'If you’re looking for a cheap mechanical keyboard, you can’t do much better': I tested a budget clacker that's impressive for gaming or home working — but its cutbacks are evident

MechLands Vibe99: One-minute review The MechLands Vibe99 is a mechanical keyboard that takes aim at the budget-end of the market, but does so without any apparent sacrifices to features or performance.

It doesn’t make a great first impression, however.

The retro aesthetic fails to charm, with its chunky design and the copious amounts of grey in my review unit merely looking downmarket.

Fortunately, the bright and customizable RGB backlighting does help to liven it up a little.

The build quality isn’t terribly impressive, either.

The plastic chassis is solid but doesn't feel premium.

Fortunately, the Double-shot PBT keycaps are much better, although their opaque legends don’t allow that aforementioned backlighting to shine through.

Their Fn shortcuts aren’t labelled, either, unlike those installed in the best gaming keyboards . (Image credit: Future) However, the compact width of the Vibe99 is impressive, and thanks to the smart 1800 layout, you still get plenty of keys.

What’s more, it also features an integrated screen.

It may be a basic TFT affair with limited information displayed, but what it does show is useful, such as the time, date, and battery level.

You can also upload GIFs to it if you so wish, but I wouldn’t advise that you do, given the screen’s small size and low fidelity.

You’ll need to use MechLand’s peripheral software to upload them, but it takes an incredibly long time to do so, and you can’t do much else while it’s in progress.

What’s more, the whole app has a poor UI, lacking sharpness and clarity.

The remapping suite is also disappointing, with only a basic selection of assignments and no direct visual indication of your rebindings.