Side by Side Comparison of: Cooler Master vs Wingco vs FARSIC

A few months ago, I started my first full-time job. I'm a software developer, and my work keyboard is a huge part of my life. I had been meaning to get a nice mechanical keyboard for the office since before I started here. My first mech was a Das Keyboard Professional 4 with Cherry MX Blue switches, which I purchased a while ago. Considering my work area is rather quiet, I knew that a keyboard with noisy MX Blue switches would not be ideal for it.Now, MX Brown switches seem to be quite popular in mechanical keyboard enthusiast communities on the web. After trying one out on a switch tester, I wasn't convinced that I would particularly enjoy a keyboard with Brown switches. I quite liked Blues on my Das. MX Browns, however, were the only option that:- are relatively quiet- are relatively light (don't require as much force as MX Clears)- still have a (minor) tactile bump, unlike linear switches (MX Red, MX Black), which makes them enjoyable for typing- are easy to find (few keyboards come with MX Clear switches)Now, I have tried out Cherry MX Clear switches on a friend's CODE keyboard, and I must say that they are the most comparable to MX Browns. They are just a touch too stiff for my preferences.I had some preferences for this work keyboard other than MX Brown switches:- 87-key format (I don't use number pads at all)- muted design (didn't want loud RGB lighting because it would stand out way too much on my desk)- on the cheaper end for mechanical keyboardsAfter some poking around, I found this Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid-i 87-key keyboard. The name is quite a mouthful. Fortunately, the xxX UlTiMaTe MEGA GaMeR FEEL Xxx stops there. The product itself is a very decent and professional looking board that does not compromise on pretty much anything.This is the board that made me realize that I DON'T dislike MX Brown switches. In fact, I was astonished at how much I enjoyed them over MX Blues. The heavy tactile click under Blues make them rather stiff and almost impossible to use without bottoming out the keys. Browns, on the other hand, offer much more control. While I tend to bottom out keys most of the time anyway, I do have a lot more control over it with Brown switches, and I can type quietly if I try. I have a semi-open, kind of quiet office space, and these switches work perfectly, even without rubber o-ring modifications.Switches aside, I quite enjoy the design of this keyboard. In fact, I don't think it should even be advertised as a gaming keyboard. It has virtually no gamer aesthetic to it (huge design flairs, evil eyes or RGB lighting). The white backlight that does come with it is fantastic. There are multiple brightness levels, AND lighting effects, if you're into that sort of thing. My office is well-lit, so I don't particularly need the backlight on, so I permanently have it set to the effect where individual keys light up when pressed and fade out in a second or two. The cable is removable, which is also an added bonus for some people (I am not one of them).The board also comes with a keycap puller, which I appreciated. I have not installed any custom keycaps (yet), but I did use it to swap the positions of the Windows and Alt keys because I use this keyboard with a MacBook (Windows key physically standing in for Cmd, needs software remapping of course). Some people seem to dislike the gamer-y typeface that Cooler Master uses for their keycaps, but I quite like them. As for the keycaps themselves: I have been using this keyboard daily for about 4 months and I do see some wear on them. Stock keycaps have a subtle soft-touch matte finish to them, which is becoming smoother over time. They have aged gracefully though. They are not unpleasant to touch, and the letters are not coming off (they are not printed, but rather see-through, since this is a backlit keyboard).Other than the slight keycap wear, I have had 0 problems with the rest of the keyboard after 4 months. I am very satisfied with this purchase, especially for a mechanical keyboard in the $70 range.I would have liked a more generic looking Windows key cap, like how Das Keyboard put their logo on their Windows/super-key equivalent. It would make the appearance OS-agnostic. But then this keyboard is marketed toward gamers, who tend to use Windows anyway.

