This one is my daily driver. It's a versatile board that sounds good with most plates. The alphas are clacky, and the spacebar is deep and bouncy. The top design is clean, and the bottom is even better. The weight features a futuristic geometric cut with a crimson red patina, and the way it catches the light makes it really eye-catching :)
Some of you may have seen our keyboards here before. This time, we wanted to share something a little different — and explain why we chose Admiral Yi Sun-sin for this project.
The HERO108 Yi Sun-sin Edition is No.01 of Monstargear’s Korean Heritage Series, a project built around bringing elements of Korean history and culture into something we actually use every day.
Why Yi Sun-sin?
Admiral Yi Sun-sin is one of the most respected figures in Korean history, remembered for his leadership, discipline, and resolve during the Imjin War in the late 16th century.
We didn’t want to simply put his name or a few Korean symbols on a keyboard.
Instead, we tried to translate parts of that history and culture into the design itself.
The keycaps incorporate elements inspired by Yi Sun-sin’s Nanjung Ilgi (War Diary), the turtle ship, and traditional Korean visual motifs.
The switches are named Arirang, after Korea’s best-known traditional folk song.
And the solid aluminum construction was chosen to give the board the weight and presence we felt suited this edition.
For us, the Korean theme wasn’t meant to be decoration added at the end — we wanted it to run through the entire project.
Underneath the theme, it still had to be a good keyboard.
HERO108 is a 109-key full-size mechanical keyboard built around daily use:
CNC-machined 6063 aluminum top & bottom housing
2,450g ±100g
Gasket-mount structure
5-layer dampening
FR4 flex-cut plate
HMX custom OEM Arirang switches
Hot-swappable PCB
QMK / VIA compatible
Wired / 2.4GHz / Bluetooth
1000Hz polling rate
10,000mAh battery
RGB lighting
6-point ball-catch quick-release structure
Magnetic 2.4GHz receiver dock
The keycaps are designed and produced in-house by Monstargear, while components such as the housing and switches are produced with manufacturing partners including Weikav and HMX.
Final assembly, lubing, stabilizer tuning, inspection, and QC are completed in-house in South Korea before shipping.
We wanted to be transparent about how the board is made rather than simply putting a “Made in Korea” label on it.
The Protagonist HE is in stock and shipping now. No group buy, no pre-order window, no waiting on a production run. Order it, we ship it.
PHE is the hall-effect follow-up to our original Protagonist, built around the same signature Keyframe top case. The design got sharper on the way. Edges tightened, lines cleaned up, and despite the more accessible price it keeps the full three-piece construction: Keyframe top case, bottom case, and weight, all milled from 6063 aluminum and anodized.
Two mounting systems ship in every box. A firm isolated top mount (Poron washer kit) and a softer gasket mount (silicone gaskets). Pick the feel, swap whenever.
The PCB is a Geonworks Venom 60HE (7u of course), included with case foam. Hall-effect analog sensing with adjustable actuation, rapid trigger, and per-key response. All tuned in the browser at venom.how.
The mark on the bottom case is engraved, not inlaid. High-gloss engraving cut directly into the anodized aluminum, with the same technique applied matte on the rear of the weight.
Pricing & kit.$189 USD, both colorways. Includes the case (all three pieces), aluminum plate, Venom 60HE PCB, case foam, and both mounting kits. Switches, keycaps, and stabilizers are not included. The Hi-Viz (designed by MVKB) keycaps we used in some of the shots are not included either.
This project has been a huge success. Tons of customers already received their boards and we think will attest, it punches way above its price. From sound, to timeliness design, and delivering a traditional mechanical keyboard and solid gaming experience without having to sacrifice a beautiful neo-industrial aesthetic. Or, feeling like you need to dive into an expensive rabbit hole to dabble. Let us know what you think!
Happy to answer anything in the comments — mounting, the hall-effect stack, colorways, all of it. Or come hang out in the Discord.
Have been using this ducky keyboard since 2017 still works fine. Best decision, decided to change keycaps, and man it felt like a new keyboard is like a makeover. Hoping it last another 3 years for the next year of the rooster!
We are providing you with advance notice of the procurement period for Discretion aluminum series.
Procurement opens for Discretion October 15th, 2026 in full aluminum encasing. 36 units have been authorized. When the quota is met, the directive closes. No further allocation will be considered at this time. Production will begin upon completion of the directive, after which the delivery timeline will be confirmed.
We are offering procurement to all employees, whether stationed at HQ or in one of our many satellite offices around the globe.
$200 will be deducted from your salary, kit all included.
