LET’S HIT YOU with the first thing that hit
us: The top plate of the HVER Pro X is
pretty outrageous. It’s a screwed-down
aluminum slab that spills off all sides of
the keyboard, as though it’s desperate
to escape. We’ll say it: Those edges are
really, desperately ugly, stamped and
bent with xtreeem gamerz cuts and
slashes that do more to take away from
the look of the HVER Pro X than add to
it. Aesthetics aside, they are at least
practical—you can balance a pen on the
rear lip, and the curves on the bottom and
side edges make this more comfortable
on the palms than some.
The top panel also aids in the Pro X’s
spill-proof design. We won’t claim that
the half can of Monster Energy that hit
our review model was a deliberate test—
ahem—but credit where it’s due, this
survived without an issue, which could
be a big plus for those with busy desks.
Weirdly, though, our review model, as
shipped, seemed to be under a whole
lot of tension. It would not sit flat on the
desk, whether the feet were extended or
not. The only way to remedy the situation
was to grab the bottom-left and top-
right corners of the top plate—which
appears to be responsible for the Pro X’s
otherwise-commendable rigidity—and
physically muscle the keyboard back into
shape. That really is a new one.
There’s more here that feels a little
rinky-dink. Just focusing on the keycaps,
the double injection process used to
create the antiwear key markings means
many characters are slightly truncated,
like they’ve been stenciled on in a hurry
by the A-Team; key bracing is passable
at best, leaving the main bulk of the caps
slightly wobbly, and larger keys positively
floppy, with a cheap rattle, to boot; andPlenty of pros, but a few cons, too
IOGEAR Kaliber
Gaming HVER Pro X
7
VERDICT IOGEAR Kaliber Gaming
HVER Pro X
OPTICAL Spill-proof; decent
switches; fantastic lighting options.
CANOPTIC Rattly keys; some questionable
style choices.
$90, http://iogear.comSPECIFICATIONSSwitch Type Brown, opticalForm Factor Full sizeMedia Keys With FnMacro Keys CustomizableLEDs Per-key RGBN-Key Rollover Yes, full keyboardPass-Through NoneDimensions 1.2 x 7.1 x 18.4 inchesWarranty Two yearsmost egregiously, the screen-printed
top-of-key markings are slightly off-
center, a tiny and insignificant thing that
nonetheless made our teeth itch.
But perfection isn’t why you’re here.
You’re here because this is a paltry $90
keyboard picking a serious fight with
some serious (and seriously expensive)
competitors. With brown optical
mechanical switches, it does indeed
manage that delicious combination of
tactility, quiet (mostly), and seat-of-your-
pants responsiveness, with little in the
way of inconsistency between different
keys. It’s fast, with the optical actuation
just slightly below the tactile bite, which
is right where it should be. Perfect for a
stream, tight enough for games, adept at
office and general desktop use; niggles
aside, the HVER Pro X is a very capable
mechanical keyboard.PLEASANT REVOLT
Perhaps capable isn’t the world. Maybe
we’d stretch so far as pleasant, because
it’s surprising just how good this feels.
There are better out there—Cherry
MX Brown switches feel infinitesimally
more pleasant than these generics, and
those rattly, wobbly keys aren’t going
anywhere—but this kind of consistent
and quick switch response is beyond
rare at this price point. There’s full N-key
rollover and antighosting, too, which
means nothing’s been left on the table in
terms of tech.
Also remarkable is the lighting, which
is honestly toward the top end of what
we’d expect from any RGB board at any
price. Shine through the keycaps is, as
you’d expect from a double injection
process, very good, and the semi-gloss
black finish of the brushed top panelgives enough glow without overdoing
things. It’s per-key RGB, with some
strong effects, customizable in software
(naturally), with three custom profiles
mappable to three function keys.
This is a keyboard that works. It’s
solid, it does the job, and bits of it are
truly impressive. But the HVER Pro X
needs tightening up somehow—a little
refinement in design, a bit of care and
attention paid to the little things, perhaps
even an extra $5 or $10 on the price tag,
if that’s what it takes, and this would be a
real battler. –ALEX COXmaximumpc.com MAY 2020 MAXIMUMPC 75