GamaKay K61 Review

Get the GamaKay K61 on Banggood

So we’re taking a look at an acrylic keyboard today, the GamaKay K61. The K61 is very similar to the Womier K66 I reviewed a while ago, featuring the sandwich case design with glazed acrylic panels. This board has Gateron switches and the PCB features the Gateron hot swap sockets, so you have compability with other kinds of switches. Then I will also be popping on the White Pudding keycaps. These are not the usual HyperX caps that I use, but I got this set from Banggood, so we’ll see if these are a viable alternative to my HyperX set.

The case features three acrylic pieces held together by Philip’s head screws. In addition to the LEDs underneath the keys, there are LEDs positioned all around the frame, and the light shines through the glazed acrylic smoothly. The end result is very vibrant and flashy, and the chassis has a mesmerising appearance. This would go well with a colourful or neon-themed desk setup. There are a total of 18 RGB modes, and you can cycle through these with Fn + right Ctrl. You can set the case LEDs with Fn + left Ctrl. To change from RGB to a single colour, you press Fn + Space Bar, then select a colour from one of the keys. Just press Space Bar a second time to revert back to RGB colours.

The K61 is available with the usual Gateron Red, Brown and Blue switches, and there are also extra linear options including Blacks and Yellows. I chose the tactile Gateron Browns for this board, and these are actually very nice switches. I especially enjoyed the lighter actuation force of 45g, and I was hitting my usual speeds while making less typos. I prefer these over the Optical Browns, as the tactile bump feels more pronounced. The stabilisers are pretty average and there was some rattle on the bigger keys, but the space bar was actually decent. The stabs are factory lubed, but they barely put on any and it doesn’t make much of a difference. These stabs are plate mounted, so you can easily remove them to do some modding. The K61 has a distinctive sound due to the unique case design, and it’s more of a high pitched and thin sounding keyboard.

The hot swap feature is very useful, and doing switch replacement or lubing is easy. Some of the switches were fairly hard to take out, so just be wary of damaging the acrylic plate. Also note that there is no keycap or switch puller in the packaging, which was a little disappointing. The K61’s Fn layer is pretty barebones. The only Nav Cluster keys you have is Delete, Insert and Prt Scr. There are some useful volume controls, and the arrow keys are conveniently placed on WASD. You can do RGB cycling and brightness control, but to change the speed and direction you will need to download the software.

So if the RGB isn’t crazy enough for you, you can add some white pudding keycaps. This set is available on Banggood for only $25, and it’s pretty much identical to the HyperX set. These white puddings are made of PBT with an OEM profile, and there are 108 keys so it supports the full-size, TKL and 60% form factors. Very good quality on these keycaps at an affordable price. It looked like the keyboard was going to take off into space when I popped these on! If you want to turn some heads, I would definitely recommend pairing the K61 with the White Pudding set.

You can find a link to the software on the Banggood listing page. The software has all the expected RGB controls, and there is an RGB colour palette that allows you to choose single colours. By deselecting the Light checkbox you gain access to single key remapping. There are some basic options here, including macros, single key and multimedia functions. It is not possible to remap or move the Fn key, so getting dedicated arrows isn’t really possible, as we cannot rearrange the keys on the bottom right corner. You’ll have to make do with the Fn layer arrow functionality.

The K61 has four round feet on the bottom. The top feet are bigger and that’s where the tilt comes from. The keyboard still felt pretty flat, and it would’ve been nice to have a spare set of feet. The keycaps are double-shot ABS with more of a smooth finish as opposed to a textured surface. The walls have a thickness of 0.8mm, but they didn’t feel fimsy at all. The acrylic case is sturdy enough. A little bit of squeakiness and bend, but it wasn’t noticeable during actual use. The middle acrylic frame piece seems to be bigger than the other two pieces, so the alignment isn’t perfect, but just a nitpick. The USB-C port sits on the back right of the case, and the cable is made of rubber. Quite strange to see this right positioning, and I prefer the more conventional back left placement.

So with the K61 you’re going to get a compelling exterior, and barring some minor stabiliser rattle the typing experience is very good. Add in the fact that this board has the sought-after hot swap feature, and you have an absolute bargain at $65.