GooBang Doo ET-8178 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Looks3. Testing4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

All through this review, we've been tempted to call it the Scooby Dooby Doo. While GooBang Doo is a bizarre name, it definitely stands out. In the highly competitive world of gaming peripherals, that's not such a bad thing – and companies like Ducky have proven that strange names with old fashioned web sites can be a strength when it comes to brand reinforcement. In terms of its actual manufacturing partner, it's likely that GooBang is working with Shenzhen Chuangquan Electronics to customise an OEM design, which is fine. The fact that it's available through a major online retailer means that you're consumer rights will be protected in any event.

The GooBang Doo ET-8178 is a quality gaming keyboard that gives us a bright, minimalist option at the affordable end of the market. It's a fraction of the price of the Logitech G410 and close to 30% less than the Corsair K63, HyperX Alloy Elite or Tt eSports Poseidon Z.  That means if your budget for a mechanical keyboard is around £40, then there is almost no opposition.

But then you need to add in brand reputation. The ‘trust' element that comes from feeling familiar with a manufacturer. After all, we've not put the GooBang Doo through an extended stress test. Our positive experience was based on a week's testing.

To really succeed, Goobang Doo will need to be much more active in the market. Brands like Roccat are relatively new, but have picked up huge/positive reputations in the gaming peripherals sector through strong/consistent marketing. While the GooBang Doo product is a fine advertisement for the company, the web site is almost non-existent.

The Outemu switches were pretty awesome and certainly seem to offer a cost-effective alternative to Cherry. The multimedia shortcuts are a useful addition but a lot of gamers will avoid products without specific macro keys.

Also, the overall lack of a software interface for an RGB product seems disappointing. While many of us will pick a profile and leave it alone, there are others who would want a fully programmable interface. Similarly, a wrist rest would be nice, but with a street price of around 40 quid it's easy to see why you don't get one. There are presets for FPS, CF, COD, RTS, LOL and NBA.

If we want to be really picky, we could say that there was a 0.1mm level difference between the keyboard's resting points, which gave it a slightly weak sitting position on a hard table, but when we used our full-width-table-top-mouse-mat, that ‘issue' disappeared.

The overall design is compact, the build quality seems solid and the price is low. What more could you want?

Pros

• Outemu blue switches were a very pleasant surprise.
• Compact design saves space and is visually appealing.
• RGB lighting offers optimal gameplay in dark man caves.
• Impressive price point.

Cons

• No wrist rest.
• No Macro keys.
• No RGB control app.

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KitGuru says: You'd struggle to find a better RGB mechanical keyboard for £40 or less. As a budget gamer's keyboard, based on our experience, it's certainly worth buying. We really hope that GooBang sorts its web site and considers software/app controls for the RGB. Remember to check the box for a UK layout keyboard if you decide to buy it.

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