Closer Examination

At its core the XVX M61 Tiger is a standard 60% form factor keyboard, you get the alphanumeric section from a full-size keyboard and nothing more. The Tilde (~) key is replaced by Esc given its more popular usage. The goal with smaller keyboards is to allow for users to have more desk space available, type with fingers traveling less on the keyboard, and ultimately get used to layers, as they can lead to both faster and more ergonomic typing simultaneously. To many this is far too small a keyboard given there are not even dedicated arrow keys, this is where 65% and larger keyboards come in to fill the gap between this and, say, a tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard. Note that there are keyboards even smaller than this one, so it becomes a personal choice in terms of compromise.

Assuming you have decided a 60% keyboard is apt for you, then let me sweeten the deal by mentioning these smaller keyboards become the base for several unique themes more often than not, given the lower design and manufacturing costs. Indeed, while XVX's M61 comes in at least three different themes, Womier has a couple more too. The M61 Tiger uses 2022 being the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac as inspiration but goes for a more fun approach that is also graffiti inspired. The minimal bezel case is in black, matching well with the yellow and black color scheme going on here. The custom keycap set is unique to this keyboard and uses both colors as the base with different legends and novelties taking artistic license. There is also use of red and white colors as accents on top of what is already a fairly busy looking keyboard. The legends themselves are on the larger side of average and we see secondary keyboard legends placed diagonally opposite the primary ones as applicable on the number key row, while being alongside them elsewhere. The mixed use of symbols, novelties, and lettering for the modifiers will be divisive as well but, let's face it, this isn't a minimalist keyboard by any stretch of the imagination, so all those rules and expectations get thrown out.


Turn the keyboard around to see the graffiti styled tiger theme further emphasized, although the dark logo in the middle and the cutout for the 2.4 GHz USB dongle could have been better integrated with the design itself. Unlike on the M84 Coral Sea, this does not appear to be simply a wrap over a plastic base and instead actually painted on the case. It feels quite durable, to where I am not too worried about the finish wearing off easily. There are no keyboard feet here and thus you are stuck with the fixed elevation integrated with the case. We also get four long rubber pads on the corner to prevent the keyboard from sliding on your desk. In addition to the dongle used for wireless connectivity, XVX has also added in a dedicated wireless on/off switch on the back. The keyboard would still function wired either way, and that's where the small cutout on the side facing away from the user comes in. The port can easily accommodate aftermarket cables, should you be so inspired to get one you find aesthetically pleasing, but otherwise the basic black cable we get here works well enough, connecting to an available USB Type-A port on your PC, where USB 2.0 will suffice for power and data alike.


A look from the side shows the built-in elevation of the keyboard, which I would classify as a medium to high profile and could benefit from a wrist rest, if you are not used to touch typing with hands hovering over the keys at all times. This side view also shows what XVX calls the XVX keycap profile with curved keys to "match the shape of your fingertips," which reminds me of the Akko ASA profile, since height and curvature place it somewhere between ASA and DSA. The taller case design means these keycaps are not floating, and the provided keycap puller works well, not scratching the sides of keycaps as with the likes of plastic ring-style keycap pullers. Removing some keycaps shows these are thick, durable PBT plastic with as many as five sides undergoing dye sublimation for the design and legends. These are opaque, so any lighting on the keyboard will be an underglow accent rather than keycap legend backlighting.


The XVX M61 Tiger is only available with Gateron Yellow RGB switches and this is a linear switch that I'd say is easily one of Gateron's most popular offerings today. There are also several iterations of this switch depending on factory lubing and the mold used, but XVX does not clarify whether this is a newer switch or not. The Gateron Yellow aims to replicate the functionality of the Cherry MX Red linear switch in most ways for further context, except that it is characterized by the namesake yellow stem seen above and only comes in an RGB-compatible clear top version. The larger keycaps use plate-mounted stabilizers, with the stabilizer bars pre-lubed out of the factory. This helps slightly improve the mushy and rattly feedback when typing on the larger keys, especially the space bar key.