Revisiting the AUKEY KM-G9 keyboard - now with KBDFans Rainbow dye-subbed keycaps for the ultimate eye-catching keyboard for your Mac.
Last month I reviewed two AUKEY mechanical keyboards. I recommended both keyboards because of their build quality and low cost. I had one gripe:
As an Apple person the keyboard comes out of the box with windows in mind. Why no extra ⌘, option, control keys for Apple folks? It would be great if they shipped extra caps for Mac users . . . A link to an approved cap vendor would be helpful too.
I recently upgraded the keycaps on the 87-key KM-G9. Here is the result.
The AUKEY KM-G9 with KBDFans Rainbow Caps
The caps I used came from KBDfans with specializes in custom made quality keycaps. These rainbow keycaps are made from polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). PBT caps are thicker, higher quality, and will resist shining for much longer than caps made from ABS plastic. (AUKEY ships this keyboard with double-shot-molded ABS keycaps.)
Close shot of the KBDFans Rainbow Caps
The caps are also dye sublimated. Dye-Sublimation is a labor intensive process that results in a long lasting and visually appealing product. There is a good deal of manual labor involved in this process so the cost is a bit higher than keycaps that use more automated methods.
Now, not only does my keyboard look cool (subjective I know) but these caps paired with the Outemu blue switches make it a very satisfying keyboard to type on. This keyboard now looks and feels great.
So if you’re a Mac user and looking to dip your toe in the mechanical keyboard scene I would recommend you take a look at one of these AUKEY boards with replacement keys. You don't need to go full rainbow - here's a more laid back set - but you gotta admit it looks a bit different from the rest of the pack!
I'm really liking these KBDFans keys. At $33 these Rainbow dye-subbed keycaps are about the same price as the keyboard but they really improve the look of the KM-G9. And if you later decide that you want to upgrade to a fancier mechanical board with Cherry MX red/brown/white switches for example, you can take your keys with you.
Of course if you just want to change the modifier keys . . . here's an unobtrusive way to do that as well. 😉
AUKEY recently sent me two mechanical keyboard to try out. I am not a keyboard junky and I happen to like the standard keyboard that ships with Mac desktops. In fact, I had no problem shelling out a little money to “upgrade” my keyboard to the one that ships with the iMac Pro. You know the Mac that goes with Darth Vader's decor. It’s a great keyboard that doesn’t seem to be affected by all the issues Apple laptop keyboards seem to be ridden with. (I personally have had no issues with the keyboard on my laptop - knock on wood.)
But, there is a physician in the household who uses a Windows machine every day to log on to EPIC and type up copious quantities of notes. So I removed the crappy keyboard that HP shipped with one of their generic looking all-in-one's and replaced it with the AUKEY KM-G6 104 Key LED-Backlit Mechanical Keyboard. This piece of kit is marketed as a "gaming keyboard" because it has Outemu Blue switches. If you are like me and aren't versed in the ins and outs of keyboards, I'm told the switches are clones of Cherry MX switches. Still not helpful? The switches are what the keys are attached to and are what give keyboards their feel and their clickity sound. Having individual switches means that you can register individual keystrokes at the same time which is something that the "membrane" keyboards that ship standard with most computers can't do. Want to learn more, here's a great primer on Cherry switches.
TLDR, if you are someone who types a lot and perhaps uses keyboard macros - like say a gamer or a doctor - then a mechanical keyboard is nice to have.
What you get. IMAGE/AUKEY
Out of the box - and I like the nondescript brown & black packaging AUKEY uses for their products - the KM-G6 looks and feels like a substantial piece of computer equipment. It has a nice heft and seems really well constructed. It's a $40 keyboard that looks like it cost a lot more.
Plug it in and you get a pretty light show as the LED's cycle through a testing routine. The keys stay illuminated and look pretty cool. The typeface on the individual keys isn't what I'd call inspired but I suppose one of the things that people like about these keyboards is that you can pull the keys and replace them with some that suit your taste - AUKEY informed me that Cherry caps are compatible so the world is your oyster - check out /r/MechanicalKeyboards for some inspiration.
The KM-G6 in use. IMAGE/J.BURNICH
Looks cool but how is it for typing?
Let me start by saying that the physician who I asked to test this keyboard does a LOT of typing. She does enough typing that I often hear her complaining of wrist pain and possible carpel tunnel. In the 20 days since I upgraded the standard keyboard to the AUKEY those complaints seem to have lessened. Your milage may vary but for pure ease of use and typing comfort the AUKEY has an endorsement from at least one medical professional.
I'm told the key travel is nice, that the keys feel responsive, and that the height ergonomics of the keyboard are great. The LED lighting is a hit as well. So there you go.
