BAUER LITE 65%
ENTHUSIAST GRADE.
BEGINNER FRIENDLY.
INJECTION MOLDED MECHANICAL KEYBOARD KIT
Bauer Lite
Does not include keycaps, switches, or stabilizers
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Coming in-stock this summer!
Bauer Lite is the injection molded version of our flagship keyboard, Bauer. Over 3 years of R&D lead us to create the best keyboard possible with the most value packed in. Bauer Lite gives you the experience of a $500+ keyboard at a fraction of the cost with no compromises, packing a punch well above it's price!
ANDREW FROM MKBHD'S WVFRM PODCAST NAMED
BAUER LITE ONE OF MKBHD'S FAVORITE TECH ITEMS OF 2023
COMPLETE YOUR BAUER LITE BUILD
OMNITYPE® BAUER™ LITE
Bauer™ Lite is a labor of love and intentionally designed to be affordable and easy to build so that everyone can enjoy the custom mechanical keyboard experience; whether this is your first custom keyboard or the hundredth in your collection.
WHAT DOES THE COMMUNITY THINK
MAKE IT YOUR OWN
Mix-and-match tops, bottoms, and plates to create your own custom colorway that is perfect for you!
Breakaway backspace plate design
The Bauer Lite plate is designed to support both full and split-backspace options without the normal compromises of your switch being crooked from the lack of proper support. We achieved this with a unique breakaway plate design. By default, the plate supports split-backspace, but just break off the center support with some pliers to use full-backspace!
CUSTOMIZE TO YOUR WORKFLOW
CREATE A CUSTOM LAYOUT IN JUST A FEW CLICKS
VIA PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE
With your board plugged in, visit to caniusevia.com and select your board to start programming. It is a browser-based program, so you can change your layout anywhere! You can also program your board with QMK.
CREATE YOUR LAYOUT
You have the flexibility to customize any key to perform the specific functions you need. Plus, you can even set up macros for tasks you frequently use. And hey, let's not forget, you can also have some fun and add in a few memes along the way. Let's make your keyboard work for you in the best way possible!
CHANGE YOUR BACKSPACE
If you are planning to use a full-backspace layout, go to the second table on the sidebar and turn on the full-backspace option! You will then see your layout change at the top!
- Top Enclosure
- Bottom Enclosure
- Plate
- Hot-swap PCB
- PCB Standoffs
- Plate Foam
- Rubber feet
- Taco Bumpers
- Donut Bumpers [used with top enclosure]
- Poron Isolation Strips [used with bottom enclosure]
- Screws (Torx)
- Torx Drivers
- Tweezers
- Owner's Manual
Omnitype® - US/NA
Deskhero - Canada
Oblotzky Industries - EU
Prototypist - UK
Daily Clack - Australia/Sea
iLumkb - Asia
Keycaps, switches, and stabilizers are not included.
The images shown are used for illustrative purposes only. While we aim to accurately estimate and reproduce colors, there may be minor variations in the color of the actual product because of differences in display output due to lighting and digital photography and color settings and capabilities of monitors.
Plastic parts are made via injection molding, which has the possibility to have small defects that include flow lines, weld lines, warping, sink marks, and jetting.
This board really surprised me even though it has been majorly hyped within the mechanical keyboard space. For the price I kept my expectations tempered, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. Sound, feel, and aesthetics are all fantastic with this board and it has been a joy to tinker with and use. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has been into hobby for a long time or someone that is just starting out. The build guide manual was easy to follow and had great illustrations to take you through the build process.
Now, I would like to note a few things about this board to give feedback and regards to my personal experience. None of the things I will mention are deal breakers by any means but are a culmination of my experiences and observations with this board. I also understand that certain sacrifices had to be made to be able to sell this board at this incredible price point, and it is generally unfair to compare this board to others that are 2x-5xs as expensive.
1. Although this board is not hard to build by any means, I wouldn't say that I love the assembly/disassembly process for this board. Upon my first assembly, I had a difficult time with the taco and donut bumpers staying in place and ensuring they were lined up correctly. I also don't love the way the bottom and the top pieces **** into each other with their deeply recessed **** holes. With the disassembly and reassembly process being a bit more tedious, I have found myself more hesitant on taking it apart and changing out switches/foams than I do with most of my other boards.
