Keychron C2 Wired Mechanical Keyboard White Backlight / Gateron G Pro Mechanical / Brown

This is one of the best value for money Full Size keyboards at the time of this writing. The build quality is good for the price. RGB is good. The best thing is that the profile is lower than most other Keychron keyboards which makes this very comfortable to type on. The model I bought was Red switches + Gateron Hot Swappable + RGB - which is fantastic. In general, having different options offered is a great thing - thank you Keychron for this. Overall this is one of the best value for money keyboard purchases and a very enjoyable keyboard irrespective of the price point. If the price point is considered than this is a fantastic value. I use wireless very rarely as I avoid all sorts of EMF as much as possible and so this was perfect for me. The only small thing I ... MoreThis is one of the best value for money Full Size keyboards at the time of this writing. The build quality is good for the price. RGB is good. The best thing is that the profile is lower than most other Keychron keyboards which makes this very comfortable to type on. The model I bought was Red switches + Gateron Hot Swappable + RGB - which is fantastic. In general, having different options offered is a great thing - thank you Keychron for this. Overall this is one of the best value for money keyboard purchases and a very enjoyable keyboard irrespective of the price point. If the price point is considered than this is a fantastic value. I use wireless very rarely as I avoid all sorts of EMF as much as possible and so this was perfect for me. The only small thing I would have liked is to have white LEDs rather than blue LEDs for the Numlock, Capslock indicators and a 3 way switch that toggles between Win - Off - Mac (like in Keychron K4). I would also do away with indicators for Win and Mac and definitely not have two separate dedicated indicators for these which seems to me like a waste (these indicators are there next to Capslock and Numlock in this keyboard). However I do realize that some people may like the Win/Mac LED indicators. Ideally there could have been a single indicator for Win/Mac with some way to identify Win or Mac (different colors or maybe the texts Win and Mac one above the other in the same vertical column and the corresponding one lighting up).

Overall, my initial impression of the C2 is that it's a high quality keyboard for the price. I've been shopping keyboards for a while now and keep coming back to Keychron because of their design, variety of offerings, and large customer base. Being new to mechanical keyboards, the extra key travel and louder typing sound will take some time for me to get used to.Likes:- Quality build with solid construction- Backlit, with dimmer and multiple lighting effects- USB C to A adapter included- Packaging, gives a premium feel- Customization options (white or RGB LED, Hot Swap or Soldered, wide range of key Caps and switches to choose from). I went with the white LED non-hot swap version.Dislikes:- The black shine through keycaps are muddy looking and difficult to ... MoreOverall, my initial impression of the C2 is that it's a high quality keyboard for the price. I've been shopping keyboards for a while now and keep coming back to Keychron because of their design, variety of offerings, and large customer base. Being new to mechanical keyboards, the extra key travel and louder typing sound will take some time for me to get used to.Likes:- Quality build with solid construction- Backlit, with dimmer and multiple lighting effects- USB C to A adapter included- Packaging, gives a premium feel- Customization options (white or RGB LED, Hot Swap or Soldered, wide range of key Caps and switches to choose from). I went with the white LED non-hot swap version.Dislikes:- The black shine through keycaps are muddy looking and difficult to read in most lighting situations when backlight is off; to their credit, Keychron has explained this thoroughly on their site.- LED color is a bit harsh and lowest brightness setting isn't dim enough for me; would prefer a warmer white (typical of that seen with household lighting) and wider range of control over the dimness level. It seems like the lowest setting is around 50%, with 5 levels, a better choice would have been 20, 40, 60, 80, & 100%. Perhaps this is something Keychron can address if they ever decide to bring QMK/VIA support to the C1/C2.- My typing accuracy took a hit when switching from a standard low profile $20 Dell keyboard; maybe just takes some getting used to.- Keyboard is louder and key travel is longer than expected. I went with Brown switches, perhaps one of the low profile offerings would have been a better choice for me.- Some of the keycap label decisions were a questionable step away from the norm.,- Directional, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn labels missing from numpad which is fine by me,- Backspace key is almost identical to the Return key,- Punctuation and special character labels are to left vs above default key label

