Last Updated: June 16, 2020 (Refresh Now)
Tecware Phantom 87 Key Mechanical Keyboard RGB led Outemu Brown Switch
Last Updated: June 16, 2020 (Refresh Now)
9.0
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
675
Old Reviews
16
Unverified
72
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PASS
Review Analysis - 587 recent, verified reviews
Detailed Mode
Keyboard
376switches, keyboards, rgb, keys, keyboard
+94%
-6%
" ... Really nice keyboard for this price range. ... "
" ... I really love the keyboard and how it feels, and don't let the low price prevent you from getting it, it is really good. ... "
" ... If you're looking for a budget mechanical keyboard, this is the one I'd recommend. ... I also like how you can route the cable under the keyboard so you can have it come out of the left, right, or center of the keyboard. ... "
" ... Just clicky enough, plenty of options for color, solid and great feeling keys. ... "
" ... For the price, this keyboard is great. ... "
" ... It is a very very good keyboard but one thing is it has a slight ping noise to it like it sounds like a hollow metal keyboard. ... But a great keyboard. ... "
" ... Amazing Budget mechanical Keyboard. ... "
" ... This keyboard punches way above its price level. ... Key presses feel good, light effects are solid, build quality is decent, and best of all, no stupid 'pro-gamer' font slapped on the keys. ... "
Comfort
102typing, wrist rest, tactile, switches, cherry mx
+88%
-12%
" ... I'm not a big wise guy when it comes to mechanical keyboards but it sounds greats, feels great, and the color patterns and options are simple and awesome to set up. ... key) the labels for the two symbols on the one key are right next to each other, instead of being on top of each other. ... "
" ... I liked the way it "felt" so much while typing, I bought another one a week later for work. ... It feel satisfying when typing ... "
" ... *One small thing to note: I have tried typing without a wrist rest and, although it is possible, I would definitely recommend getting a wrist rest for long session typing or gaming. ... "
" ... The keys are great, if your used to others it might take a sec to get accustomed, but if you use it your fingers will get to know it real nice :) Solid thru and thru. ... "
" ... The keys actuate incredibly fast and it's really easy to misspell, partly because I'm used to laptop key spacing for typing. ... Typing would be a 2/5 for the reds ... "
" ... Put one star for ergonomic question, this is a standard shaped keyboard but nothing wrong with it. ... "
" ... This keyboard is buttery smooth to type on, feels so solid, and just all around feels like a much better keyboard than the Razer. ... "
" ... Works very nicely, and they keys have a nice solid feel to them. ... "
Controls
97key, switches, brown, rgb, fn
+75%
-25%
" ... Plus you can turn it all off and have black keys or have them all white light. ... "
" ... The software is nice and easy to use, and so are the keys for changing the lights. ... "
" ... A really great board, I have the brown switches and they feel great and tactile thanks to the subtle bump when pressed. ... "
" ... Extremely good the only bad thing are the keys wiggle a bit but not noticable unless you look for it. ... "
" ... And the key responsiveness is great to very satisfying to type with. ... "
" ... Solid deck, keys are fine. ... "
" ... Keys feel great! ... "
" ... The keys light up and can be customized in any RGB color. ... You can customize each individual key. ... "
Build Quality
80build quality, plate, flex, braided, keycaps
+86%
-14%
" ... It feels very solid and doesn't take up too much room since I didn't need a numpad. ... "
" ... They are a bit more noisier than their mx cherry counter parts and feel a lot more tactile. ... "
" ... The build quality is fantastic, the metal plate looks great and I can't flex the board at all. ... "
" ... I've used high build quality boards like Ducky and Leopold. ... "
" ... Build quality is on par with my $130 Steelseries TKL and this has better feeling switches in my opinion. ... "
" ... Feels very sturdy and doesn't feel cheap at all. ... "
" ... -steel top plate reduces flex and makes it feel really high quality ... "
