Enermax Aurora

[Rob Williams]

If you are looking for a sleek keyboard, then the Enermax Aurora may be for you. It's built with aluminum for a strong frame and uses the same technology behind laptop keyboards for ultra-quiet and smooth operation.

You can read the review here and discuss it here!

[Rory Buszka]

I think I've found my next keyboard.

Oh yes, it will be mine.

[Greg King]

The notebook style keys are a sure winner for me. Looks like an amazing keyboard. However, this Eclipse II isnt going anywhere anytime soon.

4I ordered this keyboard, and it is indeed striking and well-built. But they
put the letters on the keycaps that are raised ridges, rather than flush.
This means that if you're a touch typist you feel the letters, and this
isn't pleasant. In fact, this is irritating enough that I'm sending mine
back for a refund. In addition the key action is a bit stiff. So regretfully
I'm sending mine back for a refund. Too bad, since it looks terrific!

The keys are white plastic with silver PAINT on them. The paint wears off, and you have suddenly reverted to a Radio Shack Model II keyboard with oddly colored keys wearing through. You won't want anybody seeing your screwed up expensive keyboard after that.

This keyboard is an example of Marketing having more weight than Engineering in design decisions. And no QC. Perhaps, if the executive in charge would have spent one or two hours with the keyboard instead lounging through a wet lunch, Enermax might have caught this, and I wouldn't be writing here.

Again--DO NOT BUY any keyboard with SILVER KEYS.

Since the silver wears off the keys, and the base frame is just brushed aluminum, I wonder if the black keys are solid black, and does the black (probably anodized) frame wear to bare metal? What's the point of making an elegant mechanical keyboard and use yuppy-feel-good appointments that do not share the elegance in design?

And here's another--I can't read the key caps. Any light that isn't nearly 90 degrees straight down reflects from the keys the same luminance as does the legend printed on them--in other words, if you don't know the location of the numbers and the oddball shift characters, you'll need to get out the Sharpie and label them yourself. Ie. Try to find F8.

I wanted a black keyboard. Finding them out of stock wherever I looked, I bought the silver one. Big mistake.

I'm banging on Enermax's service to see if I can get a set of BLACK key caps to replace the painted and wearing silver caps. Then, I would have the best of both worlds--Unwearing solid black key caps and an unanodized raw and unwearing aluminum frame.

Marketdroids. I used to collar them in the grocery store and pitch them into the alley to keep them from rearranging the aisles so that Suzy Homemaker would get a tingle somewhere and impulse buy a red box of cereal just because, "Something came over her." These idiots would make steering wheels that only turned LEFT because the control system looked "stylish".

The mechanics of the keyboard are solid. Somebody must've gotten in to work early and stayed late that day. If you don't care about the key cap wear, this is a mechanical wonder for touch typists. It feels great to use.

The USB_01 ports are good enough for a mouse but nothing else. The newer and smaller (Crystal) keyboards come with two USB_02 ports that share the USB power with the keyboard--there isn't enough to run two 1G jump-drives. I love the marketing logic here: "The parts assembled; therefore, it works."

Maybe Enermax will rethink their product line and send their marketdroids packing. If I get my black key caps, I'll be happy. I'm not happy now.

=zz=.

[Matt Serrano]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

But they
put the letters on the keycaps that are raised ridges, rather than flush.
This means that if you're a touch typist you feel the letters, and this
isn't pleasant. In fact, this is irritating enough that I'm sending mine
back for a refund. In addition the key action is a bit stiff. So regretfully
I'm sending mine back for a refund. Too bad, since it looks terrific!

The labels on the keys are in fact screened on. I thought about mentioning it as a negative in my review, but I decided against it simply because most keyboards are made that way. I can't really imagine how it would bother anyone though, unless they started to come off.

Originally Posted by Buzz

The keys are white plastic with silver PAINT on them. The paint wears off, and you have suddenly reverted to a Radio Shack Model II keyboard with oddly colored keys wearing through. You won't want anybody seeing your screwed up expensive keyboard after that.

...

Again--DO NOT BUY any keyboard with SILVER KEYS.

Since the silver wears off the keys, and the base frame is just brushed aluminum, I wonder if the black keys are solid black, and does the black (probably anodized) frame wear to bare metal? What's the point of making an elegant mechanical keyboard and use yuppy-feel-good appointments that do not share the elegance in design?

And here's another--I can't read the key caps. Any light that isn't nearly 90 degrees straight down reflects from the keys the same luminance as does the legend printed on them--in other words, if you don't know the location of the numbers and the oddball shift characters, you'll need to get out the Sharpie and label them yourself. Ie. Try to find F8.

...

I wasn't able to test the silver model, so I can't offer any input there. I'm sorry you had such bad luck with it.

Originally Posted by hotsoda

The labels on the keys are in fact screened on. I thought about mentioning it as a negative in my review, but I decided against it simply because most keyboards are made that way. I can't really imagine how it would bother anyone though, unless they started to come off.


I wasn't able to test the silver model, so I can't offer any input there. I'm sorry you had such bad luck with it.

I'm just angry that such an elegant opportunity to produce a keyboard that was head and shoulders above and beyond anything else was sidestepped either by stupidity or blatant arrogance. I'm still mad. This kind of thing makes me feel ashamed for the people involved in producing this product.

Monday, I'll pursue the black key caps. Fat chance there. I am an unusual buyer in that I know what I want and I know what is possible to do. Stupid, brain-dead decisions are just not on. Your review is fine. You couldn't discover this lameness until you actually wore the key cap down to the base plactic.

I play bass guitar, and my fingers may be a bit rougher than anybody else's. Still, a mechanical design that is so elegant should have an equivalent appointment. Tens of thousands of cycles or something like that. Nuts.

=zz=.