I review a lot of keyboards here at MMORPG and rarely do we come across one that makes me say “wow” anymore. The Womier K66 is one of those keyboards and in more ways than just the obvious backlighting. Coming in at only $61.99, the board comes with a full acrylic case and as many LEDs as you could fit on a compact keyboard. We’re talking, upwards of forty LEDs to not only make the keys glow but the entire keyboard.
And me being the RGB fan that I am, well, I added transparent keycaps to make it even more RGB. The Womier K66 is over the top and, you know what, it’s actually pretty darn great, even without the lighting.
Specifications
- Current Price: $61.99 (Banggood)
- Key Switches: Gateron Black, Brown, Red, or Blue
- Number of keys: 66 key
- Case Material: Acrylic
- Keycap Material: ABS, singleshot
- Programmable: No
- Illumination: Switch and full case backlight,
- Customizable: Yes, separate presets and static colors for keys and case
- Software: No, plug and play
- Dimensions: 320 mm * 110 mm * 30 mm
Let’s get this out of the way first. If you don’t like RGB, turn back now. The pictures don’t do it justice. This keyboard is shockingly RGB and people will comment on it. So, if you’re not down for a completely over the top RGB experience, this isn’t the keyboard for you. If you want a keyboard that’s a total conversation starter, something that will stand out from all of your friends, and literally light up your life, you might be onto something.
And, to be completely frank, I’ve had as much fun showing over this keyboard as actually using it. This is the rare peripheral that will make even average Joe Schmoe say wow. Literally. I took this board in to do some work at the church and a half dozen people each said wow.
The lighting on this board is so bright because Womier has packed as many LEDs as it seems they could fit on a keyboard this size. Apart from the LEDs under the keys, there are a whopping 43 additional LEDs ringing the sides. They’re clearly visible from the back and sides but the top of the acrylic case is more heavily frosted to create a smooth blend of colors. The use of acrylic allows light to spill around the board creating a neat underglow effect.
There is no software with the board — which is its biggest flaw — so you can’t customize individual keys for unique static layouts, but there are 19 presets animations and a selection of static colors. The case lighting is also customizable, but there are only four different animations. Thankfully, as the “foundation” is fairly easy to match behind whatever lighting choice you settle with on top.
Since pictures don’t tell the whole tale, here is a short video where I explore the different key lighting settings for the first time. It’s a much better representation than any picture.
As the name implies, the K66 uses a 66-key layout and would be considered a 65% keyboard. This makes it quite compact, with no function row or number pad — like a 60%. The additional six keys are made up of the arrows and an insert and delete key. There are some secondary functions built-in that are accessible when holding the Fn key. Using this, the number row plays double duty as the function row. The up and down arrows can function as Page Up and Page Down. It also allows you to control you lighting preset, speed, and brightness.
This layout is great for gaming because it keeps the overall length of the keyboard low, freeing up space for mouse movements and allowing you to keep your hands closer together. It’s also nice if you want to take the keyboard with you from place to place. I’m easily able to throw it in my messenger bag to use when running media at church, for example.
The downside, and why the lack of software is so important, is that this keyboard is missing some of the keys from the editing and navigation cluster on a larger keyboard. Home, End, and Print Screen are the biggest omissions. If you do a lot of writing, like I do, or just want to take a screen grab from your favorite game, you’re going to miss these keys. It’s an easy problem to solve with a program like AutoHotKey and only takes up 2MB of memory, but it still made for an annoying step getting up and running with it. The lack of software also means no macros, but again, AutoHotKey is a workaround. Just be aware that you’ll need to run AHK on any computer you use the K66 with if you need to keep those extra keys.
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For $61.99, I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of this build. The case is solid and the Gateron Red switches were beautifully smooth. Think Cherry Reds, but with even less friction. The acrylic case also creates a very light, high pitched typing sound that’s very satisfying and quieter than most of my other boards. It comes with a detachable USB-C cable, which is nice, and the keycaps, though ABS for shine-through, have unique bottom-aligned legends to match the bottom-mounted switch LEDs.
Being the RGB junkie I am, I took things a set further and put on a set of white HyperX pudding keycaps. Unlike normal keycaps, puddings are translucent around the sides too. The only downside to changing the caps is the south-facing switch LEDs don’t align with the legends, but since there’s so much light, they’re still easily readable in the dark.
Final Thoughts
Such a bright keyboard isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you like RGB, it’s just darn cool. Even beyond that, for $61.99 it’s just all-around much higher quality than I honestly expected. Typing on it is nicer than some of the major keyboards we all know from the heavy hitters in the gaming world and that’s no exaggeration. If you’d like to pick it up or check out the site to know more, click here so they know MMORPG.com sent you. Starting tomorrow, Banggood is also running its annual Summer Prime Sale (informational link) so you might be able to score an even better deal!
Disclaimer: The product described in this review was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. This article contains an affiliate link to monitor tracking. Purchasing through our link will generate a small commission and is a requirement for reviews from products provided by Banggood.
