I Bought Computer Peripherals on Temu, Here’s How It Went

By now, you’ve got in all probability heard of Temu, the Chinese language on-line market that is quickly increasing throughout the globe. When the app lastly turned obtainable in my nation, I knew I needed to give it a shot—and I had one factor in thoughts: laptop peripherals.

From the second you open Temu, you will be bombarded with particular provides, reductions, offers, and spin wheels, all of which can “expire” in 24 hours. It is overwhelming, and also you by no means know when you’re really getting a legit deal or only a pretend low cost. Nonetheless, one specific provide caught my consideration: three free gadgets when you spend a certain quantity.

There is a catch, although—you’ll be able to solely choose from the gadgets that Temu provides you, each for the free stuff and the gadgets you purchase. For the reason that algorithm seen I used to be primarily searching computer-related merchandise, it largely recommended that. I ended up deciding on an assortment of keyboards, mouse pads, keycaps, keyboard switches, and a gaming mouse.

The free provide solely applies to a restricted choice, so I needed to place separate orders. I used to be skeptical about these free choices, however Temu seemed legit, so I made a decision to associate with it.

As soon as my orders had been processed, I acquired the monitoring numbers. Surprisingly, my two orders had been grouped into separate packages: one for the free gadgets and one for the paid ones. The paid gadgets arrived inside two weeks, however the free gadgets took about three and a half. Now that I had all the things, it was time to put in writing this text!

High quality Is a Blended Bag

Let’s begin with the keyboards since they’re what I bought probably the most out of. The 2 paid keyboards had been the Ajazz AK820 Professional and non-pro variations. These look like a part of the Chinese language OEM powerhouse, as the identical keyboard mannequin is being bought beneath a number of totally different manufacturers. The field stated “Ajaazz x Nacodex,” however they’re additionally listed as Epomaker and Attack Shark on Amazon.

Truthfully, these two keyboards are superior for the value I paid. The AK820 Professional was round $55, and the non-pro was solely $35. Each have respectable construct high quality, are a pleasure to sort on, come filled with cool options, and all the things works as anticipated. They seem to be a large enchancment over my previous Corsair K70. The software program that accompanies these keyboards is a buggy mess, however even main manufacturers like ASUS wrestle with this. Nonetheless, not less than it really works.

The 2 keycap units (one free, one round $15) are respectable for the value, and the Outemu Silent Peach V3 switches are wonderful. As for the free keyboards, nicely, you get what you pay for. Let’s begin with the positives: they got here with additional accent keycaps, a removable USB-C cable, and a keycap puller. Each are 60%, had blue backlighting, and had been, in truth, true mechanical keyboards—not some deceptive mecha-membrane gimmick.

Each had Chinese language-branded switches: the HXSJ had blue switches, and the MageGee had purple switches. The blue switches felt and sounded inconsistent throughout the totally different keys, they usually had been scratchy, similar to the real Cherry MX Blues (kidding, kind of). The purple switch-equipped MageGee was surprisingly respectable. Whereas they’re additionally unlubed and tremendous scratchy, they felt constant throughout the board (pun supposed).

The construct high quality of those two keyboards was precisely what you’d count on from a free keyboard: low-cost ABS plastic keycaps and hollow-sounding case. Each keystroke feels such as you’re slapping plastic items towards one another. I consider {that a} easy tape mod and adding some lube and foam would considerably enhance the look and sound of the keyboard. Regardless of all these downsides, I would nonetheless choose one in all these keyboards over a cheap membrane or the included stuff in a heartbeat.

The 2 extra-large mouse pads had been okay. The free one had a Razer emblem, however I am 100% positive that it is not unique, as the opposite mouse pad (which was $12) makes use of the identical actual supplies. They once more look like from the identical OEM. The sides are braided, and the thickness measures 2mm, in order that they’re moderately skinny. Nonetheless, my Logitech G502 glides easily throughout the material, and the rubber backside sticks properly to my desk. All in all, they’re respectable, so I would purchase them once more.

Now, let’s discuss in regards to the free gaming mouse, which turned out to be an fascinating little oddball. It is an ultralight model that includes honeycomb-patterned holes, so the plastic shell feels surprisingly sturdy. It additionally has a non-detachable braided cable. What’s much more stunning are the switches, that are loud and clicky, however in a great way. They’re satisfying to press and have zero pre-travel, although there is a little bit of post-travel after you click on the left or proper mouse button.

The RGB is unquestionably the spotlight, although, because the mouse lights up like a Christmas tree the second you energy it on. It has a devoted RGB button on the underside, which cycles via the varied colours and results. Spectacular.

Let’s Play Some Video games on the Temu Setup

I may discuss for hours about my preliminary impressions, design, and construct high quality of my esteemed Temu gear, however the one true strategy to know if it’s any good is to really take a look at it. The primary recreation I performed was TypeRacer, a browser-based typing recreation the place your aim is to sort a chunk of textual content as shortly as doable.

At a high typing pace of round 130 WPM (phrases per minute), I am a comparatively quick typist. Whereas a greater keyboard will not all the time make you type faster, it nonetheless has a big impact on typing really feel and luxury.

After doing a number of races on all of the keyboards, I’ve some ideas. First, since I moved from a 100% keyboard, I am nonetheless getting used to those smaller layouts, so my typing pace dropped to round 110 WPM, together with a dip in accuracy. The excellent news is that I maintained the identical typing pace throughout all of the Temu keyboards. The Ajazz keyboards had been fairly satisfying and satisfying to make use of, whereas the 2 free keyboards had been okay. I did not discover any evident points, like unregistered or double keystrokes; they had been all dependable.

So, since all the things works as anticipated, it was time to boost the stakes: let’s play a aggressive match of Marvel Rivals. We all know that the Ajazz keyboards are respectable, so I solely grabbed the free stuff, install-locked Hawkeye (a hero that requires laser precision), and jumped into the sport.

Spoiler alert: I misplaced the match, however I do not suppose that it was completely my gear’s fault. It is a team-based recreation, and the enemy workforce was merely a lot better. As for my gear, it held up fairly properly. I’ve no main complaints with the mouse pad or keyboard.

Nonetheless, the mouse—arguably a very powerful piece in FPS video games—was unreliable. Whereas the clicks labored high quality, I skilled some mouse acceleration from the sensor. Fast mouse flicks felt unpredictable, so my intention was off. Now, that may very well be only a placebo, however I additionally seen this similar sort of acceleration throughout common desktop use. If you happen to’re purchasing for an inexpensive mouse, the Attack Shark X3 is a better option.

Was Temu Price It?

One caveat value mentioning is that whereas all of my purchases work as anticipated, there is no assure that yours will as nicely. Epomaker is thought for questionable customer support, and I do not know if Temu would assist potential claims, so make sure to weigh your choices rigorously towards extra conventional retailers like Amazon and Walmart. It could be value paying a number of additional bucks for these keyboards in change for higher buyer assist. As normal, your mileage might differ.

That stated, I used to be fairly pleased with my buy of the Ajazz keyboards, Outemu switches, low-cost keycaps, and mouse pads; I would say purchasing on Temu was value it. I bought the less-than-stellar stuff free of charge, however you’ll be able to often discover this stuff for beneath $20–$30, in order that they could be value having at the same time as backup gear. Since I have already got several keyboards, I am going to promote the extras, however I am going to maintain the opposite stuff round. Who is aware of, possibly they’re going to come in useful if I ever host a LAN party.