" ... The build quality is excellent. ... "
Price
78board, budget, buck, bang, 45
+100%
" ... The RGB feature of this board is solid for the price. ... "
" ... Forget that, you get way more bang for your buck. ... For $45 it beats keyboards at twice the price. ... "
" ... Id say if you’re going to spend under 80$ Usd. ... "
" ... They're well worth the extra twenty bucks or so extra they'll cost. ... "
" ... got this when the price randomly plummeted to $35. ... "
" ... Way worth than what it is. ... "
" ... That being said, this is an excellent value. ... "
" ... like it all, I can say its worth buy. ... "
Gaming
75keyboard, typing, gamer, switches, mechanical keyboard
+89%
-11%
" ... This keyboard is perfect for gaming hands down . ... "
" ... It's small enough and has all the proper keys for media and gaming without smashing them all too close together. ... "
" ... My son uses this for gaming and loves it. ... "
" ... I love this keyboard perfect for gaming ... "
" ... I've used it for gaming as well as typing and am pretty happy overall. ... To be fair, the reds weren't bad either and I could see myself using them in gaming settings though. ... "
" ... I use it for both gaming and regular typing and am satisfied for use with both. ... "
" ... I give extra props to the manufacturer for not using those ugly gaming fonts that are so common on budget oriented boards. ... "
" ... Very good for new comers to gaming ... "
Features
64features, lighting, rgb, modes, switches
+100%
" ... There's also a million different light settings if you're into that. ... "
" ... Using the brown switches. ... "
" ... Overall a great board for $45, especially considering the per-key RGB lighting. ... "
" ... I'm always playing with the different light modes and everything. ... "
" ... Not to mention it was more expensive and had less features . ... "
" ... lights are neat. ... "
" ... RGB lighting is very satisfying and the various modes work well. ... Outemu brown switches are . ... "
" ... The switches are hot swappable, and you have the option of Outemu blue, reds, and brown switches which is a plus. ... "
Design
50feels, feel, rgb looks, keycaps, premium
+96%
-4%
" ... It feels like it should and the RBG is bright and great looking. ... The keycaps feel nice. ... "
" ... I keep mine solid red, no fancy stuff. ... "
" ... Looks pretty cool! ... "
" ... which is rather aesthetically pleasing. ... "
" ... Looks amazing, feels amazing, and for under 50$? ... "
" ... It looks very nice and I have had no problems with it what-so-ever. ... "
" ... It’s affordable and brown switches with this is amazing. ... "
" ... Looks great and feels great to type on. ... "
Product Reliability
38working, switches, weeks, replace, month
+47%
-53%
" ... The D button started giving me a problem after like 3 months. ... "
" ... But just after 5 months . ... it crapped out on me. ... "
" ... at the 2 month mark the 'E' key only registers about 20% of the time. ... "
" ... Edit2: Support has stopped responding to my emails asking for clarification on whether or not I will get a replacement. ... "
" ... But after two tries, I am not inclined to continue getting replacements. ... "
" ... I am getting malfunction on my keys and it's not working properly. ... "
" ... however only months into owning it some keys don't work. ... "
" ... I really didn't use it very much and now it's broken. ... "
Color
37color, bright, brightness, rgb, blue
+100%
" ... Colors look great, many options. ... "
" ... Greens are more real, reds are more purple. ... "
" ... RGB is nice and bright but can also be adjusted to a lower brightness and has many different lighting modes. ... "
" ... Real RBG, nice colors and good animations are available. ... "
" ... Amazing colors mostly metal good clicks for my blue switches and overall happy ... "
" ... Bright RGB colors and good software ... "
" ... If you just want something simple, you can tell it to use a fixed color and choose from one of 87 available colors. ... "
" ... The colors are bright and customization is easy. ... "
Ease of Use
31easy to use, rgb, keys, key, profiles
+100%
