Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx.: TKL – $79, Full-size – $70 – Poseidon ZX on Amazon
PH – Approx.: Php3700
Mechanical keyboards are now widely accepted as the standard if you want a excellent typing experience be it for daily use or for gaming. We’ve mentioned it countless times, if you can feel and appreciate the difference then there is simply no going back. But to get one has always been the challenge for many folks and with the markedly higher price of mechanical keyboards, a lot of people don’t have access to these peripherals. Some have attributed this price premium to the choice of switches used on many popular brands but with more and more brands adopting alternative and affordable switches, mechanical keyboards have now become more accessible to everyone who wants to get in the mechanical keyboard club. Today we’ll take a look at another Kailh-based mechanical keyboard, this time from Tt eSports. We got the Poseidon ZX mechanical gaming keyboard for review. Read on!
We’ve had Tt eSports in the bench sporadically but we’re seeing a lot of new stuff from the company and we feel there’s a huge resurgence for the Thermaltake and its sub-brands including Tt eSports that we know there’s going to be a wave of new stuff coming from them. This new found aggression in development guarantees an influx of new design, some experimental and Thermaltake and Tt eSports has been known for trying our very eccentric and uncommon designs in their products. Today we’ll take a look at something more common though, albeit a bit specialized. Today we have the Poseidon ZX mechanical gaming keyboard from Tt eSports and aside from the availability of both a TKL ( the one we have for review) and the full-sized model, the usage of Kailh mechanical switches is one of the notable specs of this keyboard. While the durability of Kailh keys versus their Cherry MX counterparts has always been a heated subject for debate amongst enthusiasts, there’s really no evidence that Kailh is marginally sub-standard. We’ve had numerous mechanical keyboards in the lab using Kailh keys and all are still functional with very little difference in typing experience versus Cherry MXs.
Features & Specification
Color | BLACK |
No. of Macro Keys | N/A |
No. of Game Profiles | N/A |
Graphical UI | NO |
Weight | 970 GRAMS |
Gold-Plated USB | Yes |
Dimension | 363 x 143 x 40mm(L x W x H) |
Interface | USB |
Membrane, Mechanical, Plunger | MECHANICAL |
On-Board Fan Device | NO |
Anti-Ghosting Keys | Full N-Key Rollover |
On-Board Memory Size | N/A |
Back-Light | YES, FULL BACK-LIGHT |
Wrist Rest | NONE |
On-Board Audio Jacks | NO |
Smart Cable Management | Yes |
USB Cable Detachable | X |
Multimedia Keys | 7 |
On-Board USB Port | X |
Keystroke Lifecycle | 50 MILLION |
Cable Length | 1.8M |
Packaging
Tt eSports hasn’t deviated much from its packaging style for the past few years and the Poseidon ZX still adopts the familiar black box with some red trims. The Poseidon ZX features a glamour shot of the keyboard in the front with some lightning graphics for visual flare. Notable prints here are the switch used as denoted by a large icon next to the 5-year warranty Tt eSports Certified switch icon. In the back are some of the feature highlights of the keyboard.
The Poseidon ZX is packaged with a pair of documents (installation guide and warranty policy) and replacement key caps for the WASD and arrow keys along with a key puller.
Closer Look – Poseidon ZX
The Poseidon ZX comes in both a full sized form factor and a tenkeyless (TKL) layout which means there’s no numpad. The sample we have is the TKL version as we’ve mentioned and other than that there’s nothing significantly different the layout of this keyboard compared to other traditional TKL products out there.
Flipping the keyboard over we immediately notice the cable routing grooves on the Poseidon ZX. While not many will need their wires in the front of the keyboard, the option is there.
The Poseidon ZX USB cable is around 1.8m long and is non-sleeved. Some may be bothered by this but for the price of this keyboard its understandable.
Plugging in the Poseidon ZX we can see that all the keys are illuminated for this keyboard with the Caps Lock and Windows lock key the only ones that can be toggled. The media keys are accessible via holding down the Fn key and pressing the necessary key. Lights can be toggled from off to 3 levels of brightness. There is no cluster lighting options (WASD/arrows only.)
As mentioned, Tt eSports uses Kailh keys on the Poseidon ZX and while mechanical keyboard enthusiasts debate about the quality of Kailh switches, its hard to deny that many companies have decided to use them in their products. Tt eSports offers the Poseidon ZX in both Blue and Brown switch variants. Blue switches have a distinct tactile feedback to them with an accompanying audible click while the Brown switches omits the sound but retain the tactile feedback.
Besides the blue illumination and bright red keycaps, the Poseidon ZX is very traditional in terms of looks.
Also worth noting are the keys are coated and feel premium. The red keycaps provide a nice break from the overall black layout and complements the logo branding.
User Experience & Conclusion
We’ve spent some time with the Poseidon ZX swapping back and forth with our Cherry MX Blue TKL from way back and of course, there’s basically no adjustment for me as I switch between keyboards on a frequent basis. People who are coming of a glamorized gaming keyboard with eccentric layout may need some time adjusting but since the Poseidon ZX is your traditional layout keyboard, that shouldn’t be much of an issue.
The Poseidon ZX feels good to type on and while the overall experience isn’t really a far cry from Cherry MXs its good to know that they’re not below it ether. Being a bit more nitpicky, these Kailh keys definitely have a subtly more audible feedback to them and some keys feel they need a bit more force to actuate than the others. That might just be switch still breaking in and once wear gets to them, they’ll eventually go smoother. Point is, there’s really no substantial difference between the Poseidon ZX and our Filco TKL.
The build quality on this keyboard is excellent and for the price of around $79, its definitely a steal for a mechanical keyboard. While some keyboard offer over-the-top gimmicks on their keyboard, the Poseidon ZX keeps it low-key and focuses on the essentials; keeping it all together in a well-built package for an affordable price makes it one hard to resist option for those that want to get their hands on their first mechanical keyboard without spending too much.
The Tt eSports Poseidon ZX is one well-made keyboard and while it may not be fully decked out like other offerings, its got the basics nailed down and a few extras to bring it up a notch. There’s very little reason not to like this keyboard so if you’re looking to get a mechanical keyboard, this is a good start. That 5-year warranty is a nice assurance also.
Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx.: TKL – $79, Full-size – $70 – Poseidon ZX on Amazon
PH – Approx.: Php3700
Tt eSports backs the Poseidon ZX with a lengthy 5-year warranty. We give it our B2G Value Award and B2G Recommended Award.
2 Comments
Bossmac pa test mo nga yan kay Tankz at kay Jhang. i want to have their personal opinion regarding this keyboard if worth it for FPS
Neat!