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Kogan RGB Mechanical Keyboard $29.99 + Delivery (Red/Brown/Blue Switches) @ Kogan

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Kogan RGB Mechanical Keyboard $29.99 + Delivery (Red/Brown/Blue Switches) @ Kogan
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LFuzzyScone on 12/06/2020 - 18:51 kogan.com (7740 clicks)
Last edited 21/06/2020 - 17:45 by 2 other users

Looking for a good mechanical keyboard? Well, this Kogan one is definitely not it. For a starter keyboard or someone just wanting to try out some certain switches or a mechanical keyboard, this may suffice. RGB lights aren't actually RGB but solid coloured but for $30 what do you expect? Ships on the 21st of July.

EDIT: Now in stock, no longer presale

Dimensions 434 x 126 x 35mm
Weight 0.74kg
Functions And Features
LED Multicoloured LEDs
Keys 104 Keys
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year

edit: forgot to mention double injection keycaps and metal backplate

Computing Computer Peripheral Keyboard Kogan Mechanical Keyboard

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closed Comments

  • spiinl on 12/06/2020 - 18:55
    +6

    I have the blue switches and it is decent. And it is rgb backlit.

    • FuzzyScone on 12/06/2020 - 18:57
      +1

      this exact keyboard? I think this is new stock and design

      • spiinl on 12/06/2020 - 19:04
        +2

        I believe so. I bought it before at the same price. It does fancy rainbow colors

      • theguyrules on 12/06/2020 - 20:05

        I don't think this is new design.

        • Aequitas on 12/06/2020 - 20:20

          It's slightly different to the older deals. Much skinnnier to the sides. The only difference in the names was the older one was called "Full RGB" while this is just "RGB".

        • spiinl on 12/06/2020 - 20:45
          -2

          https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-full-rgb-mechanical-keybo…
          It looks the same but actually different?

          The one i bought before has Outemu Blue switch.

      • M0RGAN on 12/06/2020 - 21:10
        +12

        FYI, this is nowhere near as good as their full RGB keyboard. It only has a single colour for each row. Avoid unless you like having an ugly static rainbow. Its false advertising to call this RGB. You're better off getting a keyboard with one colour.

        • CVonC on 02/07/2020 - 01:05

          My full RGB brown just arrived today. There are two "rainbow" modes in the driver; rainbow and rainbow wheel. When I select rainbow, the animation in the driver window shows the entire kb having the one colour but cycling through each colour. But in reality, the keys are all just random colours. Doesn't seem correct in terms of what the animation is showing? But then again the driver window has no animation for the "flash away" mode.

  • ln28909 on 12/06/2020 - 18:56
    +1

    21 July not June FYI

    • FuzzyScone on 12/06/2020 - 18:57

      oops my bad, thanks

  • Jopgun on 12/06/2020 - 18:57
    +2

    Recently got the tkl brown switch version for $39. It's decent for the price.

    • Void on 12/06/2020 - 21:04
      +1

      Damn any browns for $39 is really good. Browns always cost a premium.

    • bdl on 12/06/2020 - 21:33

      Me too, I'm pretty happy with it having used it for most of lockdown. I usually use a Model M

    • tdw on 12/06/2020 - 23:32

      Same. Was watching the prices for a while and thought $40 is low enough

    • peteru on 17/06/2020 - 14:14
      +2

      I've been looking for a reasonably priced TKL mechanical keyboard for a while. So, I ordered the Kogan KAMECHKBTKA "Rainbow RGB Mechanical Keyboard". It arrived earlier today. Observations:

      • It's very high/tall. Because the keys sit on top, it's about 20mm taller than it ought to be.
      • Cheap switches. They may be brown, but they are certainly nothing like Cherry MX browns.
      • The spacebar uses the same single brown switch as all the other keys, which makes it feel too soft.
      • Ugly font on the keycaps.
      • Uneven illumination on keys.
      • Quite a lot of wiggle on the keycaps. I think the stems on the keys are too loose.
      • The larger keys, such as backspace and shift have very noisy stabilisers.
      • Manual says full RGB, but that's a lie. They are fixed colour LEDs.
      • Nice and compact. No wasted space on the desk, although the USB cable strain relief protrudes a bit.
      • Although not listed in the manual, it is fully functional with Linux without any need for software.
      • The T arrow keycaps have sharp edges with burs. I'll have to pull the keycaps off and clean up the edges a bit.
      • The plastic on the keycaps has a very soft/light weight feel to it. I have doubts about it's longevity. It feels like it's going to wear pretty quickly.
      • The USB cord is too short at 160cm. It's not enough to go from front of desk to the back, then down to the floor and into the back of the computer. A 240cm USB cable would have been a much better option.