While I've already replaced the keycaps due to colour preference - the keycaps that it comes with appear to be good quality and the lettering is clearer and better cut than those of my replacements.The brown (Gateron) switches in the Keychron C2 are noticeably quieter than those in my Coolermaster CK550 V2, which also had brown (TTS) switches.The switches are hot swappable, and can be removed (with the included tool). As the switches in my old keyboard started failing, but were soldered on, this is a huge plus.It also comes with a removable USB-C cable (with a USB-C to A adapter if you don't have spare USB-C ports on your PC). Given the existence of my cat, it's nice to know that I can simply replace a damaged cable, rather than having to strip and repair ... MoreWhile I've already replaced the keycaps due to colour preference - the keycaps that it comes with appear to be good quality and the lettering is clearer and better cut than those of my replacements.The brown (Gateron) switches in the Keychron C2 are noticeably quieter than those in my Coolermaster CK550 V2, which also had brown (TTS) switches.The switches are hot swappable, and can be removed (with the included tool). As the switches in my old keyboard started failing, but were soldered on, this is a huge plus.It also comes with a removable USB-C cable (with a USB-C to A adapter if you don't have spare USB-C ports on your PC). Given the existence of my cat, it's nice to know that I can simply replace a damaged cable, rather than having to strip and repair it.It has no Scroll Lock or Pause keys. Instead it has a Cortana/Siri key (all but useless), and an LED toggle key. Given that I use Pause quite frequently, it's probably the biggest detriment to me.

Fantastic Keyboards !Purchased a V1 max after falling in love with it at Centrecom and immediately wanted a wired full size KB for my Pro Tools PC... Ended buying two C2 variants and could not be happier with my purchases... went from having zero Keychron KB's to buying 3 in two days... and my fingers and ears have never been so happy. I'm typing on one now.Buying direct from the Melbourne distro was superb, super fast responses and extremelly friendly staff :)Thank you team !

This was the first mechanical keyboard that I have ever owned, and I many review sites recommended this as a beginner keyboard. The quality of the keys, as well as it's elegant looking design, were both outstanding, at least coming from a long-time membrane user. However, there's just one small issue: I use Linux. Keychron did advertised support for Windows and Mac, as well as limited support for Linux, but it turns out that the support was actually lackluster... a link to a Facebook Group, which didn't help because I don't use Facebook. The problem was that the function keys wouldn't work, but I did eventually find a way to get the keyboard to function properly on Linux, but I do have to perform the same setup every time I switch to my other Linux devices. ... MoreThis was the first mechanical keyboard that I have ever owned, and I many review sites recommended this as a beginner keyboard. The quality of the keys, as well as it's elegant looking design, were both outstanding, at least coming from a long-time membrane user. However, there's just one small issue: I use Linux. Keychron did advertised support for Windows and Mac, as well as limited support for Linux, but it turns out that the support was actually lackluster... a link to a Facebook Group, which didn't help because I don't use Facebook. The problem was that the function keys wouldn't work, but I did eventually find a way to get the keyboard to function properly on Linux, but I do have to perform the same setup every time I switch to my other Linux devices. Furthermore, the keyboard will randomly cause my computer to wake up from sleep mode. I didn't expect this to be an issue as every single previous keyboard that I had owned never had issues with function control, yet this one did.To the makers of Keychron, it wouldn't be hard to simply make your keyboard drivers open source. You can simply head over to opensource.com, and a representative can quickly help you publish maintainable drivers that work across all distributions of Linux. I want to like your keyboards, but unfortunately as a daily Linux user, it disheartens me that your beautiful keyboards have little to no support on Linux platforms.

I bought a K1SE for when I work from home and a C2 (non-backlit, non-hot-swappable) for the office. Both were great purchases. The C2 looks great for the office (not flashy) and I really enjoy typing on it. I was very happy to find a full-size keyboard, since I often need the num pad for work. While it is comfortable to use, for me it definitely needs a wrist rest (which I already had).One of my biggest complaints is the lack of alternative layouts available, either when buying the keyboard or even with the available sets of keycaps. Even having a uniform-profile like XDA would have been enough, but that isn't available for the 100% size. I was able to get keycaps from WASD that work for me.The keyboard also goes to sleep on me if I'm away for a while like going ... MoreI bought a K1SE for when I work from home and a C2 (non-backlit, non-hot-swappable) for the office. Both were great purchases. The C2 looks great for the office (not flashy) and I really enjoy typing on it. I was very happy to find a full-size keyboard, since I often need the num pad for work. While it is comfortable to use, for me it definitely needs a wrist rest (which I already had).One of my biggest complaints is the lack of alternative layouts available, either when buying the keyboard or even with the available sets of keycaps. Even having a uniform-profile like XDA would have been enough, but that isn't available for the 100% size. I was able to get keycaps from WASD that work for me.The keyboard also goes to sleep on me if I'm away for a while like going to a meeting or to lunch. They have a fix for it, but I am not able to try it do to the admin restrictions our company puts on the laptop. I just unplug/plug and it works again. I guess this is coming from the laptop and not from the keyboard (based on the suggested fix), but my previous $10 keyboard never did that, so I'm not sure why this one does.It also has a click on the right shift button depending on how I hit the key. It seems to be the stabilizer, but since I have the non-hot-swappable version there isn't much I can do about it.Still, all these are relatively small issues and it feels like at least a four-star keyboard, especially considering it was less than $50 (when I bought it).

