Ace Pad Tech APT04 Magnetic HE 60% RGB Double Shot PBT Mechanical Keyboard

Man, this keyboard is really bad. I'm not mad because I'm somewhat of a keeb collector and I wanted to add a Hall Effect to my collection. I don't know what to say. the keys are extremely scratchy--they just feel awful. TheThe wooden frame is terrible. It is so light, just sounds terrible and feels terrible. The stock keycaps are really cheap. Even after replacing them with some XDA PBT keycaps, it still is just as bad. There is nothing redeemable about this keyboard. I can't see why anyone would want this unless you need to say you own one just like me. I would avoid this. Maybe if they had a better frame, lubed the switches, added gasket. this could have something going for it.

The board is an Ace Pad Tech board. This board is the APT04, which had already been revised in a newer model by the time MK began selling their stock of 60% teakwood boards. I have provided a four-of-five star rating for this board. It's definitely a contactless Hall effect switch. It's a better feel, I feel, than the common Cherry MX clone switch designs of the 2010s. The board isn't especially bassy sounding, even with SA profile key caps. But I do feel it sounds better and most definitely feels better than the CORSAIR K70. The key caps with stabilizers seem to require some sort of layer to be placed between the clip-in stablizer mounts and the key cap, so as to fit the cap better. Chyrosran22, from whom I became familiar with the Ace Pad Tech boards, has made mention of this issue. The stabilizer clip-in mounts found on the APT04 do not fit especially well into MX-compatible key caps. This is the first 60% board I have owned, and the second mechanical board I have owned. I seek a UNICOMP board and a Matias tactile click board in the future as well. I had dreamt about a 60% all my life, and became aware of them four years ago. Now that I've been using this board for a month, I actually feel I'm not so fond of the function key use to access keys not accessible via the physical keys on board. And so this is a personal distaste thing and does not factor into my four star rating. What does factor into my rating? My board is defective, or perhaps the model is -- I am unsure. And so this factors in. The need to have a layer between the cap and the stabilizer mount is frustrating. The board is $100 here at MK and for that price, I do not feel the board in its current state as an APT04 is quite worth it. Maybe $80 would have a five star rating, as part of a pay-what-you-want model. So that's it. Just a bit of frustration with the value, the stabilizer mounts, and the nature of my board being defective. My board is defective because keys will often repeat themselves. This board has a key combination (FN Right Shift) to change between two actuation points for the key press. But one of the actuation points is bugged for me, and one works as a keyboard should. The one which is bugged causes keys to repeat themselves and it's a whole big mess. The keys retrigger endlessly. So having a half-working product dissatisfies me quite a bit. My board is defective in one other way as well. This is less functional as I have a workaround for it. But it's lousy and I believe results from the hand made process they're doing at Ace Pad Tech. My board, when laid flat, is uneven and the typing on the left side of the board will cause wobble and imbalance. I actually use my board without the two feet, so the feet are unscrewed and removed, but then I also raised it up in the back via an eyeglasses case. This increases the bassiness of the board in sound quality, and it makes the imbalance issue irrelevant. But this is a workaround to a remaining issue or defect, and thus has me feeling even more my $100 is not well spent. The packaging for the board is outstanding. The instruction manual included is poor, being small and blurry print. I am also greatly disappointed to see zero mention of the keyboard being made by Ace Pad Tech in or on the box. Instead, there is simply a laser engraved 'APT' on the board itself, on the front right of the case. Extra Hall effect switches are provided as well. I may be happier with a different 60% board, and I'll consider this in the future as a subsequent purchase. Ace Pad Tech, Chyrosran22 said, was working on software to cooperate with their Hall effect boards. which perhaps could resolve my electronic issue I seem to have with my board. But this was over a year ago and I've seen no indication of this software coming into fruition yet. I'd suggest against purchasing this 60% board. I'd suggest a different 60% board, or a larger form factor board from Ace Pad Tech at their Alibaba sale website. You may look into the Happy Hacking keyboard, for example, if your interest is in a 60% board. I feel this may be superior to what Ace Pad Tech's 60% provides at this time. I suggest you visit Chyrosran22's YouTube channel for reviews of Hall effect switches and boards, including lengthy videos detailing these Ace Pad Tech products. Reviewed 04 December 2019 after a month of usage of the APT04 60% model. 4/5 star rating.

Kinda scratchy and the esc key doesn't work without fn, and there's no user manual, but other than that, its pretty good.