Azio Levetron Mech4 Gaming Keyboard (KB588U)

I like this Keyboard so far. I have only used it for a few days now lightly. I mainly wanted to inform other of a couple things that I have experienced and found that where not in any of the reviews I read. First, I had to get a replacement keyboard right off the bat. I opened up my first board and found that it looked like it was an open box item. All the cords were messed up and did not look factory packed. I also immediately notice that both the Shift keys would get stuck if not pushed at the perfect angle. They would get caught on something and would not allow you to push the key down. As a gaming keyboard I knew that this would be a problem, as it was. Amazon was fantastic and sent me a new keyboard with a free 1 day delivery upgrade (thank you amazon). The new keyboard arrived 2 days later (because the order was placed to late in the day for it to arrive the next day) and I was pleased to see that the Shift keys were working properly. However, I did notice again that it did not look like it was factory packed. Maybe all of them come looking like it had already been opened, and there is no way to tell since the box has no seals on it to break when opened. This is not a big deal as long as the product looks new and is functioning properly.IMPORTANT: If you need (or really want) a keyboard that allows custom profiles to load automatically when you launch a certain program or game, this is not the keyboard for you. I have not had any issues with the software v1.5 downloaded from there website, but I was kinda disappointed that it did not allow tying a profile to an application. Hopefully they will release a software version in the future to address this. To change profiles for a specific game or program you need to click on the software icon from the background programs running (in bottom right corner of windows desktop) and your profiles will pop up and you can select which one you want without having to open the software program completely. This is very quick and easy, but, I know that I will probably forget to do it often and could become a pain.Also, Azio's website says that additional peripherals (to use in the 2 usb ports) will continue to be released, yet I do not see any released yet. I would love to have nice custom blue led keyboard light released for it. Anyone know of any additional peripherals released for this yet?Summary: I do like the keyboard so far. I really like the feel of the keys and prefer the firmer feel over the Corsair K90 keyboard. I will not go into the features of the keyboard since the product description covers that. However, I did have to replace the first one since the shift keys were messed up and I was disappointed to see that you could not tie a profile to an application. Manually changing them is easy and quick but if you are use to a profile being launched automatically you may be disappointing to. I did not see anyone complain about this so I though I would make it known to those considering this keyboard.Minus 1 star: for needing to replace it once, no profile attachment to applications, and lack of back-lit keys. Seriously Azio, Why is there no back-lit version. I would have paid the extra to get this keyboard with fully back-lit keys.

First thing I want to say is that I am returning this keyboard, but not because it's a bad keyboard but because I received a defective unit. That will not affect my rating because while it did work the keyboard was almost excellent. I just want to put full disclosure out there, reason for my return was the software eventually just froze my computer up and I would have to hard reset. But again, I am only reviewing the product as if nothing happened because I've been reading through forums and have talked to customer support and it's very likely that my computer is at fault and not necessarily the keyboard or it's software.On to the review: typing with this keyboard is amazing, I love the clickity-clack feel that you get. Another reviewer likened it to an old IBM 'board from back in the day and I would have to agree. The detachable num-pad is great as well, allowing for a multitude of uses through various games/programs. The keyboard itself is very sturdy and in no way did I think that it might break or fall apart.The one thing that I just don't like is the fact that this keyboard has a somewhat awkward layout. It uses the style of an incredibly big enter key whilst using a ridiculously small backspace key. To be fair, I already knew that this was the case as I read reviews about this 'board before buying, but to be honest it's not that easy to get used to. For the full two weeks that I used the keyboard I would almost always hit the key right next to the backspace key.Some might say that the small backspace key won't bother them and if that is the case I see no reason why you should not buy this keyboard, however if you think you would be frustrated by the small backspace key then I suggest you look for a different keyboard. Another issue you might have is that the keys are NOT backlit, but I play games with the lights on anyway so that definitely did not bother me.It's not perfect, far from it, but for the price it's definitely above average.

Pros:Great mechanical keysMovable/removable number pad (with calculator key)Good volume controlEasy to clean if you spill stuff in itCons:Not backlitSliding 6-hotkey attachment is gimmicky and of limited useThis is an excellent keyboard; my only problem with it is the lack of backlighting. It's solidly built, has a pretty neat style, and has a bunch of cool features. The mechanical keys feel great, and I've had no problem with multiple key presses (shift, space, w, a, and r, for those forward left jumps while crouching and reloading that come up often, for example). The movable/removable number pad is great for when you want it out of the way, or on the other side of the keyboard for additional hotkeys or an alternative to the staple WASD setup. It has a small button below the keypad that opens up Calculator, which I thought was silly at first, but I've used it quite a bit, and it's a great idea. The volume control is smooth and works great. (On my previous keyboard, it would occasionally get "stuck" turning the volume up or down, or suffer from lag approaching 4-5 seconds, or just stop working.)The six-hotkey sliding thingy, I'm not quite sold on. I haven't really used it much, but it does flip up and out of the way, and it's removable, so it's not a big deal. It does cover up the F1-F4 keys where I have it now, but oh well.The keyboard is completely programmable, with five macro keys to the left of the standard keys. I like to rearrange all the keys and leave my computer, so people who try to use it are unable to type anything. (It's pretty funny.) The backspace key is tiny and the enter key is huge, but I got used to it after a couple of days, and now I don't even notice it.I wish it was backlit. I thought I wouldn't mind, but I do kind of miss that. Not a huge deal, just keep it in mind.Overall, I'm pleased with the purchase.

Clicky clacky still goes click. Holds up well, minor spills haven't taken it down.