By Luminkey
Jan 24, 2024
Luminkey is an up-and-coming contender in the budget custom keyboard space. I regarded their last project, the Luminkey80, pretty highly. Teetering on the edge between mid-ranged and premium, this TKL boasted a good sound signature and interesting-yet-clean design, but in the end, wasn’t able to edge out the competition, which is only getting better and better. But today, Luminkey will take another shot, in the form of a 65%. Let’s take a look.
The luminkey65 comes in a carrying case, just like the luminkey80. On top is an aluminum plate, Decent coiled cable, Branded switch and keycap puller, And some plate mounted stabilizers. We also have a wireless dongle, Some tools, And various accessories, like switch tripods and replacement feet. Lastly, i have here an extra accent badge, And instruction sheet. In the bottom compartment is the board itself, which is already built.
The Luminkey65 is a gasket-mounted budget 65%. We only have a wireless hotswap PCB, which supports stepped caps, split left shift, 7U bottom row, ISO enter, and split backspace. For plates, a polycarbonate plate is included, but you can also get aluminum and FR4 as addons. It’s also important to note that the included plate only supports plate-mounted stabilizers, which is really strange. For colors, you can choose between silver, black, red, and cream, which all cost $140. You also have the option to get this board as a prebuilt, with Gateron Sylva switches and custom keycaps already installed.
So the board comes assembled, but I’ve disassembled it to swap out foams. I’m going to install the polycarbonate plate with the gaskets already installed, And slot in stock Matcha lattes. These are factory hand-lubed linears. I’m doing this before stabilizers so the plate has enough support to stay up. Now, we can install the plate mounted stabilizers, which already come lubed, so I haven’t added any extra. With the inner assembly done, we can put it in the case. I’ll keep the ESD sheet here, connect the ribbon cable, and install the inner assembly. With that I can reinstall the top case, Screw it in, And install GMK Olivia Dark.
So the sound profile is pretty neutral, which I expected. Matcha lattes and polycarb are both known for being in the mid to low range, and they end up having a decent volume but not really a whole lot of character. But still, this is much better than the generation of budget keyboards with a ridiculous amount of flex cuts, and is helping push this better sound standard in the market now. With polycarbonate plates also known for being pretty unforgiving when it comes to making a lively sound signature, my config is an indication that this board is going to be pretty good at delivering decent sound with no hollowness whatsoever. If you want more interest, I would suggest the plate foam, as there really probably isn’t a need for the bottom case foam. And of course, the PE foam is always included, if that’s your kind of thing. The spacebar also has a really nice and distinct pop, which is thanks to the included factory-lubed stabilizer. While the rest of the stabilizers had just okay lubing, the spacebar came basically flawless, which makes things really convenient for me. Although, the brand and tuning of the stabilizers aren’t specified anywhere, so I wouldn’t count on something like this happening with every unit.
As for the feel, there’s an okay amount of bounce. It’s possible to bottom out with as little case space as there is, but this isn’t going to be happening during daily typing because of the stiffness. This obviously wouldn’t have been helped if I had kept the standoffs in as well. But I do admire this board for having a really consistent feel all around, with the edges being able to move pretty much just as much as the center. And with my config being the softest it gets, this board really doesn’t have that big of a range in terms of customizing the feel. If you want flex, you’re out of luck. But if you want bounce, pick the polycarbonate plate, throw out the case foam, and call it a day.
The design is mostly pretty simple and angular, just like the Luminkey80. There’s a lot of similarity, including the larger top and bottom bezels, angular side profile with 3 different sections, and the wide bottom weight with a slight indent along the edges. But there are still some key differences. For one, the weight design changed slightly, with the triangle engravings being replaced with trapezoids. The side profile has also been enhanced, with a slight curvature machined into the bottom case instead of purely angular cuts. And lastly, the upper accent is now a strip, and sits along the bezel on top of the backspace. Contrary to the Luminkey80, some interesting titanium finishes are also offered for this, helping with customizability just a little bit. But overall, the silhouette still isn’t really anything that stands out. The material quality is still really good, with my black unit having a really smooth and consistent anodization.
And in the end, the Luminkey65 presents as an extremely solid low cost option, if not with a few weird decisions. Only having plate-mounted stabilizers compatible by default is a little strange, but since the included ones are decent, this is pretty excusable. But if Luminkey wants to compete with budget behemoths like Qwertykeys, there’s one thing that really needs to change: customizability. The Luminkey65 just doesn’t stack up when compared to the mass amounts of color, plate, and mounting options available with the likes of the Neo65. This is a lot to ask for, but that’s just how the budget scene works. When products start to blur together, there has to be a defining feature that sets them apart from the rest. That’s not to say that the Luminkey65 isn’t a great board. It is. And with customizability under its belt, alongside its sound profile and clean design, the Luminkey65 would prove to be an excellent budget contender.