While you might be tempted to use the Keydous NJ80 without a USB connection to your PC, you actually need one, if you want to customize the keyboard via the software. There seem to be four settings, but they are all pretty close to the same level, though the last one is noticeably dimmer than the brightest.

Michael is a former graphic designer who's been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. I must also mention that I didn’t see the low-battery indicator, because it seemed to have run out of juice sometime during the night. The software is very limited, with most of the options available on the keyboard itself, but you can reassign all the keys on the Keydous NJ80, with the exception of the volume knob and Fn key.

The included keycaps are of the Cherry profile variety, which is slightly lower profile than the OEM profile keycaps that you usually get with mainstream keyboards. Arguably the feeling of tactile typing, and how much better it is than keyboards that use cheaper membranes or other builds, is the reason mechanical boards are now the standard. You could argue that it’s saving weight versus a more premium aluminum build, but this is already a pretty hefty board thanks to its premium interior components and a beefy battery.

The keyboard is pretty aggressive with its battery-saving, taking a second or two to wake up if you haven’t been around. Of course, if you prefer not to think about it, you can plug in the included USB-C cable to go full wired.Initially, I thought this would be an issue while typing, but it mostly hasn’t been an issue at all. Directly under the switches is a full brass plate, offering extra weight and stiffness, with a layer of sound- and vibration-damping foam between the plate and the circuit board. Its plain white plastic case and 75% layout could be mistaken for something from the ’90s at a glance, especially if you remove the splashes of color on the space bar, Enter, and Escape keys and go with the white replacements that come in the box. Underneath them Keydous offers a surprisingly “exotic” selection of switches with strange-sounding names.

And that keyboard has a few distinct advantages over this one: a full metal body, better customization options, and far better software (again, standard QMK/VIA).The Keydous NJ80 is suited for just about everyone: from the tinkerers who will spend hours fine-tuning their keyboard, to the typists who just want a great experience right out of the box. The Keydous NJ80-AP Mechanical RGB Keyboard User Manual provides detailed instructions on how to use and customize the keyboard. The first thing that you will realize is that Keydous put a warranty sticker over one of the two screws under the flip-out feet which you need to undo to open up the keyboard. This is by far the superior way to turn off the backlighting, as all the other indicator lights still work in this mode (win lock, caps lock, keyboard mode, etc). Ditto for the RGB lighting controls, which are accomplished with a mix of the Escape, Backspace, and Arrow keys.

The manual also provides information on how to switch between different modes and use the knob for volume control.The lighting will glow red if the battery is low, and turn green once the keyboard is fully charged.