Back in 2022, I reviewed a lot of mechanical keyboards. I’ve typed away on a whole lot more since then, but I always come back to one: the KiiBoom Phantom 81. There’s just a buttery smoothness to the switches that I can’t get over, and that transparent design really captured my affection for seeing the inner workings of tech.
It’s been my daily driver for years now, and now it can be yours too for the cheapest price I’ve seen. Right now, the Phantom 81 is $159 at Amazon — taking $40 off the price in one of the best early Black Friday deals I’ve seen.
Why do I love it so much?
To make a good mechanical keyboard great, you need three things: a finely tuned typing experience, a durable-yet-attractive design, and ultimate long-term reliability.
With custom pre-lubed crystal linear-style switches, you’re immediately graced by a smooth, tactile feel that doesn’t have any of that over-the-top clackiness you may get from other boards. Personally, I hate that aggressive thock, so to get something a little more akin to Brown switches (but with a better cushioned impact), I’m on board!
Second, this board feels seriously durable. That acrylic transparent design both looks seriously cool, but built around the metal plate on the inside, there’s zero flex, making for a rigid board with a perfectly stable typing angle.
And third, after three years, I can confirm the long-term reliability is definitely there. The 8,000 mAh battery is still more than enough to last three months at a time between chargers, the phenomenal build quality has stood the test of time, and the Bluetooth connectivity has been faultless between multiple PCs, MacBooks and even the Xreal Beam Pro whenever I’ve wanted to dabble in a bit of spatial computing with Xreal One Pro glasses.
Who shouldn’t buy it?
Wait, why am I asking this question? This keyboard is near-perfection in my mind! Well, I’m just one guy after all, and everyone has a laundry list of different requirements for their keyboards. The Phantom 81 really focuses on some key areas and nails them, but that focus does mean some folks should look elsewhere.
- You’re looking for something portable: The size (13 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches) may make it easy to stash in a backpack. But at 2.6 pounds, this is definitely a hefty mechanical keyboard. This is definitely a board meant for home use only.
- You want something more subtle on your desk: Yes, I found the bright RGB kind of cringe too — the light show is further emphasized by the transparent design. If you wanted something a little more sleek on your desk, this won’t fit the bill.
But regardless of my feelings towards the RGB, I can’t deny that the Phantom 81 offers the best typing experience I’ve ever felt — to the point that no matter how many keyboards I try, I keep going back to it.
If you’re looking to upgrade your desk setup, this is the easiest way to do so!
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