Keychron Q1 - The Best $150 Custom Keyboard

**A Comprehensive Review of the Keychron Q1 Mechanical Keyboard: Value, Features, and Modding Experience**

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### Introduction to the Video and Context

Three years ago, the creator of this video made an impact in the mechanical keyboard community by reviewing a product that was considered groundbreaking at the time—the Massdrop Control Keyboard. The video was titled *"I Found the Perfect Keyboard"* because the device stood out with its USB-C connection, hot-swappable switches, RGB lighting, and metal build—all at a relatively affordable price. However, as time has passed, the market for mechanical and custom keyboards has exploded, leading to significant improvements in products and a sharp decline in prices. This evolution sets the stage for the star of today’s review: the **Keychron Q1**, which represents both the opportunities and challenges of this rapidly evolving hobby.

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### The Keychron Q1: A Game-Changer in Custom Keyboards

The Keychron Q1 is a 75-key, gasket-mounted mechanical keyboard that has quickly become a favorite among enthusiasts. Priced at $150 for its bare-bones kit (with optional upgrades for switches and keycaps), the Q1 offers excellent value for those entering the custom keyboard market. It features hot-swappable switches, USB-C connectivity, and a switch to toggle between Windows and Mac operating systems. While its exterior doesn’t boast flashy RGB lighting or underglow, it does have subtle, customizable RGB via software using VIA or QMK.

The Q1’s design is understated yet functional, with an aluminum backplate (available in other materials later) and a PCB foam made of poron for durability. The stabilizers on the Q1 are a standout feature, especially when compared to competitors like the GMMK Pro, which had awkwardly sticky stabilizers. The Q1’s gasket-mounted design ensures both stability and a clean aesthetic.

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### Inside the Keychron Q1: Build Quality and Customization

Peeling back the layers of the Q1 reveals its internal components. The PCB uses a five-pin modular system, allowing for extensive customization with various switch types. This compatibility makes it widely adaptable, even supporting south-facing LEDs for vibrant keycap lighting. A notable feature is the customizable area in the top-right corner of the keyboard, which can be used for a badge or an additional rotary knob (though this functionality isn’t yet fully implemented due to PCB limitations).

The Q1’s hot-swappable switches are Gateron Phantom versions, available in brown, red, and blue. The creator expresses a strong preference for the brown switches, though they note that the phantom finish can tint RGB lighting, making it less appealing. The keycaps themselves, while supposedly double-shot PBT, feel subpar to the touch with slight misalignment and character bloom.

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### Sound and Modding Experience

The creator highlights their dissatisfaction with the Q1’s stock sound profile, which has a resonant ping that feels unnatural. However, they share an innovative mod they discovered: using a thicker piece of PE foam (from a laptop package) under the PCB to enhance acoustics. This unconventional approach resulted in a much-improved sound profile, particularly for the deep thunk of the spacebar. While this modification is effective, it’s unorthodox and may not appeal to everyone.

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### Final Thoughts and Recommendations

The Keychron Q1 shines as an excellent entry point into the custom keyboard market. Its affordability, build quality, and modularity make it a standout choice for enthusiasts looking to personalize their setup without breaking the bank. The creator advises potential buyers to opt for the bare-bones kit if possible, allowing them to source their own preferred switches and keycaps.

While the Q1 isn’t perfect—its stock sound profile needs improvement, and its customization options are limited by PCB constraints—it remains a solid contender in a competitive market. For those considering high-end keyboards from brands like Razer or Logitech at similar price points, exploring custom options like the Keychron Q1 is well worth the investment.

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### Conclusion

The mechanical keyboard hobby has evolved significantly over the past few years, and the Keychron Q1 exemplifies this growth in both value and innovation. Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or new to the world of customization, the Q1 offers a balance of quality, affordability, and modularity that’s hard to beat. If you’re ready to take your keyboard setup to the next level, the Keychron Q1 is a fantastic place to start.

