Mechlands Vibe99 keyboard is a pleasant surprise for a full-sized compact keyboard. It feels good to type on, sounds magical, and has just enough oomph with its software and switch customization that you’ll be satisfied. While it doesn’t delve too far into the complicated keyboard software weeds, it does enough to impress. I highly recommend this keyboard.
In the early days of typing (post-Linotype), there was nothing like having a good-sounding keyboard that typed well. I started back in the IBM typewriter days featuring the globe of letters leading the way. From there, I worked my way through Apple IIe to gain experience on an actual computer keyboard, which brought me spiritual fulfillment. Yeah, that’s dramatic, but I love a good keyboard.
In 2024, Will Silberman brought in the idea that Digitalchumps should be reviewing keyboards on the site. It was a bold idea and one that took off immediately, as Will has enjoyed a closet full of keyboards he doesn’t know what to do with and a wealth of keyboard knowledge that he shares with the rest of us. Of course, for me, I had a lot to learn along the way.
While I thought keyboards were standard in many ways, falling into the rabbit hole of how a keyboard works nowadays and how it can be customizable helped bring new light to my narrow tunnel of keyboard knowledge. There is so much in the keyboard world that I didn’t know existed. Thankfully, with the help from Will, I’m now getting a good grasp on what is good and what is so-so. It’s been a fun rollercoaster ride with keyboards.
Now, all this gibberish above said, this past holiday season I had the pleasure of testing out Mechlands’ Vibe99 keyboard. While the smaller keyboards in the gaming world certainly have their thrill, the fact that this one has a keypad and maybe the best sound I have ever heard from keys has made me appreciate what a good keyboard can feel and sound like. That’s not to say there aren’t some faults with this keyboard, as it is not as complicated and adjustable as other keyboards of its type, but there is a lot to love about the comfort and feel of this keyboard that overshadows any shortcomings it may have.
So, sit back, crack those knuckles, and let’s get going on this review.
Base level
At the very base level of this keyboard, you’re going to get comfort with typing and a pleasant clicking sound coming from each key. The latter of the bunch caught the attention of people passing by my office before the holiday season, as they loved the somewhat sly and silent click that the keyboard made. The keys have a pleasant and stealthy sound that won’t annoy you, as it acts like a kind of typing white noise that will make you forget that you’re on deadline. I can dig that, especially if it can fool my brain into thinking it is doing a lot of work. The sound of the Vibe99 is pleasant and one of the bigger reasons you should own it. It’s unique in its typing sound and just pleasing to the ears.
Click here to check out the Vibe99 at Mechlands!
The Vibe99 keys are also Cherry Profile Double-Shot PBT keycaps. If you don’t know what the hell that means, it means they’re curved for your fingers. This is a classic style that has been around for decades, though probably not called that during the old days of keyboarding. It brings a fair amount of comfort to typing, which helps kick the fatigue that comes from other keyboards. If you think all keyboards and their keys are the same, then you’ve not used a Macintosh keyboard in your life. A standard Apple keyboard nowadays consists of flat, silent keys that give you no reassurance of key contact. My iMac at home has this type of keyboard and I refuse to type on it. I must connect another keyboard for speed and comfort. Anyway, the Vibe99 is better than the iMac keyboard and the keys on the Vibe99 feel good when pressed. The key style harkens back to older, more assuring keyboard key contact, which is something I must have when using any keyboard.
Outside of the sound and shape of the keys, the keyboard layout is comfortable. In the past, I have had some slightly uncomfortable hand cramps with keyboards we have reviewed. Some were just too tightly knit with how close the keys were, while others just had uncomfortable angles. When I type with my 48-year-old hands, I need the most comfort I can get, especially when I hit that train of thought that has me typing like a mad keyboard scientist. The Vibe99 delivers that necessary comfort.
Beyond keys, the keyboard is a nice weight. It does have some heaviness to it, which you might think would be a negative, but if you’re a fast typer like me, I need stability with the keyboard as I’m banging on it, so having it feel hefty means that it isn’t moving when I’m hitting my review stride. Honestly, this keyboard has a familiarity to it. It seems like it was designed for my 1980s Commodore 64, as the Vibe99 is strikingly similar in weight and design. The Commodore keyboard was always big and weighty, but it was one of the best keyboards I typed on while growing up. Everything felt sturdy and solid on the Commodore 64 keyboard, as well as compact, and that’s how the Vibe99 feels. The biggest difference is the key sound, but the similarities are pleasant, especially with its weight and durability.
