The new Glorious GMMK 3 line of keyboards was described to me as ‘the ship of Theseus’ of keyboards, or as I prefer, the ‘Trigger’s broom’. The idea is a mechanical keyboard that can grow and change with you, with everything from switches and keycaps to sound dampening foam and chassis materials being infinitely interchangeable.
Customisable mechanical keyboards aren’t a new thing, by any means, but the GMMK 3 takes the concept significantly further than you’d expect from the likes of Logitech, Razer or Corsair – though the higher-end GMMK 3 models come with a price tag to match. Thankfully, there are some interesting options here that could make that premium worth it.
In its most basic state, GMMK 3 is a $120 to $140 mechanical keyboard positioned against the Razer BlackWidow V4 and Corsair K70 RGB Pro, while offering more in the way of enthusiast-grade features. There are swappable plates, gasket mounting options, alternate cases, five-pin hot-swappable switches and double-shot PBT keycaps; a reasonable turn-out at this price point.
Go a bit further up the ladder, and you’ll find the GMMK 3 HE (Hall Effect) variant, which adds in support for an 8000Hz wired polling rate, support for hot-swappable three-pin five-pin MX switches, including rapid trigger and analogue inputs. Of course, there’s the same degree of customisation as the standard GMMK 3 too. That’s going to run you between $180 and $200, so in the same space as high-end gaming keyboards from mainstream manufacturers.
Then there’s the GMMK 3 Pro model, which at $240 to $300 faces off against a keyboard I love: the Asus ROG Azoth. I reviewed the Azoth last year, and it bridges the gap between custom mechanical and mainstream gaming keyboards in much the same way – but Glorious has stuffed even more inside. That includes a fully aluminium frame, optional wireless connectivity and the same granular customisation.
At the top end of the GMMK 3 lineup is the $300 to $360 GMMK 3 Pro HE. This is the keyboard to get if you want every possible feature, as it combines Hall Effect switches, with rapid trigger and adjustable actuation points, with the design and features of the GMMK 3 Pro.