Closer Examination

Once we have the wrap removed, we see that there is also a hard plastic dust cover on top of the keyboard, which is useful for keeping the keyboard clean when not in use. Remove that and we finally get our first good look at the keyboard. Despite the plastic casing, the iKBC F108 is hefty, weighing in at 1.25 Kg, and there is no flex anywhere. It is a thick, solid keyboard that will not flex, so the plastic is not a disadvantage here when compared to metal frames or cases.

The bezels are of average size, and the whole keyboard would not look out of place in an office or another similar professional setting until the RGB backlighting turns on, given the absence of any logos or branding on the front or sides. A lot of secondary functions seem to be pad-printed onto the PBT keycaps in white, meaning they will not be backlit either. The legends occupy a good amount of space up top, right above where the LEDs are generally present underneath, with the use of the regular seamed doubleshot application meaning there will be gaps in letters that have a closed loop (D and P, for example). The standard secondary functions, such as those on the numbers row above the QWERTY row, are situated along the same horizontal line as the primary ones and will thus be backlit properly as well. The font chosen is fairly clean too, which goes with the minimalist aesthetic of the keyboard as a whole.


Flipping it over for a look at the back, we see a total of five cable-routing options for the non-detachable cable, with the outlets spread out well across the top, giving options for left- and right-handed users alike. There is also a sticker with the serial number and other information pertaining to the unit. There are four rubber pads on the corners to help the keyboard stay in place, and there are two feet with two angles each to elevate the keyboard as per user desire among the three height options thus available. The feet have rubber pads on the bottom as well, which is nice to see. The keyboard's cable is the standard 6' long, black and braided, and terminates in a standard male USB Type-A connector. USB 3.0 (also known as 3.1 Gen 1) is recommended to properly power all the RGB LEDs, though you can still use the functionality and RGB backlighting with a USB 2.0 port, just not at the same maximum brightness.


The keycaps have an OEM profile, which was to be expected given the replacement keycaps followed it as well. With no key re-assignment or any macro functionality, the sculpting of the keycaps will provide a familiar feel to those used to the OEM profile already, and there is no real reason for iKBC to have done otherwise anyway. The provided keycap puller works great here when it comes to removing the smaller 1u or larger modifier keycaps, although you do need to take turns to raise each side of the space bar if you don't have two of these wire-style keycap pullers.

iKBC is the first to get backlighting-supported doubleshot PBT keycaps for consumer keyboards, and these are no exception in that they feel great to type on, just as with the F87 sample before. Knowing that they will not develop a shine with use is also a great plus point, and the thick (1.41 mm on average) keycap walls further add to the typing experience for me personally. Do note that some prefer thinner keycaps, so your mileage may vary here; however, most end users prefer thicker keycaps. The presence of the legends up top, above the LEDs, means backlighting works well here, although the pad-printed secondary legends are still a letdown. The keycaps are also not floating due to the presence of a top panel piece, which minimizes light bleed at the expense of ease of cleaning. Good thing then that you get a keycap puller to help with that. The iKBC F108 also has a standard keycap layout, meaning you can use just about any third-party replacement set, but I would say try out the stock keycaps first to then decide if you wish to change them.


The switches used on this sample are genuine Cherry MX RGB Blue, as indicated on the packaging and seen here. The LEDs are under the switch's housing, which is thus transparent to allow the light to both diffuse and shine through to the top. The modifier keycaps use Cherry stabilizers, which does help with their removal and installation, and I did not really notice much of a mushy feeling typing on this keyboard as a result of the lubed stabilizers on this sample, which results in little give to the stabilizer stems themselves as well. I have also shown above an example of how you could go about the replacement of keycaps if you so desire, although I just ended up using the stock keycaps more often than not.