" ... key) the labels for the two symbols on the one key are right next to each other, instead of being on top of each other. ... This can be daunting to look at if you're looking to use symbols like 0, ) or 9, ( if you don't remember where that key is located. ... "
" ... Easy to install, no software or drivers are required ... "
" ... The software is also nice and straight forward, but if you don't want the software (whether it's because you're like me and have software for every different rgb product, or you just don't wanna be bothered with it.) ... "
" ... the rgb software is in "beta" although this feels a lot more easy to use than logitech's/corsair's/razer's software and it hasn't glitched out on me at all, honestly if this keyboard were $100 I'd still buy it. ... "
" ... The software you install to customize the keyboard RGB is simple, allows you to use custom profiles and etc. ... "
" ... The simple answer is OMG yes! ... "
" ... RGB is nice and I like it a lot, cool effects easy to use. ... "
" ... The software to customize the RGB lighting is very easy and straight forward to use. ... "
Cables
30braided, detachable, usb, switches, routing
+93%
-7%
" ... It has a built in keycap puller and routing channels for the braided cable. ... "
" ... Even down to the sturdy braided cable. ... "
" ... Blue switches and RGB all I wanted, really sturdy and a braided cable. ... One thing I don’t like is the cable routing at the bottom, the “teeth” dosent hold on to the cable as well as I wanted them to and it bends the cable 90°. ... "
" ... Oh and it has a braided cord and USB cap/cover - nice touch if you're carrying yours around. ... "
" ... For the price, the RGB, durability, switches, and extra goodies like the cable routing and extra switches, you cannot beat this. ... "
" ... The cord is braided and feels premium and the main foundation of the keyboard is made of a brushed metal of some sorts. ... "
" ... Only con is no detachable cable, but even the cable it comes with is very sturdy ... "
" ... The cable is long and braided and has 3 channels to rought: left, middle and right. ... This is a great feature for having the cord go where you want. ... "
Software Platform
27rgb, linux, mac, macos, download
+74%
-26%
" ... - Configurable Per-key RGB illumination (via free software) ... "
" ... They encourage you to install the software for more customization, but I like that you can control some aspects of the lights without running bloatware on your computer. ... "
" ... It seems to be loaded with a single version of the software that works for both. ... "
" ... The software is minimalist but works well and is a lot less cluttered than some of the other manufacturers offerings. ... * Software is decent ... "
" ... The software itself simply allows you to customize those if you're so inclined and it works fairly well. ... "
" ... The software for the RGB is about what you'd expect. ... "
" ... well-designed, well-made, user-friendly, great hardware/software features, outstanding value ... "
" ... My final minor problem is that the software only works when I run it as an administrator and is decent to use but not fantastic. ... "
Apps
24key, rgb, download, lighting, customization
+79%
-21%
" ... The software is user-friendly and allows for complete key reassignment, including Fn functions and macros. ... "
" ... I like the shortcuts for setting the lighting and multimedia functions the software is "OK" but I don't need it. ... "
" ... Software lets you pick color for each individual key. ... "
" ... Doesn't even need software to use its full suite of colors -- though the software has added features and was simple to find and install from their site. ... "
" ... The software is pretty good. ... "
" ... Download Tecware's program for extra rgb customization ... "
" ... The software allows more personalization and customizability. ... "
" ... You get quick access to the calculator, media player, browser, file explorer, volume up/down/mute, rewind/forward, 6 macros keys, and a bunch more. ... "
Sound Quality
22rings, brown switches, blue switches, switches, space bar
+86%
-14%
" ... like the sound of it and the rbg lights look cool and for most of the light effects you dont need the software . ... "
" ... With o-rings it’s a lot quieter ... "
