Ganss ALT 71 Wireless/Wired 2.4G + USB Mechanical Keyboard with Cherry MX Clear Switch for Mac and Windows, PBT Keycaps for Desktop and Laptop Computer, 71 Keys (Can Be Customize to 68 Keys Layout)

This review is for the Ganss ALT 71 Wireless(2.4G)/Wired keybaord. It comes with a key cap puller, batteries, a wireless dongle, and a usb-a to usb-c cord. It has 71 keys as the name suggests but it can be customized to 68 by removing some switches and installing a block plate which is also included. There are no extendable feet on the back of the keyboard so the height is not adjustable at all. For me it sits at a good angle so this is not an issue but that may not be the case for all. They included Duracell batteries in here which was a shock considering where this board originates from. Good to see it though.I wasn't sure why this keyboard was able to be modded to 68 keys but after using it I think I understand. If finding the arrow keys is important to you then you will likely want to remove those 3 extra keys on here. If you do that it makes transitioning over to the arrows quicker and easier when you need to do it right away. There may be more reasons for it but that is what I noticed.I am typing this review on the Ganss right now. I normally type on a full size Hyperx with reds so this was a little different at first but the transition was pretty easy. I have never typed on Cherry MX Clears before and this keyboard looked neat so I thought it was the perfect time to test them. They feel similar to browns as you might expect but they are meant to have a little more pressure needed to actuate them. I'm not sure I feel that or not, they feel normal to me. However I am a heavy typer so that may affect that.The keyboard itself feels like good quality to me. When I hit the space bar hard there is no pinging whatsoever which to me is one sign of a well built board. The key caps look good and the text is clear. This keyboard does not have a backlight at all from what I can tell. The fn key has many different things it can do but you will need to keep them in your memory because the keys don't tell you their secondary functions. I wish they had these on there even if they were on the front of the key.This can be used in both wired and wireless modes. It worked well in both modes for me. I did not notice any lag using it wirelessly. It includes a wireless dongle but this keyboard has a big flaw in that there is nowhere to store the dongle at. This is honestly every single wireless keyboard I own, none of them have a storage slot. I keep hoping one eventually makes one because it would be the best keyboard feature ever. It is so easy to lose these little dongles.I really like this keyboard and think it is good quality and worth owning. I wish it was a better value though. I do feel like it is lacking there. It is still nice and I love the way it looks and feels when I type on it. Clears feel awesome.

But after two weeks, I can honestly say I'm in love.I'm not sure if it's because the Cherry MX Clear switches needed to be broken in or whether it's simply an adjustment period, but out of the box, I was quite disappointed in the overall feel of the keyboard. It felt mushy and the pressure necessary was quite high. My fingers had some fatigue the first few days as well.Additionally, I was initially not a huge fan of the relatively smaller flat surface area of the key caps. The key caps are noticeably smaller than many of the other mechanical keyboards I have.However, after two weeks of use, this has become my daily driver.Across all of the keyboards I own with blue, brown, red, and yellow (Gateron) switches -- I have somehow managed my fastest typing speed I have personally ever recorded on this keyboard. Part of that is perhaps the increased activation pressure compared to the Gateron red and yellow switches which can prevent some mistakes. Part of it may be the smaller key caps which force you to lift your finger more and creates more accuracy. The difference between my typing speed over the two weeks went up 20 WPM (initially around 90 WPM whereas my normal speed is more like 98-100 WPM).While it is not as silent and audibly pleasing as Gateron optical yellow switches in my opinion, it is still overall a very quite keyboard suitable for office use.The layout is also another win. You get a full compliment of navigation keys on the right without the need to hit FN keys to access navigation. The only oddity is the placement of the ~ key on the far right (normally on the far left), but this is preferred over having to use FN as is the case with many other keyboards if you program software.Where the keyboard disappoints a bit is the pricing. It is quite pricey and yet lacks many features compared to the similarly priced  Ajazz K870T  which has both Bluetooth wireless (no dongles required) and full LED lighting.All said and done, though, if you are a typist this is not the flashiest keyboard, but the best one I have personally used. Ajazz K870T

What drew me to this keyboard was its very unique layout. It's slightly longer than your traditional 75% keyboard because it has a full size shift key on the right side. The full size right shift is nice. It is smaller depth wise because it doesn't have the f-keys. It's missing the menu key, but I never use the menu key.As a programmer, it's nice they included a dedicated Tilde key on the top right. It definitely takes some adjustment since its on the right instead of the traditional left. But I think that adjustment is easier to make that using a function key which other keyboards usually do.The Insert/Home/End/Page Up/Page Down/Delete keys are all there. Though some may argue the delete key is in an odd place. The delete key is above the right arrow, not next to the Insert key. The End/Page Down/Delete keys can be removed and covered if those keys are being accidentally pressed when accessing the arrow keys, but I didn't have such an issue.Overall it's more portable than a 75% keyboard.In terms of portability, this keyboard has an option to go wireless. It's not a Bluetooth keyboard though so it comes with a 2.4 ghz dongle and 2 AAA batteries. Initially I thought it could be cool to be able to replace the battery immediately if I was low, but in hindsight having to keep a stock of AAA batteries seems dated. I think I would rather have a built in rechargeable battery and plug it in if I were running low. It's not a big deal if you only use it as a wired keyboard. But I think requiring batteries makes it less convenient when you do want to use it wirelessly. Another downside is that there's no slot in the keyboard to store the dongle especially if you are using this as a "portable" keyboard. Just need to remember where you put the dongle.This is not an LED lit keyboard. There is not backlighting on the keys which is a shame. Though I often prefer having no LEDs on, I think not providing the option to have the keys backlit is a miss. There are three LEDs on the bottom of the keyboard indicating status like caps lock.The key caps that come with the keyboard have a nice retro look. It's a combination of grey, blue, white and yellow. I really like the color scheme, though the printing of the letters on them could be crisper and seem a bit fuzzy.The keyboard is at a good height but it doesn't come with any legs to adjust the height of the keyboard.The Cherry MX Clears are good, but feel a little stiff compared to browns. I feel like it takes a little more effort to press the keys. They are much quieter than brown switches. There's still some audio feedback, just a different quieter, more muted sound.