2. The top case at the center of the board under the spacebar is not fastened to the bottom case by anything . Every time I pick this board up from the center, I can feel the top case moving/bending a significant bit which is not nice. If you pick it up from the sides you do not get this experience, but it's an area of the board that I wish was secured so this did not happen. I bought this board with the weight and I have not used it without it yet so I believe this may be because of the added weight to the board.
3. The spacing between the top case and the first row of keycaps at the top of the board feels a little too tight. Keycaps do not rub against the top case of the board, but because the space between them is really tight it makes removing keycaps from this board a little bit harder than it should. With enough finessing you can get the keycaps off just fine, but this is one of the first boards that I experienced having a harder time removing keycaps from.
In conclusion, this is a great board and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I plan on getting another one in the near future in a different color because I love it so much. Great job on this one Omnitype team. You knocked it out of the park.
I love the sound of this with an Alu plate and the weight. It's one of my favorites now....
This keyboard is a very good and solid choice for beginners. The packaging is very premium and I love the sound. However I have a few issues that prevent it from getting 5 stars. First for keyboard aimed at new comers to the hobby it should have included a cable. I love the design of board but have two issues with it, since the keyboard is transparent the cable connecting the PCB and the breakout PCB looks very ugly. Finally there should be some sort of LED for indicating caps lock. is on.
left bauer lite review in wrong place, this is for Dracula / dark bauer lite combo review .... hard not to do combo at that price, looking forward to more combo savings.
keyboard is fun and love the feel and looks, plus different colored bumpers.
more please
Very great build and easy instructions and videos to help set up. Love the Grim color and other color options.
I’ve bought and assembled two Bauer Lites.
Atomic purple: Linear switches and PC plate
Ghost (as a gift for someone else): Tactile switches and aluminum plate.
Very enjoyable building experience. I think it’s cool how well hidden the gaskets are for. The board has a good amount of flex, so I think people interested in using tactile switches may want to look into one of the metal plates. I am excited for additional colors to mix and match with for the top/bottom/plate.
Both boards felt incredible to type on, and the sound is great. I like some of the default QMK remapping (Fn + s/d for volume up/down), and I haven’t had any issues using VIA (“it just works”). I would recommended swapping right Alt button to a Windows key (if you need it).
Some minor cons:
* There isn’t a lot of screws needed to put the case together, BUT it’s pretty hard to fit the small screws into the longer holes. You get used to it, but it still makes disassembly somewhat tedious.
* Some of the donut bumps and plate bumpers will easy come off when flipping the keyboard over during assembly
I'm hooked! The Bauer Lite was my first mechanical keyboard build and has kicked off a new hobby for me. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun tinkering the nights away. As a new father, life can be hectic so I really appreciate a hobby that forces me to slow down and reflect on the day. I also find the aesthetics of a good keyboard, improve my work. They help create a comfortable space I want to be in.
This is a very amazing keyboard. Affordable price, great sound and feel. Although there were some unexpected problems during transportation, Omnitype was very proactive in solving them!
It’s so nice to see the quality of beginner boards being raised to such a high standard. Lots of customisation options, good instructions, great product overall. If you’re a beginner looking for your first custom, this is a great option (just make sure you’re okay with winkeyless 65% layout).
A couple of things I love about this board:
- premium translucent plastic
- Wilba PCB 🙌🏻
- split backspace option
- slim and lightweight for commuting
- colour options that pairs with mix and match design with top/bottom plate
This kit was clearly well thought out and has been executed very well, in love with mine!
This was my first time building a mechanical keyboard, and I had a blast! The instructional booklet was incredibly helpful; the visual guide was clear and easy to understand. For a first-time builder, this experience definitely gave me a positive first impression of the hobby overall. Can't wait to build more, although my wallet won't be as happy, lol.
Missing from the picture: the spacebar, since the one I had was too small *face palm*
