What Keyboard Does MrSavage Use?

MrSavage's keyboard history

MrSavage's keyboard history is short and easy to follow: three boards, two switches between them. He started in September 2022 on the ROCCAT Vulcan TKL Pro, which lasted about 21 days. In October 2022 he moved to the ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini and stayed on it for 15.4 months (1.3 years).

In January 2024 he changed to the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Black. It is his longest stretch on one keyboard, at 33.2 months (2.8 years) and still going. Each board appears only once, so he has never gone back to an older one. The two most recent boards both have "Mini" in the name, and the Apex Pro Mini has been his board since that last switch.

Switches and actuation

The Apex Pro Mini Black is a 60% board sold with SteelSeries OmniPoint 2.0 switches. The PCB is non-hotswappable, so the switches are not meant to be pulled and replaced. Whatever the board ships with is what you play on.

That is the main difference from the Wooting alternatives below. Both Wooting boards are hotswappable and list a wide range of Lekker, Tikken, TTC and Geon switch options. The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini uses Razer Analog Optical switches and, like the Apex, is non-hotswappable.

Key binds

The key binds are in the table. A few things stand out in how they are laid out.

• Sprint on Caps Lock is the one movement bind away from the usual spots. Crouch stays on L-Ctrl and jump on Space Bar.
• The building keys form a tight group on the left of the board: wall on F, floor on G, stairs on T and roof on L-Shift. Edit sits on R.
• Harvesting tool is on 1, and weapon slots run from 2 to 6. Use is on E.
• Turbo Building and Confirm Edit on Release are both on, and Disable Pre-Edit Option is off.

Should you buy MrSavage's keyboard?

The Apex Pro Mini Black suits anyone who wants a compact 60% board and is happy to use the switches it comes with. It has RGB and a non-hotswappable PCB. Choose it for a small footprint and a fixed switch type, not for swapping switches later.

If you want more flexibility, these are the alternatives:

• Wooting 60HE+ is hotswappable and offers several switch options. Compared with the Apex it is 5 g lighter, 1.3 cm longer, 0.9 cm wider and 0.24 cm lower. 11 pros use it now.
• Wooting 60HE v2 Silver has the same switch options and a hotswappable PCB. It is 4 g lighter, 1.2 cm longer, 1.2 cm wider and 1.24 cm lower than the Apex. 7 pros use it now.
• Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini keeps the non-hotswappable PCB and uses Razer Analog Optical switches. It is 1.1 cm longer, 0.5 cm wider and 0.24 cm lower. 4 pros use it now.

The Wooting boards are lower and a little larger overall, so they trade the Apex's shorter footprint for hotswap support and more switch choice. The Razer is the closest to the Apex in layout and construction.