So the story behind todays review is that Weyman Kwong of WASD Keyboards and Jeff Atwood got together because they couldn’t find a simple and clean mechanical keyboard that they truly loved. I can see where they are coming from, as someone who has developed a love for Mechs over the years if you don’t like the gaming styling you really are limited to just a few keyboard. It gets even worse if you are like me and still like having backlighting. After working with WASD Keyboards on our Keyboard Customization article they offered to send over a Code keyboard to check out. I only had one problem, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to check out another TKL that I love for test bench and LAN use or if I would look at the Code as a potential replacement for my main keyboard where I need a full number pad. Lucky for me they completely understood and sent over one of each, giving me a chance to check out both and to check out both of the keyswitch options.

Product Name: Code Keyboard 104 key and TKL models

Review Sample Provided by: WASD Keyboards

Written by: Wes

Pictures by: Wes

 

Specifications

Models Available

87 Key

104 Key

Dimensions

363x142x30mm (14.3x5.6x1.2in)

445x142x30mm (17.5x5.6x1.2in)

Weight

907g (2.0 lbs)

1098g (2.42 lbs)

Interface

USB / PS2

USB / PS2

Compatibility

Windows, Mac, Linux

Windows, Mac, Linux

Case Material

ABS

ABS

Keycap Material

ABS

ABS

Keyswitch types available

Cherry MX Green w/O-rings
Cherry MX Clear

Cherry MX Green w/O-rings

Cherry MX Clear

Backlighting

White

White

Cord

70.8” micro USB cable with cable strap
PS/2 adapter included

70.8” micro USB cable with cable strap
PS/2 adapter included

Accessories Included

Wire keycap puller

Wire keycap puller

 


Packaging

For the Code Keyboard they made a statement right out of the hole. The box for both keyboards is pure white with only the word CODE in large letters and the definition of the word under it. I’ve had keyboards come in basic brown boxes but going with white to me made a statement that they were going with a pure/clean keyboard here. Inside the keyboards are wrapped up in a thin foam to keep them from getting scratched up in shipping and along the back the cord and accessories is tucked away. The only documentation each of the boards comes with is a small ¼ sheet of paper that breaks down how the dip switches on the back work. I love that they don’t have to mess around and explain how to plug in USB or anything else. For accessories each board comes with a USB to Mini USB cable that has a WASD cable tie already attached, a WASD key puller, and a USB to PS/2 adapter. Having a higher quality key puller included as well as coming with the Velcro cable tie are nice touches that set the Code keyboards up above most other keyboards.

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Photos and Features

As I eluded to before, the Code keyboards were designed to be clean enthusiast styling keyboards with a basic backlighting. The idea being that a lot of people as they grow up would want a cleaner mechanical keyboard that doesn’t have the gamer styling that most have without sacrificing backlighting. This makes a lot of sense, I have seen a similar trend in PC cases, with manufactures like Corsair and Fractal designing cases that are classy and not flashy. Both keyboard share the same features with the exception of the two different switch styles and the lack of a number pad on the TKL model.

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The Code keyboards have a completely standard US ANSI key layout and they aren’t available in an ISO layout for fans of a taller enter key. You do have options to be able to quickly switch to Dvorak, or Colemak key layouts if you prefer those over the standard QWERTY layout. What you will notice right away when taking the whole keyboard in is that the entire thing is blacked out, there isn’t any branding visible. To go a step farther, there aren’t any special macro keys or even large LED indicator lights for scroll lock, caps lock, and the number pad.

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The casing of the Code keyboards is made of ABS and has a rough texture to give it a durable, almost industrial feel. Around on the sides of the keyboards, rather than go up and down, they angled the edges slightly giving a weird shape to the sides that I’m not all that big of a fan of. It just highlighted that the case was split in the middle where a normal full vertical design would have hidden that slightly.

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Recently a lot of manufactures have been going with aggressive and sometimes custom fonts that can sometimes be harder to read to push the “gamer” look. For the Code Keyboards they kept things simple with a more traditional Helvetica font on all of the keys. The legends all sit on the top half of the key, slightly out of the way of where you would normally press them. Its also important to note that for the OS key they just left it completely blank. Not only does this look clean, but if you are running linux or even using the Code Keyboard on a Mac you wouldn’t really need a windows key. Frankly with this being the “Code” keyboard there is a larger possibility than normal that its users would be running a non-windows OS.

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They did slip in additional legends on a few of the keys but they are a little hidden. You have to be sitting at the keyboard to see them because they slipped them into the stealth location. All of the keys with stealth legends only work when combined with the Function key. This is a great way to keep media keys without having them be too in your face. They also considered how you would use the function keys when selecting what keys should have functions added to them. Most keyboards force you to use two hands or bend your hand in unnatural ways to use their function keys, why would you use those when its easier to do most of the functions in your OS. For the Code keyboards you can put your thumb on the function key and reach all of the keys. The media keys are in the area of the delete/insert/home keys. The other thing you use the function keys for is to control the backlighting on the Code Keyboard. You have two buttons, one turns the lighting on and off and the second flips through 6 brightness options.  

