Kemove K87 1980 Series Review- The Best Value For Money Of All Mechanical Keyboards?

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Absolutely brilliant build quality and a scarcely-matched typing experience out of the box for an astonishingly generous price

-me (Christmas time, 2024)

Just holding it, the 3 mode Kemove K87 feels remarkably solid and sturdy for a plastic case keyboard. And that is usually a good sign that there is some serious quality & features packed in.

The main thing that stands out to me initially is the typing experience- I believe they are using proprietary Gateron x KEMOVE Switches:- I haven’t heard of these before but I like the brown Gateron x KEMOVE switches far better than a standard Cherry Brown switch. According to the spec sheet that came with the board, they are called ‘Gateron & Kemove collaborative custom golden flea mechanical switches’. They are extremely rapid and responsive yet smooth and controlled, and when I get into a typing groove it feels effortless and buttery. The keycaps- which are double shot PBT- sit quite high from the bezel, creating a feeling of clearance that I find quite ergonomic, and they make use of this lack of overbite to add printed legends on the front face of the keycaps, which are helpful when using hotkey mode.

PBT keycaps with multi-shot legends are pretty much the gold standard in terms of keycaps that’ll last.

I was genuinely pretty shocked to discover Kemove are only retailing this beauty for $59 USD on their online store. It’s right up there with the best boards I’ve ever reviewed but it’s coming in at a significantly lower price which is really impressive. It does have a hint of a clackier sound than some of the other boards in its class, but it’s an enjoyable tone and it’s not too loud or aggressive at all. In fact, I think it actually helps to create a fuller sound and experience and the occasional microtones from when you hit the keys just right are really enjoyable. The Spacebar and backspace keys feature Gateron satellite switches, that act as stabilisers and also create haptic variation. The sound and feel are even better and noticeably more enjoyable on a wooden tabletop, where the keystrokes are simultaneously amplified and dampened compared to my glass desk tabletop.

The RGB backlighting is well integrated- the front profile of the keyboard has a transparent section in the bezel that allows the full glory of the RGB to shine through. This transparent window looks cool and futuristic in the dark, but may be a slight issue in a work environment or in your room if you want to go to sleep. Luckily, it’s possible to cycle to a solid colour or turn it off altogether (I was able to achieve this by button mashing which trying to get out of the function key mode- unfortunately I’m not exactly sure of the key combination to recreate to get there).

It’s positioned as a gaming keyboard, where RGB is a must for the most MLG gameplay- but it’d actually be the perfect workmate in the office thanks to it’s low-key, neutral but attractive colour palette.

The RGB modes are pretty comprehensive with a lot of preset options. For example, FN + ] will change the colour of the WASD & arrow key backlights. The backlighting, thanks to the raised keycaps- is able to highlight relevant function keys as you interact with the board, which is quite useful. You can switch the modes using FN + \. You can also adjust the brightness of the backlight with FN + (Up or down arrow).

Additionally, you can also program your own lighting thanks to the Kemove drivers which you can download from Kemove.

The case features retractable feet with 2 height settings. Underneath the right foot, the 2.4GHZ dongle is hidden ingeniously, and can be stored there when not in use. The bottom surface of the keyboard also contains a WIN/MAC toggle which is interesting, along with the typical mode-switching toggle (Between wired, BT & 2.4GHZ)

The keyboard also has the ability to switch between bluetooth devices via a keyboard short cut (I don’t have the specific combo on me at the time of writing)- which is actually quite a useful feature as I often find myself wrangling with disconnecting and reconnecting keyboards between my Ipad, laptop and desktop (if I’m using BT).

There is a battery indicator light which is seamlessly integrated along with the caps lock and scroll lock indicator LED’s which is actually a really nice touch. Red means low, Green means 20-80% and Blue means full power. Speaking of which, the board actually has a removable/replaceable 4000mAH battery, which is easily accessible by sliding off a back panel. I was really surprised to see this, but it goes to show Kemove care about the longevity of their products (as opposed to having to turf a board if a battery dies).

I think at the core of this board’s exceptional performance are the numerous layers that have been meticulously planned, tested and sandwiched into an exceptional package. There are 2 separate layers of silicon gel- both in the middle (3.5mm silicon sandwich) and the bottom of the board (7.9mm) at a 40 degree angle, which give it a gloriously complete feel. It also contains a 1/5mm thick painted positioning plate imported from Japan. Everything about this board screams quality and it’s a really great example of how to execute building a board that performs. I think this goes a long way to prevent bottoming out- as with cheaper mech keyboards the plating is too thin or non-existent and leads to temporary warping when you press down. But even when I apply a great deal of force, whether to the plating via the keys or directly to the top face of the plastic case, it barely seems to budge at all. Again, this unit is seriously solid.

Like the Leobog Hi-75 which I also quite enjoy, the Kemove has a really nice metal nameplate on the underside of the board, a sign of the attention to detail and pride in their product design.

It’s not only me coming in with high praise- the reviews are overwhelmingly positive on the kemove site and generally applaud the build quality, weight and performance of the gateron switches.

In the typing test, I hit a score of 50 which is the best I’ve got so far. With the continental and trusty cherry profile), it is quite easy to type on and would be a good option for gamers who need fast actuation.

Although brown switches are usually considered more tactile (which essentially means it has a gradated hitch when the twitch is pressed. Though I did make a fair few errors- the speed of the switches easily made up for that.

Kemove bundles the keyboard with a ton of extra gadgets- including a hybrid keycap and switch puller, as well as their 4-keycap puller. The 4 keycap puller is a really simple design, and it actually works a lot better than fishing keycaps out one at a time. I’m going to review it separately as I think it can be helpful for pretty much any keyboard in addition to Kemove boards.

Kemove K87 Verdict & Review Breakdown	Rating	Explanation
Sound	4/5	This board has both clacky and creamy qualities (somewhere in between) & a lot of subtle overtones which my ears associate with quality hardware
Feel	4.5/5	Great typing experience & incredible switch performance from the Gateron X KEMOVE brown switches. Cherry profile keycaps.
Value	5/5	Absolutely brilliant build quality and a scarcely-matched typing experience out of the box for an astonishingly generous price
Quality	4.5/5	Great build quality and very little bottoming out thanks to silicone gel & Japanese sourced plate. Sustainably designed with a removable battery configuration (take notes Apple).
Aesthetics	4/5	The keyboard is low-key yet attractive. From my experimentation, it is possible to change the colour of the LED strip lighting from rainbow to a solid colour, and I’m guessing it’s also possible to turn it off altogether for workplace use, but haven’t gotten that far yet.
Overall Rating	4.5/5	Seriously great keyboard from Kemove!