Bloody S87 TKL keyboard review: a hint

 

Among the new mechanical keyboards from A4 Tech, the ability to replace switches and the use of proprietary BLMS (Bloody Mechanical Switches) options is becoming trendy. We have already become acquainted with the keyboard Bloody S98, with 98 keys, respectively, which included a full layout and number pad. Now it’s the turn of the TKL version (without number pad) with 87 keys.

 

Design and ergonomics

 

Bloody S87 is made in an industrial style with a mixture of cyberpunk: straight lines, a minimum of details, backlighting and contrasting colors of the keys. The buttons have cut corners and are slightly concave. The “blocks” of functional buttons at the top, marked in different colors, also help you get your bearings. Without the numeric keypad, the keyboard is similar in size to the full-size S98. The additional keys on the right side of the smaller model are arranged somewhat unusually, but intuitively.

 

Another feature is the buttons of different colors, and in this case gray, black and red. The set also includes a set of basic caps in other colors. You can replace space, arrows, Enter and Backspace.

 

 

We love the font on the new Bloody models. It is easy to read and, if you don’t have touch typing skills, can help. But the fact that Cyrillic and Latin are in the same row is no longer very convenient. While you get used to the keyboard, it becomes confusing.

 

 

The backlight sufficiently illuminates both characters on each key. It is moderately bright and does not blind at night. But when it is turned off, it is already difficult to distinguish the symbols on some keys. The gray engraved symbols are barely visible on the gray buttons. But the black and red keys do not have this problem, because not all the characters are visible there.

 

Bloody S87 is available in four body colors – black like ours, gray, white and pink. Nuances with the readability of characters when the backlight is turned off can respectively be found in the black and gray versions, where most of the buttons are gray.

 

 

The keyboard body is quite tall, but the wrist rest is comfortable. You can lift it above the table at two angles – 3° and 8°. The retractable legs are rubberized, as are the two lower stationary ones.

 

 

Equipment

 

 

As already noted, the keyboard received proprietary BLMS switches. In our keyboard they belong to the red type. Therefore, they are moderately loud and quite soft. They are well prepared from the factory and the ringing of the springs is not heard. The blows are quite dull. The declared resource is up to 50 million clicks. In general, the keyboard supports 3 and 5-pin switches from other manufacturers.

 

 

The keyboard supports an unlimited number of simultaneously pressed buttons. The kit includes a set of switches that can be replaced.

 

 

There is built-in memory. It is used not only for macros, but also for storing 7 key configurations that can be run on different computers without drivers. The configuration includes storage of macros and highlighting. To switch between them you need to press Fn + F9 and F10. Macros can be recorded and saved in the KeyDominator application.

 

 

Impressions

 

The Bloody S87 keyboard will appeal to everyone who needs the TKL format. At the same time, the additional keys are preserved, and the functional ones are conveniently visually separated. The build quality is at a high level. Switches and buttons complement each other, making typing comfortable and game controls intuitive. The case has sound and vibration insulation additions, although for some reason this did not affect the space bar, which still jingles. But in all other respects, this is a high-quality and cool keyboard for beginners and not so much players. Software add-ons and lighting can be useful and improve the user experience even further.

 

Characteristics of the Bloody S87 keyboard

Rating:

+ design

+ replaceable switches

+ customizable backlight

+ ergonomics

-cyrillic alphabet in a row with Latin alphabet

 

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