The HAVIT KB395L RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review: Marvelous Mechanical Minimalism
by E. Fylladitakis on March 1, 2018 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Peripherals
- Keyboard
- Mechanical Keyboards
- Kailh
- HAVIT
Conclusion
It is obvious that HAVIT wanted to bring something new and innovative into the market, not just another typical mechanical keyboard that would face ludicrous competition. The KB395L definitely stands out, as it is one of the very few mechanical keyboards using such short travel switches.
In terms of overall quality, the HAVIT KB395L is not the kind of keyboard that you want to rage punch or daily abuse. In order to make the keyboard lightweight and thin, the designers had to limit the thickness of the plastic underside of the keyboard. Furthermore, the stems of these Kailh switches and the keycaps are quite fragile and will not withstand too much force. Considering that replacements will be very hard to come by, it would be wise to treat the KB395L with respect.
Aesthetically, the KB395L stands out via its minimalism. The dimensions of the top aluminum plate have been reduced to barely fit the standard layout keyboard and only the company’s logo between the arrow and control keys stands out. One could say that it strongly resembles Apple’s keyboards, only with superior mechanical switches and a black color scheme. The RGB lighting is generally good, with minimal bleed around the keycaps, but its application on the Space Bar key could definitely have been better.
Kailh’s new PG1350 blue switch makes the KB395L practically ideal for professionals that like tactile switches. It is soft and very comfortable, probably even more than all classic mechanical keyboard switches. The audible feedback is not too loud and should not disturb people who are not in the immediate vicinity of the user, neither tire the users themselves out after long typing sessions.
The company markets the KB395L as a “both games and office” keyboard. We would say that it strongly inclines towards the latter, as its comfort and minimalistic design are more suited to professional use. Professionals will love its tactile, audible feedback and the long-term comfort that Kailh’s new switches offer. It is not a bad choice for gamers but it has little to offer other than long-term comfort, while other similarly priced products are definitely better suited for gaming. The current retail price of the KB395L is $80, which may be a little high for a keyboard using Kailh switches and lacking in advanced features, but we would not go as far as to claim that it is overpriced considering that it currently is one-of-a-kind design. Its tenkeyless version, the KB390L, is available for $20 less, but note that it also lacks the RGB backlighting of the KB395L.
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letmepicyou - Monday, March 5, 2018 - link
My Orion Spark (G910) is wonderfully quiet. Now if I could convince them to create a proper wrist rest for it...Jakuarella - Monday, August 6, 2018 - link
Hey there, how loud is this keyboard actually? From what I saw on youtube, they seem really quiet. I'm thinking of getting this for the office, but I'm concerned about the noise levels, and more specifically the pitch. How noticeable is the sound? How annoying is it? Can it be used in an office with 20 people without getting punched in the face? Thanks!Findecanor - Thursday, March 1, 2018 - link
There are keyboards from other brands that are very much like this, probably from the same actual manufacturer.I have seen for instance a TKL with Bluetooth but without RGB backlighting.
twtech - Thursday, March 1, 2018 - link
I only use split keyboards, so I wouldn't be in the market for this anyway, but I don't know if I could use a keyboard regularly that doesn't come with a palmrest.mecanled - Monday, August 13, 2018 - link
I agree with you, now most of keyboard are RGB lighting keyboard, mechanical keyboard and gaming keyboard, definitely, gaming keyboard seem like is the most suitable keyboard who play game. https://www.ireidea.com a company have different type keyboardbug77 - Friday, March 2, 2018 - link
Meh, blue switches are not for everyone (in fact I believe they're the least popular among the mechanical switches).I've tried one of their previous models and the keys wobbled more than I could tolerate, despite being low profile.
I ended up buying the GSkill KM780R for about the same price as this one (because of a sale). I got macro keys, USB and audio passthrough. And some terrible software that means macros aren't actually usable.
oni-work - Friday, March 2, 2018 - link
I'm glad to see a review of this keyboard here.I've had the TKL version for over a month now and I think it's a great value for money. That said I pretty much agree with your conclusions. I don't understand why they market it as a gaming keyboard because this is clearly a great keyboard to type on. Even though this is my first ever mechanical keyboard, I have tested Cherry switches and I think these Kailhs both feel better and make less noise than Cherry blues.
Build quality wise I like the aluminum front plate, the way the plastic keys feel (even if they do catch fingerprints easily), the fact that you can dim the lights to be barely noticeable, the simple typeface on fonts (although shortening the Enter to Ent seems like a weird decision) and overall just how simple it is.
If I were to give any feedback to Havit it would be to cut the gaming gimmick from it and position it as what it really is, a great multi-purpose mechanical keyboard that excels at typing. I'd remove the blinking lights features and the logo from it and just leave it a a simple somber mechanical keyboard.
chaos_gerbil - Friday, March 2, 2018 - link
I bought this keyboard over a month ago, and it immediately impressed me. I have been more than pleased with it. Because of back issues, I tend to lean back in a european- style (StressLess) recliner, and balance the keyboard on my lap with an old Logitech trackball on the armrest.My main requirement was weight. I assume I have the same model as the one reviews, mine is a Havit HV-KB395L. It weighs a little over one pound, less than 500g I believe, about half the weight of almost any other mechanical keyboard I could find.
The "blue"-style keys are excellent. The feedback is better than I hoped for, the click is noticeable but I have a private area for my PC, and my wife's off-the-shelf non-mechanical keyboard is much louder.
What I love about the RGB is that I can see the keys in poor lighting. I downloaded the driver software, chose a uniform medium green color, dimmed the brightness considerably, and again, I couldn't be happier.
The one issue with balancing the keyboard on my lap, is some difficulty not accidentally depressing some keys around the edge, such as the bottom-left CTRL key
As for styling, I'm a touch typist. I almost never actually LOOK at the keyboard. Except for that awkward row of '-', '=', and the Back key. Some days, my fingers just don't remember how to use those; being able to look down and clearly see them under any lighting conditions is so frustration-reducing.
For $80.00, I couldn't have gotten a better keyboard. I honestly don't think I could have gotten a better keyboard for my use case for three times that.
Lord of the Bored - Saturday, March 3, 2018 - link
Wait, that software looks familiar... and that space bar. Come to think of it, the keycap layout and font and iconography on the lighting controls looks familiar too.*squints at his Viper 760*
I think we found Patriot's OEM!
Anonymous Blowhard - Monday, March 5, 2018 - link
China, eh? Does the inline keylogger add much latency? ;)