The other keyboard that AUKEY sent over is the 87-key KM-G9. Generally I prefer to use full size keyboards. I like having the number pad and even if it's only perception, this size keyboard seems cramped. I feel that way about the Apple models as well.
KM-G9. IMAGE/AUKEY
I mentioned above that I actually like the keyboard on my Mac and have no issues typing on my MacBook keyboard either. But since AUKEY was nice enough to send me a keyboard to evaluate I decided to give it a good workout.
When I took the KM-G9 out of the box and plugged it in nothing happened. Where were the cool flashing lights? I was disappointed. I thought maybe it was a Mac issue and plugged it into the Windows machine. Still no lights. I then decided to look up the model and saw that it wasn't a backlit keyboard! Sorry AUKEY. I just really thought the backlighting was pretty cool.
Once I got over that initial misunderstanding I decided to plug it into my laptop using a USB-C hub. Here's what I typed when the keyboard was plugged into my laptop: This is a test ion this auk keyboard. It is pretty nice typing on this. I wish the keys were a little wider but other than that but is pretty snappy. I wasn't blown away by the difference. And I think my spelling got worse using the mechanical keyboard.
But then I had an idea.
Writing with an iPad + KM-G9 IMAGE/J.BURNICH
I don’t like the "keyboard" on my iPad. I've never liked typing on it and most of the time just use my voice via Siri dictation and the Apple Pencil for input and the rest of the time just use it for passive content viewing. What if I plugged in a real keyboard? Could I use an iPad as a laptop replacement if I wanted? So I gave it a shot.
Aesthetically the keyboard+iPad combo looks like something out of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. I think this would especially be the case had AUKEY sent me the KM-G11 which is their "retro" styled small keyboard.
The retro KM-G11 and a still from Terry Gilliam's Brazil IMAGE/AUKEY and T. GILLIAM
With the USB-C hub you can have your keyboard, power supply, and have plenty of other ports open to plug in. Like I said, it doesn’t look pretty but it functions well in a cyberpunk sort of cobbled together way.
However typing on the iPad with the KM-G9 is great. In fact, I almost entirely wrote my review of Ken Kocienda's book, Creative Selection, on my iPad with the AUKEY keyboard. I like macOS over iOS but holy crap if the iOS auto correct and predictive text algorithm doesn't make typing on the iPad with a real keyboard a treat.
In my experience, typing on an iPad with the AUKEY KM-G9 was better than with typing on my Mac. Maybe it’s just a placebo but I feel like I have a laissez faire approach to typing on an iOS device versus on a Mac. Maybe I'm more accurate on the Mac but I'm quicker on iOS because I trust the predictive capabilities of the OS more. (Read Ken's book if you want to understand why that's the case.)
My desk looks nothing like this. IMAGE/AUKEY
I'm glad I did my little experiment. I discovered that you can make a pretty good case for replacing your laptop with with an iPad Pro and this AUKEY keyboard if you wanted/needed to.
My only gripe with the keyboard is that as an Apple person the keyboard comes out of the box with windows in mind. Why no extra ⌘, option, control keys for Apple folks? It would be great if they shipped extra caps for Mac users. I think throwing in some Mac style keys isn’t a lot to ask since AUKEY would have an easier time hunting down matching keys. A link to an approved cap vendor would be helpful too.
Other than that, if you need a keyboard you can't go wrong with those that AUKEY offers. The keyboards are well made and incredibly well priced. If you want to dip your toes into the mechanical keyboards definitely take a look at what they have for sale.
Last week I received a surprise. I opened my door and found a package from Amazon addressed to me courtesy of AUKEY. I guess they were sufficiently happy with my review of their wireless charger that they decided to see what I thought of one of their portable charging banks.
I was about to write a review of this product - tl;dr the power bank does what it’s supposed to and it does it well - when another AUKEY package arrived at my door. I opened the padded envelope and inside was a little dual port car charger. These are great little devices, so I’m going to start my review of the power bank with a review of this car charger.
The AUKEY CC-S2
CC-S2 in the "hidden outlet" in a BMW i3
The CC-S2 is a nice little car charger. I previously purchased the CC-S1 last year for my BMW i3’s “hidden power outlet” under the dash and it works exactly as it should - it unobtrusively sits in the lighter port and makes it possible for me and my wife to simultaneously charge both our phones. I expect the CC-S2 will perform that function just as well.
What it is and what it is not. First, what it’s not. It isn't a speed charger. It will charge your phone/tablet/portable gaming device fine. If you need to charge something fast this basic charger isn’t what you want. The CC-T8 (which supports Qualcomm Quick Charge) is the one you want.
