Yep, another mechanical keyboard. At this point you are probably thinking this guy has a problem. And you’d probably be right.
I love a good mechanical keyboard and the AKKO 3087SP Ocean Star is no exception.
You probably have not heard of AKKO and that really is not a surprise. AKKO is the brand name of the parent company of the more well known Ducky here in North America. In fact when it comes down to it they are exactly the same keyboards just with different names and packaging.
I stumbled on this keyboard during a sale on Newegg Canada. What first drew me towards the keyboard was the price. Well actually the good price was on another keyboard but you can customise the design to what you want and I ended up with a keyboard that cost $102. I’m not upset by this as the quality is here.
The AKKO shipped in a bubble-wrapped envelope and then in AKKO branded box with an exact representation of the keyboard on the packaging. Inside it’s pretty standard. Though as with my Tesoro keyboard of the past the keyboard was covered in a plastic protector and then some thin foam wrapping. AKKO is apparently serious about their gear getting to you in one piece. That’s nice to see.
There are some accessories included with the keyboard including a manual completely in Chinese. Other accessories include a USB-C to standard USB cable, a key puller, and a set of extra key-caps in white or blue to add a bit more customisation to the keyboard. This is really nice to see.
Unlike my recently reviewed G.Skill KM360, the 3087’s included USB cable works great. The key puller included is a higher quality wire style puller rather than the cheaper all plastic ones.
Alright, let us proceed to the main event. The AKKO 3087 itself. In a lot of ways the quality is very similar to the KB Paradise V80 that I have reviewed previously. The 3087’s blue frame is really nice looking and refreshing compared to the regularly seen black or white frames.
The bottom of the frame is the nicest equipped I have seen in a while. It has dual position riser feet which makes it nice for those that like different angles of typing. Regardless of what is being used they all have rubber feet. This is often overlooked especially on the riser feet on a lot of other mechanical keyboards. I have mine set to the highest position since the case is relatively thick (though relatively standard compared to many mechanical keyboards).
The USB cable also has channelling along the forward end that can go either to the right or left or straight out of the centre.
The key-caps are nice and thick double-shot PBT and have a nice slight texture to them similar to KB Paradise V80. They are a real pleasure on which to type. Something different about this keyboard is the lettering and characters are silk screened to the front of the key instead of the top. I have never had a keyboard where you couldn’t easily see the character of the keys you were typing. It turns out that this is no problem when typing normally as I am touch typist anyways. Though it can through me off when typing long passwords. Thank goodness for password managers…
If one is not comfortable with these caps though, thanks to the standard CherryMX Red switches underneath they can be easily swapped out for something more traditional. As for those CherryMX Reds they feel like red switches. I am not a huge fan of linear switches and this keyboard does not change my mind. In fact I am so used to the tactile feel of brown style switches that I find I am not pushing down far enough on the reds sometimes to actually get them to actuate. The browns give you that small feedback that I tend to be able to type faster on those switches. Also reds, to me at least, have a slightly higher resistance to them that I don’t really appreciate.
Physically the keyboard is built like a tank. I can’t flex the board. Period. It’s incredibly strong. One downside to it however is there no back-lighting which I have come to almost be essential in my less than well lit room.
I typed this review on the AKKO 3087 and it has been as much of a pleasure as it could be with red switches for me. If I was to order this keyboard again I would go with the brown switch option which is available.
Now let’s talk about support. It sounds like if there is an issue with your 3087 it’s a mixed bag on what kind of support you will get. I actually understand this. This is a Chinese market QWERTY keyboard that for some reason is listed on Newegg Canada. You can navigate their website a bit with some trickery but if you see yourself needing support I would go with the identical Ducky 3087 Ocean Star though it is $50 CAD more than the AKKO model. Honestly, the only thing you really have to worry about on this keyboard is the key switch and since they are genuine CherryMX switches, you won’t need to worry about problems until long after the expiry of your warranty.
There are two things that would make this keyboard perfect for me. Brown switches, which are available. And a white back-light even if it didn’t shine through the key-caps themselves. That is also available but only on the black version of the keyboard. Such a shame.
I highly recommend this keyboard though some may scoff at the price. I think the AKKO 3087SP Ocean Star is a great value especially compared to the Ducky model.
