Keychron K4 Pro QMK/VIA Wireless Mechanical Keyboard

I am a retired military officer who is making the transition into Cyber Security. I spend my day on a keyboard and then I come home and work on my professional skills for PenTesting. I realized that as much time as I was spending I needed to look into the ergonomics of a better keyboard leaving behind the cheap 20 dollar Amazon Keyboards. I knew nothing about the different switch types, keycaps, mechanical keyboard vs membrane, etc. The K4 Pro is a fantastic keyboard to feel the difference between cheap and quality, allow you the opportunity to learn about programming keyboard layouts that work better for you, as well as determining switches that work best for you. If you are considering a keyboard to increase your productivity or to guard your health from recurring motion injuries then I encourage you to consider this as a quality step to learn with while guarding your investment. You will instantly realize the quality of your purchase when you take it out of the box!

My client started to require I use a second laptop for certain tasks. Running two machines simultaneously with multiple screens, multiple OS, and a single docking station was a nightmare. I really need a multiple monitor TB KVM, but they don’t really exist. I bought the K4 pro to save my sanity and it has been excellent so far. The ability to almost instantly swap between Mac and PC machines over bluetooth has made my work much less annoying. Also the cabled input option means it will work in my future KVM setup later if that ever becomes reality. Really happy with this purchase.

NOTE: I bought the first run of this model that had a defective PCB design concerning the number pad 0/INS key.

Overall, now that I'm past the problems, I love this keyboard. The small num pad zero key gets some getting used to, but I love a compact keyboard with a number pad. I've been using TKLs for so long, I forgot how useful it is. I do not like having the bulk of a huge keyboard mainly because it puts strain on your shoulder if you have to mouse a lot (which I sometimes do).

The feel is great, the layout is good (wish it had a dedicated INS key like it does a DEL key). The south facing LEDs are bright, but don't shine through the default keycaps. I've been looking for a good set of south facing shine throughs and nothing yet.

The problem came when I was one of the first people to buy this thing. It came in and I was enraptured with it. Then... I tried to use the number pad 0/INS key. The number pad ./DEL key worked fine. The 0/INS did not. I did a lot of testing and even tried to make my own macro for it.

I contacted Keychron support and ran all sorts of tests, examples, videos for them. I was told I was the first to report this. Then others started reporting it too. I know the default keycaps didn't have the INS / DEL words on them, but it's the standard for keypads and the DEL one worked. Super annoying.

Support said they'd send me a new one. It took several months but they did eventually send me something. A PCB! Now, I'm an engineer and have been a long time. But I did not expect a brand-new keyboard to require me to disassemble it down to the bare bones and replace a PCB. I talked to Support and let them know my disappointment. If it were six months or a year old, fine. But brand new? Just a bit disappointing. I've always gotten amazing service from Keychron. This was a letdown not just get a new keyboard and be expected to replace the PCB? What if I had been an average office worker? Or a student? Not everyone has the tools or time (or skill) to tear a keyboard down to bare metal and replace a PCB safely.

I did get it all done. Everything now works perfectly, and this is now my favorite keyboard. It's really good. If you want to buy one, be sure to get the one with the latest PCB or you'll have to tear it down and replace it yourself.

I previously had a normal K4 and i love the new one, the only thing is that the stabilizers lube work is kinda bad and the space bar was very rattly but after some lube work the K4 pro retakes the perfect productivity keyboard.

KEYCHRON K4 PRO
Very well built keyboard, solid and much quieter than the Coolermaster ck 350 red switch.
I bought it for the office.
The keys feel very solid and typing is very pleasant.
I am very happy with the product, I will also buy one for home.