Lighting and Performance

The Royal Kludge RK84 keyboard supports N-key rollover USB and also 2.4 GHz out of the box, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. This drops down to 6KRO with Bluetooth, which is as expected and not a dealbreaker by any means. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys, and you can see above which functions get dedicated keys on the base layer.

Going with an 84-key setup means you are pretty much there when it comes to productivity without layers. The three missing keys from the 87-key TKL form factor in this US ANSI layout won't be missed by many, and two are available as secondary functions. The software drivers also enable key mapping, including switching to a non-QWERTY layout if you prefer it. This works synergistically with the keyboard footprint, which is a lot smaller than the average TKL keyboard without the separate banks and columns of keys in favor of a single, larger one and means some keys get shorter keycaps; R. Shift, for example. Muscle memory may also affect your typing efficiency for the first couple of weeks, but things are much smoother afterwards, so you will hopefully adapt and love this if you bought the keyboard knowing of the learning curve. Another thing to consider is that custom keycap sets may not be fully compatible with this 84-key layout, so be sure to check for that if you are in the market for one.

When first connected, the keyboard lights up in a rainbow wave effect which is all the more impressive with white keyboards since they reflects more light. There is a little bit of flickering in the video which is much harder to see in person, but it is still there, so some compromise is probably being struck with the hardware drivers.


Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, and most are possible using onboard controls as described in the manual, including for brightness and speed with static, dynamic, and reactive typing effects. Static mode by default is also multi-colored, which helps test for light bleed, and we definitely see that here, but not in a very distracting manner. Further customization will require the software, including turning the LEDs white to test for color fidelity since RGB LEDs can have a hard time with this. As it turns out, the RK84 struggled, with a clearly pink hue to the supposed white. Maybe a dedicated LED driver or two might have helped.

In addition to the lighting controls, where you have some more options pertaining to the brightness level and speed of the various modes, the keyboard also allows some pre-programmed functions with the Fn keys, including media playback and volume control, as well as some program shortcuts, such as pulling up the default browser, media player, and calculator. More freedom comes simply by disconnecting the cable and using it, say, on a recliner in the living room. 2.4 GHz mode worked flawlessly, with no added latency over the wired mode. Battery life is best considered without any backlighting since it is more taxing than on Bluetooth, where the trade-off is added latency for longer battery life. In fact, I purposely turned on the lighting during the test to get the battery down, as there would have otherwise been no need to charge it during the span of testing. Charging itself takes about 5 hours over USB, so it is best done as an overnight affair.


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 Royal Kludge RK84 sample at ~105 WPM as it comes out of the box with the RK Brown RGB switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile switches. These switches are fine, though certainly not my favorite given the mild tactile feedback. I did not perceive any scratchiness, but wouldn't say these are very smooth, either. These are certainly budget switches, rated at 55 gf actuation at 2 mm with a total travel of 4 mm. I did bottom out more often than not, and as you can hear, the majority of the sound comes from the downstroke. The space bar is bassier than the others, which may appeal to some, and I certainly would not call this a quiet keyboard unless you are touch typing and not bottoming out.