Azio Retro Compact Keyboard (Artisan) - Bluetooth Wireless/USB Wired Vintage Backlit Leather Mechanical Keyboard with Arm Rest for Mac and PC (MK-RCK-L-03-US)

I bought this keyboard as used but in excellent condition, and it is beautiful. I can't see that it was used. There was a problem with the space bar right out of the box, but it turned out that someone must have taken it off before I got it and put it back incorrectly. I did call the AZIO customer support number and was treated very well by a great guy named David, but I was eventually able to figure the problem myself and fix it. That done, the keyboard is totally awesome.First, I have to say it came beautifully packaged - great care was given in creating attractive, sturdy packaging. Out of the box it was stunning, and I was surprised to find it on the hefty side. It has enough weight to it that I am not moving or pushing either the keyboard or the wrist pad as I type.The sound is clicky and the feel is nice, but it's not overwhelmingly loud and the keys feel nice as I type. Years ago I bought an AZIO gaming keyboard with brown keys, and it is louder, which I found I liked, but the sound of this one is absolutely fine and it is still not a quiet keyboard. I'd say it's a slightly mellower sound than the AZIO brown keys I have.The look is stunning - prettier than the photos showed and the round keys are very easy to adapt to. The lighting is bright, without a lot of reflecting on the leather base beneath the keys, and I can turn them off, dim, or brighten them as I like. I first bought another gaming keyboard to replace my original AZIO, and I was very discouraged to discover that with the polished, chrome-edged keys, the light under them reflected so much off the surrounding keys that I couldn't see anything but glare. That may not be a problem for someone with young, good eyes, but for me it was impossible. So I returned it and shelled out the extra money for this one and there is no problem. The letters and symbols light brightly and the copper bezel around the keys has only a warm glow. There is no bouncing, glaring light on this keyboard. The light is only white, but it wouldn't look right as RGB. This is an elegant look. And while I would personally consider this an expensive keyboard, it looks like a million bucks.Mine arrived set up for Mac, and it was an easy thing to switch out the keys for Windows. The keys are plastic, but they feel solid and that isn't a problem. My other AZIO is over 8 years old and its keys are still like new, so I expect these to last as well. I wanted a compact keyboard as I use my computer and the space on my table for creating art and design projects, and the smaller size is perfect. It may look small, but it looks tough. And sometimes, looks count as much as performance. I am totally happy that I bought this keyboard and I would recommend it on every account from looks to handling to performance. I guess my only thing to fuss about is that now I feel the need to dress up my monitor and work area to go with it. I work on a huge Wacom Cintiq, and I am thinking a copper and wood frame around it ought to give that cool steampunk retro look that this little keyboard is demanding. How fun will that be - and besides, sometimes you just want cool tools to make cool things with!

I’ve only used the keyboard for a few hours, but here are my first impressions.The build quality and materials are outstanding. I was a bit apprehensive purchasing a moderately high-end keyboard based only on pictures. The packaging is well thought out and contains the keyboard, manual, extra key caps for Windows/Mac, extra feet, and even a cleaning brush. The keyboard itself is very well made from the quality of the wood to the fit and finish of the metal fittings. The USB-C power for recharging or connecting the keyboard via wire is solid and a nice upgrade over micro-usb. The keyboard is weighty and feels very solid.I did have a small issue setting up Bluetooth. There are three bluetooth channels for up to 3 devices. To initially pair the keyboard, you need to activate one of the channels by press Fn+1 (or Fn+2 or Fn+3). Then to actually start paring, you must press and hold Fn+Eject (on the Mac layout.) My keyboard shipped with the Delete and Eject keys swapped (see photo)— so naturally, I was unable to get Bluetooth to pair. After five or six attempts with different devices, I was nearly ready to give up. That’s when I noticed the picture of the keyboard didn’t match mine. I swapped the keys and paired on the first try. I’m not sure if this was an assembly error, or if I had received a “returned” unit.Key cap issue aside, after I paired the keyboard, I did a bit of coding. I have the smaller compact 81 key keyboard. It’s really a pleasure to code with. The mechanical keys have a nice stroke and pleasant “snap/click” as they’re pressed. I spent a few hours typing. The keyboard sits moderately high, but the enclosed walnut wrist-rest made typing comfortable. There is also a second set of rear feet for the keyboard if you prefer more of an angle.I really don’t have much use for the Function keys across the top, but it’s nice to have them just for media control. I tried them out on both my iMac and iPad Pro. They immediately worked for the brightness, volume, and MacOS/iOS functions. I haven’t tried the media keys in MS Window mode yet.Finally, let me touch upon the backlighting. The design here is wonderful. Instead of the cost-cutting “throw a few LED’s on the mounting plate”, the RCK has LED’s under each key feeding light directly up into the key caps themselves. The backlighting looks beautiful and has a few simple animations to show you pairing, battery level, etc. The brightness can be adjusted with a Fn key combo from “off” to a soft glow, to quite bright in several steps.

After all, the power of words forming with the hands deserve more than a whispy tapping. Brings to mind the old type writers, with which masterpieces of literature were created. I bought this for it's beauty ( to inspire) and being compact for small hands, both wired and wireless. It came with a note, thanking me for giving this item a " second chance", yet I thought I was buying new, so was not thrilled with that, but despite some smudges on the outer plastic, appeared unused. I had already fallen in love, so didn't want to wait for a replacement. Something you use every day should be pleasing to the senses and easy to use.

I've had the keyboard for a couple of years and It is super cute. However, it is not ideal if you are a gamer or use your computer a lot because you'll find yourself having to replace the key caps about every 6 months(If you like to keep things looking nice of course). Still very pretty and functional just wears super fast.