      All in all, not a disaster for $48 delivered, but hardly an upgrade from my DEC/Compaq keyboard from the 1990's. Certainly not even a shadow of the Amiga 2500UX German made keyboard with genuine Cherry MX keys.

      If this was your first mechanical keyboard, you'd probably wonder why people bother with them. This particular keyboard may technically be a mechanical keyboard, but it is definitely a budget experience. Having said that, it is better than almost every laptop keyboard (perhaps with the exception of Thinkpads)

      My guess is that all these Kogan mechanical keyboard will likely come from the same source and are therefore likely to give you similar experience. When priced under $50, one of these keyboards is OK. Once you start heading towards the $100 mark it's too expensive, no matter what they do to the RGB LEDs. The keycaps and switches are the limiting factor here.

      Not that much of a bargain as it is a budget product. It's cheap because it is cheap.

      • tdw on 17/06/2020 - 15:03

        i'm bashing this comment out on it now.

        totally agree on the keycap font lol. it tries to look too "gamerish" for my liking. and the quality does look rather iffy. but i'm not too bothered by the loose, slippery caps or the pinging, or the high tilt.

        i've only ever had kogan mech kbs so the price is right for me. no way i could spend >$100 on a keyboard unless it was at least bluebooth and/or i had a job that depended on it. for $40 i'm not going to get too sentimental over it, become obsessed with customising it or worry if i spill a drink on it. i've had mine for 2 months and it's holding up well so far. the only thing that isn't quite right is the win key + another key combo. like, if i want to do win + d to see the desktop, it will open up the windows menu half of the time, or show me the desktop and the windows menu as well.

        but definitely an improvement on my toshiba laptop keyboard, or the entry level logitech keyboard i also use which i find very spongy in comparison

  • ellski on 12/06/2020 - 19:00
    +6

    excellent description of keyboard

  • ENSLAVER on 12/06/2020 - 19:01
    +1

    Are brown the quietest switches?

    • FuzzyScone on 12/06/2020 - 19:03
      +1

      I think red are the most quiet overall. I have blues for the sounds but they can be a tad loud. But dont forget they each have different features. Red being linear, brown being tactile and blue being both tactile and clicky

      • dmbminaret on 12/06/2020 - 19:36

        What does tactile and linear do? I think I know clicky from the old days…

        • ihfree on 12/06/2020 - 19:38

          Tactile - there's a distinct bump near the actuation point.
          Linear - no bump.

          • dmbminaret on 12/06/2020 - 19:40

            @ihfree: Are they a keyboard or a gel blaster lol
            and I'm pretty sure it was called clacky haha

            • shaolinbear on 12/06/2020 - 22:55
              +2

              @dmbminaret: Clack and click are different - clack is the sound of the switch bottoming out, click is due to the click slider mechanism in "clicky" switches.

    • Tehcookiemonsta on 12/06/2020 - 19:41

      Out of these Boards

      From Loudest to Quite

      Blue - Tactile Loud
      Brown - Tactile Medium? Sound
      Red - Linear quiet (No feedback when typing which means Linear)

  • PainToad on 12/06/2020 - 19:04
    +9

    Trying to get a refund/replacement from the last sale. First 2 months were great, now it’s missing letters when I type.

    • FuzzyScone on 12/06/2020 - 19:04
      +2

      The same model? I thought this is a new design

    • Aequitas on 12/06/2020 - 20:22
      +4

      A replacement was super easy for me.

    • CheapCoffee on 12/06/2020 - 20:43

      My friend is on his 2nd replacement. They've been easy with replacements but still…

      I've had one replacement so far.

    • s1Lence on 12/06/2020 - 20:53

      same with my cheap outemu blue switch keyboard, next time ima just buy a ducky and not worry about keyboards for the next decade

      • dualcore on 12/06/2020 - 21:52

        The thing with outemu is you need hotswappable keys and 5+ replacements. I have to replace about 1 key every 6 months. I have the tecware phantom and that came with like 10 replacement keys Will last me 5 years which is a fair time for a $60 keyboard.

