We were contacted through our website by a representative of Hexgears. They messaged us to see if we’d take a look at the Hexgears K520 and give it an honest review. We accepted and they sent one out.
Now, I must confess I’d not heard of them before and neither had the other staff members. But being tech enthusiasts we duly accepted the offer and waited for the 87 key high performance mechanical keyboard to arrive from China.
Featuring Kailh BOX Switches and a white LED backlight, the Hexgears K520 feels like a premium keyboard but is it any good? Let’s take a look!
Hexgears K520 Review – First Impressions Count
For an 87 key keyboard it’s quite heavy but I like that, it feels well built. There’s no flex at all in the ABS plastic body. I also liked the strong feet! A few times I’ve reviewed a decent keyboard only for it to be let down by poor design and build quality of the feet! But this one doesn’t suffer the same afterthought, it has decent non-slip silicone feet.
We’ve said before on the blog, we love a company that takes the time to create some great packaging! And the Hexgears K520 didn’t disappoint! Unfortunately I didn’t manage to take a decent picture of it as I’d torn it quite badly when opening it! Sorry about that, but trust me the black packaging is great quality and was well packed to avoid any damage in transit.
Hexgears K520 Features
The keyboard comes with a host of features, we’ve listed them below:
- Anti-Ghosting (N-Key Rollover)
- Ergonomic Design
- Tenkeyless 87 key
- ABS Dual-Colour Injection Keycaps
- OS support for Windows, Android, Linux and Mac
Dimensions: 360 * 136 * 37.5 mm
Voltage & Current:: DC5V / 350mA
Cable material Black braided
Cable Length: L1.8mΦ5.0mm
Typing Feel
The Hexgear K520’s concave keycaps are comfortable and smooth. The audible click sounds a little muffled, which is nice! It’s not too loud. I love a loud click but others hate it with a passion! The rebound when a key is pressed is quick and snappy.
As it’s tenkeyless it doesn’t feature the number pad but it does feel roomy! It’s not as compact as the Keychron K2 for example. There isn’t a wrist support attached but it doesn’t feel like it’d irritate those people with wrist conditions.
The tactile feedback you get from each key is good and each keypress is accurate. This keyboard is ideal for users who want a high quality keyboard but aren’t too fussed about it being from a popular name brand.
Overall Design
I really like the design of this keyboard. It has flat, sharp edges that make the keys look as if they are standing to attention. The white backlight LED is bright but not in your face. There are 6 different pre-configured LED patterns.
You can also configure a custom pattern which I played around with for far to long before settling for the random pattern! The included instructions explain how to set up a custom LED configuration, which are simple and have been translated into English well.
How much is it to buy?
The price has been fluctuating on Amazon recently, we last saw it for £50.00 ($65.00) with free delivery on Amazon. You can check the latest price using the button below.
Hexgears K520 White LED Backlight Video Demo
Keyboard Switch Options – They’re waterproof!
The K520 comes equipped with Kailh switches that’ll have been rated at 80 million actuations! You can order the keyboard with a choice of two switch types. They have a IPX56 waterproof rating.
Kailh switches are made by Chinese firm Kaihua Electronics. So what two types are available with the K520 Keyboard?
Red Switches:
Moderate tactile force, linear switching characteristic,rapid response, ideal for gaming and office usage.
Brown Switches:
Tactile switching characteristic, low sound,suitable for long-hour typing needs.
Conclusion
The Hexgears K520 keyboard is great. To type on it’s comfortable and has a nice soft click. It has dedicated function keys for media playback such as play, pause and skip. It’s also affordable, easy to set up, and is built using high quality materials.
Score: 7/10
I’d give it a solid 7/10, if I’m being hypercritical I’d like to see a bluetooth version and a UK layout. I had difficulty finding the # and £ keys at first but once I’d figured it out, that really didn’t matter. It’s a minor inconvenience.
Check out Hexgears homepage here: https://www.hexgears.org/
Disclosure:
If you use any of the Amazon links in this article they are affiliate links. This means that if you go onto buy something from Amazon I may get a small commission. It won’t cost you anything extra but it helps me to pay for the running costs of the blog and allows me to bring you great content! Thank you so much for your support.
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