Introduction #
Recently, I picked up a HK Gaming GK61 from Amazon. It’s a pretty cheap per-key RGB (although fairly limited) hot swappable keyboard – mechanical of course. I actually got the wrong version at first – the one with optical switches rather than mechanical switches, which I soon (after diving deeper into the keyboard rabbit hole) realized was a very silly move.
Keycaps On Original #
Here’s a picture of the original keyboard I got with the Gateron Optical Blue switches, before and after I put on my Blue and Pink Pudding Keycaps:
Rookie Mistake #
As mentioned earlier, I soon realized that getting a keyboard with optical hot swaps wasn’t the best idea for customization ability. So, thanks to Amazons pretty good returns system I managed to return this one (after painstakingly taking off the new keycaps and putting the old ones back on). I then made sure to order the version with the Gateron Mechanical Blue’s, however black was the only color available, so I came up with the debatably smart idea of using Washi Tape on the sides.
Akko Switches #
After everything came, I immediately got to work by hot swapping the Gateron Blue switches (which I personally dislike… a lot) with these Akko CS Lavenders I thought seemed nice (spoiler alert: I was right… they’re great!):
Taped Sides #
After swapping in the new switches, I got to work on the taped sides. Also, yes, I put the spare keycaps on my Corsair K68 – just for fun! Here’s the finished product of the keyboard:
Using the Switches #
I was honestly blown away by these switches – they’re amazing to type on! I love the ‘thock’ they make, and their stability compared to the old Gaterons on the board – especially when you consider that they’re just $20 for a pack of 45. Just to end, here’s an arbitrary sound comparison between the old Gaterons (although the optical version on the first keyboard) and the mechanical Akkos (which is unnecessarily long).
Optical Gateron Blues:
Mechanical Akko CS Lavender Purples:
As you can hear, the Gateron’s have a more ‘pingy’ sound, which I personally dislike – and the Akko’s have that sort of more ‘thocky’ noise, which I do love. It took quite a bit to get used to not having number keys and a number pad and stuff like that, but I’m having loads of fun with this board.
Thanks for reading!
Harija