HAVIT is a PC peripherals manufacturer originating from China. Although the brand name may not be very well known in North America and Europe, HAVIT was founded back in 1998, making them one of the most experienced manufacturers in the peripherals market. Experienced as they are, the company’s designers and engineers are trying to bring innovative and unique products into the market rather than copying established designs and hoping to compete in terms of availability and price.

Among other things, HAVIT designs and produces mechanical keyboards. When the company approached us to offer us samples, the design of one particular mechanical keyboard caught our attention. That keyboard was the KB395L, an extra-thin mechanical keyboard with low-profile switches. This is not the first low-profile mechanical keyboard that we have reviewed, not even the first one that uses low-profile switches from Kailh, but Kailh’s newest switches are even shorter and, supposedly, more comfortable that any currently available design.

Packaging and Bundle

The packaging of the KB395L is minimalistic, with a black cardboard box partially covered by an exterior white wrapping. The white wrapping lists the basic features of the keyboard and has a picture of it printed on it. Despite its size, the packaging should provide ample shipping protection to the lightweight keyboard. Inside the box we found nothing noteworthy bundled alongside the keyboard - not even a keycaps puller.

The HAVIT KB395L RGB Mechanical Keyboard

Even with its very low height, an experienced user can easily tell that the HAVIT KB395L is a mechanical keyboard. It is a very minimalistic design, with plain surfaces and clean, rounded edges. Only a polished chrome trim along the edge of the keyboard slightly stands out. The dimensions of the KB395L have been reduced to the minimums possible without changing the layout, with the frame of the keyboard ending almost right after the outermost keycaps. The USB cable is removable and connects to a common micro-USB connector at the rear right side of the keyboard.

We received the US layout version of the KB395L. It is a standard 104 keys keyboard that fully adheres to the ANSI layout. The bottom row of the keyboard has a 6.25× Spacebar and seven 1.25× bottom row keys. The only difference here is that HAVIT replaced the right Win key with an Fn key that is used to access the keyboard’s advanced features. HAVIT also markets the KB390L, a tenkeyless version of the KB395L for those that want to save up even more space.

The keycaps are made from ABS plastic and have normally sized characters printed on them. Both of the primary and the secondary character is printed at the top of each keycap, allowing both of the characters to be visible once the LED lighting is on. The secondary characters are positioned peculiarly, as if they are superscripts of the primary character, which may be confusing for a few people.

There are no extra keys on the HAVIT KB395L. The very few advanced functions that the keyboard has available by default are accessible via keystroke combinations using the Fn key. Practically, that is limited to just backlighting control, as nearly all of the combinations involve switching between different backlighting effects and tweaking their playback speed, color, or number of backlit keys. The only keystroke combination that does something different is Fn + Print Screen, which disables the Win key (also marketed as the “game mode”). There are no keystroke combinations for multimedia functions, volume control, or anything else for that matter.

The HAVIT KB395L has two rear legs that with a single fixed setting. The tilt is reasonable and the grip of the rubber anti-slip pads is very good, especially considering the very low weight of the keyboard.

Under The Hood: Switches, RGB Lighting, & More

Beneath the keycaps, we found Kailh’s new low-profile switches. Although they appear to be a copy of Cherry’s ML low-profile switch, neither their dimensions or their keycaps match. This is not Kailh’s first attempt with low-profile switches, as they have been trying for at least a couple of years. The new switch is tactile, clicky, with a very low operating force, and has a travel distance of just 3 mm. Combined with the proprietary keycap design that reduces the keycap height by another 7 mm, the new configuration is much shorter than a standard stem & keycap configuration. The downside here is that both the proprietary switch stem and the low-profile keycaps make finding aftermarket replacements practically impossible. The switches are attached to the aluminum frame of the keyboard and have clear bodies to better diffuse the light coming from the RGB LED mounted underneath their top center. Costar-type stabilizers can be found underneath the larger keys.

The HAVIT KB395L features RGB backlighting that by default is controllable via the available keystroke combinations. The primary issue here is not the number of pre-programmed effects, but that there is no option to tune the brightness without having to rely on the software. Although the backlighting is not particularly bright, we suspect that users working in rooms where the ambient lighting changes quickly would like the ability to adjust the brightness equally quickly.

