There are many things about MelGeek Pixel (opens in new tab) that speak to me on different levels. First, it is clearly LEGO styled. But similarly, MelGeek cannot claim affiliation with the famous Danish brand. What MelGeek can do, however, is to be "compatible with LEGO bricks," which means that the width and depth of the studs are the same as LEGO's standard.

More or less.

Every part of the design, from the keys, keycaps, indicator lights, and feet to the entire surface of the board, is Lego, or brick-compatible. $199 package includes a bunch of extra blocks to decorate your Pixel keyboard in funky pixel art style or add cute messages.

Also included are a number of additional blocks that can be used to decorate your Pixel keyboard with funky pixel art or to add cute messages.

You can also use the bricks to add height to the back of the board, creating a comfortable typing angle.

And once you get past the non-LEGO stuff, you end up with a maniac-class keyboard with hot-swappable mechanical switches. If only there was a switch puller. The box only contains a keycap puller. It is also a wireless board, with RGB lighting around the edges of the brick-compatible enclosure.

And sadly, this is where all the positives end. Sure, the LEGO geek-chic look is funky, but when it looks this much like a toy, it would be strange if it didn't feel like a toy. And I'm not surprised by the pixels.

For one thing, it's a truly horrible typing board. The switches on the Kailh Pixel T that actually comes with this review model are fine, but that's not the point. Let me elaborate through a piece of unedited typistry:

The problem is that the keys are too close together for touch typing to be accurate. Brick-compatible keycaps are recessed but smooth, so they do not interfere with finger movement; IU Munich prefers boards with at least a little space between keys.

Also, without a palm rest, his hands would be slanted and he would normally hit the key directly below the one he was aiming for.

Yes, not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. Especially if you spend most of your working life copywriting.

I know MelGeek nailed the pixel aesthetic with the Pixel keyboard, and I know they want to make it look like a keyboard you'd actually see on a LEGO set, but it's not worth the ultimate sacrifice in ergonomics to me.

There is one thing I do like, however. I like the blue, flat cable with bricks on each end of the cable.

But my final issue has to do with compatibility with the Brick; there's a lot I can forgive in the name of LEGO, and if it were made with the absolute rigid quality that has become synonymous with Danish mega-toys, I'd be a bit more willing to be a bit more forgiving of its overall shortcomings as an actual keyboard. I might have felt softer. However, the Pixel keyboard has the same QA problems as every non-LEGO keyboard I've ever experienced.

One thing that is often said about LEGO's quality is its unwavering reliability. You can be 100% sure that the blocks you pick up today are compatible with blocks from 50 years ago, and more importantly, they have the same level of adhesion. The way Lego blocks stick to each other is key to their power as building blocks, something that the knock-off versions do not have.

In most cases, that may not be a big problem, but if you are relying on the strength of that connection to form the legs of a keyboard, and indeed the only way to produce a vaguely effective typing angle, having a set of legs that break with the slightest movement is problematic.

Manufacturing quality issues extend to the chassis as well. This is a $200 keyboard, but the plastic casing is horribly roomy. It is not rigid and I highly doubt this device will last long. When a keyboard demands this much expense, I don't want to be in a place where.

So, for me, it's a no. Strong no.