Luxia Le

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One of the keyboards I’ve purchased recently is the Hexgears GK735 with Kailh BOX White switches. Initially, I bought it with the intent of simply trying the Kailh BOX White switches, as I had never tried them before. However, I’ve been using it as the primary keyboard for my gaming computer for a few months. Let’s talk about my thoughts on this keyboard.

Hexgears GK735: At a Glance

Keyboard	Hexgears GK735
Price	$19.99
Tier	Budget
Switches	Kailh BOX White
Keycap Profile	OEM
Keycaps	PBT
Interface	Wired, USB-A
Layout	US ANSI
Hot-Swappable?	Yes

Hexgears GK735: My Thoughts

I have a lot of thoughts about this keyboard after using it for a while. Let’s talk about them.

Price

The Hexgears GK735 is a budget keyboard, clocking a price of just $19.99 for the keyboard on Amazon. The keyboard is a full-sized keyboard with a 104 keys, including the numpad. It’s an excellent starter keyboard for anyone looking to purchase a budget mechanical keyboard with reliable switches and PBT keycaps. While you won’t get the most expensive, high-tier switches, it’s hard to beat the price of this keyboard.

Construction

The keyboard does feel a bit cheap. The frame is constructed with plastic, which not a downside in and of itself. However, it feels very light and flimsy, unlike higher-quality plastic frames. The switches are made of PBT. However, they’re not double-shot. So, again, they might feel a bit cheap if you’re used to a higher-quality keyboard. The RGB lights on the keyboard look nice, but the colours on the border lighting are a bit washed out and aren’t as vibrant as I’d like them to be,

Keycaps

The keycaps feel good under the fingers, not greasy or slick like ABS plastic might be. However, it does appear that the legends and pudding colouring are painted onto the plastic. So, they may wear down and disappear over time if you use the keyboard as your primary keeb.

The plastic on the keycaps is relatively thick and feels sturdy. However, I have seen thicker keycaps. From a look at the underside of the keycap, we can see that it’s compatible with all switches that feature a cross stem and we cannot see a double-shot layer under the top of the keycap.

Switches

The Hexgears GK735 comes with Kailh BOX White switches, which are clicky-type switches. The responsiveness of the switches is good and they feel good under my fingers. They are not too heavy, making them ideal for people who require a keyboard they can press lightly. They are easy to remove if you pinch the switch with a switch puller on the north-south axis.

Sound Profile

I was not a huge fan of the sound profile of this keyboard. I expected a more prominent “click” sound when the keys were depressed. The click noise that the switches make is muted, which could be an upside for someone who wants to use this keyboard in a shared environment. Additionally, the plastic frame doesn’t provide good acoustics for the switches.

However, swapping the switches for Cherry MX Blues provided a more pleasing sound profile for me. Thus, I can say that the sound issue is coming from the switches themselves, unfortunately. Although I prefer the sound of the Cherry MX Blue switches, I will be keeping this keyboard intact with the Kailh BOX Whites, as I have several other keyboards that I intend to test and this one doesn’t speak to me enough to modify it.

Problems Encountered When Using the Hexgears GK735

I encountered one major issue when using the keyboard. The sockets and PCB don’t appear to be of the greatest quality. After just a few months of relatively sparing use, I’m having problems with the E key socket. Every so often, the socket will simply die. The PCB will stop registering clicks and the reactive LED in the socket won’t light up when the key is pressed. Swapping for a different switch doesn’t help. So, the issue is with the socket itself. No other keys are experiencing this issue at the moment, but I expect to replace the keyboard in its entirety relatively soon.