INTRODUCTION

   Different types of consumers have different needs and although that's normal and certainly not something new i think that it's far more evident in the electronics industry in general. Of course the same applies for consumers in the PC market and so although gamers tend to place looks and features above durability/build quality when out to get new peripherals like mechanical keyboards the exact opposite stands true for professionals and in some cases even enthusiasts. For good or bad most keyboard manufacturers have shifted their focus towards the design and release of gaming oriented feature-rich models (the gaming industry does seem to be more profitable in this segment of the market) which may not be the best choice for people who are after superior build quality. Mionix has released several durable products over the years aimed at both gamers and professionals alike and today finally on our test bed we have their Wei Mechanical Keyboard.

   Mionix is based in Malmo, Sweden and creates high quality, well designed gaming hardware products. Mionix is a company with ridiculous ambitions that is set on changing the desk experience. For billions of people the peripherals on our desk are either toned in black plastic or grey aluminums. Our soul mission is to make the desk a fresh place.

   Unlike most mechanical keyboards currently in the market Mionix chose a more "simple" path for their Wei model and so at first glance it almost feels like we're seeing an IBM keyboard taken right from the mid 80's (coiled cord anyone?). Was that Mionix's goal when they were designing the Wei? We really can't say but we do think that because of that the Wei will be far more appealing to professionals and consumers in general who also happened to use a keyboard back then. Of course features like programmable keys (macro commands included), N-Key rollover, full anti-ghosting, 1000Hz polling rate, on-board memory (for storing of profiles), dedicated media keys, RGB lighting (4 modes with 3 brightness levels) and per-key illumination are present but it's thanks to the combination of Cherry MX Red Mechanical Switches, top aluminum plate and a solid rubber base that the Wei stands out from similar keyboards in terms of build quality.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the Wei inside a white and grey box that has the usual product picture at the front along with the company logo.

On the base of the box Mionix lists several cities in which they are obviously doing well in terms of sales (Malmo in Sweden - also their home town, Tokyo in Japan, New York and Los Angeles in the US, Seoul in South Korea and Berlin in Germany).

At the rear of the box we find yet another product picture and the features list printed in 13 languages.

Packaging is sufficient and although the keyboard was not placed inside a plastic bag it arrived in perfect condition.

Along with the Wei Mechanical Keyboard Mionix also bundles two stickers and a quick-start guide.

THE WEI

The grey Wei is a medium sized mechanical keyboard measuring 440mm in length, 138mm in width and 39mm in height.

Mionix has used the typical floating keys design for the Wei making it extremely easy to clean.

Mionix has placed their logo both on the lower right part of the keyboard and on a piece of plastic located on the top left side.

By using the FN (function) key with the print screen, scroll lock and pause keys you can adjust the brightness levels (3 plus off), choose a lighting mode (4 available ones) and lock the Windows keys.

Just over the numeric keypad Mionix has placed the dedicated media keys (volume up/down, play/pause and next track).

Here we can see the Cherry MX RGB Red mechanical switches used in the Wei.

Instead of using several rubber feet along with 2 or 4 height adjusters Mionix went with an solid rubber base which looks great (has the MIONIX logo engraved) and prevents the keyboard from moving around but at the same time it may not provide the angle some people are used to.

The coiled cord may not be braided but it takes less space and it's a lot more convenient.

Since the Wei comes without a USB passthrough at the end of the cord there's but a single USB plug.

Worth pointing out is that Mionix offers extra keycaps with different colors (we got the blue Ice Cream ones while there are also the Frosting red ones and the French Fries yellow ones) for people who may want to change the looks of the Wei.

Of course there are enough keys for the entire keyboard but you can also use them on specific areas as seen above.

MIONIX HUB

The Mionix Hub is a simple and very easy to use software which allows you to remap all of the keys, enable/disable N-Key Rollover, change colors, use one of the 4 color modes (breathing/footsteps/explosion/rainbow) and 3 brightness levels, use the per-key lighting feature and check for firmware updates.

Here you can see the minimum and maximum brightness levels of the Wei.

On the other hand here you can see some of the colors and the custom per-key lighting mode we created.

AUDIBLE FEEDBACK

Many people ask my opinion on what keyboard they should get for their needs. Some want a “silent” model for use in their living room or even in their bedroom while others ask for a model with good audible feedback for use in the office or for gaming. Because of this I decided to test keyboards by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically over each keyboard (5cm distance) and typing NikKTech a total of 6 times with each (after that the max recorded number - max hold - is placed in the graph). I have to admit that this may not be 100% accurate but it does give a good idea on what you can expect from each model since aside the type of switches used keycaps and keyboard material also matter.

CONCLUSION

   The Mionix Wei is a no-thrills mechanical keyboard aimed towards people who are looking for a high-quality model with RGB backlight, per-key illumination and the ability to remap every single one of its keys. Of course what will attract most consumers is its simple design (the extra keycaps available from Mionix may improve its looks – if you like the color variety that is) which resembles a lot what we used to see in the past by IBM and of course its Cherry RGB MX Red keys, top aluminum plate, solid rubber base and yes even its versatile coiled cord. That being said the Wei is certainly not perfect and so its simple design along with the lack of height adjusters, USB passthrough and dedicated macro keys will probably be the main reasons as to why some gamers will look elsewhere (I guess a product can’t be perfect for every consumer in the market).

   Price is always what makes or breaks a product and in the case of the Wei Mechanical Keyboard by Mionix things are somewhat complicated since it currently retails for USD159 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 90.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). So although pricing in the EU is remarkably good the same can’t be said for the US and with a very large number of mechanical keyboards in that price range things don’t look good for the Wei. Of course Mionix is a Swedish based manufacturer so extra costs when selling a product overseas is not something new and so as expected their main target audience is EU based consumers. Overall the Wei is a breath of fresh air in a market filled with mechanical keyboards that put design above all else and although far from perfect it’s definitely worth our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Top Aluminum Panel)
- Cherry RGB MX Red Switches (50 Million Actuations)
- Full RGB Individual Key Illumination (16.7m Colors)
- Fully Programmable Keys
- 4 Available RGB Effects With 3 Brightness Levels
- NKey Rollover With 100% Anti Ghosting
- Anti Slip Rubber Base
- Colored Keycap Packages
- Coiled Cord

CONS

- No USB Passthrough
- No Height Adjusters
- Price (USA)
- Bundle Contents