A delicious and chocolatey sounding keeb

I was hesitant at first seeing that similar keyboards were going for slightly less on Amazon. But I saw all the reviews on here and being that I was a first time mechanical keyboard user, I bought the C2. Being and engineer, I decided to also purchase a few others on Amazon for comparison (less expensive and more expensive range) because the free returns just make that possible, and run my own quality test. I ran them side by side through a hub for about two week and a half and found that the C2 by far sounded deeper and more solid than the others. To be fair the others also sounded good, all the mx style browns clicked very similarly. All around "Brown MX-style" switches themselves don't sound very loud and there is a definite yet unobtrusive click or bump on the ... MoreI was hesitant at first seeing that similar keyboards were going for slightly less on Amazon. But I saw all the reviews on here and being that I was a first time mechanical keyboard user, I bought the C2. Being and engineer, I decided to also purchase a few others on Amazon for comparison (less expensive and more expensive range) because the free returns just make that possible, and run my own quality test. I ran them side by side through a hub for about two week and a half and found that the C2 by far sounded deeper and more solid than the others. To be fair the others also sounded good, all the mx style browns clicked very similarly. All around "Brown MX-style" switches themselves don't sound very loud and there is a definite yet unobtrusive click or bump on the down stroke. The keycap also acts like a drum skin and resonates that tactile bump click into something louder. Then when the key bottoms out on the down stroke, the body of the keyboard creates a secondary "thwak" sound and resonance. Some keyboards have loosely attached switches or return/assist springs that create secondary subtle harmonics. Overall, each keyboard has its own "sound".So, the decision came down to how the manufacturer designed and constructed the keyboard as some materials just resonated differently and this is what separates the C2 from the rest. The keys click with a deeper more solid CHOC(latey) sound and virtually no resonance in the upper registers which made using it very pleasant and almost organic. The keyboard is SOLIDLY constructed with almost NO deck flex. I tend to kickbox with my keys so that was important for me as well. The C2 had just the right weight to it. The light came through just right not to bright not to dim no matter the setting. The cord was just right, braided,and usb-c. All the caps were well constructed and everything just felt uniform and cohesive. Many manufacturers just throw parts together and hope for the best. The C2 doesn't feel like that, it feels like someone took the time to analyze all the parts and design a keeb that was greater than the sum of its parts. Looks wise, it was very attractive on the desk, you want to type on it, it matches everything so well.One of the most important features for me was the ability to switch from mac to pc on the fly without having to go into the general settings each time. I run multiple computers for work (PC) and personal (MAC) through a KVM and use one mouse and keeb and being able to flick a switch and instantly have the correct key assignment was important to me.Overall, I am highly pleased and very satisfied with the price, quality, build, and functionality. It just works.

Great keyboard with a minor issue, and some missing features that'd be really nice to have.

