Introduction

In-stock keyboard releases have always caught my attention, at that time being the Sangeo65 from Monstargears Korea. This keyboard is the keyboard I've used in the last eight months. I will share my experience building and using this keyboard in the past eight months.

Unboxing experience

I got a fairly large shipping box and it contained a large carrying case for a compact keyboard at 65%. To be honest the carrying case bit too big for just 65% size 😅

The box contains:

• E-white aluminum case
• Blue PVD coat brass
• Aluminium plate
• KBD67 MKII Hot-swap PCB (RGB Led)
• Plate foam
• Gaskets and M3 screws
• Cute sharks stickers

The retail price of the keyboard is USD 420 + 35 USD for the shipping fee to Singapore.

Build process

Because there weren't that many parts, from the start I expected that the build process wouldn't be that complicated. The keyboard construction structure is also simple. The process is more or less just opening the case, placing foam (optional), placing the assembled PCB, and closing the case, that's it!

The PCB used by Sangeo65 is a PCB from KBDFans and does not have a daughterboard, making the build process even simpler.

In my build process three things I don't like 😢:

• Applying 3M gaskets, might look like a small thing but I always have trouble attaching the gaskets perfectly, I consider this to be my skill issue.
• Crosshead screws that strip too easily, using stock M3 type screws turns out to make the screws easy to spoil. This is also experienced by many other Sangeo65 owners. Someone sells replacement bolts on SGMK Discord, I've never tried it but maybe this could be a solution for you Sangeo owners whose has a similar issue.

Design

Sangeo65 has two case structures, the top and bottom case. The design from above will look like just another 65% keyboard. But the bottom case design is so special to me, the chamfer shape, and the curve are so solid that make the side profile of this keyboard look very unique and elegant. On the bottom case, you can see the PVD-weight cute shark shining.

I chose Blue PVD coat brass, the color combination of white case and blue PVD in my opinion is the right combination and the right theme for this keyboard. As for the quality of the case itself, it looks sturdy and solid. When compared with the Keychorn Q2 which was my first aluminum keyboard, the quality of this Sangeo is really on a different level.

Typing feels and sound

The Sangeo65 is a gasket-mounted keyboard with no daughterboard and I thought the typing felt would be a bit stiff. It turned out to be... a bit stiff, but still enjoyable to type on and I like it!

When I type, I still feel a bit of the bouncy feeling typical of a gasket keyboard, but it's just right but not too much. Sangeo65 only provides an aluminum plate which I think is the best plate compared to other materials.

Compare with my other 65% keyboard, I feel the front-height of the keyboard is little bit tall 😢. Maybe using wrist rest will make the typing feels more enjoyable.

My config

I tried two builds, the first used all the foam available and no modifications. The result is quite clacky, with no hollow sound and an enjoyable typing feeling. But there is one problem that is very clear the sound is pingy throughout, and it seems to be evenly distributed. After I used the force break mod, the pingy sound disappeared.

Board: Sangeo65 e-white by Monstargears
Switches: SP-Star Polaris Grey L+F
Plate: Aluminium
Stabs: Tx Stabs
Keycaps: GMK Minimall + Accent

Soundwise, Sangeo65 is quite loud. The alphas section sounds quite crisp. The part I like the most is the space bar, very solid, round, and pop. Very satisfied whenever I hit the spacebar. In the second build, I took all the foam except plate foam and the alpha sound came out even louder. So I highly recommend removing the foams 👍

Final verdict

Sangeo65 is a solid-quality keyboard with a clacky sound profile. With a fairly fair price, and previously sold in stock is a pretty attractive advantage.

Apart from the screw issue which is easily stripped, this keyboard will always be my recommendation compared to the QK65, Zoom65, or even Vega. This is because the aftermarket price is not too expensive. By using a PCB from KBDFans, we don't have to worry too much if the PCB is damaged and we want to replace it.