Wind x65 - Thoughts and Review

Introduction

It's still early 2022 and the pandemic situation is still unchanged. At that time buying a keyboard is still very difficult. To get the keyboard I want, I still have to follow the group buy or pre-order method, and sometimes we don’t know when the keyboard will be shipped. Suddenly an in-stock keyboard release from Wind Studio called Wind x65 just randomly appeared. Quite surprising because it will be sold in stock in limited quantities. After seeing a quick review and impression from Alexotos, I finally decided to buy this keyboard (RIP my money💸)

What you will get in the box

"Wow! there are so many parts and a lot of foams!" That was my first impression when I opened the box. Inside the box you will get these part 👇

• The Wind x65 keyboard case (PC accent piece and weight ensembled)
• 0.5mm IXPE foam
• POM or Carbon Plate
• 3.5mm Poron PCB foam (between PCB and plate)
• 0.5mm IXPE switch foam
• Soldered or Hot-Swap PCB
• 2mm Poron PCB foam (between PCB and case foam)
• 1mm Poron Case foam (PCB Foam and bottom case)
• Enough gasket foam (2mm)

The retail price was 288 USD excluding the shipping fee, Wind Studio used its own logistics vendor and it cost about 50 USD to ship to Singapore 🇸🇬.

Build process experience

This is my second custom mechanical keyboard after Keychron Q2 so I have enough experience to build a custom mechanical keyboard.

The process is quite the same as the process for other custom mechanical keyboards, only the case part was quite new for me. 3 pieces of the case must be installed. Several tools were included in the box, such as a hex screwdriver, which made it easier for me, who at that time did not have many tools for keyboard purposes 👏🏻.

Design

Design-wise, I really like the led blocker on the right 🤩. Very unique and not too much. It's only as an accent that we can also customize the light color via VIA. I also find the typing angle very comfortable, it's not too height for my preference.

There are some elements that I don't like. The first one is the side profile with a yellow line, and the second one is the back case design. Maybe because I don't really like white and yellow combinations.

This keyboard also doesn't have a significant weight, only a small weight which is more like an accent rather than a weight.

Typing feels and sound

The combination of Durock Lavender switches and a carbon fiber plate makes the typing feel quite light, not too soft but still comfortable 👍.

This combination makes the sound very clacky and also I don't use a lot of foam. One of the things I love about this keyboard is that the spacebar on the board is quite solid and clean! (to achieve this also requires solid and clean stabs).

I made a comparison reels video with my good friend Dreezy to get an idea of how clacky this keyboard, even with a different configuration.

My config

At first, I used all the foam that was included, but because I felt the typing feel was too stiff, I decided to only use plate foam and thin foam.

• Wind x65 • e-white and e-yellow
• Plate: Carbon Fibre
• Keycaps: GMK Serika R2
• Switches: Durock Lavender
• Stabs: Durock V2
• Foams: Thin foam under PCB and Plate foam only

Final verdict

Wind x65 is my second custom mechanical keyboard. I am very satisfied, especially at that time it was very difficult to get a custom mechanical keyboard at a reasonable price and also in stock. In terms of design, I only like the top case and LED parts, the rest to be honest I don't quite like, especially because of the limited color combination options.

This keyboard will not be released anymore, however, you may still be able to find it in the aftermarket with not so bad price from the retail.

Please noted that when I wrote this article, there are already a lot of keyboards with cheaper price ranges, and pretty good quality, and even if they are doing the pre-order or group buy method, they still had quicker lead times. Yes, I'm referring to some boards like QK65, Zoom65, and Jris65. With so many new players that can offer that value, we can simply put wind x65 as a mid-tier level board from the price proposition angle. I think many people will choose a cheaper board than the wind x65 unless they really like the features and design.

I've tried a few QK65s at a few meetups, and many people like it. However, when comparing design, typing feels, and sound, I still prefer wind x65 over QK65.

See my complete experience. From unboxing, building and typing test here 👇

Other useful links

Wind Studio website