![]() | Cherry MX Black VA87EL2W/WWM2A | $129.00 |
![]() | Cherry MX Brown VA87EN2W/WWM2A | $129.00 |
![]() | Cherry MX Blue VA87EC2W/WWM2A | $129.00 |
![]() | Cherry MX Red VA87ER2W/WWM2A | $129.00 |
![]() | Cherry MX Silent Red VA87EP2W/WWM2A | $133.00 |
![]() | Cherry MX Silver VA87ES2W/WWM2A | $133.00 |
Brand | Varmilo |
Model | VA87M |
Size | Tenkeyless |
Switch Stems | MX |
Physical Layout | ANSI |
Logical Layout | US QWERTY |
Frame Color | White |
Primary LED Color | White |
Control LED Color | White |
Hotswap Sockets | No |
USB Key Rollover | 6 |
Multimedia Keys | Yes |
Switch Mount Type | Plate |
Built in Audio Port | No |
Built in Mic Port | No |
Interface(s) | Mini USB |
Windows Compatible | Yes |
Mac Compatible | Yes |
Dimensions | 5.28" x 14.02" x 1.30" |
Weight | 2.00 lbs |
Apply couldn't have made a better mechanical keyboard themselves! Absolutely gorgeous and works perfectly. LED lighting is tasteful and not overwhelming and the floating key profile looks great.
Some people have mentioned hearing a mechanical keyboard "ping" when the keys bottom out. I can certainly hear it with the Cherry MX Silent Red switches on this board, but it does not bother me. I have a keyboard from another manufacturer which also makes "ping" sounds but it is less pronounced because the switches on that one aren't Silent Reds. So I suspect it is an issue with the Silent Red switches being "too quiet" rather than an issue with this specific keyboard.
DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING is preference!
The elephant in the room: yes, it does ping. Just like the majority of (even higher-end) pre-built, off-shelf boards. Leopold pings, Filco pings, even a lot of customs will ping. Metal plate unlubed springs will ping. Is it unbearable? Absolutely not. I've experienced much worse. It is only audible in total silence. I always have some low-volume background music/noise playing during work, which pretty much solves the issue. (I also use a thick desk mat.)
Typing experience: absolutely fantastic. Mine has the Sandy Red switches (MX browns), and I love it. The subtle, polite tactility of the switch is perfectly enough for me, the sound is also very satisfying. All the stabs are awesome, they don't rattle, are very smooth, sound fantastic. Keycaps are high quality, very nice to the touch (dunno if it's just me, but I think the legends are rather a dark blue, not black). I must add that I do not game at all.
Design, build quality: very sturdy board, has some weight to it. I like the TKL form factor, the floating design is a nice addition. I don't care about LED lighting, so the fact that the caps aren't shine-through doesn't bother me at all. I also appreciate the very clean all-white color.
All in all, to me, this is a 5-star off-shelf board. The only flaw is the ping, but this is really nothing out of the ordinary with pre-builts. The overall quality is fantastic, the board makes me want to use it, which was one of my objectives when looking for a high-end board. Pre-built, I'm not sure if it can get any better than this.
(I cannot tell you anything about the mac functionalities, as I use the board with windows. Heresy, I know)
Overall I like it, but I echo what other reviewers said. If you type too hard there is a very annoying 'ping' sound when the keys bottom-out. Other than that it's a quality keyboard.
I got this with brown switches and its pretty loud. People in my discord calls were shocked when I said I had browns. Its a really nice keyboard though. I'm not super knowledgeable about keyboards so I don't hold it against the company but I just assumed it would be much quieter than it is. Wanted browns specifically so I didn't bother people on calls while I was typing or playing games and that exactly what it does. When I look up videos of brown switches they all sound totally different than this keyboard. Maybe I was given the wrong one or something.
I bought the Varmilo VA87M Mac keyboard with Cherry MX Silent Red switches. I'm enjoying it a lot.
The keyboard/switch combination is about as quiet as the butterfly switch keyboard on my MacBook Pro, but with a deeper thunk sound. The bottoming out sound is a little louder on the delete key. The linear actuation is more enjoyable than I had anticipated. Everything feels really solid. The keycaps have a nice texture.
All of the Mac functions worked properly right out of the box, - except I had to switch the option and command keys. It's really nice that there is a top quality mechanical keyboard with Mac features.
This is my second mechanical keyboard. I also have a Razer BlackWidow Elite with Green Razer switches (it was too loud for my shared office).
