Introduction

1STPLAYER (or simply 1stplayer henceforth in this review) has greeted our readers in the past, with coverage done on the Bullet Hunter MK6 and Black Sir Lite K7 keyboards. Arguably weird names aside, they offered decent value for money for those wanting to step into the world of mechanical keyboards. Their keyboard offerings used to generally be full-size given the popularity of this layout globally, so when they mentioned they were going with a smaller form factor, it peaked my interest. Today, we take a look at the LANG MK8, and thanks again to the company for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp!


Somehow, each keyboard review of the 1stplayer brand I have done has been of a subsequently smaller keyboard, with the full-size MK6 to the TKL K7 and now LANG MK8 which keeps the TKL layout but trims down the bezels. The company is marketing this as a keyboard for keyboard lovers, with an emphasis on sounds as even the Mobil oil lubrication is a marketing feature. In doing so, they likely are targeting the enthusiast market more, and over the course of this review, we will see whether the feature set adds up to those claims. Let's begin with a look at the specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

International travel limitations and lockdowns due to COVID-19 meant I was residing in Taiwan temporarily and had no access to my usual photography setup. Packaging for the 1stplayer LANG MK8 keyboard is about par for the course for gaming-branded keyboards from the company before. The cardboard box has a wrap in black with the company logo on the corner and product name on the front, along with a list of salient marketing features. On the back is a large render of the keyboard lit up in RGB, and more logos on the sides round it off here.


A double flap in the center and two side flaps help keep the contents inside in place during transit. Opening the box, we see the keyboard right away, inside a plastic wrap and held in place between cardboard pieces for further protection. Underneath the keyboard, we find the included accessories consisting of a user manual, an online copy of which can be downloaded from the product page here. The cardboard compartment in front also houses more accessories underneath, so check carefully lest you miss them.


1stplayer includes a decent wire-style keycap puller, although the actual wires are more prone to bending than I'd like. I found myself having to apply external pressure from both sides to keep the end of the puller in place when removing the keycaps, so it definitely is not a good example of such a tool. Next to it is a switch puller, indicating the retention of the CIY socket for hot-swappable switches we have seen in other keyboards before, including from 1stplayer. This too was not very well done, with one of the metal bars bent out of the box and requiring manual adjustment. No complaints about the included cable, however, as it is a nice braided cable that goes from male USB Type-A to male USB Type-C.


To emphasize the switch-replacement feature here, the company also includes one of each of the switch options you can get the LANG MK8 with. They have gone with Gateron for the switches, and the choices are Yellow, Red, Black (linear feedback), Brown (tactile), and Blue (tactile clicky).


At the same time as the keyboard, the company had expressed interest in us covering their new mouse as well. Our excellent mouse editor had far too many mice on hand already, so I offered to show it off in this review. The Fire Base M6 adopts a design that has become quite popular among many companies now, especially those wanting to utilize this design with holes for a lighter mouse. We see the typical hexagonal cutouts on the front and sides, with a rated mass of 68 g (incl. cable) across 122 x 64 x 43 mm. The mouse uses Omron switches with a rated lifetime of 20 M clicks and a PMW 3325 sensor rated at 10000 DPI and a polling rate of 1000 Hz.