" ... Good mix of key feel and sound, ... "
" ... I can tell you that the Outemu Brown switches sound and feel much better. ... "
" ... But the reduction in clicky noise was the deal breaker, it made my zen working environment peaceful. ... "
" ... The Outemu browns aren't exactly whisper quiet, there is a clacky sound, but they are smooth and don't miss a beat. ... "
" ... I bought with brown switches and I like the low click sound. ... "
" ... I regret the switch to some degree, while the Blues are undeniably satisfying to use, and I enjoy the sound quite a bit, I do find it a bit vexing that there is no way to reduce the sound signature with a soft typing speed. ... "
Size
22size, heavy, weight, tkl, solid
+100%
" ... Plus, I like how compact it is. ... "
" ... Has a very premium feel due to its pretty heavy weight and clean design. ... "
" ... - Compact size, due to lack of 10-key pad ... "
" ... Very nice size does not take up a lot of room and it sounds very clicky, which I love. ... "
" ... The size it perfect. ... "
" ... -Good weight to it. ... "
" ... It is nice and compact, but it is pretty heavy. ... "
" ... small and nice on the desk for space. ... "
Display Clarity
17bright, led, lighting, vibrant, symbols
+82%
-18%
" ... I love the feel and the led is also great. ... "
" ... The led lighting is excellent. ... "
" ... The brightness and the speed can be changed. ... "
" ... Bright even in direct sunlight. ... Even light keypressing will make a nice sharp click which is pleasant to the typist but rarely to anyone within earshot. ... "
" ... The brightness is really good and I really love it and been using for 3 months and no problems ... "
" ... I'm running it with Hotline Miami colors, lights set up for important Path of Exile keys, and the brightness turned down about halfway. ... "
" ... They're enough for me, but don't compete in brightness compared to some other boards out there. ... "
" ... Switches felt great, backlight was nice and vibrant (Only wish it was a tad brighter) and the build quality is awesome. ... "
Cleaning
17keys, cleaning, keyboard, dust, rgb
+71%
-29%
" ... -Floating key design for easy keyboard cleaning ... "
" ... Has a very premium feel due to its pretty heavy weight and clean design. ... "
" ... It's a sturdy board, and has a very clean look. ... "
" ... The keyboard has a nice feel and looks slick and clean. ... "
" ... The compact design was done in a way that didn't allow easy cleaning AND the software for easy RBG light management didn't work 100% as it should have. ... The keys are properly spaced for proper cleaning and it comes with back-up switches for when your most used keys (usually ASDW sfor gamers) start to wear as mechanical keys often do. ... "
" ... Clean minimal and mechanical all in one! ... "
" ... Keys feel amazing, more rgb options than I can count, option to turn rgb off, extra keys included, tool to clean and swap included and it just LOOKS AWESOME! ... "
" ... The RGB lighting can be hypnotic and the software is clean. ... "
Mouse
15keyboard, desk, room, space, typing
+100%
" ... Lights look amazing, it's very heavy and sturdy and I got the smaller of the too,perfect for me to have more mouse room and finally I even recommended it as a gift while working at bestbuy instead of a $100 gaming keyboard for a kid ... "
" ... I had a membrane keyboard for several years from Cooler Master and upgrading to this feels amazing. ... "
" ... I'm mainly a controller player, but when I built my first PC, I wanted to learn how to play some games with a mouse and keyboard. ... "
" ... My tiny desk at home was not leaving me enough room to mouse effectively. ... "
" ... Had no problem using this keyboard for standing desk with pc case on the floor. ... "
" ... It is the perfect size for my desk area and gives me more room to move my mouse than my last keyboard. ... "
" ... Definitely recommend if you are looking for a cheap RGB keyboard, and have limited desk space. ... "
" ... For typing, I'm a college student and I figured I could use this in conjunction with my laptop to boost my productivity. ... "
Device Compatibility
14work, using, mac, use, logitech
+86%
-14%
