INTRODUCTION

   If you're out in the market for a new mechanical gaming keyboard and you're on a tight budget it may be next to impossible for you to decide which model to get on your own. This of course has to do both with the continuously growing number of manufacturers and companies that offer low-cost mechanical models and the number of available models so blindly picking one (probably based on price and consumer reviews) is something we strongly advice against. That being said as many of you know we are always looking to review/test products from new manufacturers which are doing very well in terms of both consumer and media feedback and TECWARE is certainly among them. So, after cooperating with them for our last Christmas Mega Giveaway today on our test bench we finally have their Phantom 104 RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard.

   TECWARE specializes in developing top-quality PC Gaming Peripherals & DIY PC Components. Founded in 2014, TECWARE has strived to develop better solutions in the ever-changing PC desktop and gaming market while attaining balance between form and function. To learn more about TECWARE and its products, visit their official website at www.tecware.co

   The Phantom RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard is currently available in two versions one with 104 keys and a "tenkeyless" one with a total of 87 keys (review soon) and ships with three different switch types by Outemu (RGB Blue, Brown and Red with up to 50 million keystrokes - our sample features Outemu Blue switches / 60g actuation force, tactile clicky). Now Outemu may not be our first choice when it comes to mechanical switches but they are a good way to lower production costs so we can't really blame TECWARE for choosing to go with them. The Phantom 104 RGB model also features detachable/modular switches (TECWARE includes 4 extra switches in the bundle), per-key RGB illumination (18 effects with 5 brightness levels and 5 speeds), N-key rollover (NKRO), doubleshot ABS keycaps (durability) and 3 onboard profiles.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Phantom 104 RGB is packed inside a black box that has a product drawing at the front and the company logo.

At the base of the box we find the switch selection (blue for our sample).

The keyboard is wrapped inside a synthetic cover and placed in a piece of cardboard.

Along with the keyboard you are also getting a metallic switch puller, 4 Outemu Blue switches, keycap puller (mounted at the base of the keyboard) and the quick start guide.

THE PHANTOM 104 RGB

The Phantom 104 RGB is a no-thrills keyboard in terms of design that measures 444.5mm in length, 133.5mm in width and 22.3mm in height.

As expected, the Phantom 104 RGB uses the typical floating keys design for easier cleaning and stronger brightness levels.

You can use the F1 through F4 keys to launch My Computer, Internet Explorer, Calculator and the Media Player.

F5 through F11 also act as the media playback buttons (previous/next/play-pause/stop/mute audio/volume down/volume up).

From the -/+ keys you can change the direction of the effects and switch between regular and spectrum RGB mode.

Cycling through the 18 lighting effects can be done via the M1 through M6 keys.

Both the speed and brightness levels can be adjusted from the arrow keys.

Here you can see the modular Outemu Blue RGB switches (removing them is very easy with the bundled puller).

Turning the keyboard over we see 4 rubber feet, two height adjusters and a keycap puller.

These height adjusters raise the top end of the keyboard roughly 9mm more from the desk.

The 1.8 meter long braided cable features a gold plated USB plug at the end with a plastic cover.

PHANTOM RGB SOFTWARE

If you want full control over the Phantom 104 RGB you can download the software from the official page seen above.

The software is very simple so from the first page you can choose one of the 3 profiles and change the USB polling rate.

Clicking on the macro tab pops the recording box seen above.

The LED Editing mode includes everything related to the RGB lighting so from here you can change effects, adjust the brightness levels, change the direction and speed of the effects, use one of the 4 game modes and use per-key/custom illumination.

In the above pictures you can see the minimum and maximum brightness levels of the Phantom 104 RGB.

Some of the effects and game modes are showcased above.

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 methodology 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

   We used the Phantom 104 RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard for a total of 16 days and I have to admit that it was actually a nice surprise to all of us. Build quality is very good, the modular switches feature is something we haven’t seen nearly enough in the gaming peripherals industry (would be nice however if TECWARE had bundled different sets of switches and not just blue – just in case people would like to check the other ones out), the RGB lighting system with its 18 effects looks great and audible feedback for the Outemu Blue RGB keys is ideal for people who type a lot. Still the Phantom 104 RGB is far from perfect since we didn’t like the textured doubleshot ABS keycaps because they limit its brightness levels, you can’t program its keys and it lacks a wrist-rest and USB passthrough (it also lacks dedicated media keys although we don’t consider that to be a huge drawback).

   At the time of this review the TECWARE Phantom 104 RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard retails for just USD55.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for around 60Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de – out of stock currently) a price tag which we feel is extremely fair for what you’re getting. Again the Phantom 104 RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard by TECWARE may not be perfect but thanks to its features and build quality it definitely deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Full RGB Per Key Illumination
- Detachable Outemu RGB Switches
- 18 Available RGB Effects
- NKey Rollover
- 4 Extra Bundled Switches
- Easy To Use Software
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No USB Passthrough
- Doubleshot ABS Keycaps (Reduced Brightness)
- Current Availability (EU)