Closer Examination

The keyboard comes in a third layer of protection, a thin foam casing. Remove it and we finally get to see the product unboxed fully. My first impression when I saw it was to remark how small it was. I expected it to be tiny compared to even TKL keyboards, but was reminded of the Vortex CORE 40% keyboard rather than a larger keyboard. Both are smaller form-factor keyboards that employ a one-piece case over the more common one/two piece clamshell design. The keycaps on both are similar in terms of composition and legend printing method, but that is really where the similarities end.

The SABER68 has a thick ABS plastic case with less bezel space than is the norm around the business end of the keyboard itself. The case is also such that there is a built-in, nonadjustable elevation angle instead of there being the more common flat plus adjustable feet method. This being a 68-key keyboard, it has more in common with 60% keyboards as far as functionality goes - the num pad cluster and function key row are still missing, but you get dedicated arrow keys, and part of the key cluster above it (Del, Pg Up, Pd Dn) also has dedicated keys. This is a layout that is going to be easier to adapt to than anything smaller than it, even as it occupies as much space as some 60% keyboards. As such, it should be very lucrative to those who fancy smaller keyboards already.

As with any keyboard that is in the sub-TKL range, there is no real standard for key arrangement or keycap size and layout. Here, we see the tilde key moved to the top-right corner, for instance, with the Esc key taking its place instead. I personally like this layout since I almost never use Insert anyway, and I can configure layers on the keyboard if I want dedicated Ins, Home, or End buttons. As far as the legends' printing goes, they are in the top-left corner and are aligned fairly well. The font itself is very neat and will go very well with a professional setting.


Not much going on at the back, where we see the case itself in more detail. There are four rubber pads to help prevent the keyboard from moving around on your desk, and the female mini-USB connector is in the top-left corner as seen from the front. There is a cutout in the back wherein you can see a button large enough to be pressed down upon with a pencil or similar device. The button here is to be pressed during the keyboard's programming stage, should you ever decide to do that, and we will get to that in more detail in due time. Also seen here are the two holes (two each on either end) on the back through which light pours to provide some form of side/underglow lighting as well.


I do not have a 60% keyboard, and a 40% keyboard is really not in the same functionality class. So I have here the SABER68 in front of a Cooler Master TKL keyboard to better appreciate how small the SABER68 truly is without sacrificing much functionality.


As noted before, there is a fixed elevation angle, which was a fairly big risk to take by Originative. It worked out just fine for me as I type at a slight elevation all the time, but you may want to prop up the front to even it out if you aren't used to typing on a keyboard with raised feet. It is a touch unnecessary on their part in my opinion, even though I can understand why they did this - the case looks better and is easier to manufacture this way, no doubt. Perhaps for future iterations they could instead go with a flat case and provide clip-on feet instead? Hemispherical Sorbothane-style polymer, for example.

The keycaps, on the other hand, are excellent. In fact, I would say these are the best stock keycaps I have used so far. These are very thick PBT plastic (walls are 1.33 mm thick on average) in either white or beige and with dye-sublimated legends, which makes sure you don't wear down the legends or have the keycaps develop a shine anytime soon. The dye sublimation itself is very well done also, with uniform intake of the dye on all the keycaps and no smearing seen anywhere. The use of dye sublimation means the legend has to be darker than the keycap's base, and thus, we have black-colored legends here. The keycaps also aren't really translucent, so the white backlighting will show up more as edge-lighting between the keycaps instead.

These so-called MOD keycaps come in Cherry profile, which further adds to the keyboard's low form factor. Given the nature of the keyboard, some do not follow standard sizing, which results in there being less replacement keycap sets to choose from, though finding sets is not impossible. It was thus imperative to get the stock keycaps absolutely right from a functionality standpoint and Originative did. Aesthetically, the white and beige color scheme can appear dated to some, but I leave that up to you.


The larger keycaps have Cherry stabilizers, which combines well with the lack of a top panel as it makes removing and installing the keycaps when cleaning the keyboard easier.


There are a total of nine switch options to choose from for the SABER68, and six are exclusive to Originative as these are their own switches. This is one of their twists on the TADA68 project which can be purchased for potentially lower prices from China, but with Gateron switches only. Originative sent me the version with their MOD-H tactile switches, which have a yellow stem. These are the heaviest of their three tactile MOD switches with -L (Light), -M (Medium) and -H (Heavy) being their options. These also come as linear switches, and more information on them can be found here (linear) and here (tactile). Long story short, these are modified Cherry MX style switches with a customized stem and spring. For example, the MOD-L tactile switch is a Cherry MX Clear stem with the more pronounced bump/tactile feeling and a Cherry MX Brown spring, which results in a 45 g tactile switch with a more pronounced bump. Oh, and while you are there, you might as well take a look here should you want something to replace the stock ABS plastic case with a colored aluminum option instead.