amazon AKKO 3084 SP OCEAN STAR reviews
It can be said that in recent years, the market for mechanical keyboards has “popularized” significantly. Besides traditional brands such as Filco, Leopold or famous gaming brands like Corsair and Logitech, many new names are also increasingly popular with prices more attractive than the big ones.
The version we tested was the AKKO 3084 SP Ocean Star model, using Cherry MX Brown switch and PBT keycap color “ocean blue”. At about half the price of Filco keyboards, can this Akko be a bargain for keyboard novices? Let’s go with Biareview to find the answer.
Nice keycap, but not many ancillary features
As a soft price mechanical keyboard, the Akko 3084 SP Ocean Star is only equipped with a green plastic shell “ton sur ton” with the color of the keycap. When holding, the keyboard’s plastic quality feels less premium than the Filco key, but in return is quite light and can therefore serve well for users who need to use mechanical keys with a Windows laptop or tablet (like Surface). Except for an Akko logo on the front, the keyboard overall does not have many design accents. It seems that the manufacturer wants to draw all user’s attention to the keycap above.
As mentioned above, Akko 3084 SP Ocean Star is sold with PBT plastic keycap. Compared with ABS plastic which is equipped with Filco or Razer keyboard, PBT material is not slippery or sticky after a period of use and therefore can be considered as a more advanced option. True to its name, Ocean Star’s keycap has two colors blue and dark blue, reminiscent of “ocean”. Inside the box, the manufacturer gives away 8 white keycaps for users to replace and create accents for the keyboard. Perhaps, many people will love these 8 white keycaps rather than the 8 default installed keycaps, because the combination of 2 colors dark blue, ocean and white highlights makes the keyboard stand out.
In terms of features, Akko 3084 can be considered to be quite inferior to some other Chinese competitors in the same price range. except for the detachable USB-C cable, this keyboard has no wireless connectivity, no Mac-Windows switch, and no backlighting. At least the Akko 3084 SP Ocean Star’s USB-C cord is quite long and also has a velcro lanyard to shorten the winding when needed.
Experience of using: Worthy of Cherry
In addition to the keycap, the Ocean Star model that we think has the biggest strength is the use of Cherry switches with a price that is only $15 more expensive than the Akko switch version. According to the writer’s experience, although many brands have tried to “clone” the design and feel of Cherry’s click – including Akko himself, the feeling of “genuine” click is still unable to match. This is especially important with switches like Brown and Blue, which have a force response when pressed and therefore have more structural components than linear keys like Black, Red, and Silver.
When I used the Akko 3084 SP Ocean Star to do this review (and many others) over the past week, I have had a pretty good sense of the feel of the keys. Under the tradition of Cherry MX Brown, the keys on the Ocean Star have good bounce, smooth feeling, not as rough as the “clone” switch. Obviously, because of the genuine Cherry switch, Ocean Star does not have the problem of receiving keys before responding to force: the keystroke signal will be recorded by the computer at the right time you feel the force bouncing from the key pushed up. Thanks to that, users can adjust their typing experience to reduce the feeling of hand fatigue when pressed.
With the layout 84, Ocean Star has a compact body, suitable for people who need to write, design or code more than those who need to enter data (because there is no numeric key / numpad on the right). This layout has the strength of having more F-keys at the top, so it retains its relative compactness but does not cause discomfort when programming or playing online games with many skills. On the right side are full of Delete keys and 4 navigation keys Home, Page Up, Pg Down and End, allowing to navigate within the document easily.
It should be pointed out that the Ocean Star keycap is an OEM type, and is “average” in height in the world of mechanical keys. This type of keycap is extremely popular and is also very easy to use, easy to get to know the player with mechanical keys. According to the writer’s personal opinion, this keycap when combined with the Cherry MX Brown switch (as on Ocean Star) also allows for a good balance between gaming and working needs. The slightly higher keycap will help you feel and judge the keys better when playing the game, compensating for the pressure response of the Brown switch to help reduce the force of pressing when having to type multiple characters.
Akko also selected Cherry’s stab instead of using the stab Costar like many other brands, so the feeling of the keys being “pressed” is even more “click”. Another plus of the keys is the NKRO over the USB-C connection, which means that all keys pressed at the same time can be received. Overall, Akko has created a keyboard with a fairly comprehensive typing experience on the SP Ocean Star.
The Choice for true “key lovers”
Ocean Star though has a lower price than traditional names but also has many competitors. Some of these are wireless mechanical key options with the same 84 layouts as Ocean Star, with Bluetooth connectivity and/or RGB backlighting. In addition, there is also a gaming mechanical key, which is also concentrated in the segment under $100.
Given this enormous competition, what makes the Akko 84 SP Ocean Star a good choice? As we have analyzed above, Akko focuses most clearly on two factors that make a click experience worthy of Cherry. Other manufacturers when increasing the functionality of this price range mechanical key also often switch to the “clone” switch to reduce costs. With Brown and Blue switches, some clone switches often have quality problems – for example, the Gateron key on the Keychron K2 even receives a signal before force feedback, causing discomfort and easy to mistakenly press.
Therefore, Akko 3084 SP Ocean Star can be considered as a good choice for users to place the feeling of pressing keys on the auxiliary features. If you do not have the need to connect keys to a computer via Bluetooth, if you do not need (or feel uncomfortable) backlighting, a compact mechanical key with good press feels like the Akko 3084 SP Ocean Star will be the choice the best in the price range.
Strength
+) Affordable price.
+) Use Cherry switch instead of “clone” switch.
+) Keycap gifted with eye-catching, using PBT material.
+) Long detachable wire
Weakness
-) Beautiful color frame, but not high-quality plastic material.
-) No wireless connection.
where can you get a AKKO 3084 SP OCEAN STAR online
EPOMAKER AKKO SP Ocean Star Cherry MX Switch Mechanical Keyboard with PBT Keycaps, Type C Port for Windows PC Gamers (Cherry Blue Switch, 84 Keys): Buy it now