best keyboard ive ever usedalright to start things off i would just like to say i am by no means a keyboard enthusiast or expert in the matter however i know something good when i use itthis is my first mechanical keyboard and i ended up taking a shot in the dark and went with the cherry mx browns and i was not disappointed, coming from rubber domes these switches definitely feel A LOT better even compared to some of the better rubber dome keyboards ive usedpros1.this thing is SOLID i knew it had to be well built based on the reviews but it feels like a damn tank and it has a very nice heft to it2.backlighting looks fantastic3.sort of rubberized finish which looks and feels great4.everything worked right out of the box, no faulty keys, no dead led5.doesn't look dorky and cheesy like most other gaming peripherals in fact this can easily fit in an office environmentfor the cons i would say1.while the cable they provided is really nice it came with a left angle connector which is a kind of a nuisance for me as i would've rather a straight jack, i saw some people saying they got a right angle connector so im not sure what's up with that.. anyways its not that big of a deal and the cable serves it purpose regardless plus they are easily replaceable2.the spacebar is a bit on a the wobbly side however i doubt you would feel that during actual typing i know i don't3.i kinda wish they would've included a usb to ps2 adapter like they did with the original quickfire rapidconclusionwith the minor cons aside this keyboard deserves full five stars and if you are like me and coming from strictly dome keyboards im sure you would be amazed by the feel and build quality now all that's left to do is see if it withstands the test of time

Let me start off by saying I've owned this keyboard since around December 20th 2014 and it's now July 5th 2016. I've used it 5+ hours everyday for the past year and a half. (Typing this review on it now)With that being said lets move on to the keyboard itself! It's still working perfect like on day one and I've never experienced a single flaw with it internally or externally, It's pretty much the perfect keyboard. And it's been through a beating! After the pros and cons you can read my little backstory about this keyboard if you are willing!PROS:- INSANE build quality- Long lasting LED's (only managed to get one LED to die by spilling half a gallon of milk into my keyboard)- Cherry MX switches- Very pleasing to type on- Comfortable with no fatigue (for me)- pleasing to look at- adjustable brightness on LED's with different lighting modes- durable internals and externals- laser engraved textCONS:- The only con about this keyboard is my brain hurting from trying to think of a con haha, just kidding in all honestly there is one con which is just about the lighting- THE ONE CON IS, I just really wish there were more light options to play around with, and I know if I want that then I should just go by an RGB keyboard so it really isn't a con just preference --------------------NOW FOR THE SCARY PART!!!!!!--------------------One day I came back to my desk to the horrible sight of my glass of tropical juice guzzling out into the keyboard. I immediately unplugged it and flipped it upside down in the sink and walked away (thinking it was toast and would never turn on again). Little did I know this keyboard is far from suicidal and never gives up on you. I came back to it a few hours later and it looked pretty dry so I went to plug it in and bam nothing!!! Literally nothing was wrong with it. I was amazed with this things will to survive.After that happened I was positive I'd never let a drink spill in my keyboard again, UNTIL! I sit down with a glass of milk, reach over for my headset, and WAM! My elbow hits the glass of milk and the same thing all over agan, milk guzzling into my keyboard. So I unplug it and put it in the sink again sadly this time when I plugged it back in there was one minor flaw which is probably the smallest thing that could stop working on the whole keyboard. Which was the spacebar LED, now I am just amazed with the keyboard because I thought for sure after the second spill it would be toast. I've accidentally dropped so many things on this keyboard and it just never dies!---Buy or not?---So if you're looking for an answer like "should I buy this keyboard" Yes you should buy this keyboard if you're looking for durability and performance, but if you're looking for RGB lighting and want to mess around with a ton of lighting options, this might not be the one for you.

I'm not the resident expert on mechanical keyboards. However, when I learned what they were, I did a LOT of research. and settled on this keyboard and switch type. I've been using for about 3 months now, and I absolutely love it!. It is very satisfying to type on. I have my own office at work, so my louder keystrokes won't bother anyone but it feels great to have the 'thunk' when I press a key. If you work around other people (close cubicles/open office) it may not be the best, because it could annoy those around you. But if you either don't care about their annoyance or you work in a more solitary environment, then this keyboard is great. Do some Google searches on 'mechanical keyboards' and watch a few videos on them, and the various switch types, and it won't take long to make decision on the best mech. keyboard for you. Hope this is helpful.

