AZIO MK Retro Mechanical Keyboard Overview
Taking a first look at the MK Retro we can see that it is a full-size keyboard so you have a full compliment of keys as well as full number pad. The keyboard is primarily black with a glossy black deck with black keys, all of which have a chrome trim around them. The entire keyboard actually has a large chrome trim around it as well.
All of the keys have a circular design, even the larger keys like the spacebar, shift, enter, etc. This of course pays homage to classic typewriters which were designed like this. The keys themselves have a sort of matte black color and large white font. The size and type of font are of course very different than what we see on most keyboards these days, but it works quite well on this keyboard. The keys are also concave which means they should be pretty comfortable to type on.
Don’t let the keys fool you, this is a full mechanical keyboard. Under each keycap you have a mechanical blue-type switch. Blue switches are typically known as the typist switch. I actually prefer these the most as I do a lot of typing as well as gaming. They provide good tactile feedback and have audible click when pressed. Typically we see mechanical switches on gaming keyboards, but it is nice to see them on a normal keyboard. Mechanical key switches not only feel better but are more precise than dome or scissor switches.
Now the keyboard does have the typical 104-key QWERTY ANSI layout, but there are a few multimedia and function keys used as secondary functions on the function key row. To access them just press and hold the “FN” or function key and then press which one you want to use. They include Interent, File Explorer, E-mail, Music, back, forward, play/pause, stop, volume down, volume up, mute, calculator, and NKRO/6KRO mode. This keyboard has NRKO mode over USB, which allows the user to press as many keys as they like and for all of them to be registered. This of course is the advantage of using a mechanical keyboard.
Taking a look at the keyboard from the side we can see that by default it is set at and angle. The top pillar feet can be adjusted by rotating them so you can find the perfect angle for your typing style. You can also see that the key caps are all at the same height, this is not typical of most keyboards.
On the bottom of the keyboard you can see those four pillar feet. Each has a large rubber pad that will keep the keyboard from moving around when in use. The 6ft USB cable is attached to the keyboard is is nicely braided and also features a gold-plated USB connector.
When you turn the keyboard on you will not have any backlighting, which is a little disappointing. The indication LEDs for number lock, scroll lock, etc light up bright white however.
