The reliable, full-size Varmilo VEA109 mechanical keyboard can be yours for £110 from Overclockers
An excellent mechanical keyboard for typists.
In a world where certain enthusiast-grade mechanical keyboards are becoming particularly interesting to say the least, sometimes it's nice to go and look at one that's a bit more conventional. This Varmilo VEA109 is a fine example of such, offering a standard, full-size layout, MX Red switches and some convenient extras. Currently, Overclockers has knocked £50 off this lovely keyboard, bringing it down to £110 from its usual £160 list price.
I've used Varmilo products in the past, and I've always been impressed by their overall looks and feel. This VEA109 is no exception to the rule, sporting the same convenient full-size layout that Varmilo tend to stick with on some of their keyboards, alongside a swanky grey and black two tone colourway, with bright blue accents for larger keys. You get a full set of keys here, with creature comforts such as a dedicated number pad and arrow keys, while also getting four extra shortcut keys in the top right corner for opening apps such as an email client or calculator. These extra keys actually cause Varmilo to call this a 110% layout keyboard, given you're getting more keys for the privilege.
Elsewhere, you also get handy enthusiast-level accoutrements which go a long way to helping the VEA109 be an excellent keyboard to use day-to-day. It comes with textured, doubleshot PBT keycaps which are mighty durable with legends that will never wear off as they're a part of the keycap, and much better than the more typically found ABS keycaps on keyboards from more mainstream brands at similar prices. Connectivity is taken care of by wired means, keeping things simple, while the VEA109 also comes with full anti-ghosting and NKRO to ensure no missed inputs.
The presence of full NKRO and anti-ghosting also technically makes the VEA109 suitable for gaming, as does the light and snappy Cherry MX Red switches inside. I've used MX Reds in a boatload of keyboards over the years, and they are an excellent switch for gaming. A 45cN force keeps them light, while the fact they're linear means they go straight down without any real feedback getting in the way. For typing workloads, they're a decent linear switch too, although if that's your main workload, I'd be more inclined to suggest looking at one with MX Brown switches - the VEA109 is also available with Browns for the same £110 price tag.
If you want to grab a reliable mechanical keyboard that will definitely last, this Varmilo VEA109 from Overclockers with its £50 discount is well worth a look.