A helpful USB hub by day, a colourful mechanical keyboard by night time [Review] ★★★★☆

A utilitarian and professional-looking keyboard by day, the 3inus Kebohub EE01 turns into a lightweight present for streaming Fall Guys or no matter on Twitch by night time.  Stay now on Kickstarter, it’s a full RGB-backlit customizable mechanical keyboard with a handy-dandy hub in your USB equipment and HDMI show.

To place it in automotive phrases, it’s just like the BMW X5 M, a sensible, midsize luxurious SUV that’s additionally attempting to be a efficiency automotive. Or, in a much less beneficiant metaphor, a mullet.

I’ve had just a few weeks with the Kebohub EE01; right here’s why it’s a very good mechanical keyboard plus a very good desktop dock for a MacBook.

3inus Kebohub EE01 evaluate

Typing really feel and format

I received the compact model of the keyboard that features a full set of alphanumeric keys, a perform row, arrow keys and scroll keys with no num pad. I like a brief distance between my trackpad and my keyboard. Since I’m not an accountant, I all the time go sans-num pad.

I ordered the keyboard with the Pink swap. They don’t seem to be named as Cherry switches, however they’re clearly related. Identical to the Cherry MX Pink, it’s a linear swap that doesn’t click on. It’s nonetheless audible over a convention name or podcast, nevertheless it’s not overwhelming.

A helpful USB and HDMI hub

I exploit my Mac for video manufacturing, so I exploit nearly each single port on the pc’s again.

That is the place the Kebohub EE01 is available in. On the again of the keyboard, you’ll discover one HDMI, one USB-C 3.1 and three USB-A 3.0 ports. The EE01 has a cut up cable — you’ll be able to plug it into your laptop utilizing both one or two USB-C ports to double the ability to the hub.

In case you have a MacBook so you’ll be able to dwell the desktop-laptop life-style, the Kebohub can act as a type of docking station. You don’t should plug in your show, your audio system and your backup exhausting drive each time you come residence; simply run these issues by way of the keyboard.

In case you have a desktop Mac, you’ll recognize how you’ve got simply accessible ports proper by your fingers. You don’t have to fumble across the again of your iMac, Mac mini or Mac Studio.

RGB backlights

One can inform from my common demeanor that I’m not a PC gamer. I’ve a common distaste for the flashy, obnoxious setups that players flaunt like peacocks. Extra energy to you if one thing like that is your type, however I’d like my laptop to seem like a pc, not a laser tag enviornment.

The Kebohub has a full spectrum of RGB backlighting. You possibly can wash it out in an enormous rainbow, glow a stable colour, or cycle by way of animated results.

The backlight is managed by the Fn key. You possibly can swap between 18 totally different patterns by hitting Fn with Ins/Del/House/Finish/PgUp/PgDn. Press any of these six keys a number of occasions in a row to cycle by way of three variations.

Fn with the arrow keys will modify the colour scheme and brightness. It will get brilliant sufficient to see even with direct daylight shining by way of the window, though I’ve the impression that such equipment are designed to be used in darker rooms.

My favourite setting — or extra precisely, the one one I didn’t discover irritating — is Fn+House (2), the place every key glows for a second after you press it.

Interchangeable key caps and switches

I can’t actually place the font used on the important thing caps, nevertheless it’s some type of sans serif stencil font. I’m unsure if the manufacturing course of required them to make use of a stencil font or if it was a stylistic selection.

It looks like an uncanny valley between utilizing straight Helvetica and utilizing a extra obnoxious PC GAMER font to let you understand this keyboard is for PC GAMING, however that’s the type of center floor the place this keyboard lives.

The EE01 helpfully comes with a bunch of alternate key caps. You possibly can swap the two-tone colour scheme for a stable grey. Plus, in case you predominantly use a PC, you’ll be able to swap the Mac-specific keys for PC-specific keys.

The important thing switches and key caps are all made utilizing customary elements. You possibly can swap all 87 switches out for clickier or quieter ones and change the important thing caps for an entire new look whereas retaining the identical hub and backlighting. You possibly can dramatically remodel the look of the keyboard in order for you.

Good construct high quality

The Kebohub EE01 is manufactured with glorious construct high quality. The physique is fabricated from a powerful plastic. I picked up the keyboard with each fingers and twisted the physique unnaturally to see how a lot it flexed or creaked — it has just about no give.

Regardless of that, it’s not unusually heavy. It’s simple to reposition on the desk.

The important thing caps really feel positive. They’ve the identical light-speckled texture that almost all molded plastics are adorned with, albeit in a a lot finer grain than is typical to cheaper keyboards.

Whereas the rubber pads on the entrance of the keyboard are considerably haphazardly glued in place, I’ll name particular consideration to the flip-down ft within the again. The mechanism is clean and agency. The ft are a seamless mix of plastic and rubber that’s completely colour matched.

They really feel good. They are going to both be completely tucked away contained in the case, or they’ll spend their whole life touching your unappreciative desk. You’ll really feel them solely a few times. However while you do, in case you can recognize such issues, you may be impressed.

Miscellaneous observations

• The model title, which I’ve used sparingly all through this evaluate, is 3inus. Don’t say it out loud too quick.
• It nonetheless has all of the ineffective PC keys like Pause, Scroll Lock, Print Display and Insert. They don’t do something in Mac mode — not that they actually do something in Home windows, both. You possibly can remap them utilizing Karabiner Parts or Rectangle.
• This keyboard is available in a really obscene quantity of packaging. There’s the outermost white plastic delivery wrap, 4 large sheets of froth taped collectively, a transparent white plastic bag (I don’t bear in mind the place within the course of this got here in), a skinny white cardboard field with a product sticker on it, one other barely smaller clear plastic field with an similar product sticker on it (why?) and a second sticker that claims “koyboard,” and a 3rd, barely smaller, heavy cardboard tray that holds the product and its many plastic-bagged equipment.
  My kitchen scale says it’s 649 grams of packaging for a 918 gram koyboard, so the product itself is lower than 60% the burden of the entire package deal.
• Just a few of the keys initially didn’t match flush with the others — F10, H, 2 and P sat barely larger than the encircling keys. I pushed them down actually exhausting and now they’re good.
• The handbook is easy and useful. It’s printed on high-quality shiny paper.

Discover the Keebohub EE01 on Kickstarter

The Keebohub EE01 is a wonderful and handy hub for all of your gadgets, whether or not you’ve got a laptop computer or desktop. The keyboard is good to sort on and the standard shines by way of. The design isn’t to my style, however you can also make it yours.

The Keebohub EE01 is being funded by way of Kickstarter till Might 4. For those who’re among the many first 100 backers, you’ll be able to snag the keyboard for simply $84, a 40% low cost “on the Future Retail Worth.” The following 2,000 backers can get it for $99; all remaining Kickstarter backers can pay $109.

★★★★☆