The Vortex ViBE takes the predecessor Race 3 as a starting point and then decides to do something else entirely. There are a lot of common points between the two, be it the PBT/dye sublimated keycaps, CNC-machined aluminum alloy case, or good unboxing experience, which results in a good first impression. Replacement keycaps and keyboard feet, the same (more) subtle keycap and case color scheme, and larger than 60% form factor layout that allows for the mainstream audience to consider these more than just a weird keyboard also add to the similarities here. Seeing as how all of these are things I believe to be points that speak for the keyboard, I am glad these stayed in place.

The changes primarily are with the layout, with the so-called 78% form factor being a new, unique option to the keyboard market some people have clearly been asking for and yet more are interested in given the response to the keyboard throughout the online enthusiast keyboard communities. In the absence of TKL, I would have been skeptical of its appeal to enough people to warrant it being a commercial product, but a simple toggle by pressing the Num Lock re-programs the right cluster of keys, turning a dedicated Num Pad into the arrow-key cluster with some blank keys that can be programmed to act as dedicated macro keys. Using this option is still a challenge, however, especially if you have not used anything other than a TKL or larger keyboard, but there remains an advantage in its minimal footprint and the lack of distance your fingers will have to travel by comparison, which makes it far more ergonomic than your regular keyboard when typing. Let's face it - the function key row is barely used unless you need to exit an application quickly, so I barely missed the absence of it here, especially since Fn + the number key row gave me the function keys anyway.

The second major change here is the keycap profile change from DSA to SA, even if the use of said profile names may not necessarily be with Signature Plastics' blessing, and this change affects your typing experience more than you might expect. Indeed, this was actually my first SA profile experience and, having used OEM, Cherry, low-profile flat, and DSA profiles before for mechanical keyboards, this might well be my preferred choice now given how much I loved it. I used the ViBE without its included case feet during the testing period, and the flat profile along with touch typing after getting used to the layout helped a ton.

That said, $140+ is still a lot of money to pay. The mechanical keyboard market in this price range is splitting in two - there are the RGB gaming keyboards that take up a vast majority of this market and then there are the more niche layouts, form factors, or simply those keyboards that offer something potentially worth the money, be it high build quality, ergonomic design, or exclusive/unique switches. The Vortex ViBE, as with the Race 3 before, is a bit of everything here, and I am curious to see how it will fare in the long run both due to its form factor and product implementation. I just wish Vortex would unlock the firmware, and there really is no excuse left at this point. If/when their online configurator is released, things might be better for their keyboard line, but as it is now, this ends up being a major negative point still.

Overall, there is enough here to merit a recommendation, and that is what it will get.