Review of the Rapoo V700DIY — Versatile Mechanical Keyboard for Work and Play
Rapoo V700DIY Review — Universal Mechanical Keyboard for Work and Play
Two layouts (98 and 75 keys), three connection modes, and Kailh linear switches with a quiet, pleasant sound
Mechanical keyboards are no longer something that only interests enthusiasts, and the prices for these devices, even with top-tier components, are no longer intimidating. Therefore, they can be considered part of the setup of every self-respecting PC user. For the vast majority of users, the choice is no longer between a membrane and a mechanical keyboard — now it's all about deciding what sound and tactile feedback the mechanical keyboard on the desk should have. However, this has also led to a huge variety of options on the market, making it very difficult to find "the one." That's why today we're taking a look at the Rapoo V700DIY in two variants with different numbers of keys — for those who love accounting with a numpad, and for everyone else. I'll just note right away that even the version with the numpad is still more compact than many other similar solutions, but more on that in order.
The keyboard comes in a sturdy cardboard box, and inside you'll find a USB Type-C to Type-A cable, a double-sided keycap and switch puller, documentation, and, of course, the keyboard itself in your chosen configuration. The V700DIY comes in three color options, but both keyboards I received for review were in black and green.
The Rapoo V700DIY is a keyboard with three connection modes, not just a wired solution. In addition to the cable mentioned above, the keyboard can also connect to a PC or other devices via Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz. It might seem like there's no 2.4 GHz "dongle" included? But it is there; its slot is located on the keyboard itself and covered by a magnetic cover — it's right between F12 and Del in the top row of keys. An interesting solution, but to be honest, a key with some additional functionality would look better in that spot. However, the backlight also shines from under this cover.
Speaking of backlighting. It is, of course, fully per-key here, with support for all the colors of the rainbow and a huge variety of shades. Basic lighting settings can be made without installing any software, but for fine-tuning, you'll naturally need to install it.
As I mentioned, the V700DIY exists in two variants — with 98 keys and with 75. Depending on the presence of the numpad on the right, the placement of the Del, Pg Up, and Pg Dn keys, as well as the arrow keys, changes slightly, but otherwise, the layout is absolutely identical and requires no adjustment after using any other standard keyboard — everything is in its place. I'll note that the 75-key version of the keyboard differs from its larger sibling only in length — the numpad takes up extra space on the right. The height of the keyboards is absolutely identical, even though the 98-key version has slightly lower-positioned arrow keys. And yes, there's no wrist rest for the keyboards, which is absolutely normal — no one includes them.
On the top edge of the keyboard, there is a connection mode switch and a USB Type-C port for charging and using the device wired.
On the bottom, we see four rubber feet, as well as two additional flip-out feet for adjusting the keyboard's tilt angle. A pleasant bonus for backlighting enthusiasts here is two additional lines with LEDs inside.
We've covered the appearance, so let's move on to the internals. Inside, both V700DIY variants use custom gray switches from Kailh, designed for maximum responsiveness. They are linear, factory-lubricated, and have an actuation point of just 1.2 millimeters with an actuation force of just 35 grams. The total travel of the switches, by the way, is standard, ~3.5 mm. The manufacturer claims these switches will last at least 50,000,000 presses, and there's no reason not to believe them on this matter — mechanical switches are generally very durable. And if you don't like the factory switches, you can easily replace them with almost any others — the PCBs of these keyboards support both 3-pin and 5-pin switches, so your choice is simply enormous. The only exception might be magnetic switches, which require special PCBs.
Another very pleasant point is that the manufacturer took care of sound insulation — there are seven layers of "dampening" material. As a result, we get a fairly quiet keyboard with a very pleasant sound when using it — no parasitic noise from the switches or the device's case is observed, even during aggressive typing.
Software? Rapoo also has its own application for the V700DIY. It offers very detailed backlighting settings, key remapping, and macros — in short, literally everything you need.
Another solid bonus of the V700DIY is the very substantial battery life. The keyboards easily last up to 60 hours on a single charge with active backlighting at full brightness, and up to 800 (!) hours of operation without backlighting. In principle, if you touch-type, you don't really need backlighting, so you might only need to think about charging the keyboard roughly every 2.5-3 months with daily 10-hour use, which is a lot.
Traditionally, let's summarize
So, what do we have in the end? The Rapoo V700DIY, in either of its two variants, is unequivocally an excellent keyboard. It sounds very pleasant thanks to solid sound dampening and lubricated linear switches, looks nice, and takes up little space on the desk, even in the 98-key version with a numpad. Such a keyboard is not a sin to recommend to everyone, and whether you choose the version with or without a numpad is up to you.