Keyboards put the world at our fingertips, and finding the right one makes the experience much more enjoyable. My quest to find the ideal keyboard is all-inclusive. Some low-budget keyboards offer surprisingly interesting features that are missing from their premium counterparts.

I decided to venture into the relative unknown and purchased the YUNZII Royalaxe R68, as pictured below:

Several months ago, I purchased the YUNZII X COOLKILLER CK75 WIRELESS TRANSPARENT GASKET MECHANICAL KEYBOARD (Polar Bear), and it has become quite the conversation piece. This keyboard is priced at $256.08 CAD (Regular price$302.91 CAD) with the case, and $205.14 CAD (Regular price$260.22 CAD) without the case.

The Price is Right!

The R68 normally sells for $158.95 CAD with free shipping worldwide. Fortunately, the keyboard was available at a 9% discounted price of $143.13 CAD. As for the free shipping, I paid an additional $28.00 CAD for expedited shipping.

What's the Deal?

It wasn't the price of the keyboard that caught my attention. The hot-swappable TTC V2 Gold Pink key switches, Pre-Lubed Stabilizers, Tri-Mode Wireless 2.4 GHz Dongle / BlueTooth / Wired Connectivity, Sound Dampening, Double Shot PBT keycaps, and other features, including RGB and customization, made this a deal too good to be true.

67 keys and 1 knob make for a clean 65% layout that hopefully sounds and performs as well as it looks. That includes N-key rollover in both wired and wireless modes. The construction of this keyboard could be the make or break that I can't comment on until I get one in my hands.

Key Switches

The R68 comes with TTC V2 Gold Pink linear switches having an operating force of 37g and pre-travel and total travel values of 2.0 +/- 0.3 mm and 4.0 -0.3 mm, respectively. I prefer switches with a shorter travel range, and I will likely add O-rings under the keycaps to reduce the range.

At the time of this writing, the only option available is the TTC V2 Gold Pink linear switch. Since the keyboard is hot-swappable, you can always buy a switch that fits your preferences. I prefer Akko Silver Linear Switches or similar with an actuation point of 1.0 mm and total travel of 3.0 mm.

You will notice the tolerances are tighter for this switch than is typical. With a lifespan of 100 million keystrokes, this switch outranks many other switches in this class by almost two-fold. Even more surprising is the gold alloy contact material.

The TTC V2 Gold Pink switch has interesting design features that set it apart from other MX-style switches. Refer to the specification sheet for more details.

R68 Colours

I chose the Blue colour theme as pictured above, although you may prefer Coffee Brown or Purple.

Good on Paper

The R68 looks great on paper. Now, I only have to wait for my keyboard to arrive. When it does, I'll write a first impression, "out of the box," review.

Related Articles and Resources

YUNZII Royalaxe R68

TTC Gold Pink Linear Switches – Divinikey

Akko Silver Linear Switches – Divinikey

YUNZII x CoolKiller CK75 Wireless Transparent Gasket Mechanical Keyboard

A Fun "Cheesy" Offering: YUNZII Ajazz AC067 Cheese 67 Keys Hot-Swappable Gasket Mounted Mechanical Keyboard ($268.48 CAD, Regular price$301.53 CAD)

Interesting 67 Key Aluminum Chassis: YUNZII AJAZZ AC067 PEAK BLUE 67 KEYS HOT-SWAPPABLE GASKET MOUNTED MECHANICAL KEYBOARD ($220.28 CAD, Regular price$275.35 CAD)