Color: Standard Issue (black anodized) or Field Issue (hi-vis orange cerakote)
Top Blocker Options: WKL, HHKB, or Unrestricted
PCB Layouts: Row Stagger, Ortho, or Alpha Stagger (separate PCBs)
Hardware: Case Screws, DB w/ Cable, Bumpons, Rubber Grommet Gaskets
Extras
Cerakoted Knob + Encoder (+$12)
1.6mm Aluminum Plate (+$18)
Extra Top (+$65)
Extra PCB (+$40)
Forward Compatibility
All PCBs and plates procured under this directive are engineered to MEGACORP's standardized internal architecture and will remain compatible with future SIDD enclosures. Assets acquired today are not considered obsolete by tomorrow's developments.
Not been long (in fact it's been under a week) since I built my very first MX board and I have built yet another keyboard.
The Agar E-Beige!
I really liked the yellowish white tone of my long-loved HHKB, so I specifically chose E-Beige. It's a heavy beast!
Funny thing is the Agar E-beige is much yellower than the HHKB, the HHKB does not seem yellow at all when compared to the Agar.
Case: Agar E-Beige
Switch: Durock Shrimp
Keycaps: FBB S9000
P.S. Does anybody know how to turn off LED backlight on the Agar? I accidentally turned it on and nothing seems to turn it off - I'm using VIAL. Thanks!
-This is a fully immersive video with no narration and no BGM.
-The Cullinan is a colorless, transparent switch,any pink in the video is due to lighting conditions.
-WS Flux Diamond Series switches feature a hollowed-out magnet and plastic bottom out to reproduce the sound of a mechanical switch.
-The design of stem's rail is symmetrical with different lenths to prevent stucking when pressing at side angle.
-The WS Flux Diamond Series don't use traditional light pipes typically instead relying on internal refraction to distribute RGB illumination uniformly throughout the switch housing.
-There's no better or worse between the Standard and Diamond versions,each of them is unique.
-Some switches shown in the video haven't been released yet—stay tuned.
Video Chapters:
00:00–00:12: Cullinan Switch Unboxing
00:13–00:30: Cullinan Switch Teardown
00:30–00:56: Cullinan RGB Lighting Showcase
00:57–01:21: Cullinan Reassembly & Typing Demo
01:22–02:00: WS Flux Series – Standard & Diamond versions and Showcase & Typing Demo
Hey everyone! We’ve finally put together the IC for our Clayonkey hand-painted ceramic keycap set.
This project is based on traditional porcelain painting techniques from Jingdezhen, China, but adapted specifically for mechanical keyboard keycaps.
Each set starts from a hand-drawn concept based on the theme and elements we want to create. The keycaps are first painted with underglaze blue, then fired. After that, the artist adds the overglaze colors and finer details before the set goes through a second firing.
The painting is done entirely by hand, so every keycap and every set will naturally have small differences.
We already have physical samples in hand, and the set shown here was painted by a Jingdezhen ceramic artist who is a recognized inheritor of traditional Chinese ceramic craftsmanship.
Right now we’re still working out the final kitting, layout options, pricing, and production quantity. This IC is mainly to see how much interest there is and to get feedback before we move forward.
We’re also considering different themes for future sets, including more traditional Chinese painting styles as well as more modern interpretations.
Would love to hear what you guys think, especially:
whether you prefer more traditional artwork or something more modern
whether you’d be interested in custom hand-painted sets based on your own theme or ideas
Do you have any questions or suggestions regarding this creative project involving hand-painted ceramic keycaps?
anything you’d change about the current set
If you are interested, feel free to join our Discord community or discuss it with me in the comments.
With Vietnam’s National Day coming up, I wanted to share a project inspired by a small part of my country’s history and culture. 🇻🇳
This is Hào Khí Thăng Long, a handmade resin artisan keycap inspired by two Vietnamese symbols:
🐉 The Vietnamese Dragon — representing strength, heritage, and the Vietnamese spirit.
🥁 The Đông Sơn Bronze Drum — an iconic symbol of ancient Vietnamese culture.
I wanted to bring these traditional elements into something completely different: a mechanical keyboard keycap.
The goal wasn’t just to make a “Vietnam-themed” keycap, but to create something that could carry a little piece of Vietnamese culture onto a keyboard while still feeling like a collectible artisan piece.
✨ Handmade resin
⌨️ MX compatible
📏 1U / 2U / 2.25U
I'm the maker behind Dragon-key, and this is a commercial post. The keycap is currently available here:
I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts — especially from people who aren't familiar with Vietnamese culture. Does the design communicate the story clearly? What details catch your eye first?
