Boog75 by Meletrix

During what some have referred to as the golden age of the hobby, during the stay-at-home orders, I spent time writing long-form product reviews. I’ve found that in the current internet age, most reviews are done in either short-form content like TikToks and YouTube Shorts or long-form content like YouTube videos. Unfortunately, both offerings left me wanting more. Unless a long-form video was meticulously chaptered, you’d have to wait to hear if the reviewer might have touched on the topics you were wondering about. Short-form was just long enough to pique your interest but left out key details. This hobby is all about typing, right? It only seems fitting that a review for a typing instrument should be typed, but I digress. 

In the past few weeks, I’ve spent many hours using the Boog75 by Meletrix. This board was provided to me by Meletrix for review, however, the content and opinions of this review are solely my own. No monetary exchange took place for this review. When I was reached out to by Meletrix to write a review, I was pulled back to my days of writing reviews on the MechGroupBuys server. I’ve had a passion for keyboards that stems back to the days when I thought I was going to be a writer when I grew up. I started researching keyboards back in 2008 and settled into a Happy Hacking Keyboard. Some could argue that I nailed the end-game right off the bat with Topre switches. Since then I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole into Wonderland and never thought to leave. 

The Boog75 comes as a prebuilt kit, there is nothing for the user to do but plug the keyboard in and begin typing. The Boog75 comes in a carrying case with a black coiled cable and a set of hex wrenches used to disassemble the board. The black coiled cable would match the Shockwave version of the board perfectly, but I’d like to see a white cable included with the Induction Coil colorway that I received. The included case isn’t of the highest quality that I’ve seen, but it no doubt will protect the keyboard while in transit, which at the end of the day is the point of the case. I would like to see a keycap puller-switch remover combo tool. That seems reasonable to include in any hotswap keyboard. The included keycaps perfectly match the theme of the keyboard, and are made by Wuque Studios, Meletrix’s sister company. They are double-shot PBT and the legends are crisp and clear. There are examples of small line weight inconsistencies, but nothing to write home on. There are no scooped F and J included, only barred which should be noted. There is also no traditional escape cap, only a novelty of an albeit cute, bear. I would like to see a scooped F and J included as well as a traditional accent-colored escape key for those that aren’t into the cutesy aesthetic. The white and peachy-copper theming of the keycaps is done very nicely, with accents in the novelty escape, enter, and arrow keys. At the time of this review, Wuque Studio double shot PBT is the most impressive I’ve seen. They are Cherry profile and WS boasts 1.6mm keycap thickness. While the Gateron KS37B switches are north-facing, I don’t experience any premature contact with the switch that plagues many other north-facing keyboards. Upon testing with a GMK set of keycaps, I also am not receiving any early contact with the switch housing. The switches themselves are Gateron KS-37B switches. At the time of writing, these are the only switches that are compatible with the Boog75 even though Gateron makes other Hall effect switches. I would like to see more switches become usable with the Boog75. I’m unsure of the feasibility of this, but I hope we see other versions of the switch become available, like a tactile. I’ve come to enjoy the smoothness of the KS-37B switches. They feature a dual-rail design which brings with it nearly zero stem wobble. I’ve never really been someone that hates stem wobble, but will note that after using the KS-37B, I’m a believer in the dual-rail design. I’d like to see this move to traditional MX switches. The factory lubrication feels even and smooth. After two weeks of daily use, it doesn’t feel like any of my switches are overlubed. For those who have read my reviews before, I’m pretty picky on how I lube my switches. Surprisingly, I don’t feel the need to re-lube these switches. I don’t hear any spring crunch and because they are Hall effect switches, there are no leafs to ping on switch press. Again, I’d like to see the double rail design translated into other MX-style options as the key stability feels rock solid in use. The Boog75 comes equipped with pre-lubed Wuque Studio screw-in stabilizers. Again, to my surprise, they are lubed well, with no stabilizer tick to be found. After more than 15 years in this hobby, I’ve found a keyboard that I would have no issue using in its stock implementation. 

That might be the most shocking part of this keyboard in its entirety. I don’t feel the need to change anything after two weeks of daily use. Some may not enjoy the stock sound of this board as it does feature a lot of foam which dampens the sound of the keyboard. As I begin to write reviews again, I want to avoid the use of the term ‘thock.’ It’s a buzzword that is criminally overused and in the wrong connotation. For those that don’t know, thock was used to originally describe the sound of a Topre keyboard, it was a way to describe the thuddy snap that Topre is famous for. It was a sound that has always tried to be replicated in MX switches, but never quite was achieved. This keyboard shares characteristics with other boards that utilize multiple layers of foam. I like to describe the sounds as marbly, like marbles landing on a hard surface. I appreciate the individual sound signatures of the different boards I own and use. It helps to make each board unique and allows for a different experience. To be frank, with the number of boards that I own, I would hate if they all sounded the same. The marbly sound of the Boog75 is a bit more dampened than other foamed boards. You can tell the similarity in the core sound, but it has its own spin to it. I’m unsure if this is because of the Hall effect switches, but the sound is deeper overall. The type feel of this keyboard is what I would describe as sturdy. Although it’s gasket mounted, the aluminum plate feels firmly planted in the case. In my opinion, the gasket could be softer, and that might allow for a little bit of give on a hard bottom out, but it feels like the intention of the gasket in this case was to primarily isolate the plate from the rest of the case. It does this very well, as there is no resonating case ping in the board’s sound signature. The aluminum plate is a safe choice offering a truly neutral typing experience as far as plates go. Overall, the Boog75 is clearly made for a wide audience. There aren’t really any risks taken as far as the build and design go. I think this is smart for Meletrix. This is their first introduction to Hall Effect switches and it needed to go right. I think that Meletrix is well on its way to a successful initial launch of its magnetic switch implementation. 

