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Conclusion
The Nixeus Moda v2 is a compact, simple keyboard that gives you mechanical switch performance at a relatively low price. If you're into a more austere look, don't care about fancy lighting nor the ability to create macros or program keys, and prefer a tenkeyless keyboard, the Moda v2 was designed with you in mind. It was also designed for Mac users, with spare Mac key caps in the box, key rollover options that OS X supports, and some secretive, proprietary tech under the hood.
However, what are we to make of those chassis and key cap build quality issues? Nixeus explained away some of the oddities I noticed, and in fact some of them (like the flipped spacebar switch) were done to solve a specific problem.
For the other issues, on one hand the occasional inconsistencies and design oversights throw up little red flags for me. On the other hand, I could not detect any problems while using any of the three Nixeus Moda v2 keyboards. In fact, I found the compact design and switch implementation attractive, user-friendly, and comfortable. I liked these keyboards, and I was not looking forward to setting them aside to start testing others.
Therefore, in response to the aforementioned issues, I would suggest just a twinge of caution.
It's like if the food at your favorite restaurant is superb and inexpensive, but the tables and floors are always dirty. You can choose to ignore the latter because you love the former, but you're taking a slight risk. When it comes to the Nixeus Moda v2 keyboards, enjoy the meal—it really is tasty—but don't say I didn't warn you. For myself, at such a low price ($70 to $80), I'd be inclined to take the risk, especially with the security of knowing that Nixeus offers a three-year warranty, just in case.
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Seth Colaner is the News Director of Tom's Hardware. Follow him on Twitter.
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