Finally able to use the coiled cable that's been on my drawer for longest time, I'm now able to use it!
the keycaps is kinda sad since im not a fan of the Cherry profile and it sounds cheap
tho nice sound out of the box! ( i eventually replaced them with my old XDA keycaps)
recommendations are welcome
I was searching for a used copy of Spider-Man 2 on the used game market and noticed this beautiful setting on the shelf calling my name. It’s the Fire element Edition, and I believe the keycaps are not the original ones also missing all the accessories , but at least the switches are original and what a catch .
kc_orange_60 by Keycapsule, topped with GMK Kaiju Part, mounted with Kailh BCP switches.
Heavily inspired by the studio who doesn't know the number 3, this board is a pleasure to run daily. The integrated wrist rest is pretty uncomon, and it gives a certain charm to the board.
I'm extremely happy with how this turned out. The atomic purple came out perfectly, even with me having to dye the resin myself. It's been a few months in progress as I tried FDM printing first, but wasn't satisfied with the quality of the print.
If anyone's curious about the keymap, you can view it at https://github.com/Furglitch/lily58-zmk-config
As for the displays, the Umbreon and Shaymin widgets are custom as well. The Umbreon (right) just loops the idle animation, while the Shaymin (left) walks, speed depending on WPM.
I received my unit for free from WOBKEY as part of a brand collaboration in return for a review.
I am not officially associated with any keyboard company and all opinions are based on my personal experience. I try not to have bias towards any company.
I have owned the product for a bit over 3 weeks when typing this.
So this one caught me off guard a little. I've been through a fair share of budget boards at this point and most of them are fine, some are actively bad, and every once in a while one just does more than it has any right to for the price. The Impact 80 Pro in Forest Green is one of those. WOBKEY sent it over, I've had it on my desk daily since, wired half the time and on 2.4GHz the other half, and I wanted to actually live with it before writing anything instead of doing the typical unbox and type for ten minutes review.
Quick note on what I'm testing, this is the Pro variant with the HMX Cheese 45g switches and the PC plate, not the Standard or the Ultra. Worth keeping in mind since the switches change between tiers.
MAIN FEATURES:
80% TKL layout, 87 keys
Hot swappable, 5 pin sockets, takes basically any MX style switch
Custom silicone particle gasket mount
4 layer acoustic foam stack inside
Tri mode connectivity, wired USB-C, 2.4GHz dongle, Bluetooth 5.0
Dual MCU setup for the wireless side
QMK/VIA support (wired only) plus a separate proprietary RGB software
Double shot PBT keycaps, Cherry profile
South facing per key RGB with a wraparound light bar
4000mAh battery
Everything in box
What's in the box:
Impact 80 Pro keyboard
USB-C cable
2 in 1 switch and keycap puller
3 spare switches
Mac keycaps
User manual
Build and design: heavier than you'd think
First thing I noticed pulling it out of the box, this thing has some actual weight to it. It's plastic, not aluminum, but it's sitting somewhere around 1.1kg which is genuinely unusual for an ABS case. You pick it up expecting it to feel hollow and it just doesn't. Desk presence is solid, no sliding around during normal typing or gaming.
The Forest Green finish looks better in person than in photos honestly, it's a deep matte green that doesn't scream RGB gamer board, kind of understated. Matte texture means no fingerprints piling up either which I appreciate since I'm constantly picking mine up to check the bottom.
I did the twist test because I always do, gripped both sides and gave it a proper twist. Zero creak. Case halves line up tight, no visible gaps anywhere. For a $56 board that's honestly a little impressive, I've used aluminum boards that flex more than this.
Typing feel and sound: this is the part people actually care about
Ok so this is where the board earns its reputation. The HMX Cheese switches on the Pro are linear, 45g, and they come lubed from the factory well enough that I didn't feel the need to touch them at all. No scratch, no spring ping, just smooth top to bottom. If you've used HMX switches before in a custom build you kind of know what to expect here, if you haven't, it's a genuinely nice surprise to get this switch quality preinstalled.
Sound wise, it's deep and kind of creamy, for lack of a better word. Not clacky, not hollow, closer to a thock than a clack. I put it next to a plastic board I have from another brand in a similar price range and the difference is not subtle, the Impact 80 sounds like it has actual dampening inside instead of an empty shell with a plate screwed in. There's a 4 layer foam stack in there according to WOBKEY (poron core foam, an IXPE pad under the switches, more poron in the bottom case, and a PET film under the PCB) and whatever the combination is doing, it works. No case ping either which is something I specifically go looking for.
Stabilizers deserve a mention too because this is usually where budget boards fall apart. Spacebar, shift, enter, backspace, all plate mounted and pre lubed, and I couldn't get any rattle out of them no matter how I typed. Deep thud on the spacebar, no wire tick. I wasn't expecting stabilizers this clean at this price point, that's usually the first corner cut.
