It is kind of a bad image of the two, but I thought that I would use it as a platform for comparison since it is around the same price as the WASD.

The back of the keyboard does have some functionality and it is worth noting.

As you can see the feet on the WASD are larger and set closer to the center of the board where the most amount of pressure is when typing. The Blackwidow on the other hand has the feet set out farther to the corners of the back plate which just adds a flexy feel to the board.

The front has a rounded face which allows for a slight wrist rest, however I opted for buying the wrist rest that WASD sells with their boards.

Typing

Ok so now for the fun part. This keyboard is by far the best keyboard I have ever typed on. If I had to describe it in one word I would say 'solid'. Every keystroke is spot on, nothing flexes, nothing. It is an absolute joy to type on. When doing some general flex tests by pushing down on the keys on home row I couldn't get the deck to move at all. The plastic that this thing is made out of incredibly solid, ABS to be exact. Now don't get worried about the ABS keycap talk before, you will not be disappointed with the build quality from WASD Keyboards.

After about two weeks of playing games, I can say that I'm not disappointed with going with brown key switches. I've been playing TF2, LoL, SC2, Tribes Ascend, BF3, and ITG (Rhythm game) and I can say that I'm still in love with this switch. I'm not going to get to into the switches and the feel of the different switch options since it is mostly personal preference but WASD does offer all of the popular Cherry MX switches: blue, brown, black, and red.

After going through the keys you get true nkro with the PS/2 adapter and can be tested by holding both shift keys and typing: THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG. As well as having true nkro the repeat rate is very high a nice thing if you are playing games or typing like a beast.

They chose to use the Costar stablizers for the larger keys, which is not a bad choice at all, as Das, Rosewill and Filco all use them. The space bar at the corners feels the same as in the center. They actually use a white lithium grease on all of the pivot points on the large keys to minimize friction, a small touch but adds to the build quality of the board. My only gripe is with the medium sized keys, Windows, Alt, Ctrl, etc is that at the corners of those keys they don't feel as solid as when they are depressed at the center. This isn't really due to the construction of the keycap or the keyboard itself but the switch and can't really be avoided.

This board is a metal plate mounted board attached to a two layered PCB board, when you start to look at this stuff you know where your money went when you didn't get extra keys or fancy packaging and I'm glad that they did it. So since I didn't want to void my warranty I'm going to steal the pictures from here:

Speaking of the future and possible features; here we have cutouts for USB & Audio jacks to be placed.

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WASD_Keyboard_11 by Charles McGraw, on Flickr

More so, the daughter board with the Microcontroller looks as though it supports USB & Audio jacks being added to the board as well.
Do note, I'm not aware of the Microcontroller actually supporting this; I'm just stating that the PCB has the circuits already printed on. So it is possible.

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WASD_Keyboard_10 by Charles McGraw, on Flickr

Speaking of which; let's take a look at the main PCB. This is actually a well done and well designed PCB. It allows for you to change between ISO & ANSI layouts. It is also a 2 layer PCB.
Another thing to note is that all of the switch contact points on the PCB are labeled and thus doing a switch swap/transfer or repair would be very easy as you won't loose track of what key is where.

Another interesting thing to note is that the right windows key is also silk-screened saying "Fn" meaning that multi-media functions may be possible as well.

Thanks to the guys at overclock.net for the disassemble.

From what I have read all of the guts of WASD's V1 keyboard are made in a Costar factory, the same factories that produce Filcos and the first generation of Rosewills.

Conclusion

If you are in the market for a solid, no bling mechanical keyboard I would suggest getting the WASD keyboard. This thing types like a dream and is simple and to the point. It's not trying to compete with the other light up decks or other boards with macro keys, it is just a solid, wonderful thing to type on. WASD hits a great price point as well, at $119 USD it is an amazing deal compared to a Filco, Ducky or Das which are $150+ depending on where you are, and has the build quality to back it up. The ability to customize the board is another huge plus. Most keyboards now a days come in one or two colors and then you have to buy additional keycaps for around $40 depending on where you live. Whereas for no additional charge you can have the option of 11 colors and three printing options and five different layouts choices. Price per performance of this keyboard is off the charts and I would recommend anyone to get one if you are in the market.

And if you read through the whole thing here's a picture of my puppy. + Show Spoiler +

TL;DR

Pros

- Incredibly solid overall
- High build quality
- Extremely customizable
- Simplistic minimalist design
- Wire keycap puller
- Wonderful price point at $119 USD

Cons

- Did not come with additional keys
- LED lights might be too bright in the dark

Relevant Sources

http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/
http://geekhack.org/index.php
http://www.overclock.net

Edit: Took out embarrassing miss use of scale...

[Keyboard Review]WASD V1 Keyboard

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