Review on 🎮 Punkston TH61 60% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, RGB Backlit Ultra-Compact Mini Mechanical Keyboard, Full Keys Programmable - Black (Optical Black Switch) by Carl Lipschultz

Okay, here I read this: That's an insane value of $25-$30 with coupon at the time of writing this review (was $25). Optical black switches are good and have good OOTB smoothness. BUT, those switches are DIRTY on the record like crazy! This does not even take into account the rocking of the stem. Literally take a keyboard and give it a little shake and it sounds like a rattling shaker. You can also gently move the top of the switch housing and see how it wobbles around the metal plate. These "H&J" switches appear to be based on Kailh box bodies and have a larger body overall. Never heard of this brand. I couldn't take it anymore when the top switch case was wobbly and replaced it with the brown Gaterons I had laying around. The switch body no longer rattles and is also soft tactile. I also couldn't use my stock Cherry switch opener or my Outemu switch opener with these H&J switches. So they differ in size. Strange. I ended up using a flathead screwdriver to pry one open and look inside. The rest is a normal switch. Additionally, the bottom plastic case contains foam, although there's a gap for the battery and a slot on the bottom for Bluetooth/wireless for another board. You can add extra foam to reduce typing void. Also, the stabilizer bars are actually lubricated from the factory and appear to be injected between the cases at a viscosity close to Krytox 205g0. Not bad. However, it still needs trimming to avoid unwanted rattling. Luckily they are board mounted so they can be easily tested without having to take apart the whole board. There's also a full app dedicated to Punkston that lets you use different lighting modes (including modes for the keyboard itself, reprogrammable keys, and a macro feature. Good job Punkston! If you want to buy this, you've got to keep in mind, that these are just optical switches - standard mechanical switches, the switches will NOT fit in this socket, that also means your hot-swappable options aren't that great, however, Outemu and Gateron make various optical switches online for around 60% keyboards at this low Stock Course Revain It takes a lot of work but you can definitely get a good THOCCCC level if you put in 3/5 for fairness and a good challenge for beginner keyboard lovers.