- 16.8 million color customizable backlighting
- Full key matrix anti-ghosting, full key rollover on USB
- 6 dedicated programmable G-keys
- On-board profile storage
Cheap Knockoff of Corsair Flaghip Keyboards
03/18/2014
This review is from: Corsair Raptor K40 Gaming Keyboard
Pros:
* 6 Macro Keys with 3 Banks of profiles for a total of 18 possible macros.
* Dedicated multimedia keys
* Attractive design.
* raised keys allows easy cleaning.
* Different colours for WASD and Arrow keys.
* Any colour back lighting.
* Different back lighting levels and profiles.
* Decent software for configuring keyboard profiles.
* Profiles can be stored on the keyboard and are therefore transportable to any machine you connect the keyboard to.
* Claims to be a full KRO
There's a lot of decent features packed into this keyboard. I want to say more good things about this keyboard, but unfortunately the majority of what I have to say will be found in the cons section.
Cons:
So I listed a bunch of features in the pros section. The list of features are all there and are what you would buy this keyboard for. That being said, let me explain how those features are quiet up to snuff.
* The macro keys are up to par with how most of the competition are implementing them. So it really isn't a selling point when you can get the same thing else where.
* I like having dedicated multimedia keys as opposed to using a function key to enable multimedia functionality. The problem with the multimedia keys here is that they sit so much lower than the rest of the keys and aren't the easiest to access. So to put them on the keyboard and then do it poorly doesn't bode well.
* It's a nice looking keyboard, from afar. Once you get up close to it, it's bottom tray looks cheap and is cheap, made of flimsy plastic.
* I like the different colour keys for WASD, but not everyone will. They don't send replacement keys for the user to decide whether they want them to be coloured differently.
* The back lighting can do pretty much any colour. It just does it quite poorly. Even in a dark room when the keyboard is set to it's brightest, it looks pretty dim and is fairly unimpressive. Back lighting doesn't have to be blindingly bright, but it should be bright enough to justify its presence, but this keyboard comes up way short in the back lighting department.
* The software is run of the mill. It works. But again does nothing to set itself apart from the competition. I've yet to see keyboard profile management software that has really impressed me. Most simply accomplish the job. Some are cumbersome. This one is some where in between and still doesn't impress. At least if you own a Corsair mouse, the software integrates between the two devices into a single interface where you can manage both your mouse and your keyboard.
* I didn't go out of my way to verify that this keyboard is NKRO (they call it full KRO with anti-ghosting). I know the first batch of Corsair mechanicals were 20KRO, which is pretty good over USB. The fact that they simply don't state NKRO explicitly and use vague marketing terms leads me to question whether it really is NKRO. Again though, I can't say for certain as I didn't test that directly. For most people it doesn't matter anyway, 6KRO is usually good enough.
That addresses the counter points to the pros, but there were even more faults.
* Rubber dome switches. For the price of this keyboard, they could mechanical switches.
* It isn't a sturdy keyboard at all. In fact it exhibits a lot of flex in the middle. Because of the thin single flat plane to which they attach the keys, it bows in the middle under weight.
* It feels and looks cheap up close.
Overall Review:
I've been using mechanical keyboards for a couple of years now. Before that Logitech gaming keyboards like the G15 and G19 were what I used. It's pretty hard to go back to using dome membrane switches after using Mechanical keyboards for so long. So my initial impression of this keyboard was a little tainted right from the start. That is why I decided I wouldn't write or decide anything about it until used it for at least a month.
Boy am I glad that month is over.
So Corsair typically makes pretty good products. I like their company and their products and use them quite frequently. Either through quality or through their brand name recognition however, their products will often carry a bit of a premium. So they will occasionally release a product to reach a lower segment in the market hoping to reach people unwilling to spend top of the line. Usually when they do this though, they sacrifice quite a bit and still charge too much because it's branded Corsair. And that is what I feel they did here.
When they first released keyboard, they were partial mechanical keyboards. They looked great, were popular and performed well. And despite being only partially mechanical, people praised them and they seemed to sell well. The 2nd generation was even better. Gone was the odd use of occasional membrane switches, replaced by 100% mechanical switches. These were the models to own, and for anyone who waited to purchase these, they would be quite satisfied.
This keyboard is trying to capitalize on the success of both the first and second line of Corsair mechanicals. It looks very similar overall with it's raised key design and open tray. The problem is that it's not at all in the same league in terms of build quality. I don't think I've ever seen a keyboard exhibit so much flex in it's design. It's simply made cheap. And unlike the Corsair mechanicals, it doesn't feel sturdy. The back lighting between them is also night and day. Sure the mechanicals only do one colour, but at least you can see the light. In a lit room, you can barely tell this keyboard has back lighting.
This keyboard simply exists to serve one purpose, to let people who want a K70 buy something cheaper and make them think they are getting something similar. I'm here to say you are not.
At the price of $80 also, it's simply overpriced for what you get. After using it for awhile, I guessed it was a $50 keyboard at most. Imagine my reaction to find out what they wanted for it.
And after a month of using it, it doesn't do enough good stuff mentioning because it doesn't do anything special in terms of how it feels to type on it. I've used $20 keyboards that fell similar when I type on them.
I simply can't recommend a good reason to buy this keyboard. I often see sales where mechanical back lit keyboards fall into the same price range. And if you don't want a mechanical keyboard and would rather save the money, you can find keyboard for $20 less with similar features.
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