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WASD v2 Keyboard In Depth Review

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WASD v2 Keyboard

In Depth Review

 

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The WASD V2 keyboard is the ultimate keyboard when it comes down to customization and personalization. If you want a one of a kind that is personalized to you, or just a plain jane keyboard with colored keycaps, than WASD has the keyboard for you. They have it all, from custom design keycaps to textured keycaps, all the way down to blank keycaps for the typing enthusiast. WASD has all of your typing and gaming needs when it comes down to the keyboard.
 

 

WASD uses UV Printing on their keycaps as opposed to the old way, which was Laser Etching and Engraving.
 
Old Laser Etched and Engraved Keycaps:etchedvsengraved.jpg
 
 
New UV Printed Keycaps: custom_text.jpg
 
 
What is UV Printing?
 
For non-white keycaps, UV printed keycaps are first treated with a white base layer, onto which the legend is printed. A UV-cured, selective image protective lacquer is then added, supposedly hence the name. The process is proprietary and full details have not been released. The colour printing process itself is not specified; it appears to be a diffusion pattern similar to that used in inkjet and solid wax printing. The colour printing resolution appears to be in excess of 300 DPI; the white base layer also has a dithered appearance that may contribute to the visibly dotted texture of the final print. (from Deskthority)
 
WASD UV Printed Custom Image Keycaps: custom-art-keys.jpg
 
How do UV Printed Keycaps feel compared to Laser Etched keycaps?
 
The keys have a more textured feel to them making them ultimately feel more durable.WASD uses ABS keycaps. Most people claim that ABS keycaps are not very good and would prefer  PBT keycaps. WASD has since improved their ABS keycaps with their UV Printing. The protective coating used during the UV Printing process is a harder material than the material on a PBT keycap, ultimately resulting in WASD's ABS keycaps being just as durable, if not more, than a more expensive PBT keycap. Their UV coating also prevents the keys from shining like a traditional uncoated ABS keycap.
 
Used Traditional Uncoated ABS Keycaps:800px-Logitech_Y-RJ20_--_keycap_wear.jpg
 
WASD also offers textured keycaps if you need to replace a certain set of keys (such as WASD or ESDF) to easily find those keys when in high stress gaming situations.main.jpg

 

Pros:
  • Durable
  • Build Quality
  • UV Printed keycaps feel suberb to touch
  • Cherry MX Clears are a pleasure to type on
  • Keycap Printing quality looks great.
  • Rubber feet work extremely well
  • Angle latches provide perfect typing angle (without wrist rest)
  • Detatchable USB Cable
  • USB to PS/2 Adapter for N-Key Rollover
  • Wire Keycap Puller
  • Cable routing grooves
  • Unlimited customization possibilties
  • Personalization
  • NO DRIVERS/SOFTWARE

 

Cons:

  • Switches are slightly stiff at first (not a bad trait but could be for some)
  • Inkscape design process can be a hassle sometimes
  • Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock lighting is not RGB (always red, dipswitch on bottom could be used for other color settings)
  • Cable is not braided (doesnt really need to be but others may not like this)

 

V2 Designer:
 

 

WASD's online design process is easy and quite fun to use, they even have pre-made camo designs for the miltary or camo enthusiast. The availiable keycap colors are Black, White, Light Grey, Dark Grey, Red, Green, Light Blue, Orange, Yellow, Pink, Purple. They have every color to fit your build scheme if you so desire.  You have the option to make every keycap a single  color or you can mix and match colors to your satisfaction.
 
tooltip_keycolors.jpg
 
Inkscape Design:
 
You must use Inkscape if you would like to have a custom image across your keyboard or have custom text when ordering a full keyboard or keycap set. This design process can be a hassle at first but if you carefully read the instructions provided and get the hang of it, it shouldnt be a problem. This has nothing to do with WASD themselves. This is stating that Inkscape can sometimes be a little difficult to use.

 

 

Switch Choices:
 
WASD offers all of the common key switches; Cherry MX Blue, Brown, Black, Red, Clear, and Green. You can choose 2 types of O-rings to dampen the sound of your switch and also reduce the travel of your keystroke. The 40A-L Red O-Rings reduce the keystroke travel 0.2mm, and the 40A-R Blue O-Rings reduce the keystroke travel by 0.4mm.
 
Listen to the O-Ring Difference Here: 
 
 
Overall Durability and Build Quality:
 
WASD offers the durability in comparison to other major top brand keyboard manufacturers such as Leopold, Deck, Filco, and Ducky. The case itself has a textured flat finish to it and does not scratch easily. It is farely compact for 104 keys, which is by all means not a bad thing (without wrist rest). The keycap puller is a 2 piece black plastic puller that has a rubberized look to it. As stated earlier, the keycaps are much more durable than their previous version and are just as good, if not better than a standard PBT keycap due to the durable coating used in their UV Printing Process. The R1x2.75 (Shift Keys) and R1x6.25 (Spacebar) keys use Costar Stabilisers, which are known the be the best stablisers available for a mechanical keyboard.
 
 
What are Costar Stabilisers?
 
Costar Stabilisers are a wire leveling mechanism that stabilises the balance of the longer keys. (Shifts and Spacebar)
rk9k-costarstabs.jpg
 
Conclusion:
 
WASD has made a huge improvement from their previous version 1. The keycaps are solid and feel great to type on and their UV printing is an amazing feature. Dont be fooled by the ABS keycaps, you will not need PBT keycaps unless you are a die hard PBT keycap fan. The build quality is superb, this keyboard has alot of weight to it and absolutely will not move on your desk. If you choose to get the optional wrist rest, the angle latches might provide too much of a typing angle, but if you decide no wrist rest, the angle latches provide a very comfortable typing angle. The body is very durable and does not scratch easily, it is also very finger print resistant due to the slight texture of the body. the bright keycap colors are very vibrant and eye popping. The unlimited customization and personalization is icing on the cake for a high quality keyboard. 
 
The WASD V2 Keyboard gets an absolute 10/10. Highly Recommended

 

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