HAVIT HV-KB395L Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Software

When the HV-KB395L first launched, it was limited to on-board control of the lighting effects via the FN key and various partner keys across the board. While this is often the case with many budget-priced keyboards, and usually provides a decent amount of customization, it is not a premium user experience. Thankfully HAVIT knows this and has released a software application to pair up with the HV-KB395L in order to get a bit more granular control of the keyboard’s lighting, as well as a few other settings.

HV KB395L Software

The HAVIT application allows users to configure custom macros via the Macro Management button. A standard macro creation process is available, with a simple keystroke recording function used to record keystrokes, as well as configuring options like the amount of delay between strokes and looping. These macros can then be assigned to individual keys by simply clicking a key in the application and selecting the macro on the corresponding tab.

Enabling “Game Mode” allows you to lock the Win key, as well as use the programmed keys that have been defined in the HAVIT software. There is also the option to just enable Win Lock to disable the Windows key. Response time can be adjusted from 2ms to 20ms in 2ms increments, with the default set at 8ms, and we found no issues with the default setting. USB report rate is also adjustable, with the following options available: 125Hz, 250Hz (Default), 500Hz, and 1,000Hz. All of these settings can be saved to individual profiles via the “Profile” button for easy switching between gaming and work configurations.

Lighting effects

The HAVIT software also allows for a more customized approach compared to the HV-KB395L’s on-board lighting options, which many users will appreciate. There are 11 pre-programmed modes available, as well as five DIY lighting profiles that allow for a bit more customization. The DIY options actually come pre-configured for standard gaming layouts, but can be altered to fit your individual needs. The pre-programmed modes are: Static, Breathing, Wave, Reactive, Sidewinder, Ripple, Spectrum, Raindrop, Vortex, Spotlight, and Radar. Each mode has its own customization options to allow you to tweak things to your liking.

With regards to the look of the lighting on the HV-KB395L’s keys, we were mostly impressed. The primary key legends had a nice, full glow to them, but the sub-legends found on the Function keys and other keys with multiple lines of text were barely illuminated. This is a pretty common drawback to the current lighting methods found on mechanical switches, and overall the lighting looked great.

Check out a few shots of the HV-KB395L in various lighting configurations below.

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