This review is for the brown switches with white LEDs. That said, my comments should mostly apply to the blue and red switch keyboards, too.I use this keyboard almost exclusively for gaming. From that standpoint, it is an excellent keyboard. There are certain tasks for which this keyboard is not ideal. If you do a lot of spreadsheet data entry, you will probably use the arrow keys, TK, and command keys on a regular basis. That said, this is marketed as a gaming keyboard, so I would not personally dock points for having the arrow keys and TK mutually exclusive. On the contrary, one of the reasons I selected the QuickFire TK was that it has a compact size - giving me more real estate on my desk for my mouse - without sacrificing the TK altogether.I do most of my gaming in the early morning or late at night, and I wanted a better way to see my keyboard than relying on the dim glow from my monitor. I contemplated a few keyboards with illuminated WASD keys before finding the QuickFire and was amazed that it offered a fully backlit keyboard at this price. And if you only want to light up the WASD keys, you can do that too. Or if it appeals to you, you can have the whole keyboard pulsate slowly. I find this distracting and never use it, but maybe set it to this mode if you have friends you want to impress. I don't know. The brightness is also adjustable with six levels. I can't speak for the red or blue LEDs, but the white ones go from reasonably dim to glaringly bright in a dark room.Other positive features include a Windows Lock key, which keeps me from inadvertently minimizing a game, a problem that has resulted in "death" with my previous stock keyboard. The function keys can be locked to perform various media functions. Volume control is the only one I use regularly, but you can also toggle light settings (on/off, brightness, gaming/full/pulsing) and control audio (play/pause, stop, switch tracks).The keyboard itself is solidly built. It has good weight compared to a rubber dome keyboard, and I have never had a problem with the keyboard sliding on my desk. I appreciate the understated appearance - nothing too flashy and minimal branding. The power cord can be removed and fed through one of three grooves (straight out the back, or to the left or right). The mechanical keys are infinitely more satisfying, in my opinion, than rubber dome. The brown keys have a soft tactile click without all the exaggerated noise of some other switches. Bottoming out the keys produces some noise, but if you plan to do a lot of typing, learning to stop depressing the keys at the tactile click makes it very quiet.I don't have any serious complaints regarding this keyboard. One complaint I could see some people make is that there are no programmable macro keys on the QuickFire TK. I achieve similar functionality with a gaming mouse thumbpad, so I don't need macro keys. I personally appreciate that they aren't included, as they would make the keyboard bigger, and minimizing size was a priority for me.I highly recommend this keyboard to anyone looking for a moderately priced mechanical keyboard for gaming, especially if a small size and illuminated keys are important. I would not recommend this keyboard for home or office work involving heavy use of TK and arrow keys, such as spreadsheet data entry. For its purpose as a gaming keyboard, it met all of my needs flawlessly.

It was difficult for me to find available a keyboard like this with Cherry MX Green switches (with green back-light). So when I saw this I jumped on the chance and bought it even though I already have a CM Storm keyboard with MX Blue switches at home, and a Deck Legend with MX Clear switches at work. Of all of them, this keyboard with MX Green switches is now my favorite. LOVE it.I'm one of those people who like "clicky" keys. I started researching mechanical keyboards when I started missing the original IBM Model M keyboards, from days of old. I do a lot of typing, and a little bit of gaming. I play piano and synthesizers, and I'm very much a keyboard enthusiast. So if you love the aesthetics of a stiff keyboard with a tactile click, then Cherry MX Green switches are for you. Before I tried the keys I was worried that they would be TOO stiff. Look at the comparison chart below ("g" of force). Statistically they take much more force. But I'm not worried now that I have it. They are perfect.Switch Actuate Bottom-outRed 45 g 45 gBrown 45 g 55 gBlue 50 g 60 gClear 55 g 65 gBlack 60 g 80 gGreen 80 g 105gAre they loud? Each keystroke has a concise click. No louder than MX Blue, in fact maybe a little quieter because you won't bottom out so much.