Outside of comfort and weight, the Vibe99 also features three different ways to connect with your computer. You can do wireless 2.4Ghz, Bluetooth, and USB-C wired. How you want to hook it up is your business. The Bluetooth action/reaction is adjustable in the software, while everything else is as expected. For me, I enjoyed wiring the keyboard up directly to the computer, as I didn’t anticipate taking it from my desk at any point. While going wireless or Bluetooth is nice, there is nothing quite as solid and reassuring as wired.
Now, having a wired keyboard doesn’t mean that you’re free of weirdness. Not at all. One of the oddball side effects of being wired was having my keyboard fall asleep and not waking up. I’ve had so much experience with MacBooks doing this over the years that my feeling of panic has turned into a ‘Have you tried turning on and off?’ sort of deal. By default, the keyboard is built to fall asleep in 5 minutes. You need only to touch a key to wake it up…or at least it says that on paper. What I ran into is that the keyboard would fall asleep wired to my desktop, I would try to wake it up by pressing the spacebar, and it would just sit there dark and uncooperative.
What I generally had to do was unplug and re-plug the keyboard back in for it to function again. Not the worst troubleshooting I’ve had to deal with over the years when it came to hardware, but still an annoyance. What also exasperates that annoyance further is how it inconsistently did this. Sometimes it would sleep and stay comatose, while other times it would work as promised. I’m assuming this is a Windows/Vibe99 disconnect, so I’m sure it will be corrected at some point via a firmware update, but it exists now, and it is inconsistent. Not the worst thing in the world by any stretch of the imagination but still an annoyance that should be corrected. The longer solution to avoid this is setting the five-minute sleep time to no sleep. That’s an easy option and who doesn’t like a constant RGB show in your room when everything is off? I enjoy it.
Of course, all this said, I love the Vibe99. It’s a nice keyboard that brings comfortable typing, pleasant sound, and a wonderful layout to the keyboard world. The fact that it is a full-sized compact keyboard makes a world of difference for someone sensitive to hand cramps while typing. I could type all day on this keyboard and not feel a thing. It’s that well-designed.
Before we move on, it should be mentioned that the Vibe99 features a hot-swappable PCB. This allows you to replace switches without having to worry about special tools or the need to be a soldering guru. While I haven’t tried this yet on the Vibe99, as I don’t have a variety of replaceable switches at my disposal, I’m hopeful this option is easy to pull off. I do have nightmares of soldering wires as a youth, so this crosses out the need to rekindle those thoughts. Anytime you can avoid soldering is a good time in life.
Anyway! Let’s talk about software.
Software
The software for the Vibe99 is simple. Really. It’s easy to use. While you won’t get to adjust key press contact speed in any detailed or adjustable fashion, you will get to do a bevy of other wonderful things with the software.
The first part of the software you’re going to have thrown at you is the RGB portion. This option in the software allows you to customize color, RGB movement, and positioning. While this part of the software isn’t uncommon to keyboard enthusiasts out there, it’s still nice to be able to make your keyboard look as colorful as you see fit. I’m a University of Kentucky basketball fan, which means this keyboard is enjoying the proper blue as it should. It’s not Duke blue. It’s not UNC blue. It’s strictly Kentucky blue. That makes me happy. Getting it to that specific shade of blue is easy through the software, as you’re given a color wheel to work with, though having a hex code option would have made this easier. I’m sure this could be added, right? Right.
Once the color is picked, you can bring it in with a variety of movements. The software allows you to customize how the colors move on the keyboard, such as in a ripple fashion, or even a subtle throb. There is a huge list of movement types for the RGB, so you won’t be short of creative choices.
Beyond colors and movements, the software features your standard multi-configuration save option. You can customize keys for different uses, such as gaming or maybe editing, and then save that configuration. You can save multiple configurations, create multiple macros, and do a bevy of other wonderful saves with the keyboard that make it unique to whatever you’re running on the computer. The macros option is neat, as the software can record key movements and bind them into a single macro.
The software doesn’t get into the level of complexity that you would find with most keyboards, such as adjusting the sensitivity of key presses, but it does enough to complement the Vibe99 experience. It’s also very easy to understand, which is a huge plus when you’re just getting into these types of keyboards. There also won’t be a journey to GitHub in the future for this software. Great place, just prefer to download software from the actual manufacturer. I’m a snob. I know.
On that sweet note, let’s wrap this review up.
Conclusion
Mechlands Vibe99 keyboard is a pleasant surprise for a full-sized compact keyboard. It feels good to type on, sounds magical, and has just enough oomph with its software and switch customization that you’ll be satisfied. While it doesn’t delve too far into the complicated keyboard software weeds, it does enough to impress. I highly recommend this keyboard.
