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My Favorite Mechanical Keyboard - IQUnix F96 Coral

2020-06-07 · Tech review, setup or bag tour · Ali · recording, 13:43 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Tools, apps and tech · mode: Review and recommendation

Ali reviews the IQUnix F96 wireless mechanical keyboard (coral, Cherry Red switches) he has used for months: he loves its sound and looks, notes its charging quirk, battery drain from the lights and Windows layout, and judges $250 worth it for a tool he uses daily.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Why the keyboard matters and how he got the IQUnix F96

  • ★ Ali calls the keyboard one of the most important tools for productivity, joking that a nerd like him spends more time with his keyboard than with friends and family. — 00:00:00
  • ★ IQUnix sent Ali the F96 for review; he liked it so much that he arranged an affiliate deal giving viewers a 5% discount and him a kickback. — 00:00:29

00:01:16 — Upfront conclusion

  • ★★ Ali says the colourful IQUnix F96 adds a splash of personality to his otherwise somewhat sterile desk setup. — 00:01:20
  • ★★ Ali still sometimes uses his quieter Apple Magic Keyboard on Zoom calls or when his housemate Molly is asleep after a night shift. — 00:01:20 · Molly Hunt
  • ★★★ Ali's verdict on the IQUnix F96: its sound sells it and makes it a joy to type on; it is expensive, but worth it to him because he uses his keyboard more than his mouse. — 00:01:48

00:02:16 — Design

  • ★ The IQUnix keyboard Ali reviews is a full-size keyboard with a numpad; Ali chose the coral version, blue with a fluorescent orange-pink accent. — 00:02:16
  • ★★ Ali used to want a sterile, minimalist Apple-style keyboard, but after using the colourful IQUnix F96 he finds it looks cool in every shot, including his thumbnails. — 00:02:46
  • ★ Ali finds the IQUnix F96 heavy and solid: it never moves around while he types. — 00:03:13

00:03:51 — Sound and a typing test

  • ★★ Ali says he knows nothing about mechanical keyboard switches and chose the Cherry Red version because the name sounded cool. — 00:03:51
  • ★★ Ali types slightly slower on the IQUnix F96 than on the Apple Magic Keyboard or his iPad Pro Magic Keyboard (154 wpm there), as more key travel and a harder press shave off a few words per minute. — 00:04:30 · iPad Pro
  • ★★ The IQUnix F96's sound is really annoying on Zoom calls and for others in the house, but alone in lockdown Ali loves it. — 00:04:59

00:05:15 — RGB lighting options

  • ★ The IQUnix wireless mechanical keyboard comes in an optional, more expensive RGB backlit version with several lighting modes and colours set by key combinations. — 00:05:20

00:07:45 — The feel of the keys

  • ★★ For planning videos, long emails or anything with lots of typing, Ali goes to the IQUnix F96, because the feel of its keys encourages him to write. — 00:08:19
  • ★★ The IQUnix wireless mechanical keyboard charges over USB-C only with a power-only cable: a USB-C data cable, such as his iPad or MacBook charger, does not charge it. — 00:08:48 · iPad Pro, MacBook

00:08:57 — Charging and battery life

  • ★★ With the lights on, Ali had to charge the IQUnix F96 every three or four days, which he found actively annoying. — 00:09:46
  • ★★ About two months in, Ali disabled the IQUnix F96 backlight; in the roughly three months since, he has not had to charge it once. — 00:10:11
  • ★ Ali rarely uses a numpad because he no longer does much data entry: a team of people who work for him can do it. — 00:10:37
  • ★★ The IQUnix wireless mechanical keyboard has a Windows layout; on a Mac its Alt key becomes Command and its Windows key becomes Alt. — 00:10:37

00:10:45 — Numpad and Windows and Mac compatibility

  • ★★ The IQUnix F96 works fine for Mac users who have Mac keyboard muscle memory; anyone who needs to look down to find Command may want another keyboard. — 00:11:17
  • ★★ The IQUnix F96 costs $199 wired and $229 wireless, with the backlight $20 more. — 00:11:44
  • ★★ If you are spending $200 on a keyboard, Ali says, pay the extra $30 for wireless; he cannot imagine going back to a wired keyboard. — 00:11:44

00:11:47 — Price and whether it is worth it

  • ★★ Ali used his old Magic Keyboard for 11 years, so spending $250 on a keyboard over such a period does not bother him. — 00:12:27
  • ★★★ Ali judges a keyboard's price by use: $500 is where it must be very compelling, but $250 is fine since his AirPods cost that and he uses his keyboard ten times as often. — 00:12:53
  • ★★ Ali says nobody needs to spend $250 on a keyboard: it will not make you happier, only make you feel like a badass and annoy the people you live with. — 00:12:53
  • ★★ Ali says he will make a video about how he types so fast. — 00:12:53

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Mentioned

iPad Pro · MacBook · Molly Hunt

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