TL;DR Review

Todays review is on a keyboard which I had originally found a hard time finding opinion on; the Deck Hassium 108 key mechanical keyboard. As this is my first review, this will be a bit more padded with how I intend to review mechanical keyboards (among other things) both now and in the future.

First -> Appearance

This keyboard has a very subdued colour scheme, with black and white key caps with a grey metallic finish case, the only flare which comes across is the vibrant blue back lighting. For a keyboard which has a very neutral colour palette, the font on the key caps used would best be described as ‘unique’. It is a love or hate type of font sitting somewhere between the Microsoft ‘Papyrus’ and ‘Chiller’ fonts. As this keyboard does use Cherry MX keyswitches, if you are unhappy with any aspect of the key caps they can always be replaced with something more to your flavour (and as the keyboard case is grey with a black backplate, colour clashing shouldn’t be too much of an issue)

With 7 levels of back lighting ranging from reading aid to eye bleeding brightness, and a breathing function, the keyboard offers a bit better lighting control then equivalently priced keyboards. The blue back light has no bleed through the keycaps; however does not illuminate the legends evenly (especially with lower levels of lighting). Fortunately with the back light turned off the colour of the legends has very good contrast making them very visible regardless of lighting conditions (both in the room and on the keyboard)

Second -> Construction/build

This is where the Deck really shines. Double shot PBT plastic keycaps, A thick ABS case with large rubber pads on the bottom, genuine German made Cherry MX switches and a thick steel plate holding it all together; all of these components give the Deck an unbeatable score in regards to build quality. There are however; a few gripes with keyboard (mind that this is just nit picking now).

First, while the legs used for height adjustment snap with place with a satisfyingly stiff click, a lack of rubber on the end of them had the keyboard sliding around on the desk. Secondly, the cable management system for the very flexible and long enough braided cable could be improved by having two more channels at exiting at the back of the keyboard rather then the side. Like I said though, this is just nit picking and in no way detracts from the undeniable top tier build quality of this keyboard.

Third -> In Use

The first thing which should be bought up with this keyboard is its features which can not be described physically. True N-key rollover (with a 6-key rollover for compatibility), as well as a programable layer which allows you to program all of the 104 standard keys as you desire (completely on the fly). It also has a program available on the Deck website which allows you to upload custom program layers in advance. However; just because software for this keyboard exist, doesn’t mean you have to use it. The keyboard is completely driverless and only needs the software if you wish you edit the programmable layer in a text editor.

It also has a plethora of media keys and a windows lock key (amazed they did not call this “gaming mode”) built in, which can be accessed with the use of the function (fn) key. Although due to the placement of the function key and the media keys, it is rather difficult to use with a single hand and adds to the nit picking.

Thick PBT key caps are considered the best that you can get among the mechanical keyboard community, the texture is grippy yet not rough. The main advantage to PBT is its resistance to solvents and smoothing/shine from heavy use. The legend itself is a completely separate piece of plastic “shot” into the key cap. With this style of keycap, you have a legend which will never fade with use, and a texture which will remain for a long time to come.

With the legs of the keyboard folded in, the large rubber pads on the base of the keyboard hold it in place superbly however; the second you tilt it up on a smooth laminate desk, there will be quite a bit of sliding, use on a rougher surface (such as extended mouse mats or on desk with leather inlays) gives enough friction for the rubber pads to hold the keyboard in place even with the legs extended. As mentioned earlier in the article, this is one of the few gripes with this keyboard.

and finally, onto a strong selling point to this keyboard, steel plate mounted Cherry MX switches. The model reviewed in this article uses the Cherry MX brown variety. with the sandy bump subtly giving feedback that the key has been press, with a solid “Clack” when the key is bottomed out, this is one of the better experiences you can have with mechanical switches.

Fourth -> The Verdict

This keyboard is a good choice for anyone getting into mechanical keyboards, with a top notch build quality (regardless of the price), a feature set which keyboards in the same price bracket can not match, it is an under appreciated gem.



At the time of writing the Deck Hassium was available from MechKB.com for $109 AUD

Final Notes

This is the first time I have done a review, as such the style of review that I feel most comfortable writing, as well as how well it comes across is still very much a work in progress. Please feel free to tell me in what areas I am not doing so well and how I can improve. Currently I use this keyboard as my daily driver at work, getting a solid 3-6 hours a day typing on it. I can honestly say I have only a few gripes with this keyboard, which really don’t affect use drastically. It is a good keyboard, trust me, I am on the internet.