WEBVTT 00:00:07.520 --> 00:00:14.400 Azio listened and implemented advice 00:00:10.719 --> 00:00:16.560 from NCX employees on their Mech 5 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:22.560 gaming keyboard. So, this is from their Levitron series of keyboards. It is a 00:00:19.279 --> 00:00:25.840 mechanical keyboard. And I'm not going 00:00:22.560 --> 00:00:27.119 to say who the NCIX employees were, but 00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:32.239 if there's anything you don't like about this keyboard, then I hope that you have 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:36.719 a keyboard yourself that is capable of writing Russian characters so that you 00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:41.520 can email the NCIX employee who is responsible for your 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:43.040 dissatisfaction. Um, mechanical keys. 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:48.160 The cherry black mechanical key switch is widely believed to provide the best gaming experience. featuring a linear 00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:51.600 design ideal for rapid pressing of keys and the right stiffness to help prevent 00:00:49.680 --> 00:00:55.520 accidental key press. It also has a dedicated key for turning the Windows 00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:59.680 key on and off. Personally, I don't use that, but some people do. Has a numeric 00:00:57.760 --> 00:01:03.280 keyboard that can actually be attached and then detached to put either on the 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:09.600 right or the left side of the keyboard, which I think is kind of neat. You can also just take it right off and use it 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:13.200 as a standalone USB keyboard, which is or keypad, which is kind of neat. Some 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:16.799 people like those. Anti- ghosting ensures multiple keys register when you 00:01:14.960 --> 00:01:20.240 press them simultaneously. That's good. Modular design attaching modular 00:01:18.960 --> 00:01:25.360 accessories. Okay. Unlimited profiles. Create and save as many profiles as you'd like for maximum key 00:01:23.520 --> 00:01:30.159 customization. Require software. That's cool because I can't imagine a reason 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:34.880 why anyone's keyboard software actually has a limit to how many profiles, but 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:36.880 they all do. And this one doesn't. Neat. 00:01:34.880 --> 00:01:40.880 The add-on macro D-pad expansion allows for six additional programmable keys. 00:01:38.320 --> 00:01:43.119 The expansion module rail enables custom positioning by sliding the D-pad left to 00:01:42.240 --> 00:01:46.960 right. So, I'll show you guys that after. Volume knob, water resistant, 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:53.920 remain functional even if accidentally exposed to liquid in such an event. Do not flip or shake the keyboard and the 00:01:50.320 --> 00:01:53.920 liquid will properly drain 00:01:54.439 --> 00:02:02.640 itself. It's kind of neat. Lifetime support by phone, live chat, email, and 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:03.920 including warranty. Okay, you can phone 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:08.560 their support about your warranty, but your warranty is 3 years. 00:02:06.240 --> 00:02:13.360 Here is the keyboard itself. So, you can see it looks like um a no number pad 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:19.599 keyboard when you first take it out of the box, but then you will find all the 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:21.440 modular accessories and hoo-ha that you 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:28.400 didn't initially see once you take the keyboard itself out. There's their 00:02:24.760 --> 00:02:29.599 packaging. Here is their extra USB 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:34.920 cable, which I will show you what it's for in a minute. Here is the modular 00:02:33.239 --> 00:02:41.760 D-pad dudad. D-pad duad. 00:02:38.200 --> 00:02:44.400 Nice. I satisfy even myself with my 00:02:41.760 --> 00:02:48.879 quirkiness sometimes. All right, we have the 00:02:47.440 --> 00:02:53.040 included software, which you'll need for your programmable keys with unlimited 00:02:50.720 --> 00:02:56.959 profiles. Your quick start guide, which pretty much shows you how a keyboard 00:02:55.120 --> 00:03:01.360 works. Okay, I don't think I'll be needing that. Uh, and then we have the 00:02:59.440 --> 00:03:06.959 keyboard itself. So, we had a look at the Mech 4. In fact, uh, Slick pointed 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:12.400 out a fascinating uh, a fascinating fact to me, and that 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:16.640 is that the Mech 4 was the first unboxing he ever filmed with me back 00:03:14.480 --> 00:03:20.239 when he was doing his job application. So, I thought that was interesting. So, 00:03:18.480 --> 00:03:23.879 here we are. We've uh, we've come to the Mech 5, and this will be the last 00:03:21.920 --> 00:03:28.000 unboxing he ever films with me cuz he's fired. Actually, I only fired him once 00:03:26.239 --> 00:03:32.239 today. Usually I fire him multiple times in a day, but then I always rehire him, 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:37.519 so he's not too he's not too put off by it at this point. All right. In terms of 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:43.040 the cable that's included, it is uh just over one full Linus arms span in length. 00:03:40.239 --> 00:03:46.640 Includes two wires, one for presumably, yes, the built-in hub, and the other for 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:49.920 the actual data to the keyboard itself. It uses a nice thin cable, though. I 00:03:48.239 --> 00:03:54.080 like that. Instead of like one of those super thick, ridiculous cables just for 00:03:52.640 --> 00:03:58.640 the sake of, you know, having a couple connectors end up at the other end. 00:03:56.280 --> 00:04:05.200 Um, in terms of the layout of the keyboard, we have what to me is the Hold 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:08.720 on. There we go. We have what to me is the ideal layout where you've got your 00:04:06.720 --> 00:04:12.879 long shift, long shift, long enter, and long backspace. It does have two Windows 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:15.360 keys and no function keys. However, the fact that you have all these 00:04:13.760 --> 00:04:20.400 programmable keys, which you can switch between A or B, as well as the dedicated 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:24.440 Windows key means this Windows key shouldn't really bother gamers for the 00:04:22.479 --> 00:04:30.240 most part. Ah, so they did not make the mistake of 00:04:28.400 --> 00:04:33.680 one of their contemporaries who also builds mechanical keyboards. These are 00:04:32.080 --> 00:04:36.639 all mechanical and these are all mechanical and these are mechanical and 00:04:35.280 --> 00:04:42.280 these are mechanical. This is a full mechanical keyboard with the couple of 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:44.479 small exceptions being the volume 00:04:42.280 --> 00:04:50.639 dial. Clearly, if you put a key switch in it, it would be stupid. Um, also the 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:54.960 Windows on and off and the A and B uh switch between these programmable keys. 