Redragon have very kindly sent me one of their EISA K686 Pro keyboards to try out.
The K686 is a 98 key / 96% keyboard. It has an ANSI layout, has a designated Del key (I hate having to use a Fn+something to Del) and is compatible with mac and windows (switch at left of board to select mode).
The K686 connects wired via USB-C, or wirelessly via 2.4Ghz (dongle stashed at the right of the board) or Bluetooth 3.0/5.0. Up to three Bluetooth connections can be stored and cycled through using Fn+ 1, 2, or 3. A second little switch next to the win/mac selector on the left allows you to switch between connection modes. I always much prefer actual switches to keyboard shortcuts for mode selection, because this avoids any awkward accidental switching and time wasted wondering what the hell has gone wrong.
The K686 also has a media volume knob (push/click to mute/unmute) which I feel pretty lost without these days. A long press on the knob+Fn allows you to adjust the backlight brightness, and a push/click in this mode allows you to switch between backlight patterns. Again, I definitely prefer this to having to remember keyboard shortcuts for basic backlight functionality.
The K686‘s colour scheme is a mix of off-white, ice blue, and dark blue. The upper half of the board itself is off-white, and its underside is dark blue. Transparent characters on the keycaps allow the backlights to shine through, and the lighting effects do really change the look of the K686 quite profoundly.
The K686 comes with Red Linear switches, which are pleasant enough to type on, if just a little on the light/soft side for my personal tastes. The switches are hot-swappable, meaning that they can be easily swapped out for other 3 or 5-pin switches with no need for soldering or unnecessary messing about.
Between the TPR gasket mounted off-white top case and the dark blue bottom case, the K686 has three layers of cushioning and sound absorption. It is a a keyboard you could happily use in a quiet environment (a library for example) with no fear of irritating others. The K686 weighs 725g on my kitchen scales (although Redragon’s own site says 1.06kg), so it’s surprisingly lightweight for a 96% board. A pair of flip-out, silicone-padded feet allow you to adjust the typing angle, and keep the board nice and stable.
The K686 has the usual all-singing-all-dancing Redragon backlights. Beyond the presets, further customisation is, as always, available via Redragon’s free-to-use software.
The K686‘s onboard battery is an impressive 3000mAh, and charge levels can be checked by pressing Fn+Del (the numbers 1 to 0 lighting up in a row to show you the amount of charge remaining).
The K686 is a great all-rounder keyboard. It’s quiet, light, and portable enough to be used on the go with a laptop, especially with it its large battery capacity. Equally though, the K686 is a great desktop/office keyboard with all the functionality of a 100% board (more than many, to be honest) packed into a 96%. There’s a lot to love, and a lot to recommend the K686, not least its price, which genuinely surprised me.
The EISA K686 Pro is currently available direct from Redragon for £42.40 GBP / $51.99 USD.