Bought this Keyboard because I was moving my setup to a slideout tray in my desk. I couldn't fit a full size keyboard with the mouse.This keyboard fits perfectly and I love the Cherry MX Browns. I also have a BlackWidow Stealth with MX Browns so I was looking to get something as close to it as possible!The only thing I'm not so happy about is the connector has become a little loose on the MicroUSB and if you move the keyboard too much it will pop out without much force.

Overall the CM Storm QuickFire ultimate appears to be a nice keyboard. I like that it is heavy and feels sturdy. The keys are solid and have a nice and responsive feel. It is slightly clicky but not too much. I wouldn't like keys that had more click to them. The white back-lighting is nice however only the top symbols on dual function keys light up brightly. For instance; on the number keys only the numbers and not the bottom symbols light up brightly. For me this is not an issue but worth mentioning. When the keyboard arrived today the box was slightly bent. When I opened the box the space key was hanging off and only retained on one side of the metal bracket which is attached to a very small plastic clip. Once I reconnected the left clip the space key popped right on and I don't notice any issues at all with it. It doesn't worry me especially since this keyboard comes with a two year warranty. I was going to buy two of these and replace the CMStorm ($30) keyboard I have on my second computer. That keyboard works well but it drives me nuts that you have to manually hit the scroll lock key to light it up every time the computer boots. Although the keys on the CMStorm are slightly more spongy they are still nice and other than a more re-assuring click that I get on this keyboard I don't notice a huge difference. That being said I will now keep the CMStorm as opposed to spending another $100 for nothing. That being said I also think the mechanical keyboard fascination is slightly overblown, but hey I wanted to try something new. I read a review where someone criticized LED light leakage from the space key. This occurs if you are sitting very low. However, for me this is a non issue as I feel I have to look for it to see it. I also like to keep the LED's dimly lit thus making the issue is less noticeable. Another review I read noted that this keyboard did not come with a palm rest, which is true. I never use them and still wouldn't, but this keyboard feels like it sits a little high, and I could see where some users would like to have the option. Finally, some people complained about plugging the USB into the bottom of the keyboard. I did not have an issue as mine came plugged in, it was snug, and doesn't seem like it would be hard to do if I had to do it myself. Inside the package is an insert that reminds you to ensure that the USB is firmly plugged in, so I guess this has been an issue in the past. Even though I have a few minor complaints I am overall pleased with this keyboard. I love the lit keys and I much rather would have white keys that the blue that come on the CMStorm. That being said the CMStorm keyboard is a steal for $30 and it is nice that it's evenly lit on all keys and there is no light leakage. If you asked me would I but this again I would say yes, however I won't replace my other keyboard and feel that CM could make some changes to enhance their product.Pros:Compact full size keyboard that has a heavy and sturdy feelNice white LED'sKeys are not too clicky and have a responsive feelBraided cable is cool2 year warranty gives me a feeling I'll be taken care of if I have issues down the roadCons:Keyboard sits a little high and does not have a palm rest (not a real issue for me)Only tops of dual symbols keys are brightly lit (kind of lame but not too bad)Light leakage in the front of the space key (only noticeable if you sit low to the keyboard)

This is a great compact mechanical keyboard. One important note in the product literature that is easy to miss - "Note: NKRO mode is not supported on MACs and prevents some PCs from booting."I don't get the impression that the issue is widespread, but if you're having issues booting or getting the keyboard to work during boot, remember to turn off full NKRO during boot (in FN-lock mode, press ESC and 6 simultaneously). This may save you a lot of time and frustration.

