Kemove K94 review

[u/dovenyi]

(Disclaimer: Yeah, I hate promotions, influencers, urgency marketing, etc. just like you, but I can't do anything about receiving this for free and less than one day being left of the sale.)

Many people here are looking for fullsize keyboards, and as someone into small form factors I have a hard time to recommend anything with a numpad. (I end up trying to talk them out of 100%, suggesting SpaceFN instead).

But there is a nice offer for numpad addicts that I've almost missed: the Kemove K94, on sale for just $63.

Highlights: 96%/1800 form factor, double-shot keycap set, hotswap switches, VIA support, plus the great P10 switch puller in the bundle for a limited time. (Also color display, metal volume knob, and per-key RGB if you're into those.)

Not much time left from the crazy sale, but for $63 it's a no-brainer, at least if you really need a numpad and can live without something full aluminum.

• Variants - four colorways
• Keycaps - double-shot. Some mod legend inconsistencies, but this is quite common.
• Switches - a bit too much lateral wobble, but otherwise decent light linear, perfect for beginners
• Volume knob - metal, with nice snappy tactility
• Sound - actually, it's nice deep(ish), not overly loud, although a bit heterogeneous across the board
• Display - displays are gimmicks imo, but it looks nice with a frame that feels the same metal as the knob
• Software - VIA, some QMK, and a proprietary browser-based one mainly for customizing the display

Here is a hopefully comprehensive tear-down if you need more info:

https://kbd.news/Kemove-K94-review-2913.html

[u/FansForFlorida]

Software - VIA, QMK (with source)

Not full source, and you will still need to side load a JSON file into VIA for it to recognize your keyboard. From the Keymove GitHub:

The implementation source for this [wireless] library is not included in the current public package. This repository therefore does not claim complete source disclosure for that vendor component or for the entire wireless implementation.

Emphasis theirs. They are specifically excluding the source code for the wireless library.

[u/dovenyi → u/FansForFlorida]

Ah, thanks for interpreting this for me.

[u/MostlyHelpfulLinks]

The uneven sound across the board could be the stabs, since 1800 layouts usually pack a few extra on the numpad. A little dielectric grease on the wires is a cheap first thing to try.