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iRock K76M Fun RGB Illuminated Mechanical Keyboard









Hey everyone. I first learned of this board because of their Indiegogo campaign iRocks K76M Indiegogo. It wasn’t the greatest success there, but the board itself looked great and had a neat story. I love the feel of the older switches, so I reached out to my contacts in Taiwan and got us one to look at.



• This board was provided as a review sample for no charge.

• This review will be discussing the board and my opinions on the switches the board uses (in this case reengineered Complicated Alps in “blue” clicky tactile switches). Opinion on switches is subjective, and you'll have to make up your own mind about what switch is the one for you.





Introduction



With the various switches and tops, this is a very versatile board. It will do as good for a gamer that needs speed and lighting as for a typer/programmer that needs the tactile feel and good looks. Gaming may notice the lack of macro keys, but the speed, precision of actuation and looks make it a great choice. For anyone doing a lot of typing during the day the switches and layout make it a daily driver. You can dress it up for the office or for the LAN party as you like. This is by far not the first mechanical keyboard from iRocks, their brown switch was the one I first owned on the recommendation of the official mechanical keyboard guide. iRocks has done many types of keyboards and switches, including their own hybrid rubber dome and many different mechanical types. They are well liked by anyone that uses them, but can be a bit hard to find for Westerners. They are well known for good quality and good value, so I am looking forward to showing you this new offering.







Unboxing



Here is the video of my unboxing and a “quick” look at its features. Everything about this board, from the packaging to the instructions is well made and feels solid and strong. It makes unboxing it a pleasure:



External Overview



Keycaps and Body:



Lighting and light controls

Here is a look at the lighting and light controls in the lit room. The sound in this video is poor, so feel free to play fast forward.



Here is the look at the same things but in the dark, to really show what the lights can do.



I found the light controls, even the user selected option, to be very easy and intuitive to use. There is no software needed at all! This is the first RGB boards that inspired me to use more than one lighting mode regularly. Very good implementation on iRocks part, I must give them full credit.





Fun tops?

So, what does the “fun” in the name mean? There are 2 very different answers to that, depending on what top you bought with it. The two tops can be locking block compatible, or changeable printed cover. For no reason other than fun, iRocks has made this board with the ability to change its look in very different ways.

First is the locking block compatible top. It does exactly what you think it would, you can put your Lego toys onto it. My board is now adorned with Star Wars and Simpsons Lego, as well as a few cool people. You can even add a flat base plate to the top of the board to extend past the back. Loads of fun

The other top includes the clear cover and a variety of printed tops. The choices they made are great! There are several I would use for myself. They won’t all appeal, but there is a good variety. If anyone makes their own, let me know and I will link to it on this review.



Here is the video explaining the printed tops:



and a close up of a sheep for reasons











Branding

The only branding is the understated i-Rocks on the space bar. This makes it very suitable for any location and purpose. You will get asked by everyone what type of board it is, but in a good way.





Keycap Layout

The K76M fun comes with a standard key layout with sculpted and staggered keys. One of the very cool things about this board is the key cap compatibility. It IS Cherry MS stem compatible. Any MX keys you have will work, remember, you need double shot or clear to get the RGB effect though.





Keycap Quality

Quality of the keycaps is beyond first class. They will not wear out. They are on very durable mechanical switches, so they must be the best. One of the great benefits of double shot keys is that there is no printing or stickers to wear off. They will last longer than we will need to type to interface with computers.





Stabilizers

They use Cherry type stabilizers on all the larger keys. The space bar has a central switch of the same type as the rest. It might have been nice to have a stiffer switch there, but it has worked perfectly for me. I can’t fault them at all in this.





Quality

There is no question that iRocks makes a quality product and this is one of their best. The switches, keycaps, and board are all top notch. There is almost no flex in the board, its heavy but not overly so. It just feels well put together. The only quibble with the standard locking block top is the dust. It will require some care to keep it clean. The clear top will be easier even if it’s a bit shinier and fingerprint prone. With some care and easy cleaning, this board will last a lifetime and beyond.



Switches

These are new very old switches. Its worth reading what i-Rocks says about how they were developed. The result was a great switch that is not a clone or copy, but something worth seeing.

Indiegogo.com i-rocks-keyboard-joy-fun-and-alps-traditions-diy-computer



The K76M is available in 4 switch types:

Blue (the one shown, clicky and tactile), Brown (No click, tactile feel), Red (lite touch, no click or tactile feel) and “Geek” switch (looks white with a unique “super red” feel, ultra light with no click or tactile bump).



If you can read or speak Chinese, the descriptions and purpose of the switches make a bit more sense. Its hard to translate directly into English. They put them into the standard colour code based on their feel and sound.















See more here:



iRock K76M Fun RGB Illuminated Mechanical Keyboard

and here:

Indiegogo.com i-rocks-keyboard-joy-fun-and-alps-traditions-diy-computer



Internal dampeners, no o rings needed

They call it OSR, for O-Ring System, because that is exactly what it is, a system of internal o-rings. They dampen the clack of keys bottoming out but leave the full click of the switch actuating to ring out. Click good, clack BAD!



And they work. The keys have a sweat clicky sound, quieter than some; and the clack is significantly reduced. Even a hard thumb on the space only produces a mild thump.









LED for the eyes

The K76M comes in RGB or one colour LED configurations. I am not a huge RGB fan, but this is one well done light show. Watch the dark room video again if you like. We will wait. Building the LED into the design of the switch does seem to help.









Other features

Oh ya. It has full NKRO, anti-ghosting, gold USB, and all the other features. Throw in some OK multimedia keys on a layer of the F-keys and that is about all I can type. If you have any questions, please PM me of ask away. I will be keeping this board on my desk until forever, or a better one comes along





Summary



This needs a TL/DR so:

iRocks makes a fun and practical keyboard with unique alps types switches, great LED, internal O-rings, and removable tops for different looks. I highly recommend spending the bit extra time and money to find one. It is my editors choice.







Comparison To Similar Products

Its hard to compare. While I have some old switches, and have used others, this is my first Alps. Without looking at it, it feels and works like the best of the best. The sound is great, the durability and build is top notch and the layout is standard and compatible with many key sets. This one has no trouble being compared to the big boys. And with the fun custom look of the tops, it’s a step above.





Cost and Coverage



Cost: Price was $130 (+10 for geek) on Indiegogo. About the same on PC Home and HK sale pages. I have not yet found it in the Americas. If you know where to get it, let me know.



Final Thoughts

If I could say a few words about this board, I would be a better person. This board just keeps throwing more features at me that I must talk about. For me, it hits all the right notes, it's unique, fun, great for typing, and good looking. It's hard to find in stores, but worth a look.



Pros:



• Looks!

• Fun tops are fun, even if you won’t swap them much.

• Great switches. More choice in switch is a good thing.

• Solid build and feel. Best typing keyboard I have owned

• I get to put toys on my keyboard.

• Lighting features that are easy to use with options that make it worth switching for fun.

• Stems and keys that are compatible with other sets.





Cons:



• The list of pros is too long

• Hard to find

• On the high price side, more if you need to get it shipped.