Product Review | Winter 2020

Keychron K2

$69.00 - 79.00
Keychron
★★★

Keychron designs, manufactures, and sells mechanical keyboards. Since forming in 2017, the company has had great traction, with highly positive reviews from top tech reviewers and publications, with good reason. Keychron makes great, affordable mechanical keyboards with all the features you would want in a modern computer peripheral. Unlike membrane keyboards typically found in modern devices, each individual key cap found on mechanical keyboards lay on physical plastic switches which return a nice tactile feel and sound on click. Mechanical keyboards are fairly customizable to your personal preferences, which may be why they are so popular within niche communities. The main customizable component are the key switches. Cherry MX Switches are popular switches used in mechanical keyboards and are referenced by their key-stem color, each with its own distinguishable auditory and tactile feedback. Examples include:

Cherry MX Reds: Linear switches, 45 grams of force to actuate, quiet
Cherry MX Blacks: Linear switches, 60 grams of force to actuate, quiet
Cherry MX Blues: Tactile switches, 50 grams of force to actuate, clicky and loud

The Cherry MX Brown switches on my Keychron K2 have been the perfect balance between the Red and Blue switches, tactile but not too loud. The keyboard can be used wirelessly with Bluetooth, or wired. The outer casing of the Keychron K2 is minimal, with one USB-C port for charging and wired use, a switch for choosing between wireless, wired, or off, and a switch for choosing between a Mac keyboard layout or a PC keyboard layout. When used wirelessly using Bluetooth, the backlit keyboard can be programmed to three different devices, and can easily be switched between devices by clicking the fn + 1, 2 or 3 key. I’ve enjoyed being able to effortlessly switch between using PC and Mac devices using a single wireless keyboard. Battery life is great, lasting more than a month before having to charge. The tactile feel of the Keychron K2 makes mundane tasks such as typing somewhat enjoyable. It’s not going to dramatically change your life or productivity levels, but in terms of keyboards, it is an attractive, wireless, mechanical, option for any setup.

Dell 4k Ultrasharp (U2720QM / U2720Q)

$550 - $719
Dell
★★★

Working from home during the pandemic has forced a lot of us to rethink our home office situation. As a person who primarily and happily uses their 13-inch laptop screen for personal use, I was reluctant to buy an external monitor. But the workload efficiency was taking a hit which led to researching and purchasing the Dell 4k Ultrasharp U2720QM monitor. There were a few specific specifications I needed in my monitor and the Dell U2720QM hits all of the requirements. The 27-inch 4K resolution monitor renders color-accurate pixels at a high enough density to preserve sharp text while up-scaling. The thin IPS monitor has a flat almost bezel-less display with a refresh rate of up to 60Hz, which is smooth enough for me but may not be for gamers. The sharp, boxy design of the monitor gives an industrial, and professional workhorse feel, and the flat base adds extra support without taking away valuable desk space. The most important feature to me was having a USB-C display port, allowing me to transfer display information and charge my laptop at the same time using a single USB-C cable. This results in a fully charged laptop whenever I disconnect it from the monitor. The Dell 4K Ultrasharp has extra ports conveniently placed on the side of the monitor to easily charge accessories or connect other devices without having to connect it to your computer. The adjustment angles on Dell monitors are superb, allowing you to tilt, swivel, and pivot any amount you need, useful for coding vertically on a secondary monitor, or just adjusting for ergonomics. For coding, graphic work, photography, and regular internet browsing, the Dell 4K Ultrasharp U2720QM has been pleasant to use, checking off all of my requirements with no complaints.

