Vissles V84 shows what a keyboard can offer
For the longest time, I’ve been using a Dell keyboard that came with my PC.
It has flat keys that don’t travel too much (the amount you have to press down), and it is relatively quiet when typing.
But every now and then I get asked to review a keyboard and I put my Dell keyboard aside.
For example, the Vissles V84 wireless mechanical keyboard ($89). I started out having a real love/hate relationship with it, but in the end it helped me break a bad habit.
Whenever I begin my research on a new gadget, I always learn something new.
This time I learned more than I wanted to know about keyboards and their keycaps (the actual keys you type on) and switches (the mechanism under the keycap).
The keyboard I tested had VS Linear switches with white PBT keycaps.
According to Mechanicalkeyboards.com, PBT keys are made from Polybutylene Terephthalate plastic and can survive temperatures up to 302 degrees Fahrenheit. They’re resistant to solvents, mechanically strong and slower to “shine,” which is the shiny appearance of keycaps when they are well used.
The selection of keycap and switch is important. The Vissles V84 has hot-swappable switches and keycaps.
When you order the V84, you can choose from five different switches and white or black keycaps.
The V85 is a 75% keyboard, which means it is 75% the width of a normal keyboard. These keyboards do not have a number pad on the right side, which gives the keyboard a compact design.
The 75% layout is similar in size to most laptop keyboards, so laptop users will find the size familiar.
Vissles says the key switches have a 60 million-keystroke lifespan.
Underneath the keyboard, you’ll find removable feet to help angle it for comfortable typing. The feet are held on by magnets.
The keyboard also ships with a perfectly sized padded leather wrist rest to keep your arms comfortable while you type.
The Vissles V84 has its own app that you use to configure and customize the keyboard.
The app lets you set macros and map any key to do a wide variety of tasks, from running programs to controlling media playback and even disabling specific keys if you don’t want any input from them.
Besides the keyboard, magnetic feet and wrist rest, you get an alternate set of modifier keycaps so you can use the V84 ona Mac or a Windows and Windows keyboards have different modifier keys on the bottom row on either side of the space bar. Mac keyboards have Option and Command keys while Windows keyboards have Windows and Alt keys.
You get a set of each, and you can swap them out as needed.
Also included is a tool to remove the keycaps and a tool to remove the switches. There is a USB-A to USB-C cable to connect to a computer or charge the battery.
The V84 can connect to your computer wired (via a USB-C cable) or wirelessly (via Bluetooth).
The keyboard can connect to up to five Bluetooth devices at one time. You change which device is active by pressing a combination of keys.
This one keyboard can connect to your desktop, laptop, phone, tablet and TV easily.
The V84 has a 3,750 milliamp-hour battery for up to 180 hours of runtime between charges.
The V84 (and lots of other keyboards) have individual full-color LED under each key, which results in an infinitely customizable color scheme to light the keyboard.
It took me a few minutes to figure out how to get a plain white light behind the keys.
There are also a handful of disco light modes that are entertaining, but I find them annoying after a few minutes.
One of my favorite features of the V84 is the ability to perform macros. Macros are little saved bits of text that you can record and play back with the press of a button.
For instance, I type my address almost every day when dealing with setting up shipments for my reviews.
I set up a macro to type my name, address and phone number when I press a key on my keyboard.
There are all sorts of things I type on a regular basis, and setting a macro makes things much easier.
There is nothing stopping you from setting up a macro to automatically type a password, but I would only do that at home where access to your keyboard is controlled by you.
Once I find a keyboard that works for me, I don’t really give them much thought or have much of a desire to change. But the Vissles V84 opened my eyes a bit to what else a keyboard can offer.