Overall and Final Verdict
Well normally smaller keyboards end up being shorter reviews but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. The Motospeed CK61 had a lot going on, both good and bad in my testing. I came in hoping that this would be a much cheaper 60% keyboard for those wanting that pok3r RGB experience at nearly a third of the cost. The CK61 has some obvious differences in construction, namely the plastic backplate that not everyone is going to like. But what I found with that was that it didn’t affect the actual typing performance, it makes the keyboard lighter weight, and if anything it might also contribute to those Kailh BOX switches in white being quieter. Speaking of those switches, as someone who isn’t a fan at all of clicky switches I have really been digging these. The box design is much smoother and more stable and the clickiness is still there but a lot more toned down. They even included doubleshot keycaps, you don’t get that in most $100+ keyboards but it is included in one at this price point.
The downsides though may be deal breakers for some of you. The missing tilde key isn’t the best, especially if you are using Linux or if you often have to get into the console in a lot of the shooters on the market. For me, though the limitations of how the function layers work on the CK61 and the limited lighting customization were the biggest letdowns. Especially when both work smoothly on other keyboards including the Anne Pro and Pok3r RGB.
But do the benefits win out or are the downsides too much to deal with? It depends a lot on how you plan on using the CK61 really. If you want to code or are hard set on custom designing every key color to a different color things aren’t going to work for you. I also think that this isn’t the best setup for a professional writer due to how hard it is to use the delete key. Unless of course, you are awesome and just never make mistakes. But the everyday user who might be posting up memes, complaining on social media, and gaming is going to like the CK61 just fine. That is even before you take into account its price point. Currently, it is listed at $48.26 shipped and I’ve heard it sometimes drops down to $40. That is about as much as the PBT doubleshot keycaps that I like to use on my keyboards cost and you get most of a keyboard for that price! It is far from perfect, but if have been wanting to try out the 60% form factor I think this might be a good one to play with.
Live Pricing: HERE
