Tom's Guide Verdict
The Meletrix Boog75 might be a gaming keyboard, but it’s not toying around thanks to its durable gasket-mounted design, smooth linear switches, fast performance and stylish design. Though it’s too heavy to travel with, this board delivers an all-around satisfying gaming and typing experience.
Pros
- +
Stylish highlights
- +
Sturdy gasket-mounted design
- +
Smooth typing experience
- +
Robust customization options
Cons
- -
Too heavy to travel with
- -
Limited to magnetic switches
- -
No desktop app
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The Meletrix Boog75 gaming keyboard is playing for keeps. Like the excellent Corsair K70 Max, this keyboard features magnetic linear switches that let you to set the keys’ actuation point. Sound-dampening design ensures quiet keystrokes no matter how hard you type, while the sturdy aluminum frame looks great and keeps the keyboard in place. Gateron KS37B magnetic switches also provide a pleasant and comfortable typing experience.
Like Meletrix’s other keyboards, the Boog75 is fully customizable. You’re free to change its keycaps and switches, swap out its case and module, add or remove foam and more. However, the out-of-the-box experience is so good that you might not even need to take advantage of this. Software-wise, you can adjust the per-key RGB lighting, set different profiles and preferred actuation point.
The Boog75 is undoubtedly one of the best gaming keyboards and best mechanical keyboards I’ve tested. However, there are some downsides. While you can change switches, you’re limited to the magnetic variety. The 75% design is more compact than a full keyboard, but the 7-pound weight means it’s not easy to travel with. And though using Meletrix’s website to customize the keyboard’s RGB and key actuation works well, I would have preferred a desktop app instead.
Nitpicks aside, the Meletrix Boog75 is a great keyboard for gaming and writing. Yes, it’s expensive at $229, but for what it offers, it’s worth the price of admission. It has now become my daily driver at work due to its fun typing experience and quiet keys. It also just looks cool!
Read my full review to find out more about the Meletrix Boog75.
Meletrix Boog75 gaming keyboard review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A hot-swappable gaming keyboard with magnetic switches
- Who is it for? For gaming enthusiasts who want a fully customizable keyboard
- What does it cost? The Meletrix Boog75 costs $229 on Meletrix’s website
- What do we like? The fast actuation provided by the linear switches and the overall superlative performance
- What don’t we like? You can only use magnetic switches
Meletrix Boog75 gaming keyboard review: Specs
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Meletrix Boog75 |
|---|---|
| Price | $229 |
| Key type | Mechanical |
| Switch type | Gateron KS37B (magnetic) |
| Illumination | Full RGB |
| Size | 12.7 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches |
| Weight | 6.6 pounds |
Meletrix Boog75 gaming keyboard review: The ups
You won’t mistake the Meletrix Boog75 for anything other than a gaming keyboard thanks to its flashy accents and bright RGB lighting. Despite that, the keyboard won’t look out of place in an office — nor disrupt your coworkers thanks to its quiet magnetic switches. Adjustable actuation and lighting also help this board perform and appear exactly as you’d like.
Striking design
The Boog75 is a gasket-mounted keyboard with a durable aluminum frame. Most of its doubleshot PBT keycaps are black, which makes the green Esc, Enter and arrow keys stand out. The pass-through keycaps allow the RGB lighting to shine through each letter and symbol, which is a nice touch.
At 6.6 pounds, this is the heaviest keyboard I’ve reviewed. But thanks to its heft, you won’t be able to easily move it around your table no matter how hard you type. Once you pop a wristrest in front of it (required given the height of the keyboard), the actual typing experience is truly delightful.
With the all-black aesthetic with flashes of green, the Boog75 felt has a retro-futuristic appearance that I really enjoy. However, I question including these flourishes on the keyboard’s bottom, since you can’t see them unless you lift the peripheral off the table. If you don’t like this color pattern, Meletrix sells Boog75 cases in other colors.
As a hot-swappable and fully customizable keyboard, you can tailor the Boog75 to your liking. I’m still new to the world of customizing keyboards, so I didn’t muck around too much with trying to swap out parts. That said, the design makes it relatively easy to take apart and put back together. Still, you might not even need to customize the Boog75 since it’s so great out of the box.
