As far back as i can remember consumers always had a plethora of basic membrane based keyboards to choose from including many budget oriented models going for as low as USD5/4Euros. Microsoft of course changed all that with the introduction of their natural keyboard line back in the mid 90's but still their prices were nowhere near to what manufacturers ask today for a good mechanical keyboard using Cherry MX switches. This (cost) is also the main reason as to why many people have yet to take their first steps in the mechanical keyboard market. Several brands have recently emerged to offer lower-cost mechanical switches (and to cover the gap in the market since Cherry was unable to keep up with the increasing demand) but to date we haven't seen any really low-cost models using Kailh and Gateron (the two leading brands after Cherry) ones. HAVIT is a Chinese brand which aims to bring affordable yet feature-rich mechanical gaming keyboards to the masses and today we're testing their latest HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard.

Founded in 1998 by Ms. Lee, a lady who loves and respects technology, HAVIT Group provides a tremendous range of consumer electronics with unbeatable value, fashion-forward and trend setting design, but what is never compromised is the quality of our products, which were approved by tens of thousands of satisfied customers. Step by step we have grown from a start-up company to a leading PC & Mobile accessories supplier for customers in over 120 countries worldwide, only to provide products of advanced technology, featuring the best built quality and durability for every intelligent, creative and motivated user. We are all working on something: some of you may be endeavoring to get the best score both in school and in games with your keyboard and mouse combo set; some of you may be engaging in coding a sophisticated program with your mechanical keyboard while chatting with your remote teammates through your webcam; and some of you may be striving to improve your triathlon skills to expand your physical limit with a pair of wireless earphones in your ears? As for us at HAVIT, we are working on making the best equipment to help you reach your goals and make the difference. Learn more at www.prohavit.com.

To keep cost to a minimum HAVIT decided to take an entirely different path compared to most other manufacturers so instead of opting for Kailh or Gateron mechanical switches they chose the new ones made by Outemu. Outemu is not a particularly popular brand among gamers since their mechanical switches haven't been used widely but just like their competition they do offer a very high number of actuations (50 million) and are currently available in Black (linear), Blue (clicky), Brown (tactile), and Red (linear). The HAVIT HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard uses the blue switches (actuation force of 80g) which as clearly stated by the product name also feature support for full RGB (16.8 million colors) illumination. The keyboard also features an aluminum enclosure, supports anti-ghosting for all 104 keys and has a total of 4 brightness levels for the keys with five different modes (off, single static, breathing, static marquee, moving marquee). Are all these enough to take on the big boys? Let's find out.