GoKawiilI 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).
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.
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.
Photograph: Henri Robbins Photograph: Henri Robbins
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.