Performance

There is full N-key rollover USB here out of the box, as Aqua's test confirms. Similarly, no key chatter was detected on all the keys using Switch Hitter. The image above also shows which keys from the 104-key ANSI layout have a dedicated button on the base layer of the Kira, as well as those that do not.


When connected and powered on, the Input Club Kira lights up in a rainbow wave animation effect, and it is surprisingly effective for a keyboard with opaque keycaps (although the white keycaps do let some light through). Indeed, the lighting on the key bank is more of a side lighting than anything else, but the glow from the bottom and sides of the case also adds to the experience. R.Alt + R.Control + F1/F2/F3/F4/F7 allow for onboard control over the pre-programmed default static colors, animations, and fading effects. White, for example, is one of the truest-to-color whites I have ever seen on an RGB keyboard. At this time, there is no control over per-key lighting, although as we saw before, it is coming very soon, possibly before these keyboards even ship to new customers.

Here are two more videos showing the keyboard in a lighting animation effect, including from the sides, which really shows off the different aesthetic of the Kira to just about anything else on the market. There is definitely a strong base here, which, combined with the upcoming LED control in the configurator and elsewhere, will make the Kira worthy of the name.


Layers are the name of the game with any keyboard compatible with KLL (keyboard layout language), and even though the Kira does not really need it as much as, say, the Input Club WhiteFox that has way fewer keys, it still allows for the freedom to customize the keyboard far beyond the usual base and Shift+ layers on most keyboards. Indeed, if you want a layer full of dedicated media buttons, go for it; there are multiple empty layers as it is. What if you want to experiment with Dvorak or Colemak? Sure, there are layers available for key assignment, and the Cherry profile of keycaps makes it easy to move them around too. You can even treat layers as profiles and have them be specific to a program with macros for it; Adobe Photoshop, for example. The truncated form factor is handy as well since it is easier to access specific functions without moving your fingers much, and this alone has ergonomic benefits in the long run while also allowing for more room on your desk.


This may have been my first time with an entire keyboard using the Hako Clear switches, but it was not my first time with these switches themselves. Indeed, I had prior experience with the Hako True and Hako Clear as individual switches, wherein I had tried them out on a switch tester, taken them apart for further examination, and had more or less come to the conclusion that I really liked the Hako Clear as it was. Now, with a keyboard full of them, I like them even more. I always thought the Cherry MX Clear was the best Cherry switch for me, a person who likes tactile switches but prefers a more pronounced tactile bump than what the MX Brown offers. Having tried out a vast variety of switches since, I am no longer convinced that other switch makers, like Kailh, Gateron, Outemu, and so on, are inherently worse. In many cases, the newer companies are allowing companies and even individuals to design their own switches and get them manufactured by an established factory, while Cherry still has difficulty meeting the needs of their customer companies. This results in switches like the Hako Clear, but also means that it is harder to try out these new switches on keyboards prior to purchase. Input Club makes these switches available for separate purchase, and NovelKeys does the same for their switches (and others), which may help make your decision easier because there are nine switch options to choose from for the Kira, and even more if you go beyond those and have options that you know will work with the Kailh hot-swappable switch sockets.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Input Club Kira sample at ~115 WPM. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile switches. I did bottom out more often than not, which adds a metallic ping from the steel plate, although it is fairly easy not to do so with these switches because of their pronounced feedback around actuation.