" ... For typing, I'm a college student and I figured I could use this in conjunction with my laptop to boost my productivity. ... "
" ... As an aside I'm still using a Microsoft Trackball Explorer 1.0 which again is indicative of my preference for ergonomic input devices. ... "
" ... I can now finally stream 222 bpm :0 !!!!! ... "
" ... Definitely recommend for any PC user! ... "
" ... I prefer this so much more over my Logitech G610. ... "
" ... I don't own a Mac or a Windows pc/laptop, so I'm not 100% sure how many tweaks I might be missing. ... "
" ... * Fully functional out of the box, even on Linux. ... "
" ... This is considerably the best buy that I have made for my pc. ... "
Storage
14space, key, desk space, saves, keypad
+64%
-36%
" ... Saves desk space. ... "
" ... Works like a charm to hold the space bar even. ... "
" ... space bar or return). ... "
" ... small and nice on the desk for space. ... "
" ... It takes up less than 2/3 the space of my Isku. ... "
" ... They work just as well as the Drevo brand and seem to be just a bit quieter (especially the space bar/bigger keys). ... "
" ... It saves a lot of space. ... "
" ... The TKL size is great for freeing up desk space. ... "
For Kids
13loves, year, old, gaming, bought
+100%
" ... I use it for casual typing for school. ... "
" ... I got this for my young son. ... "
" ... Bought for son he loves it ... "
" ... Purchased this for my son for gaming, and he LOVES it. ... "
" ... Bought it for mu nephew, he seems to like it a lot. ... "
" ... Kid’s liked it ... "
" ... My son uses this for gaming and loves it. ... "
" ... Ordered for my 13 year old son. ... "
Volume
13keys, clicky, blue switches, tactile, switches
+77%
-23%
" ... they feel great but arent too loud. ... "
" ... (although a bit loud) The switches are modular, meaning you can swap them out with other switches, and it comes with 4 in the box. ... "
" ... •The clicky tactile feedback of the keys are crisp and loud. ... "
" ... Right mix of the “click” and feel I was looking for but not obnoxiously loud and annoying. ... "
" ... Very nice size does not take up a lot of room and it sounds very clicky, which I love. ... "
" ... The browns have a solid tactile response without being loud enough to annoy other people around you. ... "
" ... Perfectly good, loud, clicky keyboard. ... "
" ... It's not too loud, and very satisfying to type on. ... "
Overall performance
12job, mx, tecware, switches, smooth
+92%
-8%
" ... This absolutely blew me away for its price to performance. ... "
" ... Both of those things were addressed with this, but I found that my typing speed has increased with the more intentional keystroke. ... - Fast and responsive mechanical switches ... "
" ... Romer gs were really smooth. ... "
" ... good job tecware. ... "
" ... Reds are smooth and the stabilizers have been solid. ... "
" ... I love the RGB settings, and for the price I think you'd have a hard time beating it. ... "
" ... Yet still are super quiet and fluid otherwise. ... "
" ... The cheap ABS keycaps left a little to be desired for my personal taste, but they get the job done on a budget. ... "
Fit
12spacebar, snapped, rubber, pull, key
+67%
-33%
" ... It's compact enough to fit under my monitor stand/riser, which is nice for when I wanna bring my large tablet to the center of my desk. ... "
" ... So I took a tiny bit of clear silicone caulk and a paper clip and CAREFULLY filled the plus shaped holes under the space bar where it clips into the two "idlers" on each side. ... I used caulk because it's a decent adhesive but if you fuss with it, you can usually get it to loosen. ... "
" ... At first I thought it was a feature, but any case this was easily fixed in a few minutes by removing and re-inserting the return key using the keycap remover (I had to remove the CTRL and SHIFT keys first). ... "
" ... So look out for edits and good luck on finding the right fit for you! ... "
" ... The rubber on the bottom and feet also holds really well. ... "
" ... fits great on my desk doesn't feel cheap at all it is pretty heavy and nice bright colors. ... "
" ... Let's see what the future holds. ... "
" ... it also has nice rubber pads on the bottom and won't move around. ... "
Ports
