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A**K
Built like a tank and feels great. Noise is a little hollow though.
Writing this review with the product in question. Let me start with the pros and cons and then dive into the overviewPros:- Heavy, sturdy construction- Key caps are nice- Font on caps is very clean and attractive (bias)- Overall aesthetic is clean, minimalist, and professional (bias)- Good cable routing.- Backlit- EXCELLENT traction on the back of the boardCons:- Acoustics (bias)- Lacks a lot of "fluff" features for the price point- white backlight plate instead of black (bias)So I have recently began the hunt for an end all be all keyboard. My biases towards the search are that I am a writer, not a gamer. And I pay close attention to the acoustics of the board and the compatibility it has for my ergonomic solutions.The Code 104, like many boards on the market, have Cherry MX switches. And in my experience, there isn't a huge difference from board to board that has the same switches. Blues on this thing are basically blues on any other board. What does make the difference in a keyboard are the construction, the features, the ergonomics, and for me personally, satisfying acoustics (the sound it makes while you're rattling away on the thing). The Code 104 pretty much nails all of these marks for except the last one. And I'll get to that in a bit. The construction is entirely plastic. The heavy duty textured kind too. I like it a lot because it feels like I could smack this thing against a wall and worry more about my wall than the board. The key caps are pretty standard depth wise. They have an attractive, clean font and the double shot plastic is super smooth so you don't feel the letters on the caps. The white-only backlight shines through very nicely and evenly. This was a pro for me because, while I do type without looking at my board, I from time to time lose my place while I play the occasional game or am doing spreadsheet shortcuts and what have you. So being able to just find my place again every once in awhile is an inefficiency in myself that I can live with and don't mind accommodating. The Code 104's implementation of backlighting is perfect for me. Nothing fancy, purely functional. Though I do wish there wasn't a white back board to help outline the keys in white as well.The dip switch modes on the back of the keyboard are super cool though it's a slight sophomoric iteration in my opinion. They could have made it a little easier to switch the most commonly used functions and left the Dvorak and Colemak modes to the dip switches. It's really not a big enough deal to say much more about it though.The rubber padding on the back of the board is superb. There is rubber on the flat and, flip out feet, as well as the angled portion of the board for when it's risen up. This thing will not budge while you are using it. I doubt it would budge if you suddenly swung your arm into it either. And I love that.The keystrokes are clean and crisp and feel really good to type on to be honest. The space bar isn't rattly like it is on a lot of other boards, the keys feel "snappy" and responsive, even despite my addition to some O-ring dampeners.Now the part about keyboards that probably matters more to me than it should is how it sounds typing on it. When dealing with a primarily Cherry MX market, there isn't a whole lot to be excited about when it comes to the feeling of the typing experience other than the caps and the sounds. Again there isn't any rattling which is a huge plus for me. The space bar doesn't stand out as WAY more obnoxious than the other keys on the board which is awesome. The key noises are a little hollow though. There's a bit of bass to them as well as a barely noticeable squeak followed by an echo from the chassis. This was alleviated a lot by the O-rings but it's there. It's not an issue if you have headphones on or literally have any other sound going to your ears while you're typing but it's something I feel is worth pointing out from my perspective. Now if this sounds like something you wouldn't mind or might even enjoy then I think this keyboard might be a perfect fit for you. For me however, I am going to keep using this keyboard for while with the slight desire in the back of my mind to get something that allows the sound of the switches to come through a little more clearer.All in all though this is a great keyboard. I actually do love this thing. Is it worth the 150 bucks? eeeeeh. That might be up to you individually. I am not 100% I would go out of my way to get another for that price. But I am certainly going to hold on to this thing and use it daily as it does everything else that I want it to without any hiccups.Edit (5/15/2018):I don't know what it is but after doing some testing with other boards, the CODE 104 feels less quality than I initially thought. The key strokes are so heavy for a blue switch and the spacing of the keys feels awkward coming from other boards as well. I don't know if I just have gotten used to my other boards from switching back and forth between them but I just feel like this thing is losing it's edge the more I use it.
W**C
Superb funcionality, beautifully built
No doubt about it, this is as excellent a mechanical keyboard as it gets, at any price. This is my third mechanical keyboard - I have a similarly excellent Corsair K70 LUX in service on an auxiliary computer, as well as a surprisingly satisfying $60 Chinese clone as a backup. I've come to believe that any mechanical keyboard, at any price, may not be a 100% perfect fit - individual preferences and requirements vary among us all. The superb build quality, rock-solid stability on my desk, typing feel, illumination (the best I've seen or used,) and evenness of touch from key to key, and speed are flawless, and all anyone could possibly ask for, at least on the unit I received. Two final observations: in a few reviews, it had been mentioned that the physical spacing between the keys might be just a bit smaller than some other keyboards. Since I have very large hands and am a bit ham-fisted as a typist, I had some trepidation about this. As soon as I started using the keyboard, I noted this to be somewhat true. However, within a day or two, I adjusted perfectly. Lastly - the WASD Code gives you a choice of either a menu key, or an FN key, either or for the same key, but obviously not both at the same time. This, I must say, I consider a flaw in design choice, though hardly any kind of deal breaker. On the FN key setting, ffter setting the keyboard brightness and knocking out the Caps Lock key (via underside DIP switches,) I reverted to the menu key setting, which I regularly use, foregoing the dedicated FN key functions. On the other hand, the keyboard uses right and left OS keys . . . personally, I have never in my life used the right OS key, on any keyboard. I would have much preferred the right OS key to be a dedicated FN key, just to the left of the menu (or, right click) key. Overall though, highly recommended.
D**C
Great keyboard - a little squeaky.
The Code 104 is an excellent mechanical keyboard. I like the backlighting especially in a white color - I am not a gamer and prefer the more functional white as opposed to a wilder color like green or red. Having seven modes of adjustability is also great as sometimes I don't want it too bright. The keyboard is clicky with the Cherry MX Blue switches but I was expecting that. I added the dampener o-rings that WASD also sells and they have made it quite enjoyable to type on and a little less noisy. I do find that there is a 'ping' sound that I hear from the keys every once in a while. Hopefully this does not become annoying or louder over time. It is a very well made keyboard, very sturdy and supportive with the rubber feet extended. This is actually my first mechanical keyboard and I can say I am never going back to a rubber dome again. I am using it on a Mac computer and everything works seamlessly, having no OS specific keys is nice as I think staring at the windows key would bother me. I highly recommend you try WASD.
K**H
Worth it.
This is my first mechanical keyboard, I didnt really like the coloring and lettering on most of the other backlit mech keyboards, but was skeptical of the price as this is no cheap keyboard even for a mechanical.It isn't cheap and that shows the moment you pull it out of the box. This thing has weight. The keyboard is plain and sleek, and the keys feel smooth/matte.Typing on it was instantly more comfortable than the cheap dell rubber keyboard I use at work or my laptop which is usually comfortable to type on.The backlight does seep through the edges but I found it to be a smooth hue rather than serious light bleeding. It connects using micro usb which means the cables are replaceable. Overall Im glad I waited to buy a nicer keyboard because this was what I was looking for and it didnt fall short of my expectations.
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