The Blitzwolf BW-KB1 is a 60% mechanical keyboard with dedicated arrow keys, Bluetooth with up to 5 devices, your choice of Gateron switches, NKRO, RGB backlight, and more.
It’s feature-packed, and we’ll discuss all of them throughout this review.
The Verdict
For the price, the Blitzwolf mechanical keyboard offers many features that other mechanical keyboards may not have. It is an amazing deal. They’ve really paid attention to details while creating this design. It resembles the premium appearance of the Razer Huntsman Mini, but with nice-sounding stabilizers, dedicated arrow keys, and onboard RGB adjustments as well as Bluetooth capabilities.
For anyone who is looking for more space on their desk with a compact 60% design, yet you don’t think you can ditch those arrow keys, this keyboard is a great one to look at.
Alongside this it has high-quality and nice-sounding stabilizers and ABS double-shot that feel similar to PBT with the textured surfaces.
Currently, it’s a little under $50 on Banggood, but with the coupon (details below), you can get it for $43.
It’s available in black or white with your choice of switches between Gateron red, brown, or blue.
Coupon Code: BGhhbtgb3
In The Box
Inside the box, you get a manual in several different languages that explains the secondary functions as well as how to connect via Bluetooth.
You also get a wired keycap puller that’s useful for replacing keycaps without scratching up your keycaps.
There is a braided USB-C cable in the same color as the case that you choose. If you chose white, the cable will be white. It is quite long and will work for using your keyboard even exclusively in wired mode alone.
The last component you get is the keyboard itself.
Build Quality
The overall build quality of the Blitzwolf BW-KB1 resembles the Razer Huntsman Mini.
The case is all plastic with an aluminum metal plate to mount the switches onto. This means there’s no flex in the keyboard, and it has a hefty weight.
On the back of the case are two single-angle kickstands with rubberized feet. The rubber feet can easily slide off of the kickstands. This should not be a problem, unless you handle your keyboard roughly.
In addition to those rubberized feet, there are six additional rubber feet to really solidify the keyboard on your desk. Don’t worry about slipping any time soon.
The aluminum plate sits within the case, but it is flush to the top. The overall look is really clean. The case itself is textured instead of feeling like glossy plastic.
The keyboard has a floating keycap design, allowing you to see the switches and the stabilizers. For some, this can be really cool to show off your colors and RGB effects. For others, this might be too much for their eyes.
The USB-C port sits flush to the case on the back and can fit pretty much all USB-C cables due to this design. In addition, on the back of the keyboard is the on/off switch. It is quite small and can be annoying for users with big hands.
Overall, the build quality of this keyboard is quite impressive for the price. It may be made mostly of plastic, but the way that it is put together means it’ll last you a long time.
The Keycaps
The keycaps of the KB1 are ABS double-shot OEM-profile keycaps with regular legends that you see on many other mechanical keyboards.
Despite being made of ABS, they are textured and feel slightly rougher than most ABS keycaps. It almost feels like PBT. The texture increases the oil-resistance of the top surface of each keycap, making them less prone to shine over time.
The legends are quite large and provide adequate space for the RGB to shine through. It also helps to see all of the keys in the dark and when in the heat of the moment.
The keycap walls are about 1.0mm thick for each side. This is thinner than thick PBT keycaps but better than other ABS keycaps. When pressing in the walls, there is zero flex, meaning the keycaps will sustain many years of use.
The sublgends of the keycaps are side-printed and are not shine-through. They are difficult to see at night, but because the aluminum plate is white, the RGB reflecting off it of is enough to have an idea of what secondary function you are accessing in dim lit environments.
This keyboard does not have a standard layout as other 60% mechanical keyboards due to its dedicated arrow keys on the right side. The right shift is smaller, and the modifiers on the bottom right (Alt and FN) are smaller as well.
Replacing the keycaps on this keyboard is fairly easy still as you will just need to find a set compatible with 65% mechanical keyboards. There are a total of 63 keys on the KB1.
Alongside this, the keyboard is rated to be IPX4 water resistant. This means that it will not break if it comes into contact with water splashes.
The Stabilizers
The stabilizers on the Blitzwolf keyboard are quite impressive. They do not come pre-lubed from the factory. However, they have absolutely zero rattle or extra noise when the bigger keys are pressed. The spacebar has a really nice thocc sound that is reminiscent of custom mechanical keyboards with lubed screw-in stabilizers.
