
The Electronic Materials Office (EMO) Altar I is a wireless compatible, mechanical keyboard with low profile switches. As of publication date, it is available for $349 USD directly from the Electronic Materials Office website, with both the US and European layout waitlisted.
Electronic Materials Office was founded by London-based designer Andrew Emerson. Emerson found that all available mechanical keyboards were either too big, too gaudy, or had too many RGB lights, so he decided to create his own.
While there are some physical issues, such as rattling switch stabilizers, and hollow sound, these will hopefully be addressed in future iterations. The varying heights of keycaps may take some getting used to. It is a one-of-a-kind endeavor, with its several "zones" created with touch-typing in mind.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
THE GOOD
- Aesthetics
It is a really nice looking, minimalist keyboard with unique keycap lettering. Design was heavily inspired by the original ThinkPad design.
- Size
It is a compact 77 / 78 key, low-profile keyboard, with Kailh low-profile mechanical switches.
THE BAD
- Sound
The typing experience is a bit loud, and the spacebar stabilizer rattles rather noisily. However, the stabilizer is a known-issue.
- Keycap Spacing
The spacing between keys is far. This may lead to clipping of sides of other keys when typing accurately.
THE REST
- Overall
For a first attempt at creating a mechanical keyboard from scratch from a small company, this is a marvelous outcome.
- Typing
Three "zones" of keycap heights differentiating the function row, number row, character keys, action keys, and navigation keys. This may require some time for users to get used to typing. Also there is a fair amount of rocking back and forth with the keys.
In the Box, it includes a coiled, rubber USB-C to USB-C cable, user documentation printed on receipt paper from a defunct restaurant, and the keyboard. It is constructed with an aluminum frame, and features plate-mounted stabilizers. The keyboard comes with PBT double-shot, non-shine through keycaps.
The keyboard is made up of 50% recycled materials, the packaging has no plastic, and the clamshell shipping case is constructed of sugar cane pulp and is biodegradable.
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Front of the box.

The keyboard is placed on a 900 x 400 mm desk pad next to a Logitech MX Master 2S mouse.

The right side of the keyboard containing the navigation keys.

The left side of the keyboard.

The keyboard is connected by a USB Type-C to Type-C detachable cable.
The Altar I is compatible with both Windows and MacOS, although it does not support QMK or VIA customization or require any additional software. The keyboard does not have any backlighting or illumination.
The Altar I is hot-swappable, featuring standard Choc switch stems on the included Kailh low-profile, linear mechanical switches. The Kailh switches have an operating force of 44.72 gf, 1.5 mm of pre-travel, and 3.15 mm of total travel. The Altar I has an average keyboard latency, averaging 14.6 ms when used in Bluetooth mode, and a better than average 10.4 ms when used in wired mode.
The Altar I does not include a wrist rest and has a fixed incline angle of 0° for ergonomics.

The keyboard ergonomics at a fixed angle of 0 degrees.