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| Fantech ATOM96 MK980V2 Mizu edition |
It's hard to get a good hot swappable keyboard for around 2800 BDT (around 23 USD). But this keyboard can be an interesting option for those who want to dip their toes in the world of keyboard enthusiasm. Not pricey but 3-pin hot swappable and has a cool looking multi-function nob. Which sounds nice, but is there any catch? To figure this out, I've got the blue switch unit of this keyboard (sorry, thocky fans) to test how does it perform.
What's in the box?
Form factor
It's a 96% form factor. This form factor contains most of the keys (96 to be precise) of a full-size keyboard excluding some less used keys. Although being full sized, it comes in a pretty compact size of just only 136mm(h) x 385mm (w). which is pretty interesting for gamers. But if you're like me, who is used to taking screenshots with the print key, you have to change that habit because it doesn't come with one. But there are other ways to take screenshots easily. So it isn't a deal breaker for me. Overall, the form factor is pretty decent. Especially for those who are coming from full size membrane or generic mechanical keyboards because of the minimal effort to you need to adapt with this form factor.
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| S.I. Fantech |
Durability
Now the next important factor is durability. And it did a pretty decent job in this segment. It does flex in the flex test, but it's minimal. And unfortunately, I couldn't the switch durability rating of these ATOM switches (which I'll get into shortly) but based on the pricing, it's expected to have a 10 million click lifespan (though, it's completely my speculation, so take it with a pinch of salt). Before going further, I want to tell you that this keyboards retailer website doesn't tell some crucial information like the switch rating, switch actuation point, switch force, PCB quality and specifications etc. Which is a con for someone that kind of enthusiast. So, keep that in mind.
Keycaps and switches
First the keycaps, they are double injected ABS keycaps but pretty decent for the price point. The sky blue one (which I'm reviewing) comes with the most sky blue colored keycaps. Which looks cool in terms of esthetics. One thing to point that the lightning can't shine through the keycaps, so you better look for a set of aftermarket keycaps if it's a necessity for you. And the function keycaps have a additional print for additional functions such as opening the browser, pausing the video etc. You have to press the "Fn" key located just between the right alt and ctrl key.
Now, the crucial part, the switches. This keyboard comes with manufacturer's own switches named ATOM switch. For now, I've found only two switches, one is the clicky blue and the other one is linear red. As mentioned before, I'm reviewing the blue one today. But the issue is, the manufacturer didn't mention the details about those switches. So, I don't have any idea about the actuation force, switch lifespan rating, etc. But the switches themselves feel very generic in terms of sound and typing feel. Loudness is like a normal blue switch should be. Here is a sound test to give an idea about what I'm saying.
The sound is a little deep considering it's pure plastic, and no foam included for noise isolation. And the clicky sound is blended with the sound of plastic making a decent sound while typing. But this keyboard is moddable, so you can change the switches with any 3-pin mechanical switch. But the stock switches are as generic as they can be. So, as long as they are hot swappable, no complains about them.
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| Fantech ATOM Switches S.I. Fantech |
Multi-functional knob
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| Volume knob |