Generally speaking, the backlighting is well applied. Despite the clear body of the switches, there is minimal light bleed towards any side of the keycaps. Secondary characters printed on the lower half of the keycap, like on the Function keys, are barely visible. HAVIT moved the secondary characters of nearly all of the main keys to the top of the keycap, but all of the backlight control indicators and most of the secondary functions of the numpad are practically left unlit. This is not uncommon on a backlit mechanical keyboard, but the design of the Space Bar really left us pondering what the designer was thinking. The Space Bar has an extended backlighting opening, one that is usually combined with multiple LEDs mounted beneath the keycap. The KB395L only has one and the keycap’s outermost translucent openings are entirely dark, which is a significant visual dissonance. Someone looking at the keyboard for the first time will probably think that there were LEDs there that are turned off or dead. It would be much better if the Space Bar had a single short line at its center, like any other key.

Opening up the body of the KB395L reveals only the main PCB of the keyboard. The switches are attached to the aluminum frame and the PCB is soldered directly on their underside. No wires or any additional/removable parts can be seen. Due to the thinness of the plastic lower cover and the fragility of the plastic switch stems, it will definitely will not survive severe abuse, but it is strong enough for typical everyday use.

The heart of the KB395L is a Holtek HT32F52352 microcontroller. It has a 48 MHz ARM processor and 128 KB of onboard flash. It is a chip that we normally expect to see in more advanced implementations and quite a bit of an overkill for the capabilities of the KB395L.

The Software

The software that HAVIT provides for the KB395L can be downloaded from the company’s website. Launching the software brings up a simple, single page interface. This approach is common with keyboards that do not offer too deep customization features.

Static lighting or one of the pre-programmed lighting effects can be selected via the drop-down menu at the top right side of the interface. There is a selection of ten advanced lighting effects, five customized modes, and standard static lighting. Other advanced lighting effects cannot be programmed manually via the software’s interface. The user can also adjust the backlight brightness via a slider.

Moving to the lower left corner of the interface, the user can adjust the response time in 2 ms steps, as well as the USB polling rate. Unless there is a major compatibility issue between the keyboard and the system’s USB controller, there is no reason for anyone to use anything but the fastest settings (2 ms and 1000 Hz).

Per-key programmability is available on the KB395L. The user can program single and combined keystrokes, Macros, Basic, and Advanced functions. Basic functions include common Windows commands, such as media controls and standard explorer shortcuts. The Advanced functions tab has four options: to play a sound file, to start an external application, to open a text file, or to open a folder.

The KB395L’s software macro recorder is very basic, capable of only recording keyboard keystrokes and delay times. It also is possible to program the number of loops that the macro should execute. However, there are no advanced functions, such as mouse clicks and relative/absolute mouse movements. More advanced users will have to result to a third-party macro software package and launch its compiled .EXE files via the Advanced functions tab.

HAVIT also included the option of profiles into the software. However, there is no keystroke combination to switch between profiles. Clicking on the Profiles button at the lower left side of the interface brings up a list of the profiles already saved in the system. Saving a profile creates a .BIN file and loading it requires manually selecting that file - clicking on the listed profile names has no effect. Note that these files are saved in the folder where the keyboard’s software has been installed and only one can be programmed into the keyboard at a given time.

Per-Key Quality Testing

In order to test the quality and consistency of a keyboard, we are using a texture analyser that is programmed to measure and display the actuation force of the standard keyboard keys. By measuring the actuation force of every key, the quality and consistency of the keyboard can be quantified. It can also reveal design issues, such as the larger keys being far softer to press than the main keys of the keyboard. The actuation force is measured in Centinewton (cN). Some companies use another figure, gram-force (gf). The conversion formula is 1 cN = 1.02 gf (i.e. they are about the same). A high quality keyboard should be as consistent as possible, with an average actuation force as near to the manufacturer's specs as possible and a disparity of less than ±10%. Greater differences are likely to be perceptible by users. It is worth noting that there is typically variance among keyboards, although most keyboard companies will try and maintain consistency - as with other reviews, we're testing our sample only.

The machine we use for our testing is accurate enough to provide readings with a resolution of 0.1 cN. For wider keys (e.g. Enter, Space Bar, etc.), the measurement is taking place at the center of the key, right above the switch. Note that large keys generally have a lower actuation force even if the actuation point is at the dead center of the key. This is natural, as the size and weight of the keycap reduces the required actuation force. For this reason, we do display the force required to actuate every key but we only use the results of the typical sized keys for our consistency calculations. Still, very low figures on medium sized keys, such as the Shift and Enter keys reveal design issues and can easily be perceptible by the user.