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:58.720 These are also not programmable, but it just depends on I mean whether you want 00:04:56.960 --> 00:05:02.080 to use them or not. And what's cool is you can put them on, flip it away if you 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:05.840 don't feel like using it, and flip it down if you want more macro keys to use 00:05:04.400 --> 00:05:10.639 during a gaming session. So you'll have all of these and all of these, or you 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:14.479 just won't have them. It actually slides on in much the same way as like, you 00:05:12.400 --> 00:05:18.639 know, like a sniper scope. In fact, oh, look at this. No, they even have like 00:05:15.919 --> 00:05:23.360 shiny like glassy pieces on the sides. And yeah, it's okay. That's totally 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:27.360 totally sniper scope inspired design. And that looks like the rail that you 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:30.479 slide it onto on the See, you can actually position it wherever you want. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:34.400 So you can throw it over here if it's, you know, here that you desire to have 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:39.280 it. And you can put it here if it's here that you desire to have it. It's totally up to you. Personally, I'd probably put 00:05:37.440 --> 00:05:43.520 it right about there cuz I don't have much use for F1 when I'm gaming. Uh, but 00:05:42.080 --> 00:05:49.840 escape might come in handy. And you never know when you might need F5. F5 is like my favorite key on the 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:53.160 keyboard. Um, so I want to show No, it's not. I lied. Um, so I want to show you 00:05:51.520 --> 00:05:59.520 guys how this works. Basically, there's a USB port. There's a 00:05:56.400 --> 00:06:01.520 USB port, and you put the thing into the 00:05:59.520 --> 00:06:08.360 thing. You clip the thing onto the thing, and then it will sit on the left 00:06:03.440 --> 00:06:11.319 of your keyboard. Tada. Or you undo it 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:15.319 uh or uh preferably with the switch on the 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:20.520 bottom. Unput the thing in the thing. 00:06:18.479 --> 00:06:26.120 preferably with the switch on the bottom. Fold that back 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:29.520 over. Open up the other 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:33.039 side and plug it in there and clip it 00:06:29.520 --> 00:06:34.160 into place. I think it's cool. Or if 00:06:33.039 --> 00:06:39.639 you're one of those people, in fact, Slick was just pointing out to me a 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:42.160 little while ago the lack of mechanical 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:46.400 detachable keypads because lots of people like to use the uh the shorter 00:06:44.400 --> 00:06:50.240 keyboards. So, the ones without a number pad for general use, then they have 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:53.960 their mouse. Then they have the keypad on the other side for like more 00:06:52.479 --> 00:06:59.919 efficient hand movement. This is a mechanical keypad. 00:06:57.840 --> 00:07:03.520 So, it comes with it. All you got to do is plug in the USB cable and plug it 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:08.960 into your computer and you have a full mechanical keyboard keypad including a 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:13.520 dedicated calculator calculator button, which I am personally a huge fan of. It 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:18.960 is also a very well-built one with nice long rubber pads on the bottom as well 00:07:15.919 --> 00:07:20.240 as two different height options in terms 00:07:18.960 --> 00:07:27.919 of how you want to lay it down on the desk. So, check this out. You can either do flat, in which case it won't move. 00:07:24.880 --> 00:07:29.199 You can do half inclined, in which case 00:07:27.919 --> 00:07:32.960 it Oh, it will actually move a little bit. That's a shame. Uh or you can do 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:38.160 fully inclined, in which case it won't move. This is probably the one I would go for cuz I like this angle when I'm 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:41.919 typing on a number pad. The keyboard actually has the same options as well. 00:07:40.400 --> 00:07:45.479 So, you can see here that it's got two of these where you can do either the 00:07:43.440 --> 00:07:51.000 full height, the half height, or the no height at all 00:07:48.400 --> 00:07:55.440 depending on what you're into. Wrist rest is Oh, look at that. 00:07:53.599 --> 00:07:57.840 Permanently attached wrist rest. That seems like the kind of thing I might 00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:02.560 complain about cuz it's less customizable, but it isn't because every 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:08.639 keyboard should have a wrist rest and uh the ones that are detachable tend to 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:11.199 break. So, there you go. I'm a fan. 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:15.520 Wow, this is actually really good. Has a volume dial. 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:19.520 Doesn't have a number lock light as you may or may not have noticed because it's 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:25.319 on here. So, that's just an FYI. And has kind of a cool overall aesthetic to it. 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:28.080 Very uh very nice overall build feel to 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:33.680 it. Not a lot of flex to the to the deck of the keyboard 00:08:30.360 --> 00:08:35.279 itself. Yeah, I'm impressed. 00:08:33.680 --> 00:08:40.479 So, thank you for checking out my unboxing and first look at the Levatron 00:08:37.760 --> 00:08:42.880 Mech 5 from Azio. Don't forget to subscribe to Linus Tech Tips for more 00:08:41.599 --> 00:08:45.680 unboxings, reviews, and other computer videos.