COUGAR 700K Premium Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Aluminum Brushed Structure, Additional 6 G-key, and Cherry Red Switches

Pros: Heavy duty construction, Solid feeling keys. takes me back to the old 386 and 486 IBM keyboard days. I have mulled over alot of mechanical keyboards. And I wanted 3 things. Mechanical keys of course, Back-lit, and quality construction. Most are all Plastic. and feel very cheap other than the cherry mx switches they use. I wanted RGB setting for the back-lighting. But I threw in the towel and decided on this keyboard cause of the quality in the craftsmanship. I can always mod them once the warranty runs out.

Cons: Wish it was RGB. not a real con.

Overall Review: Body is rock solid. doesn't slide around like most keyboards on my desk. not because it's heavy, But because of the the rubber feet and pads. Lots of settings to play with make it very versatile. 3 different screensaver functions as the call them for the keyboard. One looks like a equalizer scale moving. other to either scan across the keyboard vertically or horizontally. Key profiles can be set to illuminate only the keys you need. As well and changing what the key does altogether. So you can remap almost every key on this Keyboard. Ads well as Repeat rate keys, Basically rapid fire I guess you could call it. Comes with a thick braided mesh cord and gold plated connectors. Media keys a a bonus as well. and a USB pass-thru ports as well.

Pros: Right out of the box the keyboard is gorgeous. Solid aluminum backing to the keys looks excellent, and the keys rest on top of the keyboard rather than nestled inside like other keyboards which gives it a striking appearance as well as making it much easier to keep clean. Also on the aesthetic side, the lighting is vibrant and easy to adjust with a button on the keyboard, and it comes with enough macro buttons that I think most people would be more than satisfied with them. The keystrokes are satisfyingly crisp and have that sharp click that I love (specifically chose the Blue keys for this), and this is coming from someone who averages a 95WPM typing speed. The software is great (although I had to download the drivers from TousLesDrivers which is a French driver database because the Cougar website is pretty broken and half the files were missing). The icons and menus could be explained a bit more clearly but after tinkering for a couple minutes any competent PC user should get the hang of it pretty rapidly. Further on the software, every single key can be configured and individually lit which I thought was great. Also you can record new macros on the fly with the MR button and switch profiles easily (which also switches your mouse mode if you have a Cougar mouse which is excellent) with the M1-M3 buttons along the top of the keyboard. It comes with pretty much every feature that I could have wanted from a keyboard, haven't found anything that I thought was missing yet, and I love the split enter key. My hands are on the small side (XS gloves) though, and I've heard some people don't like it because larger hands tend to rest their thumbs on the gap between the two keys so clearly your mileage may vary. The keyboard comes with a USB pass through port and a audio jacks which work fine although they do require you to have two sets of jacks on your PC or else you'll have to choose between the keyboard jacks being plugged in or your speakers being plugged in. This keyboard is also on the heavier side which, to me, makes it feel like my $150 have been well spent, though some people may dislike it if they have to move their keyboard often.

Cons: Some people will want to change the colour of the back light which you cannot do. That's pretty much the only real negative I can think of off the top of my head, other than the fact that the official Cougar website is a bit flaky (which I mentioned in my Pros).

Overall Review: Love it. It's on the pricier side, but in terms of aesthetics, build quality, and features, I couldn't pick any other keyboard over this one for the price range. Obviously, some people might dislike its looks, but I think it's fantastic. Bold, but not an eyesore. Also, orange is a nice, striking colour to contrast boring blue.

