Closer Examination

The WIZMAX CALUX is a 100% form factor keyboard in the US ANSI layout, although of course there is a localized Korean alphabet version also available for its domestic audience. This layout allows for 104 keys in total, with the CALUX adding an extra four in the top right corner, two serving as shortcuts for Windows Explorer and Calculator, with the other two for the LEDs onboard—one turns the lighting on or off, with the other toggling through the various available lighting effects. The CALUX also goes for black keycaps with some colored accents in green and red, with pink also visible on the plate itself. In fact, this is one of the more unique plates in that you get a different color, but also dots that are textured to where you can run your finger across the plate and literally feel the finish. The indicator lights—all seven of them—are placed above the arrow keys and come labeled for reference, and I thought this was a neat way of using that space. The Gateron version has smaller keycaps to where they will appear like floating islands in a sea of pink, rather than the larger ones here on this Cherry version which look like a continuous bank of keys. Bezels are tiny at best, so the low profile nature of the keyboard extends past just the height dimension. The keycaps use larger legends—especially for the alphabets—with single legends placed in the center. The number key row has secondary and applicable keyboard-specific tertiary legends above the primary ones, with the order being reversed elsewhere.


Turning the keyboard around, we get a better look at the full aluminium case used here. It comes with the same dotted pattern as on the plate, and helps give the keyboard a really solid feeling in the hands. In fact, at 1.35 kg in mass, the CALUX is one of the heavier low profile keyboards on the market and is certainly built well. There is a large reflective plate in the middle with some specs and certification logos that I tried hard to avoid getting my reflections in, so note that it's brighter there than the photo makes it seem. More importantly, we see two sets of keyboard feet at the top which is quite rare for a metal case keyboard. These are also machined out of the same aluminium and the tolerance is such that you will have to actually raise and lower them with a bit more force. This is actually a good thing as you will feel the more deliberate actions and it really comes off like a premium product—it's easier to understand when you actually do it. This allows for three elevation steps for the keyboard, and we see the feet have rubberized bottoms that, along with the four silicone rubber pads on the corners, help add friction against the resting surface and prevent the case from getting scratched.


A magnetic cover on the back, which is easy to remove with the tiny cutout at the bottom, helps conceal the included 2.4 GHz USB dongle inside the keyboard when not in use. The dongle is also held magnetically, and comes pre-paired to the keyboard to allow a quick and easy wireless setup with your PC. The CALUX also supports Bluetooth connectivity with up to three devices, and we see a 3-way toggle switch on the right side allowing you to turn the keyboard on in wireless mode (off is recommended for wired-only use) and choose between Bluetooth 5.0 or 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. The switch is a small circle in shape and again requires deliberate movements—it's not going to move accidentally, nor does it feel loose in the cavity. A second toggle switch is alongside, allowing you to choose between Windows and macOS compatibility, hence the macOS legends on the bottom row. I like the attention to detail here with the respective positions marked not only right above the switch positions, but also on the bezel itself so you don't have to peek around the side to know what's where. The CALUX also has two USB Type-C ports, one on each side on the back facing away from the user. You can thus choose which side you wish to have the keyboard cable plugged into for optimal cable routing to your PC, and then cover the unused one with one of the provided dust covers, which match the chassis well. The provided cable works well enough, although I really don't see what's especially premium here as marked in the box except for the gold-plated connectors, is black and uses a fairly basic silicone sleeve, the usual 6' in length, and terminates in a USB Type-A connector headed to your PC where USB 3.2 Gen 1 is recommended.


A look from the side shows the built-in elevation of the keyboard, which I would classify as decidedly low profile and matching the expectations set by WIZMAX. In fact, at 25 mm tall at the end, the CALUX is not that far off from the thinnest mechanical keyboards I've used while still giving you good switch travel and a nice metal chassis that goes around the sides too. The Cherry switch version has flat low profile keycaps, with the Gateron one having more contoured rows if you prefer that. These are barely floating due to the nature of the case design, so the included keycap puller is useful in removing and/or replacing the keycaps as well as to clean the keyboard. The metal wire keycap puller is also nice in doing its job without the potential of scratching their sides as with plastic ring-style pullers. The keycaps are made of ABS plastic with laser etched legends, this is the first point where I felt things are less than premium. There does seem to be a UV coat applied to prevent the legends from wearing out soon, although the plastic can pick up smudges and finger oils quicker than, say, PBT keycaps. Some do like the shine that these keycaps develop over time though—I am not one of them. On the plus side, the legends are backlit here as seen above.


The WIZMAX CALUX keyboard comes with two switch options in the form of Cherry and Gateron Low Profile Red switches, both of which happen to be linear switches. This means we do not get an option of tactile or clicky switches out of the box, which is a shame for those who prefer those for productivity or gaming on this keyboard. More importantly, the switches are soldered in place in the absence of hot-swappable switch sockets—not really a thing with Cherry low profile switches, to be fair. The Gateron switch version has hot-swap support for what it's worth, but there aren't too many compatible switches there either owing to the different layout from the norm. I have the Cherry MX Low Profile Red switch here, which has been around for over five years and continues to be one of Cherry's best designed switches. This is an RGB switch with a red stem that has a circular column around it for added dust and spill resistance, in addition to a U-shaped light pillar around the stem and a translucent housing for more uniform keycap backlighting. The larger keycaps use plate-mounted stabilizers which are well-lubed out of the box, and we see foam sheets under the space bar for further dampening. This is in addition to a larger damping sheet between the aluminium plate and the PCB, and then one more between the PCB and the case.


Disassembly of the keyboard is easy to get going with, as you have to remove some specific keycaps to access the 10 Torx T6 screws securing the plate/PCB together in the aluminium case. Remove them and you have access to three internal cables, two going from daughter boards in the case that have the Type-C ports and the third from the 4000 mAh battery used here. That said, it's not trivial to connect them back after you take them apart and the back of the PCB has the foam sheet taped in place to make it very hard to identify any of the major components used here—I believe the keyboard uses a YiChip YC3121-L dual 32-bit RISC architecture USB microcontroller. As such, I decided to cut this section short and move on knowing that everything here seems well implemented from a consumer point of view—plenty of damping and a non-conductive layer to prevent the PCB from shorting out either. The battery itself can be accessed from underneath the metal plate on the back, making it easier to replace should spare parts be accessible to you.