Closer Examination

There is a plastic sheet over the keyboard as well, which helps with keeping it free of dust. Removing it, we get our first proper look at the keyboard, and I truly wish there was a way to convey how impressive the first impressions are. The iKBC MF108 V.2 weighs 5.5 lbs (~2.50 kg) with over 5 lb of that due to the extremely thick aluminum metal housing used. The ABS plastic housed F108 itself came in at half the mass, which itself was a lot for the market overall, and there is no flex whatsoever here. This is a thick, solid keyboard that is capable of being used as a defensive weapon if need be, and I really can't overstate the build quality here. This massive amount of aluminum also means the price point will be on the higher side, so we will see how that ends up being on the last page.

The bezels are of average size, and the whole keyboard with the matte finished aluminum and completely black color scheme would not look out of place in an office or another such professional setting until the RGB backlighting turns on, given the absence of any logos or branding on the front or sides. Gone are the pad printed secondary legends that were printed on to the front of specific keycaps, as we found out via the notice included with the packaging. The surviving legends all 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.


On the back, we see a metal badge with a protective clear plastic cover with the company logo, certification stickers, and the unit's serial number. There are no cable-routing options here, presumably because it is hard to get these cut consistently into thick aluminum. Similarly, another drawback of the use of metal here is that iKBC could not use the standard pop-up case feet to give the option for end users to change the elevation of the keyboard. Some keyboard makers, such as Vortexgear and Mistel, ended up using a flat profile with optional screw-in case feet made out of hemispherical rubber pieces. I would have preferred that over what iKBC ended up going with here, which is a built-in elevation in the case that leaves users with no other options.


The keyboard cable is detachable as we saw before, and we have a relatively large cutout at the top featuring an inset female micro-USB port where the provided 6' long cable goes into. As expected, the cable has a male micro-USB connector on one side and a full size USB Type-A connector on the other. I would have liked to see iKBC go with USB Type-C instead of micro-USB with the V.2 revision for the keyboard, if only to ensure a more future-proof keyboard given everything else seems to be built with longevity in mind. 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, and the sculpting of the keycaps will provide a familiar feel to those used to the OEM profile already. 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 was 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, which is as with their other keyboards before. Knowing that they will not develop a shine with use is also a great plus point, and the thick (1.40 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 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. The keyboard 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 iKBC MF108 V.2 uses Cherry MX RGB switches, and this sample has Cherry MX RGB Silent Red switches with the lighter tone, a slightly pink-colored stem. The LEDs are placed under the switch's housing, which is thus transparent to allow the light to both diffuse and shine through the top. The larger 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.