What it is. It’s a really well made product. It is probably made to a higher quality standard than is actually required. I was impressed when I took it out of the box and saw that the metallic gray charger wasn't metallic paint but actual metal (a cast aluminum alloy I expect) with all the labeling etched by laser. The CC-S1 I previously purchased has a plastic shell. The fact that a device as mundane as a car charge-port adapter is made to this high standard impresses me.
Appearances aside the device works as well as it should. It fits very snug into the cigarette port and, while it might sit flush in your car, protrudes a few millimeters in my i3 (and in all the power ports throughout the vehicle). Some users have reported that it’s so flush that if you have a car with a little door over the charger you’ll probably be able to close it when it’s not in use. That’s not my experience with these chargers but other than that they work as intended.
So after using the CC-S1 and newer the CC-S2 I would say both are excellent products that will last a long time and do just what they should all for a very reasonable price. My only qualm is that they can be annoying to remove once installed. You need a plastic putty knife to pry them out. But they don’t get taken out much anyway so that’s not a huge deal.
Verdict: CC-S2 is worth purchasing for its reasonable price of $11.99 on Amazon.
The AUKEY PB-Y22
Is it nice to have a portable battery pack? Yes. Do you absolutely have to have one in order to live? No. If you were lost in the desert with no electrical devices to charge, this would be a pretty lousy final wish that a genie in a lamp bamboozled you out of. But if you’re stuck at an airport with a dying phone and other travelers were using all available plugs, you’d be pleased with yourself if in that situation you pulled the AUKEY PB-Y22 out of your hat (or pocket since that’s a more likely place). Imagine you are not traveling alone, but have a child in tow, and said child has a Nintendo Switch, a device with notoriously weak battery life. God forbid you give him or her a book to read, or entertain your child yourself, instead just keep letting the Nintendo occupy your child when, like a suburban Dr. Frankenstein, you inject new life into their console morte via this portable power bank.
So, file portable power banks under don’t need but nice to have.
The PB-Y22 / multiple angles
The PB-Y22 is a 10000 mAh battery pack which current industry trends say is a good size for the average user. If you are a person who carries a lot of electronic devices, say you’re a photographer or the quintessential road tripping salaryman with laptop, tablet, and multiple mobile phones a'blazing; then this might not be enough juice for you. You’d want something like the 26500 mAh PB-Y15.
But this is a great little electric piggy bank. It’s not overly bulky, it’s portable, and is sufficiently light for you to forget about. It’s also got enough power to charge multiple devices several times before needing to be charged itself.
Now for the more technical discussion. The good news is that the PB-Y22 is engineered to charge devices up to four times faster than conventional power banks. With Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 it can get boost your compatible device FAST and do so very efficiently. (It’s also backward-compatible with QC 2.0/1.0 devices).
Using an electric car to charge a power bank to charge your phone. A truly mobile solution - if a tad bit overkill.
What’s also nice is that the PB-Y22 has a “Low-Current Charging Mode.” Say you’re back at that airport but this time your bluetooth headphones died. Some power banks don’t recognize those types of devices because they have very light power draws (they’re engineered that way). BUT, double click the PB-Y22’s power button and voilà “low current charging mode engaged” and you’ll be charging up your headphones.
In my testing, the PB-Y22 seems to do all that it’s supposed to do. I’m not entirely certain the quick charge worked with my 2018 iPad Pro. It might be an Apple thing. For example, I read that with the iPhone X/XS you need to make sure you're using an Apple USB-C to lightning cable to charge at the full 18W quick charge speed. Supposedly my iPad would charge at 18W but I got an average charge rate of a quarter of a percent per minute. For comparison, the wall charger clocked in at around 3/4 of a percent per minute. That being said, during my testing I was able to charge my iPad multiple times using just the AUKEY device.
The moral of the story is that if quick charging is a must for you, make sure you have the proper cables to enable that functionality.
You’ll also want to use the right port for the right device. For example, the power flow from the bank to my laptop (2017 i7 MacBook) would stutter (intermittently stop and start supplying power) when plugged into the middle USB-C port. This behavior ceased when I plugged into the orange QC USB port. Maybe my iPad would charge faster in that port (it didn’t).
I have no reservations against recommending this AUKEY product other than this caveat: if you are an Apple person you’ll need a USB-C to Lightning charging cable to fast charge an iPhone X/XS with the USB-C port. (That cable from Apple is $19, only $10 less than the power bank itself!)
Other than that, if you purchased this power bank, you wouldn't have buyers remorse.
Size: It’s about the same as a pack of cigarettes (well, maybe a pack of Marlboro 100’s, but still).
Looks: It’s a plastic rounded rectangle. Nothing seems to rattle on the inside. Has a nice heft. It also comes with a little mesh bag with a pocket big enough for the cable. When in use you don’t even need to take it out of this bag.
