Akko 3084S Shine Through review: colorful keyboard

This is the third keyboard from Akko I will be covering. I started with the 3098B Black and Gold edition and later got my hands on the Alice Plus Black. This time I will be looking at a more compact keyboard in white; the Akko 3084S Shine Through.

Specifications

Keyboard

SwitchAkko CS Jelly Pink/Akko CS Jelly Purple 
InterfaceUSB Type-C
MacroAkko Macro V1.0
N-key rolloverSupports
Disable WinlockSupports
BacklightRGB backlight
Interchangeable during operationYes

General

Model3084S
Dimensions316*107*39mm
WeightApproximately 0.74 kg
MaterialPBT material
ProfileASA
Printing technologyDouble shot shine through
Printed on the sideN / A

Accessories that come with the 3084S Shine Through

The keyboard comes in the familiar black Akko box with a wrapper around it showcasing the keyboard. Inside there is a user manual and another thing we have come to expect from Akko. This of course is the a box with extra keycaps. With these extra keycaps it is possible to use the keycaps in a full size keyboard for example. Extra’s like media keys and even keycaps for an ISO layout are included! No different colors this time though, they are all of the same white shine through sort. BUt you can check out other models with different kinds of keycaps here. Akko also included a keycap puller and switch puller. The latter being something Akko didn’t always provide in the past with other models.

Included are a USB-C cable, a keycap puller and switch puller

A closer look

Taking a closer look at the keyboard itself we can see the board is quite simple in design. There are no logo’s to be found and the bezels are small. On the top left a USB-c connection can be found. The cable has a cover around its USB-c connector making it look like its part of the chassis when connected. Personally I like this approach, because it makes for a clean look. On the back a pair of rubberized feet can be found which have two stages of height adjustment. Apart from this a large sticker with the keyboards model number and other information like the serial number can be found. On the upper right side are some small LED status indicators.

Keycaps

The provided keycaps are made of a double shot PBT material. Unlike other keycaps from Akko which have a secondary solid color injected in the keycaps these caps can let light through. Unlike some cheap third party keycaps, here only the symbols and letters let light through so the rest of the caps keep their solid base color. The caps feel nice and sturdy, though they seem a bit less thick than my other ASA keycaps from Akko. The ASA profile is used in many of Akko’s keycaps. The have the spherical shape of SA keycaps and their height is similar to that of OEM keycaps. and their height is similar to the OEM profile. If you don’t want shine through keycaps, there are plenty of beautiful sets you can buy from Akko that can match the white frame of this board like the Los Angeles keycap set.

Stabilizers

The stabilizers are a nice upgrade from the ones found in the older 3084 models. These are the purple ones that are also present in my 3098B. These come pre-lubed and are very stable out of the box. Of course manual lubing and giving these a band-aid mod can improve them even more. The 3084S Shine Through does not support screw-in stabs.

Inside the 3084S Shine Through

Taking apart the keyboard is not something I would recommend with this model. The frame itself is not the easiest to open up. I was able to open it using my triangular prying tools, which came in my iFixit essentials kit. The frame is even thinner and feels more fragile than on the 3098B black and gold I reviewed though. After removing the frame and removing the keycaps I had to remove some screws from the top plate. This was easy enough as there are no cables inside the board due to the lack of software support and wireless connectivity. The boards sibling, the 3084B does have wireless capabilities if that is what you want. The 3084S Shine Through has sound dampening foam on the bottom of the housing with precisely made cutouts so it fits the back of the PCB perfectly. This helps to reduce any hollow sounds quite significantly.

Jelly Pink Switches

The switches I chose for the keyboard are the Jelly Pink switches. Just like the Jelly Purple and Jelly black I have these have a dust-proof stem made of POM material. The Dust proof stem design also helps against wobbling. Jelly Pink’s housing is made of a translucent polycarbonate with a pink dye. An extra long spring of 22 mm can be found inside. The Jelly Pink switches are a very smooth switch straight out of the box. I did lube them with Krytox G502g0 for even more smoothness. But like the rest of this board the straight out of the box experience is already very good. You can check out my article about lubing switches if you have no experience with it.

The true colors of the Akko 3084S Shine Through

Like most keyboards the Akko 3084S Shine through has RGB lightning. The keyboard doesn’t have any software, so you will need to use some key combinations to set it up. The effects themselves are very nice on this board. This is mainly thanks to the shine through keycaps but the white plate helps with this as well.

Conclusion

The 3084S Shine Through is a nice compact keyboard. It is a keyboard that is perfect for someone who wants their first mechanical keyboard with the option of using different switches. It provides a solid base with good quality keycaps, switches and stabilizers. If a person doesn’t feel comfortable with modding this can be a good board as well. There is sound dampening material included, the Jelly Pink switches are very good out of the box and the lubrication of the stabilizers is pretty decent as well. The board is sturdy and doesn’t squeak. If you prefer a tactile switch you can choose the Jelly Purple switch. I made a review of these as well.

An issue for some people can be the lack of wireless connectivity. If you want this board with bluetooth and 2,4Ghz support you will have to go for the regulair 3084B. This version doesn’t come with shine through keycaps but instead has normal ones. You can always buy a pack of shine through keycaps with it ofcourse. Another thing that people should be aware of is that this, however possible isn’t my recommendation for a user who wants to mod the keyboard in all possible manners. The frame is a bit hard to open and quite thin so could easily break when opening.

All in all this is another solid board from Akko. This can be a perfect starting point to the hobby of mechanical keyboards or just a solid hassle free small form factor board. The board is available in both black and white. I personally prefer the white version as it can be matches easily with almost any set of keycaps. A very nice match could be the new Provence set for example. of course matching the board with one of the beautiful limited edition world tour series keycaps is a great option as well!