        • teddies on 16/06/2020 - 14:10

          Interesting! what keys would fit best for these Kogan outemu keyboards?

      • Tehcookiemonsta on 13/06/2020 - 00:44

        My Reddragon K555 Has been going strong for the past 2 years absolutely no problems whatsoever…

        Really think it depends on the companies QC and not just who makes the key's a friends Corsair keyboard had several problems over mine and that's $200+

        However i have heard ducky make some of the best if i was to drop $200+ on a keyboard i'd look at Ducky

    • SchnozzBargain on 13/06/2020 - 10:47

      Mine did this after a few months too but the replacement was painless, all I did was use their contact form and attached a video of me typing and it pretty clearly missing keys on the screen and they send me a new one the next day. The new one doesn't skip keys yet, but out of the box half of the LEDs on the number pad don't work unless I give the keyboard a good knock, that usually fixes it for about 10 minutes before the lights die again.

      All in all they're not bad for the price but the build quality seems pretty horrible.

    • PainToad on 15/06/2020 - 09:51

      Update - replacement being sent.

  • alz on 12/06/2020 - 19:04
    +1

    Ships on 21st Jul

    • FuzzyScone on 12/06/2020 - 19:05

      ive fixed the description. thanks

    • sys2061 on 20/06/2020 - 17:14

      Ships on 21st Jul

      How can you tell? It just says "Leaves warehouse in 1-2 business days". Has this changed?

      I'm thinking of getting one of the other models for a bit more if it will really ship sooner, but now I have to wonder if it will ship in late July too: https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-full-rgb-mechanical-keybo…

      • tdw on 21/06/2020 - 01:25
        +1

        yeah it has changed. probably in the past day or so

  • 87percent on 12/06/2020 - 19:24

    ELI5 the appeal of mechanical kB?

    • Ryanek on 12/06/2020 - 19:29
      +17

      More accurate, tactile and durable than a membrane keyboard.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 13/06/2020 - 11:06

        durable

        Not according to the comments in this thread.

        My G15, on the other hand, is still flawless 12 years later.

        • oznik on 13/06/2020 - 17:07
          +1

          counterpoint, my model M has 1988 birth certificate

    • Yuri Lowell on 12/06/2020 - 19:30
      +1

      Tactile feel with typing, last forever, easier to clean as keycaps are removable, different types of pressure/feedback, satisfying typing noise, can be one of the cool kids.

    • Captain M on 12/06/2020 - 20:48
      +1

      Once you try mechanical you won't go back.

    • tdw on 12/06/2020 - 21:55

      just use the crappy keyboard on my Toshiba Portege laptop for 5 minutes and you'll see ;)

  • Yuri Lowell on 12/06/2020 - 19:28

    Why is it so cheap?

    • thlunasa on 12/06/2020 - 19:33

      With name brands, you are paying for the R&D, software integration, software updates, etc.
      With this generic one, it doesn't have any software integration (it's not programmable RGB) and it's a standardized design.
      They also say the circuitry and QC isn't great, but my mother's one hasn't failed yet.

    • ausmechkeyboards on 12/06/2020 - 20:10
      +3

      The switches use to still be under patent by Cherry, but that expired a couple of years ago. Fake switch manufacturers like Khail had pretty good tooling and were immediately able to start producing switches, followed by a bunch of other manufacturers as time went on.

      Couple that with mass manufacturing once it went mainstream and the entire product price dipped.

    • 12Ghast on 12/06/2020 - 20:33

      This refers to their older full size keyboard? But they're rebrands of Chinese OEM keyboards with Chinese switches.

      https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Popular-Redragon-K208…

  • Tehcookiemonsta on 12/06/2020 - 19:31

    Are these outemu switches? they aren't specified… Price looks good.

    • FuzzyScone on 12/06/2020 - 20:00

      other kogan keyboards are so I assume so

  • ihfree on 12/06/2020 - 19:36
    +2

    If you're using voice chat, do your friends a favour and don't buy a model with blue switches!

    • 4ustralian on 12/06/2020 - 19:41

      I use it, so much noise!!

      • Taron on 12/06/2020 - 19:52

        Which switch you are using? You have to choose the one that you like. Also, mechanical keyboards are always making noise, but they have something that the other keyboards don't have.

