Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition Review: Rock-Solid Typing
Keychron K2 HE Concrete Edition Review: Rock-Solid Typing
Keychron K2 HE 混凝土版评测：坚如磐石的打字体验
WIRED Rating: 8/10 WIRED 评分：8/10
The Good: Novel case material. Great switches and keycaps. Enjoyable typing experience. Extensive performance adjustments through software. Bluetooth and 2.4G connectivity with USB-A dongle. 优点： 新颖的机身材质。出色的轴体和键帽。令人愉悦的打字体验。通过软件可进行广泛的性能调节。支持蓝牙和带 USB-A 接收器的 2.4G 连接。
The Bad: Concrete case has significant tradeoffs in weight and practicality. In-browser customization requires physical connection. Lack of aftermarket switch options. 缺点： 混凝土机身在重量和实用性上有显著的权衡。浏览器端自定义设置需要物理连接。缺乏第三方轴体更换选项。
Yes, Keychron made a concrete keyboard. The cause of scraped knees, bike-tire skid marks, and finger-painted signatures is now the foundation of a keyboard. Just where you’d least expect it. 没错，Keychron 真的做了一款混凝土键盘。这种曾导致膝盖擦伤、留下自行车胎痕迹以及手指涂鸦的材料，如今竟成了键盘的基座。这绝对是你最意想不到的地方。
And to my surprise, it’s not quite as ridiculous as it sounds. Unlike the company’s ceramic keyboard, the showcase material here is only the case; the keycaps are standard plastic. And unlike that novelty keyboard, which I found quite disappointing, I’m glad to say Keychron’s latest keyboard fares better. Maybe it’s just because I have a strong affinity for brutalism and the imposing pieces of architecture it spawns. The drab, slightly-warm gray has a certain, depressing charm that few materials can replicate. And underneath the shock value, there’s a genuinely well-made and coherent keyboard. 令我惊讶的是，它并没有听起来那么荒谬。与该公司之前的陶瓷键盘不同，这里作为展示的材质仅限于外壳；键帽仍是标准的塑料材质。而且与那款让我感到相当失望的“噱头”键盘相比，我很高兴地说 Keychron 的这款最新产品表现更好。也许是因为我本人对粗野主义（Brutalism）及其所催生的宏伟建筑情有独钟。那种单调、略带暖意的灰色有一种独特的、令人沉郁的魅力，这是极少数材料能复制的。而在这种视觉冲击力之下，它确实是一款制作精良且逻辑自洽的键盘。
Absurdity and Brutalism
荒诞与粗野主义
When I first started testing the K2 HE, I would mention it to quite a few people, saying “yeah, I’m actually reviewing a keyboard made of concrete right now,” and every single person would ask to see it. The very nature of it, something seemingly-absurd to the average person, makes it a true conversation piece. The material is often seen as industrial, lacking in taste or refinement and being reserved entirely for utilitarian applications where function trumps form. In media, it often serves as a visual shorthand for a soulless world that is devoid of joy and whimsy. Of course, artists and architects love it, and apparently, so do cats. 当我刚开始测试 K2 HE 时，我曾向不少人提起：“是的，我正在评测一款用混凝土做的键盘。”每个人听后都会要求看一看。这种对普通人来说看似荒谬的特质，使它成为了一个绝佳的谈资。混凝土通常被视为工业材料，缺乏品味或精致感，完全被局限于功能至上的实用领域。在媒体中，它常被用作一个视觉符号，代表着一个缺乏快乐与奇思妙想的无灵魂世界。当然，艺术家和建筑师们很喜欢它，显然，猫咪们也一样。
I was drawn instantly to the idea of a concrete keyboard. There is, after all, an ironic humor that comes with a premium object, like a high-end keyboard, being made from the most basic and bland of materials. However, this isn’t the first concrete keyboard by any means, as there are quite a few DIY and limited-run concrete and cement keyboards have appeared online over the years. None of these have been as widely available as the K2 HE, though, which can be ordered and received in a matter of days instead of months (or, in the case of some group buys, years). 我立刻被“混凝土键盘”这个想法吸引了。毕竟，将高端键盘这种昂贵的物品用最基础、最平淡的材料制成，本身就带有一种讽刺的幽默感。然而，这绝不是第一款混凝土键盘，过去几年里，网上已经出现过不少 DIY 或限量版的混凝土/水泥键盘。但没有一款像 K2 HE 这样普及，你可以在几天内下单并收到货，而不是像某些团购那样需要等待数月（甚至数年）。
I am shocked to say that, somehow, the choice to use concrete is beneficial to this keyboard. It sounds great, and it feels responsive to type on. For a novelty-adjacent keyboard like this, one of the most important aspects of it is the user experience. The strange choices need to justify themselves in some kind of way, instead of being both ridiculous and useless. 我很震惊地说，不知为何，选择混凝土材质对这款键盘来说是有益的。它的声音很好听，打字反馈也很灵敏。对于这种带有“噱头”性质的键盘来说，最重要的方面之一就是用户体验。这些奇怪的选择必须以某种方式证明其合理性，而不是既荒谬又无用。
