The G-Lab Keyz#Meca

The G-Lab Keyz#Meca was a cheaper alternative to more expensive gaming keyboards from the likes of Corsair, Logitech and Razer in the mid-2010s. It even offered mechanical switches – The Jixian Blue. A more inconsistent switch compared to the Cherry MX Blue in every regard. This keyboard sucks. Really, take my word for it. Don’t spend any money on this junk.

Build Quality: 4/10

One of the first things you notice is the relatively lightweight and flimsy construction, along with rather odd-looking keycap legends and a completely unnecessary graphic on the bottom right, serving no purpose other than to look awkward. The aesthetic is the opposite of subtle. At least the top plate is made of metal and not plastic.

Many more aspects scream ‘cheap’. A good example are the keycaps. They are thin and laser ablated. They haven’t shined in my unit yet, but they would most likely would with a few more months of use. Another cheap aspect is the fact that a few of the keycaps are not straight. The most notable being my “B” key, its slanted towards the left. “Good Quality” aren’t the words you will use to describe this keyboard.

Additionally, both flip out feets don’t seem to want to stay in place when closed. They appear to be very loosely constructed. It’s not a big issue by any means, but it further shows the poor quality of the board.

Features: 6/10

The feature set of the board is pretty much in line with all the other boards at the time. So, this isn’t anything special.
Here’s the full feature list:

• “Floating” key design
• N-key rollover
• Jixian Blue switches
• Cherry stabilizers
• Standard bottom row
• RGB lights with many presets
• Integrated media controls along the F keys
• Blue & black striped braided USB cable
• “Gaming lock” (Windows lock) via FN + Windows Key with a WINLOCK lock light

As you can see listed, it’s a decent amount. Although, there are a few missing that I expected. Firstly, it doesn’t even have a single USB port and secondly, there are no cable gutters. Both standard features even in cheap boards like these. Oh and of course, there aren’t any macro keys, but even those are something you don’t see in higher-end keyboards anymore.

Jixian Blue switches.

Daily Performance: 5/10

As it’s a fairly standard board, it isn’t something that I had to get used to using. A definite plus.

There are a few small gripes…again, it’s a build quality issue. When used with the flip out feet extended, the keyboard is lopsided. This may or may not bother you, but it’s worth mentioning. You can easily get rid of this issue by not using the feet at all. And since they’re loose, just use some tape to force them shut.

There is also a weird issue when pressing multiple keys at the same time with the RGB turned off or in the lowest setting. Key presses sometimes don’t register which is disappointing in a ‘gaming’ keyboard. Of course, this also affects typing too. Sometimes simple commands like CTRL + S or ALT + TAB won’t register. It’s frustrating. Again, it’s a simple issue to solve. Just have the RGB lights turned on.

So, while not great in daily use, it was a lot better than I thought. Although, there were still other boards that were cheaper and better.

Reliability: 4/10

Long term reliability becomes an issue with cheap keyboards like this as time goes on. The major advantage is the fact that the board is using mechanical switches which tend to last much longer than rubber domes.

So far, all the keys register as they should, and all the LEDs light up in the correct color and brightness. However, since the keyboard has RGB LEDs, they may burn out in the future. This will result in an even uglier looking keyboard, but functionally, it should be fine. The keyboard also uses lower quality switches, which may not last as long as genuine switches. Not to mention that the keycaps may turn into a blob of mess when they wear off, but at least those are easily replaceable thanks to the standard layout.

Value: 5/10

The keyboard is ridiculously cheap, but that doesn’t mean its good value. I bought mine for £0.99 making this the cheapest board I’ve ever purchased.

I’ve personally never seen any other models sold in the used market, so I can’t exactly say how much these go for. £10 -20 would be my best guess. For that money, I’d rather go for a used Razer or SteelSeries board. This is about 70% the experience of the 2010 Razer BlackWidow for a little less money, but at this point…just buy *that* board. There’s no point in getting this one, unless you see it listed for less than £5!

Final Score = 24/50 (48%)

Places to purchase this keyboard:

eBay