The Ganss ALT71 wireless/wired keyboard is very good, with some unique features and a good comfort, it is almost perfect, but a few minor negatives are keeping it from being a perfect five star product. There are a lot of positives that are worth talking about and some negatives that I will try to outline below, but before that a few quick words about the packing and presentation of the product. The keyboard comes in a modest but well protective box, with not a lot of information about the features, the only few things mentioned are the Cherry MX switches on board and that is compatible with both Windows and Mac. And inside the box you have the keyboard covered in the plastic keys protector, a small user manual in English, USB-A to USB-C cable, key caps removal tool, the 2.4G wireless receiver, L shaped lid, and two AAA Duracell batteries.  Positives:- Quality - Ganss has made some good products in the past and this one is no different, heavy solid construction, high quality PBT keycaps in distinctly different colors.- Detachable off centered USB cable, creating convenient routing of the cable around your monitor and desk, the cable has hook and look strap and is white.  - Very good and sticky rubber feet, two on the back and two on the front side of the keyboard.- Included an extra L shaped lid for converting the keyboard from 71 to 68 keys by removing and covering the 3 right above the arrow keys. - Included keycap removal tool, making the exchange of keycaps easy and fast.- N key rollover on board, helping with getting a better gaming experience.- Unique design of the status LED's, placed on the bottom side of the keyboard and throwing light on to the surface where you place the keyboard. Although the keyboard doesn’t come with LED backlight, the bright colored key caps are easily visible even in dark.  - Yellow, white, grey and blue keys - interesting keys, the clear Cherry MX clear switches are the first ones of their kind that I have tried, I have a very good experience with most other type/color keys out there, but these we new to me, they are offering a medium tactile and light clicky. They are ideal for people who want to use their keyboard for both gaming and typing. The clear keys in my experience are feeling like something between brown and red switches, good feeling and not too noisy.- Reasonably priced at $75, for the quality and level of customizations, that is a good price.- Both wired and wireless options, with included Duracell batteries - personally I am not a fan of wireless peripherals, but I do recognize the convenience as an option, plus you will have to additionally spend money on extra batteries in the future. The USB-C cable is a much better option for me and being detachable, gives an extra functionality, as you can replace it with your own preferable cable in the future.     - The battery cover is offering a place for the 2.4G wireless receiver as well for easy storage. - Wireless On/Off switch on the bottom side. - Plastic dust cover for the keys. Negatives:- No backlight - I am not a huge fan of RGB, but at least a single color uniform backlight would have been great. And yes there are options to DYI a backlight, but that would reflect on the total budget spent.- The included cable is soft, but not braided and it looks slightly on the cheaper side, in addition it is only 5 feet long, 6 would have been perfect.  - All plastic construction, no metal base or top surface.- No height adjustment of the back bottom rubber legs.  Overall, this is a great keyboard by Ganss, there are only a few shortcomings, but it is great for gaming and typing.

So far, I’m finding it hard to come up with any complaints with this keyboard. Although I’m no expert in mechanical keyboards, from my research it seems uncommon to find Cherry MX switches in a board at this price point. I went with the clear switches, which for me are a fantastic compromise of the tactile response of blue switches with the noise level that is closer to reds. Something similar can be said for the brown switches, but I’d recommend doing your own research to decide between the two.I like using the keyboard in wired mode; the cord that comes with it is perfectly serviceable but nothing exceptional. I haven’t used the Bluetooth mode quite as much, although it’s quite nice to have available. Usually you would expect to pay much more for a dual wired/wireless board, solidifying this keyboard as being a great deal. I do wish that the board charged with a cord instead of taking batteries (who wants to buy batteries?) but I believe the board can go quite a while without needing to replace them.Others have commented on the inability to adjust the keyboard’s height; I think it’d be a great feature to be able to customize, but personally the default height works fine for me. I experimented with replacing a few keycaps already, which was easy and painless (there’s also a Cherry MX logo on each switch!).Personally I use this keyboard at work where I type a lot of numbers, so the smaller size and lack of a number pad takes away from my experience. That comes down to preference though, and I know that the ~68 key boards are perfect for a lot of people. All in all, I think this keyboard is a great lower-budget option that makes very few compromises compared to some boards that cost twice as much.