For a 130 dollar keyboard every keys u can hear the spring I wouldn't mind only the space bar but is every key
This keyboard is a dream to type on! The MX Browns are awesome, and I also use MX silent reds for another keyboard so it really comes down to your preference.
HOW TO USE THE KEYBOARD:
If you peruse the online manual for this keyboard through Varmilo's website,
You may notice someone named Danny in another review said you have to use FN arrow keys to change backlighting and the "brightness" icons don't work. That is because even through this is a mac-focused keyboard, it defaults in windows mode. I suspect they just use the same PCB but design the keycaps differently.
***
1. Hold FN A keys for 3 seconds until the CAPS LOCK flashes. A is for apple. FN W is for Windows.
That's it.
***
All your function keys (such as the keyboard backlight icons on the F row keys) will work!
The backlighting is really nice, since you have the thick PBT keycaps, it doesn't shine through the keycaps so it's a nice, more subtle underglow rather than lighting the whole keyboard up. I would prefer the dye-sub over transparent letters.
Works great with my 2017 MBP and it comes with a key puller and a USB-C to USB adapter for your convenience. It honestly feels like a solid keyboard and i will be daily-driving this for some time to come.
This is a fantastic keyboard. I got the silent reds, and they are a dream. I absolutely love this keyboard! It's nice a low profile and the keycaps are fantastic. The only, extremely minor, issue I have is the way the F5 and F6 don't seem to manage the backlighting even though they have the icons for it. Turns out you have to us FN and the arrow keys Up/Down/Right to manage the backlight. Very cool, once you understand that part. This is such a great keyboard. I also own a Keychron K8, with the Gateron Browns, and even though I like a lot of the features like wireless, RGB, etc, the Varmilo wins for shear typing pleasure. Because in the end, that's what I bought it for.
I got this keyboard a couple days ago. Feels nice and solid, looks well built. However, already the right Shift key is sticking if I hit it anywhere but the precise middle of it, SOMETIMES INADVERTENTLY CAUsing me to keep typing as if caps lock were on. Spacebar also feels gummy, and while it doesn't stick, it sometimes doesn't activate the keypress when I hit it.
I got blue switches, which feel drastically different from the blues I have on my Das and on my MAX Keyboards. They feel gummy and harder to press overall. May take some getting used to, and I'll give it a fair go for a couple months. But so far, meh.
The keyboard has one big problem: It has a very pronounced, loud ping. This happens to every single key, not just a few specific ones. In fact, I shouldn't associate the ping with the keys, because the ping comes from the big heave metal plate resonating with every knock on the keyboard. So even a gentle tap on the keyboard, anywhere, causes metal plate to ring. So I believe the usual recommendation of lubing the springs in the switches won't help. The root cause is that the plate, together with the PCB board and the bottom case forms a perfect resonance chamber.
I tried varies ways to mitigate, like putting the keyboard on a folded cloth, on different surfaces like a Yoga mat, on different desks. These methods help to various extend, but cannot reduce the ping to a degree that I cannot notice it anymore.
The keycaps has some texture, but to me the texture is not very nice to touch. The surface of each keycap is also on the small side, comparing to standard stock Apple keyboards.
I replaced my WASD keyboard with cherry whites with a VA87M keyboard with cherry browns. The VA feels way tighter, heavier, less creaky in the body, and overall higher end. The PBT keycaps are a joy over ABS. It supports switching between Mac and Win easily with a Fn key combo. Super happy!
This is my favorite keeb! I keep going back to it. The case is really solid and hefty not cheap plastic. This means that when you put brown switches on it it's all "thock" and no "clack". The open design means easy cleaning. I'm going to have a really hard time finding a better keyboard!!!
Pros: fully mac compatible function keys and modifier keys without the need for third party software. The most tasteful and attractive keycap design for Mac I've seen. Sturdy, solid feel. Wonderful for typing with cherry blue switches.
Cons: Wish the control and command keys were 1.5 width like an Apple keyboard instead of 1.25 width. In other words, wish the right edge of the command aligned with the right edge of the 'X' key. That half key width shift to the left takes some getting used to coming from an Apple keyboard.
Pros: Sturdy, choice of switches, Mac appropriate keycaps
Cons: Preconfigured for Windows (Fn-A for 3 sec to switch), F5 and F6 do not obey the system preferences to to use F1, F2, etc as standard function keys. According yo their support "It's our special design for the keyboard. Cannot fix it currently, thanks for your suggestion and we'll think about it". Backlit keyboard - great in theory, horrible in practice as light is under the keycaps and doesn't illuminate the top of the keys or shine through them. So, the keys remain illegible in the dark.