AirPods Max

$549
Apple
★★★

After many months of rumors and speculations, Apple finally released their take on an over-ear headphone. And as with most of Apple’s recent product releases, it came with a lot of controversy, notably around the design and price. When compared with other over-ear headphones in the same market, which range from $250-$350, Apple’s AirPods Max is priced significantly higher. Aside from the price, many critiqued Apple’s design choices, mainly for the AirPods Max’s Smart Case. After reading through the critiques and memes that came with the initial launch, I was intrigued to try it for myself. I am impressed. From the large, minimal aluminum ear cups to the mesh net canopy, the materials used in these headphones are top notch. They are noticeably heavier than their plastic counterparts like the Bose QCII or the Sony XM4’s, but they feel more substantial in the hands. These headphones are comfortable. The large mesh ear cups cover the entire ear, relieving any pressure that over ear headphones usually have. Although it covers your ear, it does not get hot after prolonged use. They have an added bonus of being magnetically attached and detachable, which allows you to replace them when they inevitably wear down, something not found in most headphones. The canopy feels lightweight and does a great job to evenly distributes the weight of the AirPods Max so it feels as if nothing is there if you’re stationary. Telescope arms allow for step-less adjustment allowing for a universal fit. Controls are minimal, with only one physical button for turning on transparency/noise cancelling mode, and a familiar digital crown that controls volume, play and pause. I’m glad Apple went with physical buttons and not touch gestures that other companies are doing. It is a much better experience and satisfying feeling to operate using physical buttons, especially since all operations are done outside of your field of vision. The sound is crisp, clear, and bass is perfectly balanced and not muddy. Software integration with Apple products is amazing and intuitive as always, and brings the listening experience to another level. I’ve owned the Bose Quiet Comfort II’s in the past and returned them. Having to manually turn on, pair, and opening a separate app to adjust noise cancellation or other settings was not ideal. Apple stripped all these friction points, including the on/off button, resulting in a fast and straightforward operation. Noise cancellation and Transparency mode are the best in the market and feel comfortable to use for long stretches of time. Battery life has not been a problem. Quality materials make these headphones heavy, and it is apparent when you turn your head side to side, which deters me from using these headphones while running or to work out. The smart case did not bother me as much as it bothered other people. I primarily use the headphones at my desk so the smart case adequately protects the aluminum cups, although I agree that it does feel like a first generation product that will hopefully be improved on in future iterations. The AirPods Max are unconventional in an industry leading way, and can really only be categorized in a market sector of its own, sitting in between upper-end consumer headphones and high-end professional grade headphones. Apple AirPods Max is an all around great package, with its high quality materials, crispy HiFi sound, and magical software integration.

Always Pan

$145
Our Place
★★★

Non-stick pans are not a new invention, but none have been marketed like the Always Pan from Our Place. The beautifully designed and highly functional non-stick pan comes in an array of modern colors making it an attractive option compared to the sea of boring pans. The pan comes with niceties such as an integrated wooden spatula holder on the handle, and rubberized touch points on the lid and pan. Two grooves on the upper lip allow steam to escape. On other pans, lids usually have a steam hole somewhere on the surface, which get dirty and hard to clean over time as minerals build up. The grooves on the Always Pan addresses this problem, making clean up easy. Being a non-stick pan, clean up is magic, often needing no effort to wash away residue. I’ve had burned black crusts that have enveloped on the interior of the pan, but after a quick rinse and scrub with their included natural sponge, the pan looks new again. The pan comes with a bamboo spatula, as well as a steamer basket that fits perfectly in the interior. One critique I have of the Always Pan is its handles. The main rubberized handle is fine, but I have ran into problems with the handle opposite of the rubberized handle. This side of the pan is not rubberized, but is designed with affordances of a regular handle. This may be useful when the pan is at room temperature, but when the pan is on the stove, I along with others have burned their hands trying to grab the handle to move the pan. I suppose the most optimal way to use this would be to utilize a cooking towel, but I wish I did not have to learn this the hard way. Rubberizing both sides of the pan would solve this issue. Regardless of this issue, the Always Pan has been my most used kitchen cookware. Versatile, beautifully designed, and most importantly magically easy to clean, the Always Pan from Our Place has been a joy to use.

Assorted Reads

★★★
A short list of recent stand-out reads. Single sentence summaries.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Thought patterns to instill personal growth, accountability, and synergistic relationships.

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD

A strong argument backed by numerous studies for getting a solid 8 hours of sleep every night.

Deep Work by Cal Newport

To have a fragmented attention span is an unsatisfying and unproductive way to live life.