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One of the coolest features of the Code Keyboards to me was the use of small 1mm wide holes for the status LEDs. On the full sized keyboard they are just above the number pad. On the TKL model they are slipped in above the Insert, Home, and PgUp keys. The small holes are enough to give you an indicator if you are looking for it, but not in your face, keeping the clean look of the keyboards.

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On the flip side of the Code Keyboard we have a few things going on. For starters in the middle there is a single sticker with the Code by WASD Keyboards on it. Here we will also find the serial number, model name, and keyswitch type along with website names. They also slipped in the designed in the USB and Made in Taiwan but there is a second note about the keyboard being designed and customized in the US as well. For feet we have an unusual 6 large rubber feet, three on each side with two of the three on each side down near the front (spacebar end). They did this so that even when you flip the optional legs out you have great traction. Speaking of the flip out legs, both legs has a little rubber on the ends as well.
Just above the middle sticker is a gap where the USB cable plugs into a micro USB plug. From that plug we have channels for the cable to route in five different directions. While I would prefer the USB plug right into the back of the keyboard rather than the bottom, it’s great that they give you so many options for where the cable will exit the keyboard.

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Also on the bottom of the Code Keyboards is a small hole with a set of dip switches. You get 6 switches to be able to change the way the keyboards work without using any software. They include a small paper with instructions on what each switch does. Here is the breakdown. The first two switches let us switch between mac mode, standard QWERTY mode, Dvorak mode, and Colemak mode. From there the third switch will turn the Caps Lock goes away and turns into a second left control key. The forth switch will turn off the scroll lock and turn into an OS key lock. That means if you turn this switch on the scroll lock button will turn off your windows key whenever it is turned on. The fifth key is similar but it just completely turns off the OS key all of the time. The last dip switch turns the menu key into a function key, you will need the function key to be able to set the backlighting and use the media keys.

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Another one of the big features of the Code keyboards that make them unique is the use of rarer Cherry MX keyswitches. This isn’t the first time that we here at LanOC have seen green or clear switches, but they are still hard to come by. Giving you both options means you have a clicky option as well as a quieter tactile option. Personally, I typically prefer Cherry MX Browns when given the option, so the clears with their slightly higher spring rate (55cN compared to 45cN for browns) and tactile feel is the closest comparable option. The green switches are like blue switches but with a higher spring rate (80cN compared to 50cN).  Both keyboards have white LED backlighting as well as a white painted steel backplate. The backplate helps give the keyboard a solid feel and at almost 2 and a half pounds it could also double as a weapon.

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When I pull one of the longer modifier keys off we get a peek at what stabilizers they went with for the Code Keyboards. They went with Costar stabilizers, this means you will have to fight with the metal bar when reinstalling these keys. I personally prefer cherry stabilizers whenever possible, but they are few and far between. These stabilizers were a major pain to reinstall the keycap, WAY more than normal.

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The code keyboards come with a white transparent keycap that is later coated black. This way when the legends are etched the backlighting glows through. The keycaps are made of ABS and in the corners have additional supports. They aren’t extremely thick, but in line with what most keyboards come with. Our TKL with green switches had an additional surprise under the keys. All of the keyboards with green switches are paired with red O-rings on the keycaps to help cut the noise down. I’m a little surprised they didn’t include this with the clear switches as well, softening the landing is always nice.

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When we take a look from the side we can see that both keyboards have a standard OEM profile on the keycaps.

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The cord that they include with the Code keyboards is noticeably thicker than most USB cords. The cord has a rubber finish and surprisingly no sleeving, not that it is needed. Where the cord plugs into the micro USB port on the bottom of the keyboards is a little tight. If you are considering replacing the cable with a custom cable you will without a doubt have issues plugging them in because most custom cables are slightly thicker than a standard cord. On the other end of the cord you have a standard male USB connection and they also included a WASD Keyboards branded Velcro cord strap to help you tie the cord up when not in use. Also remember that they included a PS/2 adapter, you will need to use this if you want to take advantage of N-Key Rollover. If you don’t use the adapter you still get 6 key USB rollover. Even better those six keys don’t include Ctrl, Alt, and Shift making it possible to go up to 9 keys.

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Performance

To test the Code keyboards I set them both up in the office, one on my main PC and the second hooked up to our test bench KVM, also sitting at my desk. With the second one being a TKL keyboard It helped save much needed space on my desk, especially when running two keyboards. So how well did they perform?

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Well let’s start with how they are to type on. Switching to the clear switches didn’t take any effort or adjustment at all, the small change in spring pressure over my standard browns wasn’t a big deal. Both keyboards type smoothly and were easy to adjust to with their standard key layout. As expected the green switches were noisier than the clears by a noticeable amount, as usual I would be careful getting the greens if you share an office with anyone who might eventually snap, especially if they are close to any weapons. Really the only issue that came up here was with the stabilizers. For some reason they don’t lubricate them at all, so when typing on both keyswitches the modifier keys that use stabilizers rattle and are just overly noisy. You can fix this by lubricating them yourself, but it’s going to be a pain to do.

