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Mechanical keyboards are expensive. They’re typically made with better quality materials. Since a mechanical keyboard has more physical components than a membrane keyboard, the manufacturing costs add up quickly when using high-quality materials. So, with that in mind, you might consider buying a “mechanical-feeling” membrane keyboard, which claims to give you the mechanical experience at a fraction of the price. However, do they stand the test? Let’s examine HUO JI’s Mechcanical-Feeling Keyboard in-depth.

HUO JI Mechanical-Feeling Keyboard: At a Glance

Keyboard	HUO JI Mechanical Feeling Keyboard
Price	$22.99
Tier	Budget
Switches	None
Keycap Profile	OEM
Keycap Material	Plastic (Unknown Type)
Interface	USB-A
Layout	USA ANSI
Keyboard Type	Membrane (Mechanical-Feeling)
Hot-Swappable?	N/A

HUO JI Mechanical-Feeling Keyboard: My Thoughts

This “mechanical-feeling” keyboard provides a unique experience that isn’t analogous to a mechanical nor a traditional membrane keyboard. Let’s examine the features in-depth.

Price

One of the primary features of the keyboard is the low price. At just $22.99, the keyboard falls squarely in the “budget” tier. It’s a very affordable keyboard, which makes it all the more attractive to people looking for a mechanical experience without paying the additional price for true mechanical components.

Construction

This keyboard feels incredibly cheap. The plastic frame is exceptionally light and the keycaps feel terrible under my fingers. They were greasy right out of the box. It’s impossible to assess the key mechanism without breaking the keyboard, making it difficult to determine whether the membrane’s construction is better or worse than average. However, it feels roughly the same as any other membrane keyboard I’ve used at this price point.

The keyboard is outiftted with LEDs. However, the colors are are bit washed out and they aren’t addressable. So, you can’t change the colors to suit your personal preferences.

Keycaps

The keycaps are made of an unknown plastic. They’re configured in the OEM profile for the most part. However, the bottom row on the main group is shaped differently than a standard OEM keycap shape, making the keyboard awkward to use and even a bit uncomfortable.

Keyboard Mechanics

This keyboard claims to be “mechanical feeling.” However, that is really just a fancy way to say “more expensive membrane keyboard.” It is unclear from the specifications if the keyboard uses a standard membrane or rubber dome construction.

Problems I Encountered When Using the HUO JI Mechanical-Feeling Keyboard

So first of all, this keyboard is kind of a piece of crap. It’s very cheap feeling and doesn’t feel mechanical at all. The membrane feels very mushy and squishy and doesn’t provide the crisp tactile feedback that I’d expect from a mechanical keyboard. Additionally, the keys aren’t as responsive as a mechanical keyboard. When I played games with the keyboard, I experienced a high amount of ghosting and dropped inputs. The keys are also extremely heavy, which I would expect from a membrane keyboard. However, given that this keyboard is designed to provide a “mechanical feeling” experience, I expected a lighter keypress.