A72 68% Ergonomic Alice Layout Mechanical Keyboard

Ergonomic and comfortable to type on, with smooth pre-lubed switches and responsive macro keys. The media knob is very practical, and the long battery life makes it perfect for daily use. Compact in size, but packed with useful features. LOVE IT SO MUCH!

Before ordering the RK Royal Kludge Alice Keyboard, I’d never heard of the company. My main reason for ordering it was that due to age, dirt and Coca Cola, some of the keys in my old keyboard had become sticky, or sometimes wouldn’t activate at all. Additionally, I’m used to the Alice layout, which I’ve come to prefer over a standard keyboard. Moreover, the prospect of saving desktop space had its appeal too.

Not knowing what to expect, other than the features I’ve already mentioned along with those gleaned from the point-of-purchase description, right out of the box, I was nothing short of shocked at the beauty and build quality of this keyboard; in so far as keyboards are concerned, the Royal Kludge is an objet d’art in its own right. Even a feature of electronic accessories that’s never been particularly appealing to me, in fact just the opposite, digital lighting effects, I find to be an aesthetically pleasing feature of the Royal Kludge. The palate of colors is richly saturated; the effect is not at all gaudy and the light put out has an innate warmth. Additionally, a chosen effect can be lightened, darkened, sped up or slowed down to suit the user.

The keyboard is offered with options for the tactile feel of its keys, and I can’t claim to fully understand the distinction between them other than what’s stated literally, however, I ordered the Matcha Green edition with the “Tactile Beige Switch.” In practice, that option provides a smooth feel to the keys, requires light pressure, while returning a crisp, audible “clack” when a key hits bottom. Although not exactly the same, its haptic response is very reminiscent of mechanical typewriters. I’m not much of a typist; however, I can imagine someone that is, making this keyboard sing.

As the seller notes, tapping on the RK logoed plaque at the top center of the keyboard immediately transports the user to RK’s web-based driver. There, as the seller asserts, the keyboard can be configured for work or gaming, macros and triggers can be created to suite the user, options can be found for a variety of pre-programmed lighting effects, or for creating your own, keys can be remapped, along many other settings and user customizations. In addition, the keyboard has five customizable macro keys onboard as well as a media control center.

I use both a PC and an iPad on my desk. As such, I’m able to take advantage of the RK’s “tri-mode” connectivity; I’ve got the keyboard connected to the PC via the 2.4GHz dongle, while at the same time connected to the iPad with Bluetooth. By using the slider switch on the right side of the keyboard, I can quickly toggle keyboard control between the PC and iPad in no more time than it takes to hit a key. I could hardly overstate just how much versatility the RK’s tri-mode connectivity options add to the keyboard’s versatility; it’s a very cool feature.

The RK Alice Keyboard has an exceptionally solid feel and weight to it, no doubt at least partly attributable to it large 7500mAh battery capacity. According to Royal Kludge, a fully charged battery will keep the keyboard powered for up to 550 hours with the backlighting off, and up to 54 hours with them illuminated. This brings me to another feature of the keyboard that I truly appreciate, that it’s rechargeable, there will never be a need to replace batteries. In fact, if the USB port isn’t being used for a wired keyboard connection, it can be used to connect a charging cable to the keyboard while it’s still connected wirelessly to a device or devices. While it’s being charged, a small red LED remains illuminated; when the charging is complete, it goes dark.

Although I’m still not clear as to what turns the keyboard on or off, it would seem that it powers off after some period of idleness, and turns on when a key is tapped or the slider switch is moved. Otherwise, I haven’t found any information one way or another either on the RK website, the rather sparse instruction booklet that’s included, or even on the Amazon PoP page. I’m not sure that it ever turns off at all, although the backlighting will go dark after a period of idleness; the lighting can also be shut down from the online driver software.

Apparently, RK Royal Kludge is a relatively new company. Nonetheless, they consistently receive exceedingly high marks for the top-notch quality of their products. Furthermore, reviews often show that, like myself, the expectations of many customers are exceeded both in the quality and performance of their products. And as noted on TrustPilot, where the company and their products are both rated 5-Stars, Royal Kludges’ customer service overwhelmingly receives exceptional feedback for promptness, politeness and helpful support in resolving issues quickly. Given my experience so far, I would concur, in my opinion, it’s a wonderful keyboard a the finest I’ve owned.

-72 Keys, Compact 68% Wireless Keyboard
-Tri-Mode Connectivity
-Ergonomic Alice Layout With PBT Keycaps
-Macro Keys & Media Knob Control
-Pre-lubed Custom Switches
-Gasket-Mounted Typing Feel
-Windows & MacOS Compatible
-7500mAh Long Battery