Pros: Packaging: I was blown away by the packaging to the point where I will be keeping the box as it is way to nice to throw away. Everything even down to the cable was either nicely wrapped or designated inside of a foam area for safe protection, display, and screams high quality. I would compare the packaging to being superior to Razer products who I felt was the market leader. Layout and Feel of the Keyboard: The layout of the keys is the main reason why I liked this keyboard over the competitors. From all the pictures the keyboard looked as if it was going to be big and was presently surprised that it actually was not that big all features on it considered (positive). Having the F keys close to the number keys allows for easy binding in games along with the macro keys. This is an area where most keyboards go wrong as the F keys are a far distance from the number keys. The leg lifts on the bottom of the keyboard were rubber coated which is something that is normally overlooked. I was a little worried about the space bar being split as I press the space bar with my right thumb while typing. I tried to switch to using my left thumb to press the space bar, but you can not teach an old dog new tricks. Therefore I was not able to use it for its intended function. The UIX software is very easy to use and I just bound the right space bar to be utilized as space and it solved all my problems. Very little flex in the keyboard frame (positive). Macro keys on the left are as close as you can get them to the left edge of a standard keyboard. Wrist Rest: Great wrist rest. It functions just the way that it is intended and doesn’t have a plain look of just a single piece of plastic straight across the keyboard. The addition of the pad for the left wrist while gaming is a great addition. I was a little unsure if I would use. Once I started using it I was presently surprised and have used it every time since. Making it magnetic was a great move as I do not like using it while typing out long documents and I am easily able to remove it and add it back whenever I need to. Very smart design feature. Switch Stability and Keycap: This is an area where many mechanical keyboard users do not know their is a distinct difference in keyboards as far as the “wobble” for lack of a better term in the keys. Some full mechanical keyboards keys just feel off as wobbly and not a smooth movement to them. Cougars are some of the best I have used right along side the DAS keyboards. Features: Key press multiplier: Awesome feature that I have not seen anyone else use on their keyboards besides in software loaded to the computer which is clunky. It is great being able to use that on the fly. Onboard Memory: Great added feature to the keyboard. UIX Software: The software itself is very easy to use and very intuitive. I did not have to read the instructions at all and was quickly able to change things around without any troubl

Cons: UIX Software: The problem that I found with it is that users can tend to have problems installing the UIX software if they have any other gaming peripheral software on their computer (Razer Synaps 2.0 and Logitech software to name a few). Personally it was a very easy fix. Just turn off the other software and it loaded and installed just fine. For me it was not a problem, but for some of your basic users they may try to install when their have other software and run into this problem. Cable management paths on the bottom of the keyboard which would be channels that you can run wire through without affecting the stability of the keyboard. For instances a channel you can run a standard size wire from top to bottom of the keyboard on the underneath side so that if a user was using a set of headphones that they connect into a DAC/AMP or into the back of the computer they can run it through this channeled path and don’t have to worry about running it alongside the keyboard where it may or may not get in the way. Some people may say RGB 16.8 color backlight keyboard. I personally do not need/prefer this, but many gamers in the industry and going for gaming peripherals of this nature. The price point of the keyboard is on the higher end which may be a tough pill to swallow. I do feel that the price point is correct with all the features which the keyboard possesses compared to its competition.

Overall Review: I would like to preface this review with the fact that I have been researching mechanical keyboards from different companies, switch types, switch companies, layouts, features and feel of the keyboard itself for 2 years now. I would like to consider myself a mini expert on mechanical keyboards with the amount of time that I have put into it. With all the research that I have done (from the outside looking in) the Cougar 700K impressed me the most. I am not saying this just because I am currently reviewing the keyboard, but it is because on paper this keyboard is in a class of its own. Needless to say my expectations when receiving the keyboard were at a very high level and I was a little worried if Cougar would be able to meet these high expectations. My full video review: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCAQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpwmpfgAmvAI&ei=8YPVVLHyO4HboATU8oCYCA&usg=AFQjCNFYioq5yHVUqbW6HqGBb2AmQ0zFqA&sig2=FUnya_UFj4FMA4suCu-BNg&bvm=bv.85464276,d.cGU

Pros: - Adjustable lights, key configurations, settings and profiles - extra keys great for gaming - solid and sturdy feel - Adjustable key lights - Great key response - 3 Different profiles for switching between uses - On keyboard USB port, headphone and mic jack - Detachable palm rest - Easy to use program for quick and easy setting controls

Cons: - "Enter" key could be a little bigger - Bit on the pricey side but the features it offers is worth it

Overall Review: Overall, the Cougar 700K is an amazing keyboard with a slick and very cool design. The small features such as the included, adjustable palm rest and the amount of customization I can do really impresses me. Extremely sturdy and solid, this keyboard should last a life time. For gaming purposes, the extra keys make the difference between re-spawn or killing spree and really makes life a lot easier. Also, the program it uses for setting controls is easy to use and quick to apply. Right out of the box, Cougar impresses me with the presentation and class of this keyboard. The Cougar 700K is truly an impressive keyboard.