Kailh’s new blue PG1350 series low-profile switch has a 3mm travel is rated at just 45 gf (gram-force), and that’s the operating (maximum) force, not the actuation force. For reference, Cherry’s MX blue switches have an operating force of 60 gf and an actuation force of 50 gf. The disparity of the Kailh PG1350 switches on the HAVIT KB395L is high, at ± 8.25% across the main keys of the keyboard, yet still within acceptable limits. Considering the short travel and tactile nature of the switches, it is next to impossible for the user to actually feel the difference. The average actuation force is only 39.9 cN, which is one of the lowest that we have ever seen.

Hands-on Testing

I always try to use every keyboard that we review as my personal keyboard for at least a week. My typical weekly usage includes a lot of typing (about 100-150 pages), a few hours of gaming and some casual usage, such as internet browsing and messaging. I personally prefer Cherry MX Brown or similar (tactile) switches for such tasks. In theory, the tactile Kailh PG1350 blue switches of the HAVIT KB395L are too soft and short for comfortable typing in comparison to typical MX Blue/Brown switches. However, this theory is far from actual practice.

The HAVIT KB395L proved to be a marvelous keyboard to type with. It is very soft and responsive, while the audible tactile feedback is not too loud. The very low operating force has the switch resembling more of a chiclet key with an extended travel rather than a typical mechanical switch. After just a couple of minutes of use, my fingers were able to adjust to the very low operating force and I could softly press the keys. This makes the KB395L exceptional for long-term professional use. Moving to a keyboard with typical full-travel mechanical switches a few hours later will feel like a fingers workout session.

For gaming, the HAVIT KB395L can mainly offer long-term use comfort. The keyboard’s lighting profiles have been pre-programmed to help gamers by lighting up certain groups of keys each, but that is more of an aesthetic feature rather than an actual advantage. It is possible to program different layouts and basic macros, or call advanced macros launching files compiled using an advanced third-party software, but changing the profile currently requires opening the software and browsing to a file, which is an ordeal and hardly possible at all while in-game.

Conclusion

It is obvious that HAVIT wanted to bring something new and innovative into the market, not just another typical mechanical keyboard that would face ludicrous competition. The KB395L definitely stands out, as it is one of the very few mechanical keyboards using such short travel switches.

In terms of overall quality, the HAVIT KB395L is not the kind of keyboard that you want to rage punch or daily abuse. In order to make the keyboard lightweight and thin, the designers had to limit the thickness of the plastic underside of the keyboard. Furthermore, the stems of these Kailh switches and the keycaps are quite fragile and will not withstand too much force. Considering that replacements will be very hard to come by, it would be wise to treat the KB395L with respect.

Aesthetically, the KB395L stands out via its minimalism. The dimensions of the top aluminum plate have been reduced to barely fit the standard layout keyboard and only the company’s logo between the arrow and control keys stands out. One could say that it strongly resembles Apple’s keyboards, only with superior mechanical switches and a black color scheme. The RGB lighting is generally good, with minimal bleed around the keycaps, but its application on the Space Bar key could definitely have been better.

Kailh’s new PG1350 blue switch makes the KB395L practically ideal for professionals that like tactile switches. It is soft and very comfortable, probably even more than all classic mechanical keyboard switches. The audible feedback is not too loud and should not disturb people who are not in the immediate vicinity of the user, neither tire the users themselves out after long typing sessions.

The company markets the KB395L as a “both games and office” keyboard. We would say that it strongly inclines towards the latter, as its comfort and minimalistic design are more suited to professional use. Professionals will love its tactile, audible feedback and the long-term comfort that Kailh’s new switches offer. It is not a bad choice for gamers but it has little to offer other than long-term comfort, while other similarly priced products are definitely better suited for gaming. The current retail price of the KB395L is $80, which may be a little high for a keyboard using Kailh switches and lacking in advanced features, but we would not go as far as to claim that it is overpriced considering that it currently is one-of-a-kind design. Its tenkeyless version, the KB390L, is available for $20 less, but note that it also lacks the RGB backlighting of the KB395L.