Keychron Q5 QMK Custom Mechanical Keyboard

I bought the fully assembled version. It is a tank of a keyboard and feels quality in nearly every way. It is everything I hoped it would be with one exception. Stabilization on the shift, enter, and caps lock keys is pretty bad. I have a couple cheap $40 mechanical keyboards with better stabilization on these keys. Overall not a deal breaker and am happy with the keyboard. First time using Gateron switches and I am impressed.

I am overall really happy with the Q5, as I bought barebones, with knob in blue. It's heavy and weighted, it is able to work with QMK//Via, and overall I am super happy that Keychron has gone the route that basically has made it more easily available to the open consumer market to have someone get a QMK compatible keyboard without a god damned group buy. This board has held up super well for me, and I have been non-stop recommending it to people as a better priced alternatives, such as the comparison to the GMMK Pro vs Keychron Q1. I am just happy to see that this did not stop with this board or the initial set and has been expanded upon, with so many options for QMK compatible boards. As the title says, this is one year after the fact, as I wanted to give the board a far shake before reviewing it. Added now I am ordering a V6, for work, and I am super happy overall, and hoping that the V6 is similar to this experience.

I used to think I was a keyboard snob way back at the end of the 90's when I came across a model M at a computer recycle store and even though it was old and no guarantee it'd work, I liked the way it felt and took a risk and bought. At $9.99 what was there to lose. I grew more fond of the keyboard and looked it up to find out it had a cult following and that was my introduction to the world of higher quality keyboards.

I lived in Japan working as a linguist for Kagoshima University and also as a translator and editor. First purchase was a model m in the space saver configuration. Now that I'm back I was thinking model M again but, wow! have the. prices gone up so here I am looking at custom keyboards. The youtube modding scene is insane with all the things they do and how expensive a keyboard can be, which leads me to the keychron q5 in blue with the encoder knob.

As someone that makes a living typing and not seeing a keyboard as a hobby, I love this thing! I got the brown switches and love the way they feel. Originally I was going to go with the Q1 in purple but I kept noticing how much I used the number pad and also remembered how much I missed the number pad on the space saver model m I had. From the color to the heft, to the feel of the keys...It's a hit out of the ballpark! I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the modding scene--I love mechanical watches and typewriters--we all have our hobbies, but if you make a living with your keyboard and just need a solid, well built piece of kit that makes your profession a little more enjoyable, I don't think you can go wrong with the Q5. It's also a definite upgrade from the model M.

If you need a numpad, the 1800 layout is a great alternative to a full size keyboard since it allows quick access to all functions and a numpad, but saves quite a bit of space. There are unfortunately very few keyboards in this layout category and many of them are expensive customs. The adage "Sometimes all you have to do to win is to show up" might be underselling the Q5 though.

The keyboard has a (unique in this category) rotary encoder knob. Even better, this encoder is actually supported in VIA, which technically does not have encoder support yet, thanks to some creative programming- a pretty big deal if you've been through the GMMK Pro VIA debacle. The Mac/Windows switch is also implemented in QMK/VIA as separate layers, meaning that you individually program both layouts. This also means that if you were working on Windows only, for example, you can program the layers so the switch simply moves between two layouts instantly. As far as VIA/QMK support, this keyboard is very robust which is very refreshing for a more mass-market keyboard, and possibly the greatest reason to buy a Keychron over other mainstream options. The only thing I wish Keychron would do is add an F13 key for this keyboard- the extra key would go a long way, for example, allowing full Del/Ins/Home/End navigation keys next to the knob... or just a space to stash a artisan keycap.

The build quality, at least on the blue model I bought, is also very good. Finish on the exterior is pretty good, with only a few sharp edges around the screw holes on the bottom. Even the MAC/Windows swap key shows minimal amounts of play. Obviously, since the case is all aluminum the thing is a brick. The gasket layout in this keyboard, depending on how you arrange them, allows you to go from a pretty stiff typing experience to a relatively bouncy one. The included stabilizers are also pretty good- the only 'mod' I typically do is to dunk the ends of each stab wire into dielectric grease to suppress rattle, and using them in the Q5 I don't see any obvious issues with stiction or rattle.

The stock out of the box experience on this keyboard is pretty good, but the main downfall in my opinion is the steel plate and perhaps some design choices for the casing. The main problem is that the plate is mostly allowed to float in the case… which is what you want for proper gasket compression. However, the X/Y direction of the case coupled with the steel backplate means that if the plate touches the sidewalls of the case for any reason (say you really bang on a single key hard or you start typing incredibly fast)- you get ping. You can even hear this if you simply shake the keyboard. Other keyboard manufacturers get around this by adding silicone dampening around the case walls where the plate can touch it (or by using standoffs/pegs). Keychron did learn from their Q1 experiences by adding silicone pads between the halves of the case to reduce ping, and I think if they make some changes to the plate to wall spacing they would eliminate any risk of it happening. The other thing they can do is get rid of the steel plate in favor of an aluminum one, or even better, make the polycarbonate plate standard. This is also my recommended add-on if you're buying this keyboard, as the PC plate adds a bit more flex, a bit softer bottom-out for the fingers, and changes the tone of the keyboard.

Extremely good quality; the base is seemingly solid metal and the whole thing feels well made, could probably give a concussion to someone with how heavy it is. I don't know if picking this for the gasket was worth it, didn't notice much of a difference, but otherwise very happy with the product.