My work life and my fun life intersect at my keyboard. It’s how I convey my thoughts as I write emails, sift through stories and edit articles. When I’m off the clock, the keyboard is how I play video games.
With so much happening at my desk, finding the right keyboard was key to my work-from-home space. One of the devices I tried out was the IQUNIX L80 Formula Typing Wireless Mechanical Keyboard. It has the bona fides as typing powerhouse while also boasting features that make it appealing to gamers.
I bought one from the IQUNIX website a few weeks ago and chose the keyboard because of its aesthetic. The color scheme reminded me of a NES controller and I liked its compact design. As the name implies, it’s an 80% layout keyboard, meaning it lacks the number pad and compresses the design so that it fits in a smaller form factor. It’s the type of keyboard one would get if desk space was tight.
THREE WAYS TO CONNECT
One of the attractive things about the IQUNIX L80 is it has three ways to connect to a PC or Mac. Players can use the included USB-C cable that comes with the keyboard, they can connect it wirelessly through Bluetooth 5.0 or plug the 2.4 Ghz USB dongle for a more reliable wireless connection with a better response time. That flexibility means that it can work in a number of setups and can even go on the road if need be.
The one caveat is that Bluetooth isn’t the most responsive way to connect to a device. Sometimes there’s an input lag and in other situations the connection drops out. The dongle is better and more stable, but of course, wired is the best if you need the best response times.
The 4000 mAh battery means that the device can go fairly long without a recharge. IQUNIX advertises 200 days via Bluetooth and 60 days via the 2.4 GHz dongle in conditions in which the RGB lighting is turned off. For me, it didn’t have trouble holding a charge for days.
Speaking of that, the backlight of the keyboard is pretty good, but unfortunately, customization is lacking. There are seven modes, but IQUNIX doesn’t really have dedicated software where users can set up the lighting for specific games.
LIMITATIONS AND VALUE
With so many limitations compared to dedicated gaming keyboards, why does the IQUNIX L80 cost so much? Comparable keyboards such as the SteelSeries Apex Pro are in the same ballpark. A big part of the value is the design and quality. Despite being made of plastic, the IQUNIX L80 is sturdier and crafted fairly well with a great set of PBT keycaps. Users can also choose their own switches from Cherry, TTC and Gateron.
That’s a huge plus because having a hot-swappable keyboard lets customize the overall feel of their typing experience. If you’re going to be typing for 40 hours a week on the thing, you should like the feel. If you like a clicky sound that may bother coworkers, you could go for the Cherry MX Blues. If you’re looking for a switch that’s speedier and sensitive, the TTC Speed Silvers could be for you.
For keyboard enthusiasts, the L80 was a good pickup in the past, but as the hobby has matured, it’s facing stiff competition from competitors such as Glorious and Keychron, which offer better build quality and options such as gasket mounts and knobs.
Some of the drawbacks of the L80 version that I bought was that it had north-facing lights on its circuit board. That makes the legends on certain keycaps pop, but it does make it more difficult to customize for owners of cherry profile keycaps. They may not fit well.
Another problem is that the L80 features costar stabilizers, which are a pain to deal with compared to screw-in cherry versions. It has more moving parts and that makes it tougher to deal with when swapping out keycaps or switches. It’s a hassle.
A LITTLE ELBOW GREASE MAKES IT BETTER
As for the switches themselves, the Cherry Browns I had needed work. Out of the box, the stock switches were scratchy and pressing on them felt a little rough. I appreciated the tactile feedback but the button press needed to be smoother. I lubricated them using Kyrtox 205g0, a time-consuming process, but once that was done, it felt effortless to type on and the sound had soft and rounded quality.
Although I did appreciate the keycaps, I added my own that I purchased from Higround. (Yes, I’m a fan of Gundam, and this makes the keyboard more of my own.) Although it wasn’t specifically made for the IQUNIX L80, they fit surprisingly well even if I kept a few original keycaps in place for the function keys.
That’s one of the benefits of having a hot-swappable keyboard. You can customize it to make it just right, but with other options out there, the L80 despite its standout design will have a hard time justifying the price compared to its competitors.