Big shoutout to Marvo for sending out their new KG962 mechanical keyboard, which is actually the first 60% board I’ve seen from them. I have reviewed a few of their TKLs in the KG901 and KG934, with the KG901 being one of the cheapest mechs I’ve ever reviewed. One thing that comes to mind when you think about Marvo is affordability, and it’s a very appealing brand for gamers on a budget. They’ve also broken into the custom keyboard space with MarvoDIY, and they already have a few interesting build kits on offer.
The KG962 is available in black and white, featuring rainbow backlighting and Jixian Blue switches. Really nice to see a detachable USB-C cable, which is a bonus in this budget price range. The most interesting feature of the KG962 is the case, which has a very distinctive design. With an MSRP of $40 this keyboard promises good value.
As mentioned, the KG962 comes with Jixian blue switches. This switch feels pretty similar to most MX Blue clones out there like Outemu and Content, and it’s just a nice switch to start out with because everyone likes that clicky sound when they get into mechanical keyboards. The switches are soldered to the PCB which means we don’t have hot-swap here. It does look like the stabiliser stems have been pre-lubed, although I did find them quite rattly. This is definitely something Marvo can pay more attention to, as most companies are improving the quality of their stabs, even in the budget range. But not a train smash as you can always do some modding of your own. Gaming performance was good, with the KG962 offering the expected N-key rollover and I would assume it has 1000Hz polling rate, although I couldn’t find the setting on the software.
The KG962 comes with rainbow backlighting with a total of 19 colour modes. You can cycle through these modes with Fn + right Alt, then you also have brightness and speed control.
The keycaps are double-shot ABS, and what’s nice is that they have an anti-fingerprint coating that should increase the durability. Nothing worse than those ABS keycaps that are full of smudges after a day of use. These keycaps are in the OEM profile, and you’ll see that Marvo went for that convex bottom row, which I remember from the KG901. This feels a little different from the typical OEM bottom row, but it’s really growing on me and I found it very comfortable.
The KG962 has the standard ANSI layout. You’ll find all the expected functionality on the Fn layer with the F-Row, Nav Cluster and Arrows. The only other thing I would’ve liked to see is media functions, but not bad for a first attempt.
This is quite a distinctive case, featuring thick bezels especially at the top and bottom. This actually allows for a Caps Lock and Windows Lock status light, something you very rarely see on a 60% board—at least on the top of the case. The bezels slope down gently and there is a red accent at the top of the frame. I initially thought this was a lighting zone but turns out it’s just coloured red. The keyboard has a unique appearance and it’ll definitely stand out from the crowd.
Build quality is solid and the board doesn’t feel flimsy at all. On the bottom we find four rubber feet with no flip-outs, however the case has a natural ergonomic angle.
The software can be downloaded on Marvo’s website. The user interface is very intuitive and all the required functionality is there. You can do your remapping, which has options like macros, single key and media, and then you have your backlighting controls where you can select modes and control the speed and brightness.
So in summary, the KG962 is a very solid offering from Marvo and you’re getting good bang for buck at $40.
headtr1p 