The always generous people at Epomaker very kindly sent me a MechLand MC66 keyboard to try out.
The MC66 is a 65% 66 key keyboard with an in-built media volume knob (push-click to mute/unmute). If you’ve read my reviews before, you’ll know that I’m a fan of a 65% board and a designated vol knob, so we’re already off to a good start!
The MC66 comes in a choice of black or white colourways. I got white which comes with the out-of-the-box options of Gateron Pro Yellow, Epomaker Flamingo, or Epomaker Budgerigar switches. I got Flamingos, which are linear, and a little bit smoother than I’m used to. The switches on the MC66 are fully hot-swappable, meaning that you can easily replace them with the 3 or 5 pin switches of your choice with no need for soldering or any technical messing about.
The very-nearly-but-not-quite-fully transparent keycaps on the MC66 are made of hard-wearing polycarbonate (PC) with non-embossed characters printed on to them. The keycaps have a standard OEM profile. If I had to nitpick, I’d say that the keycaps are just a tiny bit too smooth and glossy feeling for my taste, but that’s not a problem, just a matter of personal preference.
The MC66 is ANSI layout only which, on a 65% board, would usually would mean that I was missing my Del key. However, the MC66 does have a designated Del (Ins/Pg Up and Del/Pg Dn are top right of the board, directly under the vol control) so I can’t complain. It’s true that it’s not exactly where my muscle memory expects it to be, but really that’s my own fault for switching keyboards too often.
The MC66 is steel plate-mounted on a transparent polycarbonate base, making the keyboard feel really solid. Dual layer sound absorbing silicone pads ensure that, even when you’re hammering away, the MC66 really is incredibly quiet. The typing angle can be adjusted utilising a pair of sturdy flip-down PC feet with non-slip silicone pads. It’s a robust, stable board on the desktop (weighing in at about 1 kg), and it’s not going anywhere.
The MC66 is compatible with Windows and Mac (toggle between these using Fn+A and Fn+S with the mode indicated by mini LEDS over on the right of the board), and well as Android and iOS. Connectivity comes wired via standard USB-C, Wireless 2.4Ghz (dongle stashed in a nice little niche under the base), and Bluetooth 5.0. With three memory slots to store and recall Bluetooth connections, this means that the MC66 can easily toggle between 5 different devices.
The MC66‘s large capacity 4000mAh battery will apparently last you 220 hours of continuous use without RGB lights (I’ll get to the lights in a little while). There’s an on/off switch for the battery tucked away under the base, which is a nice touch. It can be annoying to have your unplugged keyboard flashing away in your bag while you’re carrying it around, losing charge all the while. There’s a designated battery indicator LED over there next to the Mac/PC lights which tells you whether you’re charged, low on charge, or charging. Not a terribly exciting detail, I know, but genuinely useful nonetheless. When running on battery power, after 5 mins of inaction, the MC66‘s RGB lights will automatically turn off, and after 30 mins of inaction, the keyboard will shut down completely.
The MC66 has not one but two separate sets of lights – one set in its transparent PC base, and one set backlighting the keys. Both of these can be independently customised; choosing from in-built lighting effects, or solid colours, or else using Macro settings to create your own (I’m neither clever nor confident enough to mess with Macros stuff, so I can’t advise you any further on that, sorry). The speed of the effects and the brightness of RGB lights on both sets can also be independently adjusted. This incredible level of customisation means that the MC66 can basically be any colour of keyboard you want. Well, okay, not absolutely any colour, but a transparent keyboard and keys + two sets of independently adjustable RGB lights = lots and lots of possibilities. Using the MC66 for gaming? Fn+G enters Game Mode, illuminating only the WASD and arrow keys.
In terms of form, the MC66 feels very compact, even for a 65% keyboard, but nothing is missing, and the layout doesn’t feel cramped or unintuitive to use. Its smallness and neatness, as well as its quietness, feel somehow at odds with the sheer heft of the MC66. Weirdly, the whole thing kind of reminds me of the “is it cake?” phenomenon; visually, the MC66 gives you one impression, but what’s inside is very different.
The MC66 is a really, really solid 65% desktop board with absolutely nothing missing, but it also has more bells and whistles than your average gaming keyboard. Maybe it will be a little on the heavy side for some people who want a compact, portable keyboard for their laptop bag but, other than that, it’s hard to find fault with this little powerhouse.
The MechLands MC66 is available to order from Epomaker for $99 USD