Pulsar 60% Keyboard Review
Continuation from the previous post (below).
Installing Kailh BOX Silent Pink switches
My Pulsar 60% keyboard has arrived. This time, I chose the "DIY assembly" option for my custom order. It arrived with the switches and keycaps unassembled. I'm going to go ahead and install the Kailh BOX Silent Pink switches and put it together now (below).
First Impressions
Assembly complete. It's quite compact! I chose low-profile keycaps. The body features a floating design where the keys appear to hover. There's a sense of openness where you can see the switches, but I actually quite like this look (below).
When comparing within the same price range, hot-swappable, and compact category, the EPOMAKER EP84 with more keys isn't bad, but... the Pulsar feels different and is really great. In addition to the floating design, the top of the body is made of aluminum, which gives it a solid feel, so there's no wobbling even when typing forcefully.
Comparison with other compact keyboards
Comparison with HHKB Professional 2
Comparison with the HHKB Pro2. The size is almost the same (below).
The typing sound is so quiet that I think it's less than a quarter of the HHKB's. My HHKB is not a Type-S, so it's in the relatively louder category, making them keyboards with different characteristics. So, I'm not sure if it's fair to compare them on the same level, but if you want a quiet environment or are using it in an office, I think the Pulsar is overwhelmingly better suited for that.
Comparison with Apple Magic Keyboard
The width is slightly longer, and the depth is smaller than the Magic Keyboard (below).
Apple's Magic Keyboard has a quiet, clicking sound quality and is in the category of relatively high-noise-reduction keyboards. Because it's ultra-thin, the stroke is shallow, and since it has an aluminum body, there's a fair amount of bottoming-out feel if you hit it hard. You can type quite fast when typing in bursts, but it's the type of keyboard that gets tiring if you type large amounts of text for a long time.
The combination of the Pulsar and Kailh BOX Silent Pink switches has a different, more muffled sound quality, but it is quieter than the Magic Keyboard. The bottoming-out feel is also suppressed, so I think it's better suited for long-term typing than the Magic Keyboard.
Comparison with Launch Keyboard
Comparison with my main Launch keyboard. The size is about the same in width, but it's one size more compact in depth because it lacks the F-keys.
Since I'm using the same Kailh BOX Silent Pink switches, the noise reduction is about the same for both. When typing normally, they are about the same, but my impression is that the Pulsar is slightly quieter when hit hard. The Launch has a slightly drier sound, while the Pulsar feels a bit more dampened and leans toward lower frequencies.
Compatibility with silent switches = Excellent
I had watched YouTube reviews saying it was compatible with silent types, but now that I've tried it myself, I really understand why. When I combined it with the Kailh BOX Silent Pink switches,
it felt like "I've completed the quietest keyboard for a desktop machine in my history."
That's how it turned out.
In any case, it is incredibly quiet. Even the spacebar, which usually tends to be louder than other keys, is quiet. It might be quite ideal for office use. It is far quieter than Realforce, HHKB, or membrane keyboards. If anything, the quietness is closer to that of a laptop with a scissor-switch keyboard. Even then, it doesn't have the "clicky" feel of a recent MacBook. It has more of a "thudding" sound, but it is significantly quieter than the thudding sound of an HHKB.
I was wondering what the key feel reminded me of, and I realized it's a bit like the key feel of the old PowerBook G3 Wallstreet. It feels like that, but a bit more solid and without the wobble. (Sorry, that comparison is too old to be very helpful.)
Negative points
I suppose the fact that the software is not multi-platform is a drawback. It is a shame that the app is only available for Windows.
Summary
I think it is quite rare to find a 60% keyboard at this price and quality that also supports hot-swapping. I like it quite a lot. I feel that if I were to buy one now, I would choose Pulsar over EPOMAKER. It is highly recommended, especially for those who want a mechanical keyboard they can use in quiet environments like an office, as you can combine it with the Kailh BOX Silent Pink switches, which are gaining a reputation as the best silent switches for custom orders.
See you later.