The Rantopad MXX is definitely one of the best tenkeyless mechanical gaming keyboard ever designed. I received mine with Gateron Red switches and blue aluminium case.
PROs:
1. The superb build quality. The entire keyboard is solid and well-built. I was surprised on how stellar the quality is, especially for the first product I bought from the company.
2. The beautiful design. The MXX comes with an amazing magnesium aluminium alloy top plate that adds to the overall durability of the keyboard. There are two choices of colors for the top plate (blue and gunmetal). I chose blue because the dark blue color of the aluminium top plate looks absolutely gorgeous. On the bottom of the keyboard, there is two long strip of rubber padding that provides a superior grip.
3. Awesome mechanical feel. My version comes with Gateron Red switches. Gateron are well known among keyboard enthusiasts as the best manufacturer for Cherry MX-based design, known for their smooth feel and clear switch housing. I have no previous experience with any Gateron switches in the past, so I was very excited to see how it performs.
The Gateron Red switches are buttery smooth and lightning fast. It is extremely similar to the original switch it is based from (Cherry MX Red), but it is different in terms of the overall feel. Gateron Reds are smoother in my opinion, but everything else is pretty much the same. If it makes sense, Cherry MX Reds feels more solid, while Gateron Reds are fluid and smooth. The clear housing of the switches makes the backlighting brighter.
4. Exemplary gaming performance. I tested the keyboard by playing games such a CS:GO, MGS V and Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor. I am very happy to report that the keyboard performs extremely well for gaming. The Gateron Red switches is fast and actuates very smoothly. On another note, pressing FN+F9 (Gaming Mode) will lock the Windows key.
5. Wonderful typing experience. I am the kind of person that really likes linear mechanical switches, and my favorite is Cherry MX Red. When I read and heard good things about Gateron linears (Clear, Red and Black), I was very excited to try out Gateron Red for myself, to see how it fares compared to Cherry's performance.
After typing with it for several hours straight (scoring an average of 95 WPM), I can deduce that the Gateron Red switches are remarkable not only for gaming, but typing as well. The keystrokes are very satisfying, and it produces an all together different sound in comparison to Cherry MX Red. I am seriously loving the smoothness of the Gateron Reds.
6. Standard key layout. The MXX comes with all standard key, meaning changing keycaps will be much easier. The standard bottom row means a lot to gamers like me who loves customizing their boards.
7. Detachable USB cable. The braided male to male USB cable is very strong and durable. It attaches firmly, and securely to the keyboard. I personally love mechanical keyboards that comes with a detachable USB cable. It really makes a difference in portability.
8. Cherry Stabilizers. The longer keys (shift, enter, etc.) utilizes high quality Cherry stabilizers. I personally would prefer the feel of Costar stabilizers, but the Cherry stabilizers on the MXX, much to my surprise, is not mushy at all. It feels solid and bottoms out very fluidly.
9. The included keycap puller. The MXX comes with a huge keycap puller with the shape of the company's logo. This is a very welcome addition to the product.
10. Despite being a very durable and solid keyboard, the MXX only weighs 650g.
11. N-Key Rollover via USB and 1ms gaming-grade response time. This means that each and every single keystroke will be properly registered, without any conflicts or ghosting. The 1ms response time, in combination with the swift Gateron Red switches, makes the MXX blazing fast for gaming and also for typing.
12. The dynamic backlighting. The MXX comes with a monochrome white backlighting, with a dynamic system that requires no drivers at all. By pressing FN+F10, you can switch between the default mode with the Custom Mode. In Custom Mode, you can press FN+Delete to customize the keys that you want to light up, essentially giving you a per-key customization. When you are done, press FN+Delete and the keyboard's internal memory will save your settings.
By pressing FN+Page Up/Page Down, you can cycle through the different dynamic backlighting modes the MXX offers.Here is the available modes.
Static: The standard backlighting mode. Each and every key remain lit, with the brightness adjustable with FN+F11/F12.
Dimming Keystrokes. The keys you press (and the keys round it) will dim with every keystrokes made.
Per-Key Reactive: The keyboard's backlighting will be disabled, but every key you press will light up for a second before fading out.
Pulsing: The keyboard's white backlighting will pulse in and out.