    • Satirical on 12/06/2020 - 19:54
      +1

      Not a problem if you have an NVIDIA card, just use RTX Voice to suppress all noise

      • Blue Cat on 12/06/2020 - 21:52
        +2

        Enjoy your FPS loss!

    • Aequitas on 12/06/2020 - 20:24

      (profanity) them! but tbh with gaming, I find brown switches are better, but for typing, blue is far far better. At this price you can get one of each imo haha.

  • Taron on 12/06/2020 - 19:44
    +1

    This is good comparing to the price. Kogan has a good support too. My keyboard has problem with 1 key after 6 months of usage, I recorded the video and reported, they sent me a new one.

  • BluBoy on 12/06/2020 - 19:45

    How does it compare against the Z88 which gets mentioned here a bit (for an extra $20).
    I prefer the size and key layout on the Z88.

    EG: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32880747739.html

    • ihfree on 12/06/2020 - 19:59
      +2

      Not really directly comparable - one is a compact keyboard - 75% vs a full-sized board.

      The z88 takes up less desk space and has some functionality with the FN key - eg media playback, other keys which are typically in the middle block with the arrows. If you're happy with a smaller board and the saved desk space, it's not a terrible option for the price.

      The same:
      -I would guess they both use outemu switches
      -Both have a metal backplate

      Pros for the Z88
      -Z88 likely has better build quality.
      -Z88 is advertised as spill-proof
      -Z88 has a detachable cable
      -Z88 has hot-swappable switches
      -Z88 has a marginally better font(yes, subjective)

    • fajman on 12/06/2020 - 20:00

      It's $14 delivery for me so only $6 diff

    • Wonderfool on 12/06/2020 - 20:39

      Lol I remember when you can get scrappy brands with mx switches for around that price. My irock mx brown was 70 bucks. I wonder what happened to them.

  • zorrt on 12/06/2020 - 20:10

    So the only difference between this one and the $49.99 "full" kogan one is the full one can be customized via software whereas this one can't right?

    • Aequitas on 12/06/2020 - 20:27

      The only difference I can see is timing. I bought (4 of) the "full" one at $30 each. Not sure if there are any other differences, this one is slightly smaller edges.

    • FuzzyScone on 12/06/2020 - 20:27

      yes, other than the external features

  • Boba on 12/06/2020 - 20:18
    +1

    I bought blue TKL Kogan keyboard recently. They said presale with shipping in July, then they shipped it straight away. So don’t be surprised if the keyboard comes earlier than claimed.

    As the OP said, not genuine RGB but can’t expect much for the price. Key caps are also not easily removed but once again can’t expect much for price. Keys have started to play up recently eg I press a letter and sometimes it’s stuck on repeat,

    • Tehcookiemonsta on 12/06/2020 - 20:28

      Claim Warranty I guess if you're Bothered i have heard kogan are good with their returns…

  • 12Ghast on 12/06/2020 - 20:28
    +1

    I bought a mechanical keyboard from kogan before, and upon doing some research, they look like rebranded Redragon k208s.

    https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Popular-Redragon-K208…

    Note that you can usually ask for a sample and pay for a single unit + shipping which may end up cheaper if Kogan ends up upping their price.

  • s1Lence on 12/06/2020 - 20:57
    -6

    where's the bargain? correct me if i am wrong but this is the standard price

    • Tehcookiemonsta on 12/06/2020 - 23:26

      Welp it ain't the standard price lol…

      • s1Lence on 13/06/2020 - 00:07
        -1

        what is, then? just shows 29.99 and no normal price whereas others show standard and sale price

        • Tehcookiemonsta on 13/06/2020 - 00:38
          +1

          It's a Presale & going off the price of other Kogan Mechanical keyboards none of them sell at a standard price of $29.99

  • cheeapsk8 on 12/06/2020 - 21:04
    +4

    Can't recommend it. Mine makes annoying metal dings at every keypress.

    • mctubster on 12/06/2020 - 21:59

      Agreed. I bought one from the last sale and returned it. Really annoying metal hitting metal noise.

      • [Deactivated] on 13/06/2020 - 09:39

        This problem is also reported on the z-88. Also read the same for the red dragon keyboards

        Similarly have read this noise problem can go away after a few weeks of wear in.

        Currently looking at getting a havit keyboard. I think its the 432l. Apparently it doesnt suffer from this.

