[Fenner]

TT eSports Meka G1

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed about this keyboard, before I even opened the parcel is that it is EXTREMELY heavy. I picked up the parcel and honestly did not expect it to be so heavy, I believe it was in a 5kg+ package. After opening the package I was greeted with the Meka G1 box, not much to say about a box but from the outside it does look like you have bought yourself a fancy keyboard at least.

Upon opening the box you are presented with an overlay covering everything which tells you all about the functions of the keyboard and all of its features.

Not too useful but it does make everything look neat and tidy. Once pulling that out of the way you are confronted with a very neatly and well packed keyboard, all the packaging is well done and I can't see this getting damaged in transit. The little square box that looks like a CD case contains Warranty Info and an instruction manual for quick installation.

What I noticed after pulling this bad boy out, other than it being really heavy for a keyboard is that the braided cord coming out of the back of this thing is ABSOLUTELY HUGE. I've never seen such a cable for a consumer product before, it even looks a tad ridiculous but it is very solid and I doubt this keyboard will ever fail because of a twisted cable or something like that.

It also splits into 4 connections at the end, speaker connection, microphone connection and 2 USB connections, one for the keyboard itself and the other for the USB hub. Why on earth does a keyboard have headphone and micrphone connectrions? On the back of this thing you have the capability to plug your headphones/speakers, microphone and 2 USB slots. I don't personally use them myself but if you have short headphone cables or you like to take them out often then I can see this coming in handy.

Other than that, the keyboard comes with a wrist rest. It snaps directly onto the keyboard and honestly seemed a little flimsy at the point where you snap it in but unless you go mental I can't see it breaking, it snaps in really easily. I've never used a wrist rest before so this didn't really interest me much but I did give it a go anyway which I will talk about later.

I really like the design of this keyboard, It's simple, compact and doesn't have any crazy macro keys or flashy lights. Its EXTREMELY solid, I can't see myself ever breaking this thing which is perfect for hauling around to lans etc where will it will inevitably get some abuse. The keyboard uses Cherry MX Black keys which you can easily do some more research on by tapping them into google.

Usage

First Time
After plugging this thing into my computer it worked instantly, no messing around with drivers or silly stuff like that. Obviously the first thing I did was load up StarCraft to try this baby out, what else would I do?

Playing my first game of SC2 on this thing was horrible, but let me finish. The keys felt very awkward, after using the same keyboard for 5 years (rubber dome) This was completely new to me. The Cherry MX black keys felt like they took a lot more force to depress than my previous keyboard and my fingers and wrist were getting tired simply from spamming at the beginning. It also felt like I needed to depress the keys much further than my rubber dome keyboard to reach the point of actuation, 2 points which I don't think anyone would prefer for playing an RTS game.

Ignoring the fact that I didn't like the keys on first use, they did feel solid and professional. I can't say what it is but the finish on the top of the keys is really smooth and nice on my fingers. After playing a couple of StarCraft games I went to tab to my desktop and realized there was no left Windows key, it is replaced by a function key which you need to press to activate the media keys which are on the f-keys, things like play, pause, volume up/down etc. I found this annoying as I actually use the left windows key quite often, I wish they would've put it in the location of the right Windows key or whatever that key next to the right Windows key is that no one ever uses. However I do like media keys and I am glad they are included, I just think they could have been implemented better.

I chucked the wrist rest on to try it out and see if I preferred playing with a wrist rest. The rest feels very solid once its on and lifts your wrists up quite significantly, it did feel quite comfortable. With the wrist rest on however I had a hard time pressing ctrl, which I use all the time in SC2. Just for typing though, I think the wrist rest is definitely nice to have on. This obviously just comes down to user preference.

A Week of Use
After using this thing for a week I can finally say I have gotten used to the Cherry MX Black keys, which is quite surprising as they felt horrible the first few days. It feels natural and was just a matter of getting used to it. I don't think the type of switch has any impact on my play, I think it's just what you're used to.

I haven't been using the wrist rest even though it is comfortable just for typing, it's easier just to leave it off as I play so much SC2.

The fact that there is no left Windows key still annoys me as it does speed some non-gaming related tasks up.

Against I want to say how solid this keyboard is. If I never buy myself another keyboard I can honestly see this lasting a life time, even with heavy heavy lan usage.

Conclusion

Pros
- Extremely high level of build quality
- Solid as a rock
- Compact, minimal design
- Very comfy with wrist rest

Cons
- Expensive
- No left Windows key
- No choice of keyboard switches

Conclusion: Overall I think this is a luxury item, it is expensive for a keyboard and most of all I think you're paying for the build quality as with most mechanical keyboards. Different switches won't improve your APM or skill in the game it's just what you're used to it. If you're looking for a keyboard to take to lans and that will never break, this is the thing for you. If you're never going to take it out of your house, I would look for cheaper options. With all that said there really isn't anything wrong with this keyboard, the price point is just so high because of the build quality.

SCORE: 8/10

Quick Comments

	syfChadMann:	Nice write up!
	Hydroid:
	Maynarde:	As good as peanutbutter
	neon:	very professional, nice one.
	Blitz: