EpicGear DeFiant Mechanical Keyboard Review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Look3. Testing4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

The EpicGear DeFiant keyboard may seem interesting thanks to the hot-swappable switches, but overall, I am quite disappointed with it.

For starters, it is not very attractive – there is nothing about the design which makes you go ‘wow, that looks pretty neat'. To my eye, it is just a plain slab of black metal and plastic.

Most of my issues with this keyboard ultimately come-down to the MMS (modular-matrix structure) switches, though. For one, you actually have to buy extra switch-types separately, and I also found it a big pain to physically remove the switches. Considering this is the stand-out feature of the DeFiant, you would think EpicGear would've made the process simple and easy. In my experience, it was quite the opposite.

 

Furthermore, I found typing with different switches in the keyboard to be unsettling. It was quite off-putting to feel different switches under different keys, when I am so used to a uniform approach. All the switches share the same actuation distance and weight, too, which means you do not even get any speed improvements from using the different switches.

Lastly, I think it is a bit insulting to the consumer that so much of the keyboard's functionality is sold separately. The extra switches, different LED light-bars, wrist-rest, USB passthrough hub, audio passthrough hub and dedicated multi-media panel are all sold separately – it's like you're buying a cheap game from the AppStore and have to pay to unlock extra levels.

As such, I must conclude this review. Considering the issues I have with the MMS switches, not to mention the poor design and software, if you are looking for a new keyboard, I would recommend spending the money elsewhere. If you are really drawn to the hot-swappable switches, the EpicGear DeFiant may be worth considering, but you can get much better keyboards – with more functionality that you don't have to pay extra for – elsewhere.

UK availability is also scarce, with none of the major tech e-tailers stocking the DeFiant, but I have found it available from ComWales for £93.17 inc. VAT HERE.

Pros

• You can change the switch-types.
• The switches are decent.
• Dedicated volume wheel.

Cons

• Too much of the keyboard's functionality is sold separately.
• Build quality is not the best.
• The backlighting is poor.
• The software suite is also dated and clunky.
• Even if you do buy the extra switches, the share the same actuation weight and distance.
• I found typing with different switches installed at once unsettling.

KitGuru says: Unless you are really drawn to the idea of hot-swappable switches, I would recommend spending your cash on an all-round better keyboard like the HyperX Alloy or Cooler Master's MasterKeys Pro L.

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