Havit 89 Wired Mechanical Keyboard Review: The Workman of Your Desk
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I’ve always been an admirer of mechanical keyboards simply due to the fact that I love exploring the unique sound each keyboard makes. Some keyboards may have the same kind of switches yet the sound they emit can sound tremendously different. There’s something keenly distinctive about this space of tech gadgets that others could never match. I came across a mechanical keyboard on Amazon last month from Havit that was marketed as a gaming keyboard with red switches. That itself is nothing special. What really caught my attention was the orange, beige and black keycap design along with its unique 89 key layout. I’m going to refer to this keyboard as the Havit 89 from here on out. While it’s easy to dismiss this $39.99 in a sea filled with affordable mechanical keyboards, I was extremely curious to see how this particular keyboard performed under my workflow.
Look & Feel
I just wanted to say right off the bat that I’m hesitant to call this a gaming keyboard. For one, it doesn’t look like what a modern gaming keyboard would be presented as in the past decade. With mounting increased fixations by younger gamers on RGB patterns and tactile “clickiness” sounds, by comparison this thing is like a Grandparent. There’s no flair for the aesthetics, no flash for the Instagram profile and definitely no price tag to suggest this will provide anything special. Yet Havit has built a reputation on providing the right amount of flair and the right amount of quality for the everyday man. That’s why this keyboard is so peculiar. It fits in better in my office setting as an everyday work horse than on my gaming desk with RGB lights flashing out of products from all sides.
This feels like a Havit keyboard. If you’re new to the Havit brand, you’ve at least come across their name while browsing Amazon. While Havit does have certain tiers of keyboards that increase in quality with their sticker price, for the most part they are laser focused on the budget segment of gaming accessories. As someone who has purchased and used multiple Havit accessories over the years, I’m well accustomed to the distinct quality their products come as. Don’t expect this premium “wow-factor” you get when you first lay your fingers on something like the Razer Huntsman or a Mionix Wei. Those just send you a chill down your spine the moment you connect with them. They’re premium for a reason. Havit is like the workman in a factory that earns your respect after long battles and hardships.
That’s what we have here as well. Even without the Havit badging on the bottom corner of this keyboard, I can kind of recognize the heritage the more I type on and feel the plastic material housing the keycaps. There’s 89 keys on here and 78 of them are standard in the way I am accustomed to on keyboards. 11 of them were just downright fascinating for my fingers to adapt to. I’m referring of course to the combination of the numberpad to otherwise a tenkeyless keyboard. While this keyboard isn’t the first one to use this layout, it is my first personal experience with such a unique numberpad.
Takes Some Getting Used To
Over time I’ve gradually shifted away from full sized keyboards to the new wave of 75% or tenkeyless designs. I’m even curious to further downsize to a 60% after reading Seri’s review of the Razer Huntsman Mini. 87 keys on a tenkeyless isn’t too difficult to adapt to from a full size keyboard. Even if we ignore the numberpad relocating to where your print screen normally would be, 89 keys is just a weird number for someone accustomed to 87 keys! To be honest with you, I’ve been using this keyboard at work for about a month and I still on occasion forget to hold shift to delete. Part of my difficulty adapting is due to the fact that when I switch over to work on The Sypnotix, I use a full size keyboard for editing and a tenkeyless for writing. Teetering between a standard key layout and an unorthodox one isn’t the best way to adapt. If you stick with this 89 key layout as your sole partner, you’ll probably adapt quicker.
I appreciate the inclusion of PBT keycaps as many budget keyboards prefer to stay with ABS caps. Of course it’s only been a month so I can't expect to see the effects of wear on this keyboard this early on, but that’s a nice investment for the future for those relying on only one keyboard for long term uses. While the cable isn’t detachable, it’s at least a firm braided USB-A cable. It’s only a matter of time until USB-C hits budget keyboards but for the time being this is totally fine for PC owners.
Now when it comes to switches, this is a decision that is purely based on the user’s preferences. I know gamers who have their die-hard switch color that they must have to “perform” to their abilities. I feel like it’s a mental thing as well as a status symbol more than anything. As I stated in the beginning of this review, I just love the various sounds that switches make on mechanical keyboards. I don’t necessarily prefer one click to another. On this Havit 89, I actually felt like the clicks were rather muted in the grand scheme of things. Once again, I’m using this in the office setting and while it absolutely does emit a certain clanky sound, it’s rather hollow. Basically what I’m trying to say is that this is not an obnoxious mechanical keyboard. That’s especially nice for red switches because I’ve used red switches way more obnoxious than this.
Comfortable and Ergonomic
I also like the ergonomics of the keyboard in terms of how spacious this thing feels. While Havit curves the layout from north dipping in the center back to rising as you move south, what makes me feel comfortable is how spacious the keys feel. Each keycap feels like it has the circumference of a big soft marshmallow. Of course it isn’t that large, but I’ve noticed I commit less errors on this keyboard over many of my other ones.
There are only two angles to set this keyboard at. The flat default without the legs out actually elevates the F rows ever so slightly. That is something I noticed and liked with my particular typing habits. I found myself enjoying the full capabilities of my typing prowess when I pulled the feet out and had it elevated. The angle may be high for some typists, but I do prefer it like that.
There’s no backlighting on this keyboard which once again, kind of makes this not feel like a gaming keyboard at all. I’m not bothered by the lack of backlighting here seeing as it’s always sitting under overhead lighting at an office space. If I replaced my Razer Huntsman with this in that particular gaming desk setup, the lack of backlighting would be an issue for sure seeing as I turn off the lights in that room when gaming.
Overall Thoughts
What originally led me to try the Havit 89 was that funky numberpad integration into a tenkyeless body. I’ve never had something like that before and was eager to experience it. What I ended up getting ironically became one of my favorite budget work keyboards to date. From the choice of color on the keycaps to the soft mushy marshmallow feeling of the tactile response when typing, I’ve grown to like typing on here. I honestly don’t see this for gaming as much as some people will disagree with me, but that’s what makes keyboards so unique and fun to collect. Everyone gains a different perspective the minute your finger senses the cap or hears that click for the first time.
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Alex
Caught in between the conundrum of his fascination with retro and the future, Alex has a very unique taste in technology. Never one to follow trends like his millennial peers yet constantly desiring to get ahead of the curve, he sees technology like he does his other love: comic books. Always looking for the best value or a hidden gem, his collector mindset reflects on some of his favorite gadgets: the Moto X (2015), HTC U11 and the Google Pixelbook. If there’s a good tech deal out there, Alex is on the hunt!