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**Note:** The creator encourages viewers to like the video for enjoyment and subscribe for more content. They also express excitement for future episodes, signaling their continued passion for exploring and sharing insights into the ever-evolving world of mechanical keyboards.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enall right so three years ago i made a video on this channel on this product the mass drop control keyboard and i titled the video i found the perfect keyboard because at the time this thing was super special had usb-c connection it had hot swappable switches it had cool rgb lighting it was a metal build it wasn't super expensive this was very special at the time it was very suiting to that title but three years later it's completely not the case this is remarkably overpriced for what you're getting and it's like an underwhelming product considering the market because over the past few years the whole mechanical and custom keyboard market has just blown up we've seen so many players come into the game so many companies making good stuff at better pricing and this here is the kikron q1 and this is the epitome of what happens to a hobby when you have a big enough audience and enough competitors coming into the space to try to make and outdo each other with better products cheaper products and this keyboard at 150 for the bare bones kit is what i would consider to be the best value you can get in the custom keyboard market right now so if you've ever been interested in the whole custom keyboard world like you want to personalize or modify your keyboard or tweak it to make it sound a certain way look a certain way this is what i would consider a really good starting point and the question is like why would you want one for me and i think for a lot of people that get into this the biggest difference is sound so i'm going to talk about this keyboard in its stock form first i'm going to show you some things i like about it some things i don't like about it and i'm going to show you a mod that i've done to it that i think just makes it a better overall experience for the average person so for the 150 price tag you get a bare bones kit or if you're inclined you can pay an extra 20 and you'll get switches and the keycaps as well now the keychron q1 is a 75 gasket mounted keyboard it's got hot swappable switches it has a usbc connection it also has a switch to swap between mac and windows the paper specs of the q1 is great now the lighting is not the main focus if you look on the outside there's no exterior light bars or underglow or anything like that it's only a subtle rgb lighting system you can tweak it on the software you can use either via or a qmk to control it now if we take a look at the insides there are a few things i want to draw your attention to the first is the back plate so this is an aluminum backplate i do believe that they'll be offering other materials down the line but on the starting launch it's going to be just aluminum and then we're looking at a piece of poron so this is the pcb foam that they're using and then we're looking at the pcb itself now the first thing here is the stabilizers i much prefer the stabilizers on this than what was seen on the gm mk pro so this is a very popular keyboard i was sent to review and i never did the video on it but the stabilizers on these were weirdly sticky and even if you did mods like removing the lube it was just weird that a company like glorious would deliver a product that had stabilizers like that i like the keyboard but the stabilizers on here way better they're gatron they're properly lubed they're good and then the pcb itself uses a five pin modular type so you can swap out whatever switches you like in there it's a very like widely compatible type of pin as well as a south facing led so you can use most switches and just have a proper shine through in this type of keyboard configuration now in the top right corner there is a interesting thing going on so if you look at the keyboard itself like the constructed keyboard you'll notice a badge there like it's got my logo that they put on it but this is a customizable area so you can put a badge in it if you so choose you can add another key there or you can add a rotary knob so this is something they showed on their website in the earlier stages of their launch this idea of a dial that you could attach to the keyboard it does not exist yet it's something that they plan on adding supposedly but it's not as easy of a swap as you might think like it doesn't just hot swap in you have to replace the pcb because the current board can only support either the badge or a key it can't do that rotary knob it needs a separate piece of pcb to do it or just a completely different board so i don't like that i feel like that image was a little bit misleading in the beginning i love the idea of the dial because on the gm mk pro this is awesome the ability to control your volume or if you're in premiere you can program it to do whatever you want it's awesome but it it doesn't work or it doesn't exist right now on the q1 so the switches you can get on the pre-built right now are gateron phantom switches and they're essentially lubed versions factory-looped versions of the gadaran switches you can get them in brown red and blue i have all three in terms of just like the variations of the switches i have a strong preference for the brown switches i will show you one thing though so if you'll notice right here this is the phantom brown switch it's got this brown tint to the whole switch so if you have any kind of lighting it has to shoot through that brown tint before you can see it and it just colors the lighting in this weird way and you'll notice it on the