Ticktype DP104 Review
I’m writing this from my new Ticktype DP104. Prior to this, my experience with mechanical keyboards was very limited. My regular keyboard for the last several years has been a Leopold FC660MBT, with Cherry MX red switches. While I really liked that keyboard, it has always been a hassle not having a full size keyboard. I was able to handle most things through remapping keys, but I missed having a dedicated escape key, for example.
Anyway, that’s a huge digression to say that I don’t have much of a background in mechanical keyboards before this, so I don’t have much to compare it to. The DP104 comes with its own case, which is really nice in its own right and handy, because it provides a convenient location to store all the extras and bits they include: keycaps for Mac users, replacement keycaps for the default enter and esc keys, which come with Ticktype logos on them by default, a keycap puller, braided usb cord, user manual, quick start guide, wireless dongle, 3 replacement switches, etc.
The first thing I noticed about this thing was the weight. Even before I opened the package, I could tell this thing is really heavy. I guesstimated it at around 5 pounds, and it turns out I was just about right. It’s 2300 grams. The keyboard itself just exudes build quality. It’s built so well and so thoughtfully designed. It comes apart without tools, which makes cleaning and customization easy. I bought the white color, which I think is beautiful. The accent colors are a nice touch, giving it a subdued, but still fun and playful appearance.
The second thing I noticed, once I got the keyboard out of the wrapping and stopped gawking at it, was how buttery smooth the keyboard is to type on. I got it with the Rye Linear switches. Having not had many experiences trying out different mechanical keyboards, again, I don’t have much to compare it to, but the only word I can use to describe it is buttery. It feels pleasant to type on, and the sound it makes is subdued and sounds like pebbles falling into shallow pools or raindrops. In using it for a few days now, I’ve noticed that I type so much faster, with fewer errors, and more effortlessly on this keyboard than I ever did on my Leopold.
I admit the screen is a bit of a gimmick, but at the same time, like everything on the keyboard, it’s really well executed. It’s bright and multicolored. It really fits in with the whimsical colors and the RGB of the keyboard. Which, by the way, I normally hate RGB, but it’s done really well here. You can switch it between multiple modes, including several that are very unobtrusive if you just want to be able to see in the dark, like I do. I can’t even count how many modes there are for the RGB, and there are a ton of settings, all of which you can control via the function key. You can also control what it calls the “ambient light” which is the color-changing strip above the arrow keys. All this stuff can be shut off if you want, but I like it more than I thought I would, so I have left it on.
The keyboard can connect using Bluetooth, wirelessly via the included dongle, or by USB. The operating mode is set by a switch in the back. There’s also a switch to switch between PC and Mac. The keyboard has a rechargeable 8000 mAh battery that they claim works for days. I’m not sure how the backlighting and everything affect the battery life, but being that this thing weighs 5 pounds, even though it includes a handy carrying case, I’m not going to recommend it for travel much anyways. For my uses it’s going to stay plugged in via USB 99% of the time, but it’s nice to have options.
One disappointing thing so far: I haven’t had any luck connecting the keyboard to the configurer at https://cfg.ticktype.com. When I try to connect there and click Authorize to authorize my keyboard, it just fails to connect. I get an error: NotAllowedError: Failed to open the device. It looks like it allows you to remap keys and customize the dot-matrix screen there, but I don’t care too much about that, so it’s not bugging me enough to bother looking into it more.
Overall, I’m blown away by the DP104. It’s a pleasure to type on, well thought out and designed, and beautiful to look at and interact with. I can type better with it, which makes it worth it altogether. It makes my desktop feel like mission control, which I love, and is precisely the vibe I was going for. I just love everything about it.
Is it going to be everyone’s cup of tea? Probably not, but if you like the vibes of it, and are a fan of buttery smooth linear switches, and thocky keyboards, then you will probably appreciate it. If you’ve been eyeing it, I say go for it. Honestly, for the build quality, attention to detail, thoughful features, and level of customization, I’d say it feels like it’s worth more than the $200 I paid for it.
Update
After using the TickType for over a month now, I can thoroughly say I still love it. It’s a pleasure to use, and I feel spoiled typing on it. The action is buttery smooth, and I find myself typing more because of it… (e.g., longer emails to my colleagues, sorry!) The RGB is nice, and I actually like the ability to switch it up depending on my mood. Sometimes I have it blaring a full rainbow, other times I choose something more subdued.
I experienced one minor issue, but I was able to resolve it easily. The spacebar developed a habit of “chattering,” where it would insert two spaces occasionally instead of one. After some head-scratching, I simply reseated the spacebar, and the problem went away. This leads me to one thing that may be a drawback for some: if your typing style is very light, you may run the risk of double-triggering a letter. I haven’t experienced any issues with that personally, but I can see it being an issue for some.
I ended up trying multiple browsers (Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Brave) to connect to the configurer using my Linux laptop, but I was never able to make it work. Fortunately, I had a spare Windows 11 device lying around, and I was successful in getting it to connect using that. This proved to be useful because there happened to be a firmware update. The new firmware added the ability to have the display show a clock, which is AWESOME. It makes the display much more useful.
Overall, I’m still very pleased with this keyboard, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well-designed and well-built thocky keyboard with some character.