Equally as important as the usability of the keyboard is the usability of its software, especially when it comes to Hall effect switches. I’m happy to say that the initial launch of their software is positive. It’s not the best software I’ve seen for a keyboard, but it’s not bad either. What makes me hopeful is that in the three or so weeks I’ve had the board, Meletrix continues to improve its software implementation and release quality-of-life features. For instance, on arrival the Boog75 did not support remapping multiple layers, now it does. On arrival macros were not enabled, now they are. I’ve been in close contact with the Meletrix team, and they are extremely receptive to constructive feedback on improving the software. One example would be the lack of chorded macros. Currently, macros only work in sequence. When finishing a keyboard build, one of the first things that I change on a board is setting Fn+Esc as a macro for Ctrl+Alt+Del. I typically use a HHKB layout, and having a macro for Ctrl+Alt+Del was always helpful. Because of the lack of chorded support, I can’t actually use that macro right now. I have been told that chorded macros are coming soon, but they didn’t have an ETA due to the Chinese New Year festivities, a completely reasonable response in my opinion. The Boog75 features your typical RGB choices, I for one am a static RGB kind of person. I currently have it set in a peachy color to match the aesthetic, but I am just as likely to turn it completely off. Meletrix does claim that they are using new LED tech to drop power consumption by 37%. I see no visual difference in brightness from other boards, so a nice improvement there, especially for those who like to use their keyboards with tablets or laptops on the road. While nowhere near as feature-rich as QMK or Vial, nor quite as polished as VIA, for the majority of users, this software is going to allow you to do anything that you need to in order to enjoy using the Boog75. 

This leads to what many people are probably waiting for, the gaming performance. The Boog75 software does allow users to use rapid trigger. It's set in 0.1mm increments and you can adjust both your actuation distance as well as your break stroke distance. In my case, I adjusted the actuation distance to be at the 1.2mm point and the break stroke distance to 0.4mm. I used to be a big FPS gamer, however, that was years ago. Nowadays, I hang out on Destiny 2 and play more relaxed games. That being said, I’ve played a lot of hours of Destiny 2, and feel comfortable speaking on the differences that I felt playing with the Boog75. First, the movement just felt snappier. I was able to set the actuation point early in the switch press, which made my character feel more responsive. Coupled with a lower break stroke distance, my guardian felt more nimble and more in tune with what I was trying to accomplish. When I was first playing, I set the break stroke to 0.1mm, thinking it would be the most responsive, which it was. The downside is that I realized that I had some bad habits from the forgiveness of a typical MX switch. It was apparent that the small adjustments I made with my hand while W keying, would sometimes be enough to disengage my guardian from their sprint. After adjusting the break stroke to 0.4mm, I stopped having this problem. In my opinion, this is the biggest selling point of the Hall Effect switch. It allows for true customization. On the Boog75 you can adjust all the keys, or individual keys. You can also save these different configurations to profiles so that you can swap between a normal typing mode and a gaming mode. Are Hall Effect switches going to instantly make you a better gamer? No. That takes a lot of time and practice. It is going to make your movement in a game feel more crisp and deliberate. You’ll also get a level of customizability that typical MX switches can’t compete with. You will feel a difference in comparison to a typical MX keyboard. Overall, I do think that those who are looking for a gaming focus keyboard should highly consider Hall Effect switches. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if that Hall Effect keyboard is the Boog75. 

In considering the Boog75, the first thing someone is going to look at is the price. The Boog75 is currently for sale on Meletrix’s site for 229.99. I believe that this keyboard is worth the $229.99 they are asking. We have seen a rise in budget keyboards in the past few years. Meletrix and their Zoom series, alongside boards from Qwertykeys, TKD, and others have redefined what bang for your buck means in this hobby. In the 229.99 package, you are receiving a fully built out-of-the-box ready aluminum keyboard, complete with switches and keycaps, a coiled cable, and a carrying case. It’s using the latest technology in Hall effect switches and the software is solid and improving. Currently, the biggest competition to the Boog75 is the Wooting 60HE. The Wooting 60HE comes in at 174.99 which is cheaper than the Boog75. Where the Boog75 makes up ground is the overall quality of construction. The Wooting is a simple tray mounted 60% in a single-piece aluminum case, while the Boog75 is a gasket-mounted 75% keyboard in a full 6063 aluminum enclosure. For those gamers who need function keys for navigation in their games, it makes sense on layout alone. I believe the Boog75 offers a higher build quality than the Wooting. While I haven’t had hands-on time with the Wooting, I have used my fair share of tray-mount 60% keyboards. When it comes down to it, there are drawbacks to tray-mounted cases, and I would prefer the gasket mount of the Boog75. In conclusion, this is the first prebuilt that I haven’t felt the need to mod. It’s the first prebuilt I could see myself using straight out of the box and enjoying. I’ve really enjoyed my time with Boog75 and am confident that others will too. If you’re in the market for a Hall Effect keyboard or a gaming-centric keyboard, I’d suggest you strongly consider Meletrix’s Boog75. 

You can check out the Boog75 here: https://meletrix.com/products/boog75-prebuilt

Disclaimer: This board was provided to me by Meletrix for review. Meletrix had no say in this review before publishing, and I was not paid for this review.