Stellar typing experience
Like the Corsair K70 Max, the Meletrix Boog75 features magnetic mechanical switches. These Gateron Hall Effect switches are linear but function differently. I’ll spare you the technobabble regarding how these switches work. What’s important is that they deliver smooth keystrokes.
These magnetic switches have an adjustable actuation point (when your computer registers keystrokes) between 0.1mm and 4.0mm. A lower actuation point means you only have to press a key part of the way for the keystroke to register. This can result in faster response when gaming and less fatigue on your fingers when typing. My reactions certainly felt faster when playing Doom Eternal with this board.
The thick double-shot double shot PBT keycaps not only look great but feel good to type on too. I love the slightly rough texture that makes the keys feel durable. The bouncy keys also produce a pleasant “thock” thanks to the gasket-mounted design. I prefer tactile over linear switches but this keyboard makes a good case for the latter due to the pleasant typing experience.
As for accuracy, I scored 58 words per minute with a 91% accuracy on typingtest.com. That’s just a tad higher than my average, which shows how seamlessly I can type on this peripheral. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say I look forward to typing on this keyboard when I’m in the office.
Robust features
The Meletrix Boog75’s webpage has a dedicated section where you can connect the keyboard to adjust some of its features. This includes reprogramming keys, creating macros, adjusting the RGB lighting and setting profiles. And of course, this software also lets you adjust the key’s actuation point.
There are many settings to tinker with here, but I never felt overwhelmed by the options. The options are robust, and you shouldn’t have much difficulty adjusting whatever parameters you want. I mainly changed the RGB lighting, set some macros and adjusted the actuation point. Overall, I think this online-only application works well enough.
Meletrix Boog75 gaming keyboard review: The downs
The Meletrix Boog75 has a lot going for it. That said, several aspects could be off-putting, and make you question whether you want to spend $229 on this keyboard.
No downloadable software
Though it’s easy to configure the Boog75 via its product page, I wish there was a downloadable app that allowed me to adjust the peripheral’s settings. That way, I could just open a desktop app instead of opening up Chrome and going to the product’s website. Sure, I can bookmark the website to reach it faster, but I shouldn’t have to do this.
Though I’m not a fan of this, I’m sure others might appreciate not being forced to install an app on their PC. I can respect that, but I’d rather have a dedicated app to let me tinker with the keyboard’s settings.
A bulky boy
That weight may be good for keeping it rigidly still on your desk, but that makes for one heavy peripheral. Though its heft gives the keyboard a more premium feel, it can make moving the keyboard around your desk a little tricker. I typically adjust a keyboard’s position to suit me. But with this chunker, I have to adjust my position to suit the keyboard!
Since the keyboard is so heavy, it’s not great to travel with — not unless carrying extra weight around is part of your exercise routine. Besides being a great keyboard that’s fun to write on, the Boog75 has become my main office keyboard because I don’t want to move it anywhere else.
Only compatible with magnetic switches
One of the Boog75’s selling points is that it’s hot-swappable — meaning you can change its switches for ones of your choosing. While that’s technically correct, you’re limited to using magnetic switches, which somewhat undermines the hot-swappable component.
This might not be an issue in the future as more manufacturers release magnetic switches. But for now, your options are rather limited.
Meletrix Boog75 gaming keyboard review: Verdict
The Meletrix Boog75 is an exceptional gaming keyboard, thanks to its sturdy build, stylish design, excellent performance and robust customization options. Even if you’re not a hardcore gamer, you’ll enjoy the silky-smooth typing experience provided by this gasket-mounted behemoth.
While I wish there was a desktop customization app and that the keyboard wasn’t so darn heavy, these faults don’t entirely mar the overall enjoyment I have using this chunky peripheral. I prefer using tactile switches over linear, but the Boog75 is making me rethink my stance. Typing is just so effortless, and the satisfying “thock” the keys produce is the proverbial icing on the cake. Yes, the keyboard is expensive, but for what it offers, I think the price is justified.
