Entry-level 65% with a badge
The Ikki68 Aurora is an exploded 65% keyboard manufactured by Wuque Studio and sold by CannonKeys. The Ikki68 Aurora features an area for a badge as an accent piece. Additionally, this area is magnetic in order to remove and insert badges effortlessly.
A standard 65% keyboard features the arrow keys and omits the function row. However, the layout of the Ikki68 Aurora is an "exploded" layout, meaning that there is space between the arrow keys, right-most keys, and the remaining keys. A unique aspect of the Ikki68 Aurora is that it converts the standard right-most column of a 65% keyboard into a 2x2 cluster, making the keyboard resemble a simplified TKL layout.
The Ikki68 Aurora comes with a carrying case, cable, and various optional accessories to modify the sound and feel of the keyboard. These accessories consist of foams and pads that can be inserted into various regions of the keyboard. The goal of these foams is to promote a more consistent sound profile at the cost of flexibility. These foams come in two materials: silicone and poron. The main difference between these materials is that silicone is pronounced, but stiff while poron is softer, but less effective.
The mounting style of the Ikki68 Aurora is known as a "gasket" mount. This mounting style involves the plate of the keyboard being held by "gaskets" which close the gap between the plate and the keyboard's housing, or case. Depending on the keyboard design, these gaskets can either appear on the case, or on the plate itself. In the case of the Ikki68 Aurora, the gaskets appear on the case. Similar to the accessories, the Ikki68 comes with the option to use silicone or poron as the gasket material.
The PCB of the Ikki68 Aurora features "flex-cuts", which are cuts in the PCB in order to increase the flexibility of the keyboard during use. Additionally, the PCB is thinner with a thickness of 1.2T as opposed to the standard 1.6T, further promoting flexibility.
The PE foam is a thin sheet that is place between the top of the PCB and the bottom of the switches. This foam modifies the sound of each keypress to be higher pitched, which might not be preferable by all users. I also decided to use a completely poron configuration in order to promote a softer typing experience.
I omitted the silicone case dampener in order to fully utilize the flexibility of the keyboard. My reasoning for this is that the case dampener greatly reduces the space between the bottom the PCB and the bottom half of the keyboard, eliminating most of its flexibility. Additionally, the primary goal of the dampener in reducing the resonance from the case is not an issue since the bottom half of the keyboard is made entirely out of plastic.
The Ikki68 Aurora is a keyboard that has premium features, such as gaskets and flex-cuts, at a fraction of the price of a premium keyboard. An initial concern that I had with this keyboard was its tall front height of 21mm leading to wrist strain with use. Fortunately, this has not been as big of an issue as I expected. I attribute this to its great flexibility, making the keyboard very comfortable to use.
The main criticism that people have with the Ikki68 Aurora is that it feels cheap. This is due to the fact that its case consists of an aluminum top half, but plastic bottom half compared to the fully aluminum case of its alternatives. Personally, I am indifferent to this issue as I appreciate the reduced weight and retail price of using a plastic bottom half.