red and the blue and obviously the brown versions and i really don't like that i feel like your rgb lighting is going to look off and also the keycaps these are not good they're supposedly double shot pbt still but there's something about them that just feel really sloppy they're you know slightly askew when there's a little bit of bloom on all the characters i don't love them now if i was making a suggestion for you guys if you're interested in this keyboard if you can swing it i'd skip the 20 like edition for that kid i would just go for the bare bones and use your own switches and your own keycaps the switches are good like i like the way they type the reds and the browns and the blues they type like a lubed version of whatever you'd expect right factory lubed but it's not for me it's not for me okay uh there's one other thing i want to show you underneath the pcb is and get this off a piece of poron okay now before we do the sound test i want to mention one thing i do not like the sound of the q1 at stock it has this resonant ping to it that i don't particularly like but it is very easy to fix so i tried several of the popular mods people do to improve the acoustics of the custom keyboards like i tried pe foam on the top of the pcb i tried taping on the bottom and none of them produced sounds that i really liked and then i stumbled upon this i used a thicker piece of pe this came from a laptop uh package actually and it's probably what three maybe even four mils and i place it on the bottom like on top of the case foam and then the pcb goes on top this is super untraditional i would never have even thought of doing this but the only reason i tried is because there's so much space on the bottom like maybe this will work and i think it sounds really nice that's a nice sounding keyboard to me i particularly like the spacebar it's this nice deep thunk i like it i think it sounds better than the gm mk pro so i've spent a lot of time modding this thing tweaking it i could never get this thing to sound the way i wanted it to so and the stabilizers are a little bit weird i just i never loved this device from my personal preference but yeah this sounds nice it doesn't sound as nice as te has bauer i think that nathan made me from te had types this thing is uh that's on a whole nother level that's a lot more expensive but there you have it key chron q1 it includes a coiled cable in the box with an aviator connection that's seemingly included with the q1 but if you picked up like a gm mk pro it's a separate additional purchase so there you have it kikron q1 it's got a lot of stuff going for it and at that price point i feel like you can't go wrong and i think that if you're interested in picking up a keyboard like a new keyboard you're looking at something high-end from another brand like i don't know like a razer or corsair product or like a logitech product you're gonna spend 150 180 bucks anyways take a look at the customs it's a cool world out here okay hope you guys enjoyed this video thumbs if you liked it subs if you loved it see you guys next timeall right so three years ago i made a video on this channel on this product the mass drop control keyboard and i titled the video i found the perfect keyboard because at the time this thing was super special had usb-c connection it had hot swappable switches it had cool rgb lighting it was a metal build it wasn't super expensive this was very special at the time it was very suiting to that title but three years later it's completely not the case this is remarkably overpriced for what you're getting and it's like an underwhelming product considering the market because over the past few years the whole mechanical and custom keyboard market has just blown up we've seen so many players come into the game so many companies making good stuff at better pricing and this here is the kikron q1 and this is the epitome of what happens to a hobby when you have a big enough audience and enough competitors coming into the space to try to make and outdo each other with better products cheaper products and this keyboard at 150 for the bare bones kit is what i would consider to be the best value you can get in the custom keyboard market right now so if you've ever been interested in the whole custom keyboard world like you want to personalize or modify your keyboard or tweak it to make it sound a certain way look a certain way this is what i would consider a really good starting point and the question is like why would you want one for me and i think for a lot of people that get into this the biggest difference is sound so i'm going to talk about this keyboard in its stock form first i'm going to show you some things i like about it some things i don't like about it and i'm going to show you a mod that i've done to it that i think just makes it a better overall experience for the average person so for the 150 price tag you get a bare bones kit or if you're inclined you can pay an extra 20 and you'll get switches and the keycaps as well now the keychron q1 is a 75 gasket mounted keyboard it's got hot swappable switches it has a usbc connection it also has a switch to swap between mac and windows the paper specs of the q1 is great now the lighting is not the main focus if you look on the outside there's no exterior light bars or underglow or anything like that it's only a subtle rgb lighting system you can tweak it on the software you can use either via or a qmk to control it now if we take a look at the insides there are a few things i want to draw your attention to the first is the back plate so this is an aluminum backplate i do believe that they'll be offering other materials down the line but on the starting launch it's going to be just aluminum and then we're looking at a piece of poron