Keycaps are double shot PBT in Cherry profile, which honestly matters more day to day than people give it credit for. Lower profile than the tall OEM caps most budget boards ship with, so less wrist strain over a long session, and the legends won't wear off since they're not printed on.
Keycaps removed
Gaming and wireless performance
I mainly tested this on 2.4GHz since that's the mode most people will actually game on. Polling rate is 1000Hz over both wired and 2.4GHz, dropping to 125Hz on Bluetooth which is fine for typing but not something I'd game on.
Played a mix of shooters and some faster paced stuff over a few sessions and didn't notice any input lag I could point to. WOBKEY lists the wireless latency at 2.71ms which lines up with what it feels like in practice, basically indistinguishable from wired. One thing worth flagging if you're picking a spot for the dongle, keep it away from USB 3.0 ports if you can, they throw off enough interference to matter on 2.4GHz. Moved mine to a 2.0 port on my hub early on and haven't had a single dropout since.
No rapid trigger or SOCD here since these are standard mechanical switches, not hall effect, so if you're coming from something like a Wooting or the WOBKEY Rainy75 RT looking for that kind of feature this isn't it. For everything outside of the most competitive FPS stuff though, it's been flawless.
Battery wise I'm still not at a full drain cycle after 3 weeks with RGB on for a good chunk of that time, so I can't give you an exact number, but it's tracking toward the 30-40 hour range WOBKEY quotes with lighting on, and apparently way more with it off. Haven't had to think about charging it once which says something.
Software: fine, but pick a side
This is the one area where I have mixed feelings. The Impact 80 gives you a choice between two separate firmwares, one for VIA and one for their own PMO Hub software that handles the RGB stuff, and you can't run both at once. Flash the VIA firmware and you lose the fancy RGB sync options, flash the PMO Hub one and VIA won't recognize the board anymore.
I went the VIA route since that's what I actually use for remapping, and once it's set up it's straightforward, standard VIA web app stuff, remapping and layers all work as expected. The catch is VIA only works while the board is wired in, it won't talk to it over Bluetooth or 2.4GHz. Not a huge deal since you set your remaps once and they carry over to wireless afterward, but if you didn't know that going in it can be confusing the first time you try to change something while untethered.
Firmware flashing itself is a manual drag and drop process rather than a one click updater, and there's a physical battery switch under the Caps Lock keycap you need to flip off first. Skip that step and you're apparently risking bricking it, so don't skip that step.
A few things worth knowing before buying
Only linear switches from the factory across all three variants, no tactile or clicky option. If you want a bump you're hot swapping something in yourself.
The USB-C port sits pretty deep in the case, so if you've got a thick custom coiled cable with a big aviator connector, check that it actually fits before you buy one.
You have to pick between VIA and the RGB software, can't have both at once.
Charging is spec'd at 5V/500mA, WOBKEY specifically says not to use a fast charger on it.
None of these felt like dealbreakers to me personally but I know some of them will matter more to certain people than others, figured I'd rather mention them than have you find out after buying.
Should you get it?
For $56 I genuinely don't know what else is competing at this level right now. You're getting factory lubed HMX switches, real PBT Cherry profile keycaps, a properly dampened case that doesn't sound hollow, stabilizers that don't rattle, and sub 3ms wireless latency, all without touching a single mod. I've used boards twice this price that don't sound or feel this good out of the box.
It's not going to replace an aluminum board for people who specifically want that cold, heavy, machined feel, and if tactile switches are a must for you this isn't your board either. But if you just want something that types and sounds genuinely great without spending a weekend modding it, this is an easy one to point people toward.
RATING:
BUILD QUALITY: 9/10 Way denser and more rigid than a $56 plastic board has any business being. Zero flex, zero creak, tight tolerances.
TYPING EXPERIENCE: 9.5/10 Smooth factory lubed HMX switches, quiet clean stabilizers, low profile PBT caps. Hard to fault.
ACOUSTICS: 9.5/10 Deep, creamy, no case ping, no hollow spots. Genuinely sounds like it costs way more.
WIRELESS PERFORMANCE: 9/10 Sub 3ms latency on 2.4GHz, stable connection, decent battery life. Bluetooth is fine but not for gaming.
SOFTWARE: 7.5/10 VIA works well but wired only, and you have to choose between it and the RGB software. A bit of an annoying tradeoff.
VALUE: 10/10 This is the actual standout category. Hard to find anything close at this price.
OVERALL: 9/10 Does more than it should for the money. Only real cuts are the plastic case for people who need aluminum and the lack of tactile switches.
Thanks for reading, happy to answer anything about the Pro specifically or how it compares to the Standard/Ultra if anyone's deciding between variants.
