Mionix Wei Mechanical Keyboard Review: This is the Way!

POSITIVES

✓ Clean keyboard experience

Indie vibes marketing mixed with minimalist symbology

✓ Tactile response

The Cherry MX Red Switches emit a nice sound

✓ Nicely spaced out

Full sized and well spaced

NEGATIVES

✘ Difficult to obtain in 2021

In and out of stock

✘ Doesn't list secondary functions (FN) commands

May take some adjustment period

Purchase Price: $160

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As I sit behind this Mionix mechanical keyboard typing letter by letter to construct the words I’ve formulated for this review, I can’t help but think about the key reasons as to why this keyboard is the way I like things done. Mionix is neither the most popular brand, nor even the most accessible one for consumers to obtain, yet I am clearly smitten with their Wei. The Wei mechanical keyboard is the perfect pun to showcase the way forward for gaming accessories to create a nearly perfect product. The secret to success? Take a bare bones minimalistic design, a bit of premium build quality and mix in fun marketing,

A Clean Experience

The Mionix Wei has been around for almost half a decade now, yet it’s also a brand that has largely been swept under the rug when thrown into the gauntlet with big boys like Razer, Corsair and Logitech. This is a brand that really screams indie. From the random donut branding material to the minimalistic Mionix logo, this is one of the cleanest keyboard experiences I have ever had. 

The minute you pull this out of the awesome packaging and set it onto your desk, you just instantly feel like you are in for something special. It has that Apple-effect. For $160, I would certainly hope to be impressed. Fortunately that was exactly what I was and continued to be after my fingers began exploring the fully programmable keys. The tactile response from the Cherry MX Red Switches on this Wei keyboard are impeccable. Not only does each keystroke feel satisfying, it also has a unique sense of effortlessness in its operation. It’s hard to necessarily describe what I’m feeling, but there are some mechanical keyboards that while satisfying to type on in numerous ways, feel like you’re in a constant battle against the pressure of the switches.

Satisfying, With Some Quirks

I say this because I literally have the Razer Huntsman on the desk parallel to the one I’m typing on right now and that keyboard with Razer’s purple optical switches sees almost equal action to the Mionix Wei. Even though I absolutely love both of these keyboards I use as daily drivers, I do feel more at ease typing on the Wei. The clickiness sound the Wei emits is more of a tik-tik-tik rather than a T-T-T I hear from many mechanical boards. It’s a muted, yet still satisfying sound in my opinion.

As a full size keyboard, the Wei is nicely spaced out with minimal symbology that makes the keyboard seem hipper than many other brands and their vanilla caps. While you don’t get double shot PBT caps that my colleague Seri constantly preaches as a be-all-end-all must have, the keycaps have nonetheless held up very well for 6+ months of daily usage. Back to the symbology, one of the reasons why this keyboard is so minimalistically attractive is basically it doesn’t list the secondary function (FN) commands on any of the keycaps. As someone who learned how to type wrong as a kid (thank you all for pointing out how weirdly I type), I do often look down on the keyboard to make certain I’m pressing on the right keys. This was slightly difficult for me to navigate as I never took the FN symbology to heart. I rarely use keycaps without these symbologies so there was an adjustment period. I still have to glance over at my Huntsman once in a while to cheat, but I’ve greatly improved my recall of the FN placements over the last year thanks to the Mionix.

A Premium Feel

When it comes to premium features, it cannot be understated how luxurious the Wei feels simply due to the board having an aluminium top shell. When you combine a solid rubber base with a giant yet subtle Mionix logo on the bottom, it just feels expensive. That’s good because this is a $100+ keyboard. Build quality has to at least match the dollar amount you pay. To connect it there’s an un-detachable coiled cable that provides ample slack that I appreciate being included into the package. I also love the yellow Mionix logo accent on the left side of the keyboard. Once again, sometimes logo branding on keyboards ruin the beauty of a board thanks to obnoxious placements. The Mionix logo appears three times, yet I’m complimenting them as accents to the piece. That’s how you do logo placements.

The Mionix logo appears three times, yet I’m complimenting them as accents to the piece. That’s how you do logo placements.

RGB Features

Then of course we have to discuss the RGB aspect of this gaming keyboard. There’s a Mionix Hub software that gives you full control of the keys. You are allowed to re-map, assign macros and create different custom color schemes to your liking. I actually don’t like using software for RGB layouts as much as most gamers do, but the Hub software is relatively clean and minimalistic to use. I do appreciate the consistent approach throughout the Mionix line of products. To me it reminds me of the early Apple renaissance days of “it just works.” Keep it simple, functional and clean looking and people will come to your products. I clearly was attracted to this way of life when it comes to mechanical keyboards. With each advancing day, newer gaming boards are getting more and more customizable thus giving me bigger migraines with all the potential options to alter. There is something freeing about a beautiful keyboard that has enough options yet doesn’t require you to touch any of them for a high level equivalent experience. I could certainly live with the pre-set RGB cycles and schemes due to the way the Wei projects its colors through the caps. It is quite pleasant on the eyes and isn’t jarring or over blatantly loud. The RGB usage here is as it should be; an accent.

The Way Forward

And as for the most important aspect of a keyboard, the Wei is an enthusiastic typing experience. What I mean by that is you are encouraged to type for a long period of time on this keyboard. As far as low profile keyboards without adjustable angles are concerned, I’ve felt more than comfortable spending hours behind this keyboard.

I certainly am a believer in Mionix and the way they go about their product language. This Swedish brand just gets it. The combination of sophisticated quality mixed with minimalistic simplicity is the way to go. It’s been a while since Mionix released the Wei. I just wish we’d get a sequel or even more products in the future that follows their way of design.

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