10cable, detachable, cap, gold plated usb, braided
+70%
-30%
" ... The 3 routing channels for the cable under the board is genius and is awesome ... "
" ... - Gold-plated usb ... - Has 3 different cable routing ways under kb ... "
" ... It has a nice, thick braided USB cable that seems pretty durable. ... "
" ... - Gold plated USB cable. ... "
" ... It also includes a keycap puller, a switch-puller, and a braided cable with a gold plated USB. ... "
" ... - Long braided USB cable works well for my desk size. ... "
" ... regardless of USB type. ... "
Marketplace
8amazon, thank, see, look, best
+100%
" ... ), The lights look better in person than they do in pictures, they are a lot brighter! ... "
" ... I wish it had better visibility on amazon. ... "
" ... Thank you for spending time reading this, and have a great day!!! ... "
" ... Really makes a big difference coming from membrane, and it's definitely the best deal on Amazon right now. ... "
" ... Thank you so much. ... "
" ... I was easily able to get 16 or so solid separate hues as shown in the pictures. ... "
" ... Luckily, Amazon has one of the best customer services. ... "
" ... in the included pictures you'll see what I'm talking about. ... "
Setup
6install, added, use, simple, rgb
+100%
" ... Easy to install, no software or drivers are required ... "
" ... I don't have experience with other manufacture's RGB software but I like the setup and it's easy to use. ... "
" ... Plugged it in to my computer and added more settings (skins). ... "
" ... Very professional presentation. ... "
" ... Doesn't even need software to use its full suite of colors -- though the software has added features and was simple to find and install from their site. ... "
" ... Or just install the software ... "
Weight
5heavy, pretty, solid, size, nice
+100%
" ... -Good weight to it. ... "
" ... Very solid build and weight for the size. ... "
" ... It is light weight and easy to use. ... "
" ... It is nice and compact, but it is pretty heavy. ... "
" ... Has a very premium feel due to its pretty heavy weight and clean design. ... "
Packing
4+100%
" ... Came in great packaging condition! ... "
" ... The packaging was great. ... "
" ... other than that the box is above average and the packing is great! ... "
" ... The packaging was very professional. ... "
Delivery
4packaging
+100%
" ... However, it was great out of the box. ... "
" ... no other box. ... Just a label on the product box itself . ... "
" ... Came in great packaging condition! ... "
" ... Awesome quality and quick delivery! ... "
As Gift
3son
+100%
" ... Bought as gift for 13 yo, and he loves it! ... "
" ... My son wanted this for a Christmas gift. ... "
" ... This was a gift for our son, he loved it! ... "
Picture Quality
3look, justice
+100%
" ... ), The lights look better in person than they do in pictures, they are a lot brighter! ... "
" ... It is very professional looking, glossy pics and descriptions etc. ... "
" ... I engaged Tecware support who requested pictures which I supplied. ... "
Returns
3support, ship, returning, return, replacement
-100%
" ... Edit: May 11 2020 - after a back and forth email with support I may or may not get a replacement eventually?? ... Edit2: Support has stopped responding to my emails asking for clarification on whether or not I will get a replacement. ... "
" ... Then Returned it. ... "
Product As Described
3see, look, included
+100%
" ... ), The lights look better in person than they do in pictures, they are a lot brighter! ... "
" ... I was easily able to get 16 or so solid separate hues as shown in the pictures. ... "
" ... in the included pictures you'll see what I'm talking about. ... "
USB
3would, gold plated usb, cap
+67%
-33%
" ... - Gold-plated usb ... "
" ... regardless of USB type. ... "
Ease of Cleaning
3+100%
" ... Clean minimal and mechanical all in one! ... "
" ... It's not terrible but wish it could've been just simple and clean . ... "
" ... It's a sturdy board, and has a very clean look. ... "
Night Photography
3lighting, light, brightness
+100%
" ... They are bright enough during the day, but not obnoxious at night or in low lighting. ... "
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Specifications
No specs available.