The ASUS ROG Azoth is an incredible keyboard in many different ways. This is the first time I've felt a mainstream keyboard can appeal to pretty much anyone in the enthusiast keyboard space, and no doubt some of this goes down to the product team at ASUS comprising of mechanical keyboard users themselves. We've seen glimpses of this with previous ROG keyboards, be it the modular ROG Claymore II or the ROG Strix Flare II with its Anime Matrix LEDs. The last couple of years have also seen ASUS come out with its own optical and fully mechanical switches too, and we've also seen them come factory lubed in addition to having lubed stabilizers on the keyboard. Foam sheets have been making their way into the mainstream keyboard sector in addition to hot-swappable switch sockets, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before we saw gasket mount keyboards too. What I was not expecting was the ROG Azoth to turn the dial up to 11 with a lot of dampening material at every stage of the keyboard's assembly to where it makes for an extremely solid typing experience too. Then we get to the accessories where the Azoth even comes with a pot of Krytox switch lube as part of a complete switch lube kit and I couldn't stop shaking my head and smiling given that ASUS ROG—the most gamery of gaming brands out there—was doing this.

The head shaking then continued, albeit for different reasons, when I realized the ROG Azoth costs $250. ASUS now has multiple keyboards in the >$250 range, including the other two mentioned above, so it's certainly getting priced out of the more affordable range. Indeed, $250 is where you are competing against brands who are the darlings of the keyboard community and you can even build your own keyboard with custom parts for less. At the same time, $250 is nothing compared to what some of these keyboard kits go for these days and you don't have to wait for weeks/months to get them either. If you forget about the part where ASUS is a mainstream brand and treat the Azoth for just what it is then I suspect that particular audience, which is used to shelling out lot more for keyboards, will find the ROG Azoth a relative bargain. It offers hybrid wireless connectivity with dual OS support and an extremely long battery life while having good build quality, typing feel, and an agreeable aesthetic no matter where you plan on using it. For most others, however, this is going to go on the "check back when on sale" list. It's not a perfect keyboard either, even outside of the part where not everyone wants a 75% form factor keyboard. I want to see ASUS cut down on its software bloat and improve the lighting customization options too. There's a lot that ASUS has got right here though, so I certainly can't fault anyone for saving up and getting the ROG Azoth as a keyboard to use for years to come.