I would recommend this keyboard, but not without talking about some of its issues. Here's how I determined my rating:4.5 stars for look, feel, and ease of switch-swapping2 stars for customizability3.25 stars overall (not a bad keyboard! Just lots of room for improvement)LOOK/FEEL/EASE OF SWAPS:: )I bought this keyboard for use with my iMac, on which I sometimes use Windows via Bootcamp. The keyboard works wonderfully, and is satisfying to type on. It comes with both a keycap puller and switch puller, and while it's sometimes a bit tricky to get the switches in/out, it's a heck of a lot easier that soldering/desoldering (take it from an EE student).There is a minor issue that Keychron does addresses, which is that the lettering on some of the black keys is ... MoreI would recommend this keyboard, but not without talking about some of its issues. Here's how I determined my rating:4.5 stars for look, feel, and ease of switch-swapping2 stars for customizability3.25 stars overall (not a bad keyboard! Just lots of room for improvement)LOOK/FEEL/EASE OF SWAPS:: )I bought this keyboard for use with my iMac, on which I sometimes use Windows via Bootcamp. The keyboard works wonderfully, and is satisfying to type on. It comes with both a keycap puller and switch puller, and while it's sometimes a bit tricky to get the switches in/out, it's a heck of a lot easier that soldering/desoldering (take it from an EE student).There is a minor issue that Keychron does addresses, which is that the lettering on some of the black keys is a bit smudgy. I would have liked to see other options for colors, fonts, or an option for PBT keycaps (if that would make for clearer keys). The keyboard looks and feels so sleek, the smudginess feels ever-so-slightly irksome whenever I see it.There are a lot of lighting options, and they're all pretty cool! The only way to select one though, is a single key which takes place of where the "F15" key would be on a standard mac keyboard, and you can only progress forwards. So if you go too far or accidentally hit the key, you have to cycle through all of the effects again to get to the one you were on. I wish they had added something like using the fn or shift with the lighting key in order to cycle backwards.CUSTOMIZABILITY:: (My biggest complaint by far is the decision to add dedicated screenshot, voice assistant, and light mode keys. While the OS switch is set for Macs, the screenshot key works as a macro for cmd+shift+4, the standard shortcut for a selected-area screenshot, and the voice assistant key works as a macro for fn+space, which is a combination you can activate for Siri. I find the decision to have these keys work as macros to be a bit baffling -- if they registered as F13 / F14, you could just set those keys as your shortcuts. Or use Karabiner to set the macros, which Keychron suggests themselves in the manual.As it stands right now, you can not change the function of those keys, and if you use a different shortcut for screenshots or Siri, then they will not work. I also think it would have been nice to have the light modes be switched by pressing modifiers + some other key, rather than again dedicating a key to that function which isn't even recognized by the computer. The most ideal solution would be software that lets you change parameters on the keyboard. The second most ideal solution would be to control the lighting mode using next/previous switches somewhere on the back, like where the OS selector is placed.I have been using Karabiner for a long time and liked being able to map F13-F15 to certain functions depending on the app I was using, and I can't do that with this keyboard. I bought it knowing that I would lose F16-F20 from the Apple Magic Keyboard w/ numpad, but I didn't think I would lose those three keys as well.

Solid Wired Keyboard at a Great Price

Do you need a solid mechanical keyboard but don’t want to spend a lot of money? The Keychron C2 is a solid well-built mechanical keyboard that will meet your needs.How does it keep the price so low? Well, it doesn’t do it by skimping on what’s important. It is made wholly out of plastic, unlike some of the pricier keyboards that have metal frames, but it is still solid and well constructed. It is also lacks wireless connectivity. And while you can purchase it with either white or RGB key backlighting, you can also forgo the backlighting in order to further reduce your costs. And if you want to reduce your costs even further, you can forgo hot-swappable keys, meaning that you cannot change out your switches (e.g., blue switches for brown); you can, however, always ... MoreDo you need a solid mechanical keyboard but don’t want to spend a lot of money? The Keychron C2 is a solid well-built mechanical keyboard that will meet your needs.How does it keep the price so low? Well, it doesn’t do it by skimping on what’s important. It is made wholly out of plastic, unlike some of the pricier keyboards that have metal frames, but it is still solid and well constructed. It is also lacks wireless connectivity. And while you can purchase it with either white or RGB key backlighting, you can also forgo the backlighting in order to further reduce your costs. And if you want to reduce your costs even further, you can forgo hot-swappable keys, meaning that you cannot change out your switches (e.g., blue switches for brown); you can, however, always switch out the keycaps.The Keychron C2 has it where it counts: Great switches, great keys, a solid build and good reliability (I own three Keychron keyboards for various applications and they are all going strong through heavy daily use). It also has great integration into MacOS, a feature I thoroughly appreciate, without compromising its usability with Windows.Keychron’s other keyboards are a great value, loaded with many features at a great price. But if you want to enjoy the benefits of a mechanical keyboard without spending a ton of money upfront, the Keychron C2 won’t steer you wrong.