The switches are smooth, and the sound profile is a pleasantly rounded, deep tone that isn’t very common today. It has some subtle notes in the mid- and high-frequency range that creates a more “full” sound, especially on the upstroke of a key when released, but none of these are so extreme that the main tone is muddied or diluted. Really, this is one of the better-sounding keyboards that I’ve tested. While it’s certainly not a purpose-built, gasket-mounted keyboard, it’s good enough to justify the silly choice of materials. 轴体手感顺滑，声音表现出一种令人愉悦的圆润深沉感，这在当今并不常见。它在中高频段有一些微妙的音色，创造出一种更“饱满”的声音，特别是在按键释放回弹时，但这些音色并不突兀，不会掩盖或稀释主音调。说实话，这是我测试过的声音表现最好的键盘之一。虽然它肯定不是那种专门设计的 Gasket 结构键盘，但其表现足以证明这种“愚蠢”材质选择的合理性。
While the typing experience isn’t particularly special, it is passable. The concrete combines with the switches to create a slight softness at the bottom of a keypress, without being so soft that it feels mushy or unpleasant. Instead, it feels as if the harsher sensation of bottoming out are being absorbed by a fairly porous material, while the density of it prevents the vibrations from spreading out too far. 虽然打字体验并不特别出众，但完全合格。混凝土与轴体结合，在按键触底时产生了一种轻微的柔软感，但又不会软到让人觉得发闷或不适。相反，感觉就像是触底时那种生硬的冲击感被这种多孔材料吸收了，而其密度又防止了振动的过度扩散。
The stabilizers are PCB-mounted, which is preferable to the typical plate-mounted units that many keyboards use, and are lubricated from the factory. The lube on these stabilizers, while a bit excessive (there were small clumps of lube visible on the outside housings, which is not typical), feels great. The stabilized keys are smooth and consistent, with no audible rattling or sticking when typing. 卫星轴采用 PCB 卫星轴，这比许多键盘常用的钢板卫星轴更胜一筹，且出厂自带润滑。虽然卫星轴上的润滑脂稍微有点多（外壳上能看到小块的润滑脂团，这并不常见），但手感非常好。大键位顺滑且一致，打字时没有明显的杂音或卡顿。
But as it turns out, the greatest downside of this keyboard is, also, the material choice. As much as unsealed, raw concrete is quirky and fun, it is ultimately a utilitarian material: It’s heavy, has an inconsistent texture, and stains easily. During my time with this keyboard, it gathered quite a few smudges and stains, nearly all of which had unknown-to-me origins. Maybe they came from cleaning sprays, or from something on my hands, but I honestly have no clue. Depending on your perspective, this can be a flaw or a bonus. What some consider dirty, others will see as “patina.” But as someone who likes keeping their electronics squeaky-clean for as long as possible, it’s definitely a bit of a bummer to me. 但事实证明，这款键盘最大的缺点也是它的材质选择。尽管未密封的原始混凝土既古怪又有趣，但它终究是一种实用材料：它很重，纹理不均匀，且容易沾染污渍。在我使用这款键盘期间，它沾上了不少污迹和斑点，几乎所有污渍的来源我都不知道。也许是清洁喷雾留下的，或者是手上沾了什么东西，我真的毫无头绪。根据你的视角，这可能是一个缺点，也可能是一个加分项。有些人认为这是脏，而另一些人则会将其视为“包浆”。但作为一个喜欢让电子产品尽可能保持一尘不染的人来说，这确实让我有点沮丧。
(Being concrete, I would assume there are dozens of ways to get nearly any stain out of this keyboard, such as a power washer or a can of brake cleaner. However, I didn’t have the gumption to try it out for myself, and as such, I can’t guarantee that it’s possible.) （既然是混凝土，我想应该有几十种方法可以去除键盘上的几乎任何污渍，比如用高压清洗机或一罐刹车清洁剂。然而，我没有勇气亲自尝试，因此我无法保证这些方法是否可行。）
Gaming on Granite
坚如磐石的游戏体验
Despite my multiple complaints about Keychron’s all-ceramic keyboard, I was still fond of the Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) switches inside. They were innovative, functional, and novel, with notable advantages over standard Hall Effect (HE) switches. Because of that, I was surprised to see this keyboard going back to standard HE switches. They’re still great switches, of course, but going back to an inferior option for a similarly unique keyboard doesn’t quite make sense to me. 尽管我对 Keychron 的全陶瓷键盘有诸多抱怨，但我仍然很喜欢里面搭载的隧道磁阻（TMR）轴体。它们创新、实用且新颖，相比标准的霍尔效应（HE）轴体有显著优势。正因如此，我很惊讶地看到这款键盘又回到了标准的 HE 轴体。当然，它们依然是很好的轴体，但对于一款同样独特的键盘来说，退回到一个较差的选项对我来说不太合理。
Regardless, these switches are still impressive by any other standard of comparison. They feel smooth, have a reasonable weight, snap back quickly when pressed. This keyboard both feels good to type on, and is responsive enough for gaming, especially with the 1,000 Hz polling rate. 无论如何，以任何其他标准来衡量，这些轴体依然令人印象深刻。它们手感顺滑，压力克数合理，按压后回弹迅速。这款键盘既有良好的打字手感，也具备足够的游戏响应速度，尤其是它还拥有 1000Hz 的轮询率。