Tecware Phantom 87 Mechanical Keyboard Review: Budget Hot Swappable Gaming keyboard

If you’ve been looking for a good gaming keyboard that won’t leave your account dry, here is your answer. The Tecware Phantom 87 Key Mechanical Keyboard. Although it doesn’t have many features compared with the more expensive keyboards, it is worth every coin you spend on it.

Keyboard	Form Factor	Key Switch	RGB	Hot-swappability	Dimensions
Tecware Phantom 87 Key Mechanical Keyboard (Amazon link)	Tenkeyless	Outemu (Red, Blue, and Brown)	Yes	Yes (Outemu switch compatible)	14.23 x 5.26 x 1.58 inches
Tecware Phantom 104 Key Mechanical Keyboard (Amazon link)	Full-size	Outemu (Red, Blue, and Brown)	Yes	Yes (Outemu switch compatible)	17.48 x 5.24 x 1.61 inches

Features of Tecware Phantom

• Outemu Switches – This gaming keyboard comes with Outemu switches, which are Cherry MX clones that are almost on par, ensuring you have a good gaming experience, including accurate typing.
• RGB backlight – It features a very impressive RGB. It has 18 light modes, which are LEDs that are activated by pressing the mode and FN buttons. The beauty of these lights is that they can be modified if you follow the procedure well.
• It has a fiberglass PCB – It consists of SMD LED and a dual FR-4. These two components enable it to manage long durations of gaming.
• Double-shot ABS Keycaps – Its keys are made so they can never fade.
• It has 50 million keystrokes hence a long switch lifespan, and each set comes with four spare switches with a keycap and a switch remover.
• Speed – It has a full N-key roll and a 1000Hz rate in pooling. These aspects result in fast, responsive gaming. It detects the slightest change in a key, which means all the keys will respond no matter the speed you use to press them.
• It weighs 0.95 kg.
• It has a 1.8-meter braided USB cable
• It is made of a black plastic body with a Gunmetal Alloy Backplate.
• It measures 361.5 by 133.5 by 40.1 mm.
• It has macro recording software.
• You can customize the user profile.
• It features modular mechanical switches that are designed to be easy to replace, thus making it very customizable and easy to repair.

What You Might Like About the Tecware Phantom 87 Key Mechanical Keyboard

First off, it’s a below 60-dollar keyboard with actual decent key switches like the Outemu switches. This way you can choose from three different types of Outemu switches to cater to your typing needs. They got red linear keys, good for gaming, clicky blues for the typists, and tactile brown the middle ground between reds and blues.

For a low price, you get a hot-swappable board which means that if you don’t like reds, you can pull out the switches and change them to blues or browns. If you want, you can customize the keyboard to have different switches at the same time (linear red on WASD, blues on the arrow pad, etc.)

This keyboard has been my daily driver for a year now and I have replaced most of the brown switches with Outemu blacks for a better typing and gaming experience.

This switch hot-swap feature is extremely helpful if you broke one of your switches. If you run out of switches (if you used the four replacements given to you), Outemu switches are cheap compared to buying Cherry MX switches.

If you like a floating key design, you would like this keyboard. The branding is a subtle Phantom logo at the bottom of the keyboard.

Phantom has RGB backlighting that can be managed through downloadable keyboard software. This keyboard also has the ability for macro keys which will be helpful for creative work and gaming.

What You Might Not Like About the Tecware Phantom 87 Key Mechanical Keyboard

If you have only used Cherry MX keys, you might find the Outemo switches quite jarring. Even though similar in design some might find it slightly off-feeling.

There is a slight wobble in the key switches and typing can be loud, even when using a red or brown switch due to the hollow plastic chassis and not good key stabilization. If quiet typing is important to you, you might want to do slight modifications such as lubricating the keys and putting padding inside the keyboard case.

The modular feature of the Phantom Keyboard is limited only to the Outemu-type switches. Other switches cannot be used on this board because of the difference in length and width used in Outemu switches. You might want to look into the Phantom Elite mechanical keyboard if you want a complete hot-swappable board but its cost might be a little more.

The Tecware Phantom Elite is a hot-swappable keyboard that is compatible with Gateron switches and Kailh Switches but for a slightly higher price tag.

The USB cable is not detachable. Wire customization is not applicable, but the cable is braided ensuring that it will not break that easily.

One nitpicks is the font design used for the keycaps. It is going for a futuristic gamer look that can be hard to read at times.

Conclusion

If you are a gamer or looking for a good mechanical keyboard on a budget, definitely take a look at the Tecware Phantom Mechanical keyboard. A 60-dollar keyboard offers a lot to the user.

The form factor helps in portability and users on the go. With the macro tools, it can help gamers and for creative purposes.

Overall, the Phantom is a great mechanical keyboard for typing and gaming that will not break the bank.

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