    • Wonderfool on 12/06/2020 - 22:48

      Oh, so it's an inbuilt problem with the design?

      I mean, I guess it's not bad if you are constantly wearing earplugs.

      • MiniMoo on 12/06/2020 - 23:20

        Damn, I can't install those. Pictures say I also need to buy a guitar.

      • Dubsys on 13/06/2020 - 05:24
        +1

        it's the spring inside the switch pinging, not the plastic hitting the plate.

      • Davie-1 on 13/06/2020 - 08:26

        Dubsys is right, it’s the springs inside the keys that are noisy. I’ve installed o-rings on my brown switch Kogan, and it’s very loud because of the springs inside the switches.

  • Kendrite13 on 12/06/2020 - 21:18

    Looking at getting this for my kids for a birthday present - 9 and 11 years old. Playing Fortnite and Sims.

    I know it's subjective but Blue Red or Brown switch? Don't care about noise, just best for little hands. I'm thinking Blue for gaming?

    Thanks in advance.

    • Nitrous on 12/06/2020 - 22:02

      Brown. They are tactile but not as noisy. My 10yo loves it.

    • Dubsys on 13/06/2020 - 05:25

      Red, the tactile bump of the outemu switches is awful.

  • FicklePickle on 12/06/2020 - 21:21

    Is there an easy way to get free postage? $15 postage sort of kills the deal.

    • tdw on 12/06/2020 - 21:34

      sign up to a kogan first free trial

  • tdw on 12/06/2020 - 21:37

    i've got both the wireless version of their mech kb (red switch), and wired TKL versions (blue & brown switch). happy enough with the performance given the price. no way i'm spending over $100 on a mech keyboard.

    here's a thing i've noticed with kogan first free trials: your account email address and card used to sign up must be completely different each time.

    • Justahappymortal on 12/06/2020 - 22:27

      I have the wireless one and realize that the wired one doesn’t have a wrist rest. In your experience, does it matter? Thanks for any feedbacks

      • tdw on 12/06/2020 - 23:30

        I'm just not a wrist rest person lol. I have the wired TKL sitting over my shitty laptop keyboard on the elevated pegs and I rest my wrists on the laptop if I have to.

    • phor8 on 12/06/2020 - 23:40

      yeah i thought id signed up as it wasnt showing shipping during checkout, but because some details were used for the trial previously, it doesnt mention its invalid so ended up just showing in my account that i paid shipping

  • [Deactivated] on 13/06/2020 - 00:01
    +1

    I have been typing on this keyboard, at work, 8 hours a day for the last year or so, I can't recommend it. I'm typing at home on a Ducky One Two which is out of this world by comparison.

    Pros +

    • has light
    • is mechanical so it lasts long? (I'm yet to see a keyboard broken from all the typing)

    Cons -

    • the keys are are very high
    • very loud (no matter what configuration you have)
    • poor typing experience
    • keys sometimes are hardish to press or awkward (hard to explain)
    • duckieboy on 13/06/2020 - 05:32
      +1

      Glad I saw this comment! Was looking for a machanical keyboard and it was overwhelming to see so many models and options. Ended up getting the Ducky One 2 Pudding Edition RGB LED Double Shot PBT Brown Cherry MX.

      Since I use my keyboard 7 hours a day for work, having a nice typing experience is worth the price.

      Plus I can do tax deduction on it so it's not too bad.

  • LolwutMikka on 13/06/2020 - 00:12

    Are the colours similar to Cherrys?

    • ihfree on 13/06/2020 - 00:15

      yes

    • TheContact on 13/06/2020 - 11:17

      Similar in that they represent linear/tactile/clicky. The switches themselves are a bit heavier than the Cherry MX equivalents.

  • DaiShan on 13/06/2020 - 00:18

    bought the brown switch version of this a few months ago. going great, i think it's great value for money and a great entry to mechanical keyboards.

    • covid-20 on 13/06/2020 - 01:06

      I bought the red. Was my entry into the mechanicals, too. I think you made the right choice on spending the extra for the brown tactile switches - I'm not a huge fan of red switches especially when they bottom out :/

  • wombok2 on 13/06/2020 - 01:13
    +4

    Free CITIBANK $20 off when spending over $50.
    CITIFGHFDJ9DGCJ

    • CVonC on 13/06/2020 - 02:01

      redeemed this, thanks heaps mate!

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