Rippled: This is probably my favorite mod. Initially the keyboard's backlighting is disabled. However, with every keystroke, the backlighting will create a ripple originating from the key you press.
Wave: The backlighting creates waving effect from left to right. Looks beautiful.
The dynamic backlighting system is just amazing. The MXX is one of the first keyboard I have experience with to have a dynamic backlighting while also needing no drivers. In the future, if Rantopad comes up with a red/blue/green backlighting, the MXX's potential is unstoppable. Better yet, RGB backlighting will be a nice addition. Although it may appeal to a lot of gamers out there, I personally favor monochrome (single color) backlighting.
13. The fixed height. The MXX angles upwards to provide an ergonomic position for users. Even though I voiced concerns over this initially, the angle is actually very ergonomic. This is the first keyboard with a non-adjustable height system that I really liked.
CONs:
Nothing really. The MXX is very well-rounded and I did not come across any issue with it at all. As far as the design and performance goes, the MXX is flawless, enough said. :D
Suggestions for Rantopad:
1. Do not ever change the design for the MXX. The keyboard design is unique and original.
2. For future versions, please keep the detachable USB system. It means a lot for portability.
3. I know you guys are already planning this, but do release more color for the aluminium top plate. Red, Gray, Black are all good colors.
4. If you guys ever need to design an MXX without backlighting, do make them come with PBT keycaps.
5. Keep the position of the Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and Gaming Mode indicator. I love it!
6. This is very important: please keep the standard bottom row. Can't stress this enough. XD
7. If possible, make the aluminium top plate a little bit thicker. Adding a little bit of weight will make the keyboard much more solid.
CONCLUSION:
If you want a high performance mechanical keyboard for both gaming and typing, the MXX is for you. The magnesium aluminium alloy adds to the overall durability of the keyboard, while the Gateron Reds are smooth and lightning fast. Packed with a lot of features, the MXX is a serious contender for the best tenkeyless mechanical gaming keyboard ever designed. Kudos to Rantopad for designing such a functional and high quality mechanical keyboard!
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Customer Review: The nicest made keyboard that I've ever used
Adam Wood
Reviews with images
Decent TKL Board With a Few Flaws
First impressions:It doesn't have the black "undercase" as pictured in the product page, which is disappointing, because I love my peripherals with a contrast. Oh well.This keyboard lacks heft. No flex, but the case is certainly plastic. It's super lightweight compared to my fullsize Ducky board, but that is almost a given since this is a tenkeyless. It's still very light. The "sparkly" finish was also a bit odd; I was hoping it would be a solid white color (or at least a brushed aluminum sort of texture), but it's a bit sparkly. I have included pictures. Also, the keyboard and keycaps itself seems to be more like an "off-white" color in a gray sense, but under a very illuminated environment, it should be okay.It comes with a adequately lengthy and braided detachable USB cable (USB - USB, not USB - Micro USB like many other mechanical keyboards). One important thing to note is that there is a "slot" under the keyboard in which this USB connection slides into, so when purchasing a replacement, it is imperative to find one that should fit into the slot.There's plenty of FN + combinations that are at the user's disposal, and this includes the LED settings. Unfortunately, the white backlit MXX logo above the arrow keys cannot be disabled, regardless of which backlight setting is active, or when backlight is completely turned off. I am not too bothered by this, since I always have my backlight on. Other functions include volume/mute controls, pause/play controls, a Windows lock, and a calculator. Nice.The keys...are very smooth. They almost feel lighter than Cherry MX in regards to how *linear* they are, which I prefer. There does seem to be some "scratchiness" when depressing Cherry MX Reds, and now that I have felt Gaterons, I understand why people may recommend this switch over their Cherry counterpart. However, there is a "chatter" on stabilizer keys, and the plastic, thin body that is raised from the desk surface also means that the "clacks" produced from bottoming out keys is further pronounced. I like clacking keys, so this is personally not an issue, but this is not a particularly quiet board.The keycaps themselves are backlit ABS have a chalky texture to them (not necessarily in a good way either). They do seem to be the sort that will "shine" quickly over time, so I am looking to eventually replace them with a nice PBT set.Overall, a decent purchase. I'm very satisfied and hope that this holds up in the long run.
