Testing the Phantom 81 V2
I’ve been using the Phantom 81 V2 for the past few weeks now. I would say that it does take a little bit to get used to. For me it was the keycaps that took the longest to get used to. I am really used to rougher PBT keycaps and because these are see-through they feel a bit slick. I do have to say that once you get in your groove with this keyboard it is very comfortable and enjoyable to type on. To give you an idea of what it sounds like to type on this keyboard below is a sound test.
When tying on this keyboard it definitely feels like you have enough cushioning and there is no pinging sound because of the sound dampening built into the keyboard itself. Now this keyboard is not silent by any means. The combination of the switches and materials used make for a very satisfying thocky sound.
One thing I did notice when using this keyboard is that if I have the RGB lighting on and I’m in the dark I really cannot see the legends on the keys at all. I think this has a lot to do with the stem piece of the keycap being right where the legend is. If you plan to use this keyboard in a darker setting you are going to want to turn the RGB lighting brightness down if you plan to be able to see the legends.
Phantom 81 V2 Lighting
One of the best features of this keyboard is the RGB lighting. Now you have the main RGB lighting on the keys themselves and with the see-through keycaps these look amazing! There is also side lighting which is a row of LEDs that go around the the edge of the keyboard. The main RGB lighting on the keyboard can be configured on the keyboard itself or using the KiiBOOM software. It only appears that you can change the side lighting using shortcuts on the keyboard itself. You can toggle through different side lighting colors as well as a handful of different effects. Below is a gallery of what this keyboard looks like not only in the dark but also in a normal lighting conditions.
Final Thoughts on the KiiBOOM Phantom 81 V2
At the beginning of this review I talked about how hard it is to find a keyboard that not only looks amazing, but has a great typing experience. Typically keyboards that look great have really bad internals, which leads to a pretty horrible typing experience. That is not the case here with the KiiBOOM Phantom 81 V2! One of the most important thanks for a keyboard is being comfortable and this keyboard is quite comfortable. I really felt like I was able to get into a groove typing on this keyboard and it has just the right amount of cushioning where it still feels like a premium product, but is not super stiff.
This also leads to a pretty nice thocky sound. This keyboard by no means is super loud, but they sound is quit satisfying, especially for a pre-built board like this. The mechanical key switches are linear, so they are going to be good for overall typing, but also gaming. If anything the keycaps do take a little bit to get used to as they are a little slippy compared to something like a PBT keycap.
This is also one of the best-looking keyboards that I’ve reviewed. The clear casing matched with the see-through keycaps and all of the RGB lighting really allows for such an amazing looking keyboard on your desk. Even if there was not any RGB lighting this keyboard would look great, but with everything being see-through you really have the ability to really make this keyboard your own. The only real downside to the see-through keycaps is that if you are in a dark lit room you really can’t read the legends if you have the RGB lighting on the keyboard.
You can’t forget the tri-mode connectivity of this keyboard either and the fact that we did not run into any latency issues when using the keyboard with the included 2.4 GHz adapter. The built-in 4000 mAH should keep this keyboard going for quite a while too!
KiiBOOM currently offers this keyboard for $159 directly on their website and for that price I think this is a solid deal! Overall ThinkComputers gives the KiiBOOM Phantom 81 V2 Mechanical Keyboard a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
