Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire Rapid SGK-4000-GKCM1-US USB or PS/2 Wired Mechanical Cherry BROWN Switches Gaming Keyboard

Pros: I ordered this for work. As a developer I use my keyboard quite a bit and I am starting to get some RSI.
The keyboard is nice and heavy and the brown switches feel great. I'm sure after some practice of typing lighter I will become faster and have less strain on my hands. It's really not that loud either, especially when you don't bottom out the keys.

the usb cable is braided and long.
the lack of a numpad is actually why i ordered it - less hand travel from mouse to keyboard.

Cons: something I didn't know before ordering was the context menu key (right click) I was used to using (normal on many keyboards) was replaced with a Fn key which is used to access multimedia actions.

Other Thoughts: I have a Corsair K60 kb at home which has cherry mx reds and I am tempted to replace with this one!

Pros: +Solid heavy keyboard.
+Braided cable
+Key font is stylish

Cons: -Stiff thick cable; I'm worried with it breaking from porting my keyboard around a lot (from home to office).
-Detachable cable, both awesome, and a curse. If you ever want to use this on your lap, don't, the connector won't stay in as well since the cable isn't in the slit that keep the connector from falling out.
-This isn't a con to this keyboard specifically, but brown switches: the switches feel muddy compared to MX Blue. Even so, they don't annoy my co-workers, so it's an acceptable trade-off.
-Left Win key failed after 3 months, and that's the one I'm accustomed to using, so this is kind of a huge letdown...
-The eRMA'd keyboard they sent me has 4 keys that do not work...

Other Thoughts: [This is my second review, that's an addendum to my first after a key failure]

**After an eRMA in which I paid money to ship the keyboard to CoolerMaster, they sent me back a keyboard with less functionality. The 'A', 'T', and right 'Win' key DO NOT WORK, and the 'FN' key registers as a 'Win' key, thus not allowing me to access the keyboard's alternative functions.

This does not show well on CoolerMaster's reliability, or quality assurance. I am disappointed and do not know what to do, as I am hesitant to pay more money to ship this back to them, when it's clear it's not guaranteed they can ship me a working one.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi Brian,

We sincerely apologize for this. Please contact us via the Live Chat link below so we can rectify this situation.

Respectfully,


CMUSA Customer Support.

External Link(s):

Live Chat|

Pros: The keyboard is exceptionally high quality, it types sounds and feels like a keyboard with BROWN switches should. The enter and backspace key feel a little different but I assume they just need to be broken in.

Cons: Caps Lock light is a bit bright and it seems like the keys that you replace sit a bit higher than the stock ones, but they all feel the same so its no biggie.

Pros: The device is perfect in ratio for a gamer like myself with carple tunnel. They keys, as are expected, responsive and tactile, indeed the characteristics of a Cherry MX Brown key.

Cons: Other than the manner of which the USB cable
The first keyboard that was sent to me had a dead left alt key. This was a somewhat annoyance and I held off returning it. Upon waiting for nearly 2 months for the keyboard to be replaced, It came back seeming to be fixed. However, it was not. Both in windows and linux on seperate machines, I assume that the device shorts out or runs out of buffer and starts sending out random garbage which appears in text as "qweruiop789", especially when pressing I, O, or W. But it's not always a failure. I suppect they sent me a refurbished replacement rather than a new one as they should have.

Other Thoughts: This will be the second time I will be returning a defective device at my cost to Coolmaster's repair.

It does seem that others have not have had the problems with service or quality, perhaps I'm just unlucky. Still, outliers remain. Would I recommend this to others with my needs? Yes, but with a warning. Hense the 2 stars.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear customer,

Please contact us asap on this before you send out the second keyboard. Please reference this newegg post and contact us via the Live chat link below.

Respectfully,


CMUSA Customer Support.

External Link(s):

Live Chat|

Pros: -Cherry Brown keys feel so sweet. No clicky noise to deal with, but great sound and feel.
-Small footprint is a great boon for my cramped desk.
-Construction of the keyboard is solid. I think this is a great deal for the price.
-Replaceable keys is pretty cool too. I'm looking at getting some custom keys done up.
-Tenkeyless is great. I don't have Excel so who cares about that?

