Keyboard Showcase #01: Glorious GMMK 2 96%

A Best Buy Surprise

In the afternoon of Black Friday 2024, I wandered into my local Best Buy to see if there were any good sale items left over. To my surprise, the store was still packed with deals: 75" TVs for under $500, every major game console, discounted high-end desktops, and piles of accessories.

A flash of a yellow-orange and black box caught my eye—a $39.99 mechanical keyboard from Glorious Gaming. I’d seen the brand before but never gave it much thought due to its typical pricing. That changed when I picked up the Glorious GMMK 2 96% Prebuilt in black. Its sleek packaging listed highlights like Glorious Fox linear switches, hot-swappable sockets, an aluminum case, and full modularity.

Next to it were boxes of Glorious Panda tactile switches, marked down to $24.99 per 35-count. I couldn’t resist and decided on the spot to grab the keyboard and switches.

Unboxing and First Impressions

The keyboard’s weight caught me off guard. Despite its 96% layout, it weighed nearly as much as my Corsair K100 and more than my Ducky Shine 5, both 100% layouts. Inside the box were a USB-C to USB-A cable, keycap puller, switch puller, stickers, and a quick-start pamphlet.

The stock Fox switches were smooth and clacky, but not overly loud or mushy. The case allowed sound to carry a bit more than I expected. However, there was no key wobble or rattle, and the feel while typing was tight and responsive. The sound was ultimately similar to most of my other experiences with off-the-shelf keyboards.

Still, I have a strong preference for tactile switches. After testing the stock build for about an hour, I swapped in the Pandas. The process was easy but required care to avoid bending pins. With the new switches, two things stood out: the keyboard got significantly louder, and the included shine-through keycaps no longer illuminated evenly due to the Pandas’ opaque housing rather than the clear used on the Foxes.

Now the sound was sharp and carried across multiple rooms—not ideal for quiet hours, especially while my family is asleep. Fortunately, I do most of my typing during the day, so this isn’t a major issue for me.

The 96% Layout Trade-Off

The 96% form factor includes most of a full-size layout in a tighter frame. But it drops some keys, including Home, End, Pause Break, Scroll Lock, and Menu. For many users, that’s no big deal. For me, especially while coding, the absence of Home and End was a noticeable drawback.

My workaround was toggling Num Lock to access those keys via the numpad (7 and 1). It was functional but clunky. I wanted to remap Insert and Delete instead, which led to the next struggle: the Glorious Core software.

Glorious Core Frustrations

Core promises key remapping and LED customization, but in practice, it was buggy and unreliable as of this writing. I ran into repeated issues and found Reddit filled with various complaints. Key remapping barely worked, and lighting controls were hit-or-miss. My wife later purchased the same keyboard for her office and reported similar issues on both fronts.

Finding a Solution: QMK and Vial

Because of this, I started researching alternatives and discovered the GMMK 2 is QMK-compatible. Following the QMK guide, I built and flashed the ANSI 96% firmware without issue.

Flashing can seem intimidating, but tools like QMK Toolbox can make it more accessible. Still, QMK isn’t exactly novice-friendly – that’s where VIA and Vial come in.

VIA is compatible with most keyboards that support QMK; flashing the appropriate VIA-enabled firmware allows for a plethora of keyboard modifications using either your web browser or a desktop application. The website and app look polished and easy-to-use.

Meanwhile, Vial – a sort-of hybrid of the above two platforms – appears slightly less refined but includes support for more advanced features like tap dance and combos. I opted for Vial and had my layout customized in no time.

Down the Keycap Rabbit Hole

With layout and switches locked in, it was time to address the keyboard’s aesthetics. Glorious didn’t include extra keycaps in the box, so I had to source my own. This led me to the world of keycap profiles.

The stock Cherry profile was fine—low-sitting and gently sculpted. I tried OEM profile next, which felt slightly taller and had more pleasing height differences between rows. I liked it enough to keep it on for about a month.

Then I discovered SA profile, starting with the Drop + Oblotzky SA Oblivion VIM novelty keycaps my wife got for me in one of her orders. They are quite tall and feel smoother on my fingers, which was an adjustment period, but I’ve grown to enjoy the profile and have added it to other keyboards.

Later on the Drop website, I stumbled onto MT3, designed by Matt3o. Retro-style, tall, and deeply sculpted, they immediately caught my eye. Prices were steep—often over $100 per set—but I found a deal on eBay for the Drop MT3 Camillo set and paired it with the MT3 3277 Turquoise Accents.

Once installed, the MT3 profile blew me away. The sculpted keys hugged my fingers, and the slightly textured plastic added grip and comfort.

Sound Test

Final Build Summary

• Keyboard: Glorious GMMK 2 96%
• Switches: Glorious Panda MX Tactile (Unlubed)
• Keycaps: Drop MT3 Camillo + MT3 3277 Turquoise Accents
• Firmware: Vial

Final Thoughts

The GMMK 2 has become one of my favorite keyboards. In its current configuration, it’s tactile, customizable, and built like a tank. The 10-key is handy, and it holds up well against much pricier options. But it's not plug-and-play out of the box. The stock software is nearly unusable, so expect to invest some time in learning about alternatives, flashing firmware and tweaking settings.

Noise is also a factor to consider. The Pandas are loud—audible several rooms away—and I’m considering adding foam or o-rings in the future. For a simpler fix, my wife added Outemu Lemon silent tactile switches to her GMMK 2 and found they keep the noise level well within limits for a shared office space.

Two underrated features I hope remain in future models: adjustable feet, which many brands are removing, and side-profile RGB, which adds a subtle glow to your setup.

Bottom Line

If you're comfortable customizing firmware and swapping parts, the GMMK 2 can be a great (and fairly priced) entry into the mechanical keyboard rabbit hole. Just know from personal experience: once you start down this path, it's hard to stop.