What Keyboard Does Avxry Use?

Switches and actuation

The VA87M Summit is sold with two switch options: Cherry MX Brown and Cherry MX Silent Red. They feel quite different in use.

• Cherry MX Brown is a tactile switch. You feel a small bump as the key actuates, which gives you feedback on each press without the loud click of a clicky switch.
• Cherry MX Silent Red is a linear switch, so the press is smooth with no bump. The "silent" part means it is dampened and much quieter than a standard linear switch.

The PCB is non-hotswappable, so the switches are soldered in. Pick the version you want when you buy, because changing later means desoldering. The board has no RGB, which keeps it simple: a TKL without a numpad, built around the switches.

Key binds

The table shows his Fortnite layout. The movement keys are the standard ones, with crouch on L-Ctrl, jump on Space and sprint on L-Shift.

The building keys sit in a tight cluster on the left side of the board: walls on Q, floors on F, stairs on E, traps on T and rotate on R. All of them are reachable without leaving the movement keys. Roof is on L-Shift, the same key as sprint.

On a TKL this layout leaves plenty of desk room to the right of the board. The numpad plays no part in it.

Should you buy Avxry's keyboard?

The VA87M Summit suits players who want a compact TKL with a solid, simple build, and who are happy to choose a switch type once and stick with it. The choice is between tactile Cherry MX Brown and quiet linear Cherry MX Silent Red. It is a good fit if you like a plain board with no RGB. It is less suited to anyone who wants to swap switches later, since the PCB is non-hotswappable.

If that is a dealbreaker, these are the alternatives and what they trade off:

• Logitech G Pro X Keyboard: also a TKL, but hotswappable and with RGB. It offers GX Blue Clicky, GX Brown Tactile and GX Red Linear switches. It is 2.1 cm longer, 0.4 cm wider and 0.2 cm taller than the Varmilo.
• Logitech G Pro X TKL RAPID Black: uses optical switches instead of mechanical ones, and has RGB. It is 1.6 cm longer, 0.1 cm wider and 0.5 cm taller.
• Logitech G715: a non-hotswappable TKL with RGB and the same GX switch options as the G Pro X. It is the biggest of the three at 2.3 cm longer, 1.4 cm wider and 0.5 cm taller.

The Varmilo is the most compact of the group, so it takes up the least desk space. The Logitech boards add RGB, and the G Pro X also adds hotswap sockets.