Endgame KB65HE review: Rapid trigger with an asterisk

Hall effect magnetic analogue switches have been the elephant in the keyboard-shaped room ever since the Wooting 60HE launched back in 2021. While it might seem like a small change, these switches paired with Wooting's Rapid Trigger technology have inspired a revolution in the hardware market.

Since then, a handful of different keyboard manufacturers have released their own versions of this technology, and they're now Endgame Gear's first foray into the keyboard space with the KB65HE.

This board certainly impresses from a build standpoint, and their own Rapid Trigger tech remains still very much a game changer, but there are a few small caveats that hold the KB65HE back from being the best you can get, leaving the most dedicated player looking for the real deal.

What's the deal with Rapid Trigger?

While the Endgame KB65HE is excellent from a construction standpoint, which I'll get onto in a bit, undoubtedly the main selling point here is the much-revered Rapid Trigger technology.

If you've never heard of or encountered this tech before, it utilises Hall effect magnetic switches to create custom actuation and reset points for every individual switch that can be adjusted on the fly at any point.

What this allows as such is for key presses to deregister or 'reset' the moment that you lift your finger off the switch, as opposed to having to wait until the switch reaches its fixed reset point on a standard keyboard.

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This makes for much snappier inputs that in practice feel much more responsive - which almost revolutionises player movement in games, especially first-person shooters like Counter-Strike, VALORANT, and Rainbow Six Siege.

It sounds like a cliche, but it genuinely feels like a cheat code when used correctly, as the speed and accuracy of your movement are genuinely like nothing you're able to achieve on a standard keyboard.

Being able to consistently weave left and right when in a gunfight in Rainbow Six Siege is invaluable, as it makes you much harder to hit and significantly decreases the chance of you getting hit with that all-important headshot.

Conversely, while this is equally as valuable in games like Counter-Strike and Valorant, one of the areas where I saw this have the greatest benefit was allowing me to remain mobile and accurate.

These two games severely punish your weapon accuracy if you move when shooting, so to be able to stop the moment I lifted off the movement key let me know that my first shot was going to be accurate every single time.

Falling at the finish line

Where the KB65HE unfortunately falters is how actuation works shortly after utilising the Rapid Trigger technology. Where a switch should actuate immediately after you start pressing down again, you instead need to go through the entire actuation distance as if you were pressing it from the start point, which leads to both sluggishness and even some missed inputs if your actuation point is set quite deep.

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You can circumvent this by setting both the actuation and release point to be as low as possible (in this case, 0.1mm) but this can cause a lot of problems when it comes to accidental inputs.

This often left me feeling somewhat out of control with numerous unintentional key presses, especially in the heat of the moment, and is something I'd rather avoid in any tense scenarios.

Built like a tank

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the KB65HE outside of the Rapid Trigger technology though is how exceptionally well built it is.

From the moment you first pick up the board, you will immediately notice how heavy it is, and that is chiefly down to the beefy CNC machined aluminium case that encompasses all of the parts.

Seeing this featured in a keyboard at this price is honestly a revelation, as it's something that you'd typically expect from higher-end custom configurations, whereas prebuilts often just go for plastic or hybrid cases.

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From a switch perspective, it's also excellent, with pre-lubed Gateron KS-37B across the board here which ensures a smooth and relatively quiet typing experience. They aren't anything unique in a market almost over-saturated with exceptional switch choices, but they are more than good enough for gaming and typing - especially at the price of entry.

This continues into the overall visual design of the board, which opts for a clean all-black colourway that won't stand out but is something I admire compared to some overly gaudy options right now. It fits really well with the 65% format and keeps things looking incredibly clean and minimal within a wider setup.

While there are a pair of optional attachable feet to raise the typing angle, it would have been nice to see this integrated into the board itself for a smoother and more readily flexible selection between different heights.

The Verdict

Rapid Trigger - while not unique to the KB65HE - is still a device-selling piece of tech that will enhance the performance of every single player that uses it in the right games. It remains at the heart of a revolution in the gaming keyboard space, and the KB65HE adds another great option for gamers to choose from.

It's not without its faults though, and the issues with actuation post-Rapid Trigger are frustrating to deal with when using the keyboard. There will come a point where you might get 'used' to it and only see missclicks every once in a while, but the chance of them is still apparent, and it's something that does dampen the experience compared to the keyboard's key competitor.

4/5

Product provided by the manufacturer.

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