Pros: Nice weight Smooth MX cherry red keys Very nice wrist wrest with the fps add on Thick cable Very cool led backlights UIX is very good with keyboard and mouse Perfect for my competitive CS:GO games

Cons: The firmwire can be tricky it needs to be explained better. So ill explain that in the other thoughts for you. =)

Overall Review: All in all this keyboard is perfect! the way everything is layed out not to many keys but just the right amount. I give it a 9/10 but 4.5/5 here so I just rounded to 5 because of the Firmwire update you use on your mouse or keyboard with the UIX system if you have a precious keyboard or mouse program installed and you are trying to Update your device it will freeze around 80% and stop and reset to 0% and freeze at 80% and continue the cycle over and over and the only way to get out is to remove you device. Well when you do that and plug your device in it is stuck with a blinking light like the firmwire update is still going and it will not work unless you go to your control panel then connected devices, and under the undefined tab you will see your device if it is the 700k or 700m right click on it and troubleshoot it it will tell you it needs updated run that update and then you will be able to do the firmwire update again and thiss time it will work. Remember this is only if you have another company's mouse or keyboard softwear blocking your UIX fiemwire update. So I recommend to skip all this you just remember to uninstall (Logitech or razors) software before trying to do the UXI firmwire update. This happened to me with both the 700K and 700M. I hope this helps someone if you are having trouble. CHEERS!

Pros: Awesome cherry MX switches. All of the macro keys are in just the right spot on the left. The divided space bar for some maybe a con, but for me I love that I can macro the right half of the spacebar now, since it is two pieces. Rubberized palm rest works great for the left side, it can be detached from the plastic palm rest. Brushed Aluminum and slick design.

Cons: The only con I could see from anyone, is that the color is orange, which I think goes great with the keyboard.

Pros: Light show is awesome. Well built and really looks nice. Keys are nice and snappy. The hand rest is awesome and removable. Programing is easy and straight forward. Plenty of macro buttons. USB, Mic, and headphone connectors on back of keyboard are very convenient.

Cons: Wish It had a option to change color of lights.

Overall Review: I bought this as a package deal with mouse. They complement each other well! So far I like this keyboard a lot! Plenty of programing options and the keyboard feels and looks great! I'm a hard core gamer. Works great so far for that purpose. So far I'm very happy as I was skeptical because this is new on the market.

Pros: I'll start by saying that I am thoroughly pleased with this keyboard and that it performs to my expectations. The lighting features are nice and the keyboard has nice solid-build feeling to it. The keystrokes are smooth and the keys are firm. The Macro keys are a dream come true. However, I left off one egg because of the firmware glitch I ran into. Here was my situation: Windows 7 Home Premium - I had the Cougar 700M mouse plugged into the keyboard via the USB pass-through port and when I began to install the UIX software, it froze on the firmware update portion. I let it sit for two hours, knowing that I could potentially "brick" this keyboard. Short story long, I had no choice in the end, but to unplug the keyboard and start over. The keyboard was now dead. However, after restarting my PC and plugging in the Mouse to it's own dedicated USB port on the PC, I was able to correct the issue and the UIX firmware update went through on the keyboard successfully. So, if you are having issues with the UIX software not installing correctly, make sure there are no peripherals hooked to the keyboard, restart the PC, and try again.

Cons: None besides some buggy software, which should be easy enough to fix.

Overall Review: Quality product. Highly recommend. I would be cautious with installing the UIX software. I don't know how widespread the problem is as of now.