Cons: -Need to get a wrist wrest, would be nice to have an option to have a modular wrest. Oh well.
-Might be cool to have it backlit, but no big deal.
-I've read the reviews about the usb connection to the board itself so I plan to never mess with that.

Pros: +Solid heavy keyboard.
+Braided cable
+Key font is stylish
+Media keys through function button, better than no media keys.

Cons: -Detachable cable, both awesome, and a curse. If you ever want to use this on your lap, don't, the connector won't stay in as well since the cable isn't in the slit that keep the connector from falling out.
-Left Win key failed after 3 months, and that's the one I'm accustomed to using, so this is kind of a huge letdown...
-This isn't a con to this keyboard specifically, but brown switches: the switches feel muddy compared to MX Blue. Even so, they don't annoy my co-workers, so it's an acceptable trade-off.

Other Thoughts: I like this keyboard, but the left Windows key failed after just 3 months...

Pros: Price - no other TKL with browns in this ($80) price range
Build - pretty solid, nothing to worry about
Detachable USB cable - thoughtful feature, nothing else in this price range has it
Color - Casing is a nice gentle grey with a tint of brown, really great to look at

Cons: Key font and feel
It's really great that CM is removing all the logos but the font on the keyboard is pretty hideous. The caps are engraved then filled with white paint (which is nice), but because the font is so thick, you can feel the characters like a mahjong tile.
I don't think it'll cost them anything to move to a thinner less attention seeking font.
My only other complaint is the stiffness of the cable - but because it's detachable, you can just swap it out for another mini-usb cable. They should have just included a better one though, it's not much.

Other Thoughts: Writing more about the keyboard itself rather than the switches - I'm sure you've all heard enough about the switches...
I am pretty hard on the rating especially considering the very nice price(relative to other mech keyboards), but $80 is still a lot to ask for.

Pros: * Keyboard is solid. Immediately after taking out the keyboard from the box, one could tell the construction is well done.
* There's a type of coating on the outside that makes it pleasant to touch.
* My keyboard came with no obtrusive logo or lettering on the keys and the logo for the keyboard is tactfully placed on the back/outside near the 'ESC' key.
* I had some concerns about my keys not functioning out of the box, but the MX Brown switches work flawlessly. This is a comment about the keyboards switch/soldering quality, and it passes the test.
* Comes with a WASD Red keycap set with a keypuller. I like that this keyboard comes with that.
* Cable is heavy duty and detachable. Has three different 'routing' lines that can be used to route the cable to either side or straight out of the back.

Cons: * Keycaps are a little flimsy. Not to say they are cheap, but the plastic is thin.
* Keycap lettering is printed on, rather than lasered on. This will probably result in me picking up a different set of keycaps.
* Cable routing could have 'snaps' or holders to keep the cable from falling out of the grooves.

Other Thoughts: Newegg shipped my product quickly and with care.

Pros: It was nice while it lasted.

Cons: The ALT key stopped working after just 3 months. So much for high-quality switches :/

Manufacturer Response:

hi Keybordio,

We are sorry to hear you had trouble with our keyboard. Please contact us via the Live Chat link below so we can get the keyboard replaced under warranty coverage.

Respectfully,


CMUSA Customer Support.

External Link(s):

Live Chat|

Pros: Solid build quality, and I really like the form factor. Keyboard base weight is very stable.

Cons: The mini USB connector on the keyboard has contact 'p'roblems, and I cannot type 'p' right now. I'm co'p'y and 'p'asting it using my mouse. I disconnect and re-connect it several times, but most times it's just ho'p'eless. I can never understand why these higher 'p'riced keyboards have detachable mini-USB that's causing so much troubles. Keyca'p's are little bit too narrow horizontally to my taste.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear customer,

We are sorry to hear you are having trouble with our keyboard. Please contact us so we can get that keyboard or usb cable replaced under warranty coverage via the Live Chat link below. If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Respectfully,


CMUSA Customer Support

External Link(s):

Live Chat|