Software

There are no software drivers for the Thermaltake W1 Wireless, with all functionality hardware based. As such, I have chosen to combine this section with the performance section below.

Performance

There are three connectivity modes with the W1 Wireless, and key rollover accordingly depends on which mode you are in. You get the standard N-key rollover USB, as well as the expected 6KRO in Bluetooth mode. When using the 2.4 GHz dongle for connectivity, the W1 Wireless supports 10KRO, which is still plenty for this keyboard intended for purely typing. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys, and as is usually the case with keyboards these days, the right Windows key is replaced by an Fn key.


The W1 Wireless keyboard has not one, but two separate wireless modes. The 2.4 GHz option is arguably the better of the two, promising 1 ms response times as well as a more reliable signal even from further away. In practice, however, the keyboard is large enough to where it does not make for a comfortable living room/couch gaming peripheral and is a desk queen. As such, even Bluetooth 4.2 mode will be just fine with direct line of sight. Battery life will be better with Bluetooth 4.2 as well, though you may experience some lag with Bluetooth that the 2.4 GHz network will not exhibit. This is assuming you are away from other interfering 2.4 GHz networks in the same band, of course, but routers especially are smart enough, and I doubt you will have a microwave oven next to the keyboard, for example. Battery life is hard to quantify since Thermaltake has gone with external batteries, which does result in a slightly heavier/bulkier keyboard, but nowhere enough to take away from the bulk added by the wrist rest. I did not need to replace the batteries at all in either mode over the two weeks of testing, and we do get handy LED indicators for battery life and the wireless connectivity, as well as pairing LEDs.

That's it as far as any lighting goes since the W1 Wireless is a no-frills typing option with no backlighting, software customization, or pre-programmed/onboard controls. There are some additional keys, but those mostly tie into the wireless connectivity options, with the dedicated volume control still being appreciated. Typing on the keyboard is comfortable, and the large wrist rest can be subjective in that using one is not necessarily ergonomic. The company describes it as ergonomic, and I am often guilty of using a wrist rest over long typing sessions if using a non-ergonomic/split keyboard. I do wish we had a tactile switch option in addition to the linear and clicky feedback options.


Speaking of which, my first sample uses the venerable MX Red all the way down to the older mold with the 50 M lifetime keystrokes as rated by Thermaltake despite Cherry having updated them to 100 M and a smoother travel experience last year. This switch is rated at 2.0 mm actuation with 45 cN and 4.00 mm total travel, and it has quickly become the most popular mechanical switch in use today, which can be attributed at least partially to the many marketed "gaming keyboards" using linear instead of tactile or clicky mechanical switches. Actuation and peak forces were well within rated values based on my testing of twenty random switches with a tension gauge. Typing on this sample also did not feel much different from others using the newer design and/or the RGB variant, but I do wish more lube would have been applied on the stabilizers.


The second option, and one that came with the second sample, is the Cherry MX Blue. This is a slightly heavier tactile and clicky switch with otherwise similar rated travel, best suited for a more private work environment lest you bother your coworkers in a shared hub. The MX Blue has more deliberate feedback and arguably is better for typing too, but do be aware that the clicky feedback you get is not at the same point of actuation and differs slightly. As with the MX Red, Thermaltake is rating these switches for the older 50 M lifetime, and I did not experience any issues here, either.



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 both provided Thermaltake W1 Wireless keyboard samples at ~100 WPM as they comes out of the box with the Cherry MX Red and MX Blue switches respectively. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear or clicky switches. I did bottom out more often than not here, especially with the relatively lighter MX Red switch keyboard, and you can hear the downstroke ping off the steel plate. The MX Blue with the clicky feedback has the more dominating sound profile, which also means it is generally the louder keyboard compared to the other one.