Expert evaluation: Raytheon VIC84 mechanical keyboard丨Keywords: aluminum alloy, 84 keys, water axis, hot-swappable, wireless three-mode

To put it bluntly, we have received a new mass-produced aluminum alloy three-mode mechanical keyboard - VIC84 from Raytheon. The content of this issue is the disassembly and evaluation of this keyboard.

Raytheon VIC84 tells you directly from the name that this is an 84-key layout keyboard. According to the actual measurement, compared with the 87 key position, the length of the 84 key position is indented from 37cm to 32cm, further freeing up more sliding area for the mouse.

The keycap is made of PBT material two-color injection molding process, which has the advantages of the old-fashioned, and it is not easy to oil up after long-term use. Compared with the original Cherry MDA curved ball cap, the transition from top to bottom is smoother, and the appearance is also more attractive.

The keyboard body is made of all-aluminum alloy, but it is not an "aluminum lump" in the traditional sense of the customization circle, but a mechanical keyboard with an all-aluminum casing whose weight is between that of plastic and "aluminum lump". I think it is necessary to clarify this point here.

The upper and lower covers use two shades of the same color, and the surface is treated with a very fine frosting. There is a circle of RGB ambient light strips around the middle seam. The overall texture is still very good.

On the upper part of the keyboard, from left to right, there are Type-C interface, connection mode switch, MAC/WIN system switch, and magnetic receiver storage compartment. There is a slight difference in height between the two rows of silicone non-slip pads at the bottom, which increases the overall slope of the keyboard.

All color VIC84s that have been officially launched for sale are equipped with Raytheon self-developed water shafts. The water switch adopts a more eye-catching blue-purple color scheme, and the type is the current popular light pressure gram linear switch on the key ring, and the trigger pressure is only about 37gf.

Further dismantling the water axis, the fence structure allows the axis to go straight up and down, stable and not shaking. The shaft wall has been slightly moistened, the pressing process is smooth, and the rustling sound is also reduced to a certain extent. Compared with the single-segment spring, the trigger and rebound of the double-segment spring are more crisp and powerful.

In general, Raytheon's self-developed water axis is doing quite well. By analogy with popular switches, you can think of it as a TTC gold powder switch with a slightly weaker rebound. This kind of light pressure linear switch is very friendly to those who need to use the keyboard for a long time.

This time we actually received two keyboards with different color schemes, Element and Water Green. As soon as I got the keyboard, I couldn’t help but disassemble the one with the Water Green color. We also took this opportunity to take a look at the keyboard structure of VIC84.

The structure adopted by Raytheon VIC84 is called Integrated mount. In Chinese, it is the integrated design of the upper cover and the positioning plate. This structure is combined with the VIC84's all-aluminum alloy material. The advantage is that the consistency of each key position is very good, and there is basically no elastic deformation; the disadvantage is that if the internal structure is not optimized in place, the cavity sound will be obvious.

So, how to solve the problem of obvious cavity sound? The most effective way, of course, is to fill the interior. So Raytheon prepared 4mm silicone sandwich pad, silicone shaft pad, and 2mm sponge bottom cotton for VIC84. As for the extent to which the cavity sound has been reduced? We will put a button tapping test video at the end of the article, you can experience it yourself.

The internal PCB board adopts the upper lamp position design, supports five-pin hot-swappable, and the shaft seat is from CIY. There is a Broadcom BK3632 wireless module on the back, which supports Bluetooth 5.0 and a 2.4GHz wireless connection with a return rate of 1000Hz. With a large 4000mAh battery, it has a pretty good battery life.

Another point is worth mentioning. Those who have a certain understanding of customized keyboards should know that all-metal keyboards have a strong interference effect on wireless signals. Raytheon VIC84 has its own ingenuity in solving this problem. It places the antenna for sending and receiving signals under the plastic nameplate in the upper right corner of the keyboard. My personal measurement has indeed stabilized a lot. After a week of office use, there may only be one or two disconnections.

As we mentioned earlier, because of structural problems, the consistency of this keyboard’s feel is very good. Basically, every key, including the large keys, has little difference in the feel of pressing. It is also due to structural problems, coupled with the previous light-pressure linear axis, the bottoming of Raytheon VIC84 will be obviously harder. The high EQ means that you can fully feel the feedback given to you by the keyboard when you hit it with all your strength.

As for the big key, Raytheon VIC84 did a good job this time. The stability and precision of the satellite axis are greatly improved compared with the previously tested Thor keyboard, and it is fully lubricated at the factory. The pressing process of the large keys is smooth and smooth, and there is basically no noise.

Regarding the experience of Raytheon VIC84, I have already talked about it in detail above. The first pre-sale price is 599 yuan. I personally feel that this price is a little expensive, or it is not introverted enough. So, what do you think of Raytheon's aluminum alloy three-mode mechanical keyboard? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to share your feelings~

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