Closer Examination

The HYTE Keeb TKL is, as the name suggests, a TKL form factor keyboard. It's in the US ANSI layout, which means there are 87 keys as you expect to see here, before HYTE adds some more in the top left corner. However, these 87 keys are placed such that you might feel something is off. The Fn key row, for example, is actually correctly spaced out even if the gaps look weird. What accentuates this is the lack of a gap between this row and the one below as usually present on TKL and full-size keyboards. Add to this the HYTE-specific keycap profile that makes them feel more oval than square, and there's an uncanny valley feeling here. This is even before we get to the polycarbonate chassis the keyboard is fit into, which HYTE calls "Crystal Bubble Polycarbonate." This extends further at the top, where we see the brand logo too, and makes for massive bezels thus. You would feel like holding the keyboard at the top due to this, so it's a bit of a shame that these are fit into the aluminium top plate, as well as to each other—the polycarbonate chassis comprises two pieces—via interlocking tabs. This results in the occasional creaking when you hold the keyboard, although thankfully not when you type on it naturally.

HYTE also provides five dedicated media keys using HYTE's Flappy Paddle Tactile (low-profile blue) switches, and now I get why there's a note on the back of the product box already anticipating comments about how blue switches are usually clicky ones. Regardless of a naming convention, these provide media playback controls along with volume mute/unmute, with two rollers above for further customization. The left one comes pre-programmed for volume control similar to a knob on many keyboards today, whereas the right one defaults to brightness control over the RGB LEDs on the keyboard—these can all be changed via software, and there is a sixth extra button in the middle. The keyboard uses a matte black plastic cover held in place via magnets, and I've seen replacement covers in various colors and finishes that HYTE can sell for further customization. The keycaps have backlit legends place in the top center, with secondary legends alongside to further indicate where the LEDs are positioned below. The black and clear color scheme is a fairly unique one, and this is before the keyboard is powered on and the RGB flows through like nothing else.


Turning the keyboard around, we see the second piece of the polycarbonate housing and a large aluminium plate in the middle. The see-through case allows a look at the silicone damping sheet used between the PCB and the bottom panel too, with screws underneath that help secure the keyboard together. There are three large rubber pads at the bottom, and two even larger ones at the top which are held via magnets. These can be easily removed and replaced by the optional thicker ones you get in the box to allow for two elevations (3.73° or 6.06°), depending on how you prefer the Keeb TKL positioned for your typing. These rubber feet and pads provide friction against the resting surface and prevent the case from getting scratched.


There is only wired connectivity on offer with the HYTE Keeb TKL, with an inset Type-C port placed on the top left side facing away from the user between the two roller paddles. You should have enough room to fit most aftermarket cables too, if you so desire. The provided cable works well enough, especially given the black color matches the base keyboard already, and is the usual 6' in length with a durable sleeve. It terminates in USB Type-C more for the added power requirements than faster data transmission, with HYTE providing an adapter to two spare Type-A ports on your PC if you prefer this. The keyboard is rated to take as much as 1.8 A off the 5 V rail, and this is why a single USB 2.0 or USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) port may not suffice.


A look from the side shows the built-in elevation of the HYTE Keeb TKL, which I would classify as fairly high in profile thanks to the thicker polycarbonate chassis. In fact, the keyboard is 53 mm off the resting surface at the top row, and the rollers go even higher. As such, the Keeb TKL can certainly benefit from a wrist rest if you are not used to touch typing with hands hovering over the keys at all times. The keycaps go from being non-floating for the top rows to floating at the bottom as a result of HYTE's so-called HX OEM keycap profile. I am not a fan of this profile as the row contouring is uneven, and it took me longer than I prefer to get to my usual touch typing speed and accuracy even with the fairly standard key spacing. The contact surface is also smaller than usual, and you'd need to be more precise in pressing down in the center to avoid wobbling too. This is a surprise since the stock keycaps are thick—very thick in fact at 1.8 mm wall thickness, so it could be down to manufacturing tolerances with the cross-point securement over the switches. On the plus side, we get doubleshot-injected backlit legends here and the keycaps themselves are made of PBT plastic for added durability. I will also note the keycaps feel smoother to the touch than typical PBT keycaps, so there's been some care taken on the material side at least.


The HYTE Keeb TKL has a single switch option in the form of HYTE's own Fluffy Lavender Linear mechanical switches, which come placed on an anodized aluminium plate. This of course means we do not get an option of tactile or clicky switches out of the box, and I urge HYTE to provide more switch options sooner than later. The switches are installed in a north-facing configuration for added keycap compatibility, and this also confirms why the keycap legends are positioned in the top center to better benefit from the LED directly below. The larger keycaps use high quality Durock V2 screw-in stabilizers which come lubed with Krytox 205g0 + XHT-BDZ, and for once the lubing felt like it was done by a keyboard enthusiast—down to the tiny excess outside more likely from a brush—rather than a machine flooding lube all over. The spacebar also has multiple LEDs for more accurate lighting and a foam pad to further dampen the large keycap bottoming out.


The is no switch remover tool or keycap puller provided by HYTE, yet the PCB clearly supports hot-swappable switches. I used my own tool to remove one, allowing a closer look at the 5-pin mechanical switch socket with a switch pad as well as thicker IXPE foam + PORON damping between the plate and the PCB too. There is also an SMD RGB LED associated with each switch to help with backlighting. The HYTE Fluffy Lavender Linear switch has a lavender-colored cross-point stem, as the name suggests, in addition to translucent top and bottom housing to let even more light through, and uses a 5-pin design for added stability in the switch socket.


Given the hot-swappable nature of the switches and this being my first time with these switches, it only made sense to take one of the HYTE Fluffy Lavender Linear switches apart. This is a linear switch with a factory-lubed stem—again with the same excellent Krytox lubricant—that is made of POM, with the top housing composed of translucent polycarbonate and the bottom housing made of a nylon composite w/ 40% glass fiber. The switch also uses a dedicated condenser lens to better diffuse light from SMD LEDs underneath, and the spring is longer than usual at ~20 mm in length. The switch design is otherwise similar to other such Cherry MX-style switches in that the stem pushes the copper contacts in the bottom housing together to initiate switch actuation that is read by the microcontroller on the keyboard.

I attempted to disassemble the keyboard further at this point, however I did not feel I could do so without permanently damaging the polycarbonate case to the point of not being able to put the keyboard back together. As such, I opted to not continue further since I prefer to not create e-waste.