so this is the pcb foam that they're using and then we're looking at the pcb itself now the first thing here is the stabilizers i much prefer the stabilizers on this than what was seen on the gm mk pro so this is a very popular keyboard i was sent to review and i never did the video on it but the stabilizers on these were weirdly sticky and even if you did mods like removing the lube it was just weird that a company like glorious would deliver a product that had stabilizers like that i like the keyboard but the stabilizers on here way better they're gatron they're properly lubed they're good and then the pcb itself uses a five pin modular type so you can swap out whatever switches you like in there it's a very like widely compatible type of pin as well as a south facing led so you can use most switches and just have a proper shine through in this type of keyboard configuration now in the top right corner there is a interesting thing going on so if you look at the keyboard itself like the constructed keyboard you'll notice a badge there like it's got my logo that they put on it but this is a customizable area so you can put a badge in it if you so choose you can add another key there or you can add a rotary knob so this is something they showed on their website in the earlier stages of their launch this idea of a dial that you could attach to the keyboard it does not exist yet it's something that they plan on adding supposedly but it's not as easy of a swap as you might think like it doesn't just hot swap in you have to replace the pcb because the current board can only support either the badge or a key it can't do that rotary knob it needs a separate piece of pcb to do it or just a completely different board so i don't like that i feel like that image was a little bit misleading in the beginning i love the idea of the dial because on the gm mk pro this is awesome the ability to control your volume or if you're in premiere you can program it to do whatever you want it's awesome but it it doesn't work or it doesn't exist right now on the q1 so the switches you can get on the pre-built right now are gateron phantom switches and they're essentially lubed versions factory-looped versions of the gadaran switches you can get them in brown red and blue i have all three in terms of just like the variations of the switches i have a strong preference for the brown switches i will show you one thing though so if you'll notice right here this is the phantom brown switch it's got this brown tint to the whole switch so if you have any kind of lighting it has to shoot through that brown tint before you can see it and it just colors the lighting in this weird way and you'll notice it on the red and the blue and obviously the brown versions and i really don't like that i feel like your rgb lighting is going to look off and also the keycaps these are not good they're supposedly double shot pbt still but there's something about them that just feel really sloppy they're you know slightly askew when there's a little bit of bloom on all the characters i don't love them now if i was making a suggestion for you guys if you're interested in this keyboard if you can swing it i'd skip the 20 like edition for that kid i would just go for the bare bones and use your own switches and your own keycaps the switches are good like i like the way they type the reds and the browns and the blues they type like a lubed version of whatever you'd expect right factory lubed but it's not for me it's not for me okay uh there's one other thing i want to show you underneath the pcb is and get this off a piece of poron okay now before we do the sound test i want to mention one thing i do not like the sound of the q1 at stock it has this resonant ping to it that i don't particularly like but it is very easy to fix so i tried several of the popular mods people do to improve the acoustics of the custom keyboards like i tried pe foam on the top of the pcb i tried taping on the bottom and none of them produced sounds that i really liked and then i stumbled upon this i used a thicker piece of pe this came from a laptop uh package actually and it's probably what three maybe even four mils and i place it on the bottom like on top of the case foam and then the pcb goes on top this is super untraditional i would never have even thought of doing this but the only reason i tried is because there's so much space on the bottom like maybe this will work and i think it sounds really nice that's a nice sounding keyboard to me i particularly like the spacebar it's this nice deep thunk i like it i think it sounds better than the gm mk pro so i've spent a lot of time modding this thing tweaking it i could never get this thing to sound the way i wanted it to so and the stabilizers are a little bit weird i just i never loved this device from my personal preference but yeah this sounds nice it doesn't sound as nice as te has bauer i think that nathan made me from te had types this thing is uh that's on a whole nother level that's a lot more expensive but there you have it key chron q1 it includes a coiled cable in the box with an aviator connection that's seemingly included with the q1 but if you picked up like a gm mk pro it's a separate additional purchase so there you have it kikron q1 it's got a lot of stuff going for it and at that price point i feel like you can't go wrong and i think that if you're interested in picking up a keyboard like a new keyboard you're looking at something high-end from another brand like i don't know like a razer or corsair product or like a logitech product you're gonna spend 150 180 bucks anyways take a look at the customs it's a cool world out here okay hope you guys enjoyed this video thumbs if you liked it subs if you loved it see you guys next time\n"