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So one of the big features of the Code Keyboards is the clean styling while still having backlighting. For backlighting they went with white LEDs with a white painted backplate. This white on white gives the Code keyboards a bright backlighting. Both the TKL and full sized keyboard look amazing lit up. With such bright backlighting though it’s a good thing they give you the ability to be able to turn things down. Even running the back lighting turned down half way is more then enough to see everything during the day and at night. There aren’t any special lighting tricks like the CM Rapid-I, they kept things simple and to the point with an on and off macro key and then the key that flips through different lighting levels.

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I spoke a little before about the small 1mm holes for the status lights. As you can see from the photo below, the light is still visible from an angle.

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How well did the media keys work out? Well For starters I love the location of the media key legends. Being on the front I could see them perfectly from my seat while also making it clear that you need to use the function key to get to it. Putting them within fingers reach was also a nice touch, I typically don’t use any media keys that require a function key but I did use the volume controls from time to time because they were easy to see and to reach.

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Speaking of using the function key, I should mention what happened when the Code Keyboards first came in. You see when the keyboards are first hooked up you won’t have backlighting. This isn’t anything new, normally you just have to use the key combo to turn the lighting on, but surprisingly with the Code keybords this didn’t work. After trying for far to long I figured out that you need to flip the 6th dip switch to turn on the function key then you can turn the backlighting on. Only this didn’t work as well until I figured out that you have to unplug and re-plugin the keyboard for any changed of the dip switches to work. Keep this in mind if you get a Code keyboard in.

So functionality wise we know the Code Keyboards did their job and more. How well are they built? Well I did run into that issue with the stabilizers not being lubed, but as far as overall durability that won’t hurt much. Both keyboards are extremely heavy and as I covered earlier they really went crazy with feet on the bottom of the keyboard. So in my testing I actually ran into issues where It was even hard to move the keyboard around my desk without picking it up. Sliding it was basically out of the picture.

Beyond that the textured casing feels solid other than one issue, down along the bottom of the keyboard under the spacebar I found that on the full sized model the top and bottom casing doesn’t seem to lock as tightly together. If you tap or push on this areas you can feel a little looseness, the two shells will even tap together. This wouldn’t be noticeable to most, but when listening to music I will sometimes tap my thumb just below the spacebar. It’s not an issue that I expect to become anything more than a slight annoyance, nor would it stop me from liking the Code Keyboards, but I wanted to make sure I mention it.

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Overall and Final Verdict

Okay, now that we have taken an in depth look at the Code Keyboards and also put them to the test, let’s take stock. I really couldn’t even fit all of the great features of the Code Keyboards in our Pro’s section. I love the clean styling. That includes the bright white backlighting, stealth media/function keys, blacked out design, lack of branding, and the 1mm small status indicators. The went with a classic font rather than an aggressive gaming style font. By using dip switches they were able to pack in features that no other keyboards have like the ability to be able to switch to alternative key layouts, turning the OS key off using the scroll lock button, and even turning the Caps Lock button into another Control key. You can do all of this without having to install any software and the onboard memory will also remember your backlighting settings. To go along with the alternative layouts and to help support Macs and Linux better they left the OS keys black rather than using a Windows logo.  

On the back of the keyboard they added additional feet, this combined with the weight of the keyboard makes it nearly impossible for the Code Keyboards to move around on your desk. Both keyboards have removable cords that come with free Velcro wire ties to keep things packed up nicely when you are transporting your keyboard to and from events/work. They went with rarer keyswitch options as well although I wouldn’t mind seeing a few standard options in the future.

So are they prefect? No, there are a few issues here and there. The biggest issue for me was the lack of lubrication on the stabilizers, making them rattle and noisy when typing. The stabilizers are a pain to work with, more than normal at least. I also had a loose area on the case of our full sized model that was a little annoying as well. However, let’s be honest, a little lubrication on the stabilizers and these keyboards would be damn near perfect. The pricing ranges from 150 to 170 depending on what keyswitches you are looking for as well as the size of the keyboard itself (full or TKL). Would I recommend picking one up? Well let’s put it this way, for the first time in a few years I have officially put away my main keyboard and swapped it with a Code Keyboard. Its clean styling goes perfectly with my new desk layout with a more minimalistic design. Unless you are looking for macro keys, RGB lighting, or software these would be up at the top of my list alongside of the Rapid-I and the Novatouch.

fv4tophonorseditorschoice

Author Bio
garfi3ld
Author: garfi3ldWebsite: http://lanoc.org
Editor-in-chief
You might call him obsessed or just a hardcore geek. Wes's obsession with gaming hardware and gadgets isn't anything new, he could be found taking things apart even as a child. When not poking around in PC's he can be found playing League of Legends, Awesomenauts, or Civilization 5 or watching a wide variety of TV shows and Movies. A car guy at heart, the same things that draw him into tweaking cars apply when building good looking fast computers. If you are interested in writing for Wes here at LanOC you can reach out to him directly using our contact form.

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garfi3ld replied the topic: #35979 17 Dec 2014 20:12
Today I take a look at both the full sized and TKL versions of the Code Keyboard. Find out how they perform and if they will make the cut to be my new main keyboard.

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