This keyboard uses Cherry-style plate-mounted stabilizers. They can be lubed further if that is what you choose to do, but from the factory, there really isn’t much need to modify them.
The Switches
The switches available on the Blitzwolf KB1 are Gateron reds, browns, or blues. Gateron switches are extremely smooth in their stock form and have many of the properties of their Cherry MX counterparts.
The red switches are linear without a tactile bump. These are great for gaming. On the sample model, we have the Gateron Red switches. It has a smooth typing feel. There is little spring noise, and the floating keycap design lets the noise escape and sound very crispy.
Gateron brown switches are great for typists or people that do a lot of work on their keyboards. It also doubles as a good switch for gaming due to its small tactile bump. These switches are good if you want to be 100% sure that every keypress you make, you stop pressing when you need to.
Gateron blue switches are loud clicky switches. They have a tactile bump as well as an audible click sound that is done through a click jacket mechanism. These are good all-around switches, but they’re only recommended if you are 100% sure you won’t annoy anyone in your household when using it.
For more information on Gateron switches, see our full in-depth guide.
The Features
63 Key Layout With Dedicated Arrow Keys
Usually on 60% mechanical keyboards, there are only 61 keys, and they usually do not have dedicated arrow keys. You would have to hold FN and access arrows through the secondary layer.
The Blitzwolf KB1 has the same footprint as a 60% mechanical keyboard in width and height, but it changes the key layout to include arrow keys.
The only key that is taken away is the right control. However, to fit the arrows, the right shift is made smaller. And the question mark key is moved to the very right of the keyboard. And the right Alt and FN keys are made smaller.
The layout may seem weird at first, especially if you do use forward slash and the question mark a lot. But over time, it becomes more second nature. It’s even easier to use question mark with this layout because you can hold the right shift and press the key using one hand.
RGB Lighting Effects
The RGB effects are seen very well through the double-shot keycaps. Changing effects is easy and occurs on the keyboard itself with no software needed. Also, whatever setting you do end up on will be remembered for next time you use the keyboard.
To change the brightness, you will hold FN + right bracket OR left bracket. There are five levels of brightness to choose from.
To change the effects, hold FN + backslash.
The RGB effects are:
- Outwards spectrum wave
- Waterfall
- Unidirectional wave
- Opposites wave
- Reactive row
- Reactive wave
- Reaction clusters
- One row at a time
- Up and down wave
- Diagonal wave
- Specturm cycling
- Reactive fade
- Static color (yellow, red, purple, white, rainbow, blue, light blue, teal, green)
- Reactive single key
- Pastels
- Raindrops
- Random keys light up
- Random color for each key
- Breathing single color
- Breathing through each color
For change the static colors for the effects, hold FN + period.
Then for increasing/decreasing the effect speed, it’s FN + semicolor/apostrophe.
All of these commands are in the manual itself and also side-printed on the legends of the keys.
Connectivity via Wired or Bluetooth
To use the keyboard, you must first turn it on using the toggle switch on the back of the keyboard. To change between wireless/wired mode, it’s done through FN+Tab.
To connect to Bluetooth, hold FN + q/w/e/r/t. This keyboard can connect up to five devices and can change between them easily with key combinations.
It uses Bluetooth 5.0, which is updated for improved connectivity and speed. If you’re gaming with your keyboard, it is recommended to go into wired mode for fast-pace games. With slower games, you can choose either mode.
The KB1 is compatible with Mac and Windows. Switching between them is done through FN+A/S. The keycaps do not have this side printed. FN+A is for Windows, and FN+S is for Mac.
The battery is 1900mAh, and lasts about a full day with the RGB lights on and up to 10 days with the backlight off. Of course, your mileage may vary when it comes to these things.
Available Software for Further Customization
The software download is available on the Blitzwolf website. The install is quite small, and you computer will probably think that the download is a threat.
When trying to install the software, the language is in Chinese. Therefore, it may be difficult to navigate through the process. However, the software does let you record macros, remap your keys, and determine the FN function, lighting effects, and layout.
Conclusion
The world of mechanical keyboards is ever growing bigger as more companies pack more features into their mechanical keyboards but can still keep the price to being budget-friendly.
This mechanical keyboard is great for people who want a compact layout and less clutter on their desk but not ready to give up the arrow keys just yet.
It has the same footprint as a 60% board, but it has Bluetooth, arrow keys, and high-quality keycaps and stabilizers. The switches are also great for gaming and working.
Remember to go check the product out on Banggood.