This article is more of a double feature since these two boards don’t really warrant separate articles, and even still it’s hard to say it’s justified given that the cheap white-label boards at this price point are miles better than they were in 2021. Still, they were integral to reminding me not to waste my time with cheap e-waste products. The SK68 came because for $40, honestly it was worth picking up just because, but the GK68XS was just a poor decision just for the idea of getting a wireless board.

Design/Aesthetics

Both the SK68 and GK68XS share the same base construction of a one-piece tray mount case, which is fairly minimal and understated with a simple wide chamfer profile on the bottom to give it a basic wedged design. Like most mass-produced plastic cases, the internal of the case features brass-capped standoffs for the tray mount and a gridded bottom that more often than not is just where YouTubers stick whatever foreign object is available in their pantry or garage to make a “thocky” board. For some reason, the 65% layout present on these boards swaps the backspace and Home keys, making it so the backspace is at the very top right instead of being on the second-to-last column. It’s a bizarre choice that I have no idea why anyone would do or even like, but it’s there.

Assembly

As with most tray mount cases, the assembly is dead simple. Switches on Plate in PCB, screws into case. The only remarkable thing about either is the GK68XS comes with a separate plate module that you can swap in-and-out for doing a split spacebar instead. To that I ask, why not just include it on the default plate and stop wasting extra metal?

PCB and Firmware

The PCB is where both of these boards start to deviate, for better or worse. The SK68, to my foolishness, is an optical board. Not Hall effect, not magnetic, optical, meaning the switch device is instead used to block an infrared signal to act as the switch mechanism, rather than the traditional contact leaf system. Similar to HE switches, you are locked into only using optical switches for this board, and because of the nature of these infrared sensors, it’s pretty much never going to be rich with layout options. One thing that does infuriate me about this PCB is that the LEDs are not SMD, they are full bulbs, and that makes it so that the switches cannot be rotated 180° similar to HE switches to avoid interference with Cherry profile switches, which can be a problem for these optical switches which by nature need to be full travel.

The GK68XS is a more traditional hotswap PCB with wireless. It does, for some reason, have an extra JST header on the very side like as though you could hook it up to a daughterboard or a second battery, but neither seems worth the try especially with this case.

Both PCBs go through a proprietary software that is nothing short of annoying to use. To figure out how to customize a layer was somehow more annoying than writing my own QMK firmware from scratch. Eventually I got there, but these boards are how I learned to avoid anything that doesn’t use QMK.

Typing Experience

As tray mount boards, these both are exceedingly average. Without any modifications, they both have that thin and flat tray mount from the denser, cheaper steel plate, but with the hollowness of the injection-molded plastic. The optical switches did and still do surprise me with how smooth they are since they are contactless, but that’s kind of where the positives end. Tray mount is irrevocably stiff, cheap e-waste keyboard sounds cheap. Once the boards are foamed up, they still remain thin in sound, though it’s harder to tell with the GK68XS as I put some frankenswitch silents in them.

Overview

The only reason I keep both the SK68 and GK68 is they are basically the “top 10 thocky budget keyboards that don’t use stinky cherry switches and GMK keycaps this video totally doesnt have an affiliate link or sponsor BUY THESE” Youtuber’s wet dream. Plus, I don’t have a wireless board other than the GK68XS, I kinda regret not picking another one up yet. Otherwise, it’s just a small note in my keyboarding journey that’s nice to keep as novelty, but I hardly get use out of either except when I want do something on my phone that is somewhat helped by having a mouse and keyboard.

Let this serve as a reminder that buying cheap white-label products like these is not worth the time. These work as an entry point into the hobby, but you will want to get rid of it by the time a year has passed and you will want something nicer and more memorable. You are better off saving for one really nice thing than buying multiple “budget” boards that just become e-waste over time. If you are on a lower budget, I recommend at least fishing for something with QMK firmware so you don’t have to deal with abysmal software and know you aren’t loading a virus on your computer.