Akko is a name that in these boom years of mechanical keyboards, immediately placed itself in pole position, remaining however in that sector of the consumer market that is a bit of a comfort, without ever stepping on the feet of the greats of boutique stores. .
Evidently strong from these years of incredible sales, for the entry level, has decided to make the leap in qualityand not in a specific sector, but in all: switches, stabilizers, kits, and keys.
Akko in search of low-cost innovation
The problem Akko has always tried to solve was accessibility to materials and the elimination of group buys. Group buys have been a common practice since the birth of the hobby of mechanical keyboards, it is based on the reservation of materials that have yet to be produced.
Unfortunately, the waits, especially for the printing of the keys, especially in double shots, can extend up to 17 months, and here for a long time Akko has been the leader of the supply always in stock, and the material used has always been the precious PBT.
Here too the considerations and schools of thought are divided, and many enthusiasts prefer ABS, which although inferior in quality, however, provides a sound more appreciated by many. Akko has therefore recently started his own production of ABS keys.
Even if only in the variants White on Black and Black on white, they went like hot cakes in no time. Now it will be just a matter of waiting for other colors with this new method.
This is in itself already Akko’s biggest bangas GMK, Domikey and 2 or 3 other half-known companies are the only suppliers of ABS keys, and their production is very slow.
Another bang is the one against the Durock stabilizers, which in practice with the Cherry are the only ones always in stock, with the difference that the cherry continuously lose in popularity, especially after the advent of the TX, perpetually sold out.
Durock and Tx are famous for their precision of construction (and their price, around 22-27 €), which avoids strange noises and wobbles with the simple application of 205g lubricant. While for all the other stabilizers at least 2 very complex and tedious mods are required, to limit their noise.
Here then Akko come up with these new stabilizer sets screw, with a very low stem tolerance, which guarantees the same performance as TX and Durock for 15 €. Obviously with nylon construction like the others, and with particular attention toabsence of deformation of the slatsand the colors selectable from the store.
Now let’s move on to the news regarding linear and tactile switches. Akko has always dominated in this sector, guaranteeing factory pre-lubricated switches, multi-material POM and Nylon, and a great attention to the tolerance of the rod and housing, so much so that it is one of the few manufacturers that does not have to force you to use filming for block housing.
But, now he wants to move into the league of champions, starting to produce at low cost, what until now were the most expensive switches, in full POM. Polyoxymethylene, unlike nylon, has properties of mechanical resistance to rubbing clearly superior.
It allows a guarantee of millions of more pressures than the old multi-material and a more precise sound. Akko has also seen fit to post a list of comparative performance across its entire range of switches.
Finally, finally, the 75% killer keyboard, the one that the community has been waiting for for a long time, the MOD007 version 2, the keyboard that was to put an end to the hegemony of GMMK PRO.
In recent years, Keycron, Akko, Ajazz, Everglide and Next Time had tried, but unfortunately for one reason or another they had failed, even a little miserably in some cases.
Contain the price of a 75% aluminum under € 200, with those finishes, that sound profile and above all gasket mount, it was a real engineering challenge, and the higher cost remained the PCB which until now was oriented with the LEDs to the north instead of south, like all premium or boutique keyboards .
This interfered with the Cherry profile frets, which did not fit together perfectly, and therefore forced them to use high or alternative profiles, which are not always available in ABS.
Now all the pieces seem to be in place, and Akko is left alone the ability to refine techniquesto perhaps one day become a true leader in this industry.
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