ABS M1 Heavy Duty Professional Gaming Mechanical Keyboard - Retail

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Reviewed By: Chris on 9/24/2008

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: less than 1 day

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Nice heavy keyboard. Nice action. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for, Cloth covered USB cable is a nice touch.

Cons: Will only respond to one keypress at a time. If you are holding down CTRL and press S, it will ignore the S. Of course, this makes this keyboard absolutely 100% worthless.

I verified this using showkeys at the console on my linux box. Also plugged it into my XP laptop and verified that modifier keys didn't work there either.

Other Thoughts: When I received the keyboard, I plugged it into my Ubuntu box and the first thing I did was hit CTRL+ALT+RIGHT to rotate to the next workspace. Nothing. I opened up a text editor, and normal typing seemed to work fine (including SHIFT+another key for caps), but the control, alt, and windows keys weren't working. Using the showkeys program, I was able to determine that the keyboard wasn't sending any other events that happen while CTRL or ALT is being held down.

Manufacturer Response:Dear Valued Customer,
We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you. We try to provide the most reliable products to our customers. This issue was on our very first batch of keyboards. We have gone ahead and recalled all the original keyboards and have fixed this issue. There should not be anymore issues with multiple keystrokes since the initial issues. If you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call at 800-685-3471 so we may further assist you. If you are in need of a replacement, we would be more than happy to replace this unit for you at our cost. Please email us at customercare@abs.com for your replacement. We look forward to hear from you soon.
Thanks,
ABS Customer Care

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Reviewed By: haxality on 10/29/2008

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Sturdy, heavy keyboard with a nice "clack". For the money, this is probably the best IBM Model-M imitator. And it looks a lot cooler.

Cons: Some may consider its 3+ pound weight to be a con.

Other Thoughts: Awesome deal.

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Extremely Loud Keystrokes

Reviewed By: AK_HardDrive on 11/20/2009

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: The weight of this keyboard is pretty nice. The cloth covered USB cable is a nice touch.

Cons: This is the loudest keyboard I have ever owned. If you play games then you know how much that will get on your nerves and everyone else around. Not my idea of a good gamer keyboard. Every keystroke is a clack clack clack clack clack.... This one will end up in a drawer somewhere as a spare. It REALLY is THAT loud...

Other Thoughts: Did I mention that this keyboard is really loud?

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Doesn't Feel 'Mechanical'

Reviewed By: Genome on 11/19/2009

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Sturdy, braided cable, high NKRO

Cons: The only other mechanical keyboard I've used is the IBM Model M. I loved it and thought this keyboard would type and feel similarly. Instead, this feels like a membrane keyboard, just much louder. The LED is also extremely bright.

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Great mechanical keyboard!

Reviewed By: -jC. on 11/16/2009

Tech Level: average - Ownership: less than 1 day

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Heavy, solid feel. Doesn't feel flimsy and like a lot of cheap plastic keyboards do. Even some of the more expensive keyboards are made with a really thin plastic. The ABS M1 feels like it may survive a drop out the window. Loving it so far. Also really like the size. Its a no nonsense design which makes it quite small. The F keys are a lot easier to hit on the fly without having to completely come off base. Just really a straight forward basic design that has a timeless appeal. And man I didn't realize how much I've missed a mechanical keyboard. Such a satisfying 'click' to each keystroke. Not overly loud since the click is made from the key bottoming out unlike some other of the louder mech. keyboards out there. Just the right sound and feel.

Cons: The LEDs! Oh my the LEDs. Way too bright. They literally will light up my ceiling when I turn the lights off. I put a cut up post-it over them to dull the brightness. Works like a charm. The big "ABS" logo on the right hand side is a bit gaudy and cheap looking as well.

Other Thoughts: I've been using a Keytronic Designer keyboard for years and this one puts it to shame. Wish I would have switched sooner.

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