Performance

How a keyboard performs is largely due to the key mechanisms used. The Tt eSPORTS Meka keyboard uses the gamer friendly Cherry MX Blacks which have linear resistance before they hit the bottom. This linearity makes it easy to get the key to hover around the actuation point allowing for very fast double taps. With the Black key mechanisms you only get tactile feedback when the keys hit the bottom. This means that the keyboard is slightly less ideal for ordinary typing tasks.

A keyboard like the Meka is clearly designed for gamers since the layout is very different. Also the absence of many normal function keys makes it less ideal for typing tasks.

Gaming

Gaming with the Tt eSPORTS Meka keyboard was quite nice. The Cherry MX Black keys take some getting used to because the actuation force is much higher than normal. Even compared to the MX Browns the Blacks feel a lot harder. Also the linear resistance makes them a bit fatiguing to use.

For FPS the easy double tapping does not make that much sense. The anti ghosting feature is perhaps important, but it all depends on your style of play.

The fact that the actuation force is so high reduces the chance of pressing a key unintentionally, however, it also increases fatigue. Compared to the recently reviewed Zowie Celeritas that featured the Cherry MX Browns the Meka is much less comfortable to type on. During prolonged gaming sessions you can definitely feel that your fingers are working just bit harder, the added strain of hard buttons on the Meka will definitely be a massive turn off for some.

The LEDs used to light up: Numlock, Caps Lock and Scroll Lock are very bright which can be a bit annoying when gaming in a dark room or at a LAN party. And unlike we saw on the Celeritas there is no option to turn off the lights.

Typing

For the more ordinary typing tasks the Meka is all right. The odd layout and omission of important function keys makes it a bit of a pain to use for regular Windows tasks. You just do not appreciate the Window + arrow combinations enough until you have to use a keyboard without the Windows-key. That and the fact that there are no “home” and “end”-buttons in reach from the arrow keys makes this keyboard ill suited for everyday tasks.

All of the time saving buttons are either completely absent or only featured on the num-pad, this is an odd design choice by Tt eSPORTS. If they had done away with the num-pad and left the space around the arrow keys like on a normal keyboard it would have retained much more functionality.

Also while typing the extra hard Cherry MX Blacks induce more fatigue than on a regular keyboard. The lack of a tactile click around the actuation point means that it is a bit worse for speed typing than keyboards featuring the Cherry keys that have it.

Durability

This keyboard features printed letters which will wear off over time, ideally the lettering should be laser etched on to the surface of the keys. The Cherry MX Black keys are some of the most rugged key mechanism around and will probably last for a very long time.

The small red plastic trimmings on the side of the keyboard is its Achilles heel. They slide around when you push them and they seem to be attached to the main plastic body by just a few small tabs. While not a major issue it is still silly to produce a performance and durability centred keyboard and then add non-essential bad looking plastic parts to it just for fun.