The findings on the previous page left me content but not overly impressed, and whether my overall impressions would be positive or not then came down to pricing. There is certainly a lot to like with the pros outweighing the cons above, and first impressions are certainly good. The product page gives you a decent indication of what to expect, although seeing the keyboard in person is a whole other thing. The translucent case design available in three color options is rare as-is, and the keycaps, badges, and plates all add to the design. Even the coiled cable is a neat touch, and several elements usually reserved for far more expensive keyboards or kits make this a truly premium-looking peripheral on your desk.

There's more going on under the hood too, with hot-swappable switches and sound dampening sheets paired with a 98-key (or 94 if you prefer) form factor nice to have already, and the keyboard also has five switch options to choose from. There are plenty of software and onboard controls and customization options too, and of course per-key RGB lighting that ends up being more for flash than substance. Then we get to the gasket mount structure which is supposed to be the unique selling point. It certainly works, perhaps too well courtesy a combination of multiple silicone layers and the case being held together by just six screws, which makes compression on the gaskets somewhat uneven to where I am not convinced the individual pieces do much over the larger sheets between the plate and PCB. YUNZII says an upgraded version is on the way, at the same price with better stabilizers, so you may want to wait until it is available.

Although less of an issue than the gasket mount execution, there's also the part where some keycaps are not easy to read. So as I mentioned above, pricing would make or break the YUNZII Keynovo IF98 for me. When the company first reached out, it was still a pre-order item available for $149, which was a pleasant surprise as the feature set is almost unheard of at this price, and YUNZII then put it out with a 10% discount, sweetening the deal further to get the keyboard out of pre-order. At $134, I have no issues recommending the YUNZII Keynovo IF98 since it now competes against mainstream keyboards and the gasket mount is simply a bonus on top no matter how well it does in practice. There is enough to interest the average end user without it breaking the bank, and the other two colors are arguably tame enough to be used in an office too, where the additional damping will be a positive.