Akko Black&Cyan 3098 98-Key RGB Hot-swappable Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, 2.4G Wireless/Bluetooth/Wired with PBT Double-Shot Keycaps for Mac & Win (3098B, Jelly White Switches)

I have had Akko a few years ago. They have come along way. I added lubed box switches, and a tape mod, that is it and this board sounds amazing. I have a KBDFans 67 Lite custom, and a DX60 Custom, both costing upwards of $250 built. This board sounds as good if not better. The stabilizers are amazing for plate mount. Makes me wish I would of stayed with Akko instead of dumping tons of money in customs. I will definitely be getting the 65% or 60% next for gaming.

Regarding 98-Key keyboards with this layout, a standard keycap set will NOT work. They won't have the correctly sized keys or they will be at different heights - Like right-shift, right-Alt, right-Ctrl, etc being too big. What you're looking for:- Expanded keycap sets 120~170 keys. (Not the 104~108 sets)- OEM profile keycaps (Not Cherry, because north-facing switches will interfere)- Shine-through keys, if you want the keycap legends to light up.- PBT type keys for best look and feel (Over ABS)Why?You need to order Expanded Keycap set, typically 120~190 keycaps vs the standard 108s which won't include the smaller size keycaps. This is especially true for the small 0/ins keycap for the numeric pad and a smaller sized R-Shift key. 60%~75% compact keyboards also need to use such expanded sets to get the smaller keys.*IF* you get a 104~108 key set to replace the included keycaps, you WILL have problems.YMDK s a brand that sells both std and expanded. It adds about $3~6 to the cost of an expanded set which is already $20~35.Make sure you get OEM profile keycaps! Cherry profile keycaps are shaped differently so the inside of the key will interfere with the north-facing switches. Cherry keycaps work fine with South Facing switches. OEM keycaps work fine with north or south-facing switches.I just tried this on my own YMDK set, which included different height Del, Home, keys, and smaller Alt/fN/Ctrl/0/shift keys.Example pics of 122 sets are shown. BUT double-check the photos and info before you buy, and make sure they are shine-thru if you're looking for that. But overall, expanded keycap sets will have you covered.The 4th photo shows my example with a TKL keyboard. I moved the DEL key (an R2 type cap) to the 1st row. The white keys are the original. The black keys are YMDK, as you can see - the black DEL key and Mute keys are the same height as the white F1 key. Having a lower DEL key may be okay, but not having smaller keys is the biggest issue of not having an expanded set.PS: I'm looking for 98/compact style keyboards for myself and some clients. So I have been looking at these issues.I think I'm going with AKKO because their keyboard is NOT cramped with the F-key row up against the numeric row. (Many brands do this) Akko is a larger company that make excellent switches, so their software should be decent. With the Akko including some extra keycaps for different functions above the Num Pad it tells me that they have software that allows the user to remap the keys - because the INS key is very useless. So I would instantly make that a pause key (rarely use) and then the Print Screen with the Mute key at the end. The Page up/down keys are already on the numeric pad. Having them on the top row directly above the numeric pad is redundant.I will update this review if or when I order this for a client and test it out before delivery. But the main point of my review on Akko is the keycap replacements.

I ADORED this keyboard when I received it. But unfortunately AKKO does not have reliable software upgrades for their devices. I currently have a useless keyboard that does not work with any MAC or PC. It all started when I was connecting my keyboard to my MAC and noticed the space key was involuntarily being pressed. As I work in a coding job, I need my keyboard to not do that when I’m trying to get work done. This was frustrating, but after plugging and unplugging it would sometimes work again. I thought, ok maybe it’s just a little faulty I can deal with that. BUT THEN I tried plugging it into my PC, changed the setting in the back of the keyboard as needed. My PC refuses to recognize the keyboard, I have to uninstall the driver over and over again to get it to work. Finally , it connects. I think to myself maybe I should download AKKO’s SOFTWARE THEY MAKE SPECIFICALLY FOR MY KEYBOARD, MAYBE I SHOULD UPDATE THE DRIVER TO GET IT TO START WORKING WITH MY PC AUTOMATICALLY?? . This was the worst the mistake I made. I FINALLY get the software to work on my PC (they do not have this same software for the MAC), then it FINALLY recognizes the device. Now I’m about to update the driver. What happens? Absolutely nothing. All of a sudden the program FREEZES, my keyboard goes dark. I let it sit for HOURS, thinking maybe it just needs to update. The screen says don’t unplug your device. Well, it’s making no progress at all. I finally realize that it must have had an error and stopped working. My keyboard no longer works with any device. My keyboard is completely dark. It may look cute next to my kitten in the photo when it WORKED but now it does not work at all. Both with the USB and with wireless. This is such a shame. I will never buy AKKO products again. Please beware and be careful when buying their devices. I really wouldn’t trust them. Also, you can’t contact their normal office about product assistance if purchased through Amazon, you can only get customer service via Amazon. Unfortunately I have missed the return window for this product and lost out on my money.

Edit 2: My replacement showed up and it's obvious the first one I got was a refurbished model, as it didn't have the key remover tool, the bluetooth adaptor, the foam around the keyboard, or the plastic sockets over the USB's. I did not buy refurbished, I bought it new. The new non-broken keyboard's still good, so I'll keep it at 3 stars.This keyboard feels really nice. The bluetooth function works perfectly. All in all a great keyboard.However, the R key became very finnicky - only registering 70% of the time - after only two uses.Luckily it failed early enough for me to send in for a replacement. If I were stuck with a keyboard without a reliable R key the rating would be lower.All the other keys work perfectly, so I doubt there will be any problem with the replacement.Edit: deducted another star because I had to pay $5 to return it at the UPS store, something I've never had to do for other Amazon products.