A nice, compact (tenkeyless) keyboard that is well made, sturdy, and, in general, feels right when typing.Good stuff:1. cherry mx brown switches (light, tactile, non-clicky) that are good for office environment where your coworkers are in your vicinity. It definitively produces much less sound than the blues, but are not as "mushy" as the reds. To me, this one feels a bit better than the browns on G710+. Personally I prefer the blue switches for typing, but it could get annoying to others in my proximity2. tenkeyless, which comes handy if you use mouse extensively, plus it takes less space (not sure about the last time I used the numpad part of the keyboard, (but for people in accounting or similar occupations numpad is still very much used)3. backlight -- this is a big improvement from the previous version that didn't have any backlight so you had to rely on the ambient light to see the keysWeakness:1. backlight -- this seems to be the weakest point. After just a few days of usage the backlight LED under the letter Z is dead on my keyboard.2. USB cable -- would actually prefer a standard, non-detachable cable rather than a mini USB port on the keyboard. The detachable is possibly easier to carry around, but also easier to lose or to mess the port with frequent connect/disconnect of the cable. The placement of the mini USB port itself is fine with me.Overall, the backlight is the most important (maybe even the only) improvement from the previous version and it's currently the weakest point or the point where something can go wrong easily. Also, check for firmware updates on Cooler Master website.

This mechanical keyboard feels quite nice when you type on it and it sure is on the pricier side of things. I mean who else would spend upwards of a $100 on a mechanical computer keyboard. At this price level, you are most likely a person that just loves to type fast all while hearing that distinctive 'clicky' sound that would make a typist slightly wet. It's a great keyboard but not without its caveats. I will mention first....The goods:- Nice clean build quality just like the previous model "CM Quickfire Stealth"- Soft touch rubber housing- Ten-key-less design which will save you space and provide that minimalist look- Bright white led lights with five modes and five illumination levels- Four lighting mode presets that you can edit- Cherry MX brown keys (not too loud yet not too soft..perfect).- Gold plated usb connection at both male ends..just wow.- Braided usb wire with strain relief as expectedThe meh and why I deducted a star:- CM uses the mini usb cable (the kind that charges an android smart phone) to connect your computer to this keyboard. I prefer the usb cable of the previous model CM Quickfire Stealth since its connector head is slightly bigger.- mini L-shape usb connector head into keyboard... This I feel can be an obtrusive issue for right handed individuals with their mouse on the right position next to the keyboard.- mini L-shape usb head at keyboard port has a slight play. I can ever so slightly wiggle it left and right. It's not a major flaw but is something that bothers me at this level of performance and design. CM should have went with the tucked in design like its previous model.CM if you're reading this... send me a straight cable.

Disclaimer: I bought the brown switch keyboard from newegg; for some reason, Amazon won't ship it to APO--even though they shipped the blue switch TK here no problem.I work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week in Afghanistan as chief engineer on a large software project. I don't game a helluva lot, so I'm looking at these keyboards as a professional typist...you know, of sorts. Between coding and PM documentation stuff, I spend something like 80% of my waking hours with my hands on a keyboard. I've been here for a year and a half, but for some reason investing in a keyboard that's worth a damn never once occurred to me until the last two weeks or so, when my second bog-standard dell chiclet keyboard crapped itself.After researching the Cherry keys for a few days, I decided it would have to be between the Cherry Blues or Cherry Browns. I bought one of each, with the intention of buying a matching keyboard to whichever I preferred. It's been four days now, and I still have no idea which keyset--or even keyboard--I prefer. Let me explain the bit about "which keyboard": Amazon won't ship the QuickFire Rapid--my first choice--out here, but they shipped the QuickFire TK no problem. I always prefer ordering from Amazon, so I bought the TK with Cherry Blues first. It got here, and I loved it, but I'm not a huge fan of things lit and there are a few other minor annoyances I have with the board. So after about a week with it, I went ahead and bought the QuickFire Rapid with Cherry Browns from newegg. I'm going to review the keyboards and the switches here.To be perfectly honest, these are both very good keyboards and I doubt anyone would be unhappy with either. I almost didn't bother reviewing them because they're so damned good and most of the reviews already posted cover everything I might have to say, but I haven't seen any by people who have used both the Blues and the Browns.I've had the Blues longest, so I'm going to review the TK first.===============================QuickFire TK===============================Pros - I got this keyboard first, so I was astonished at how solid it feels. A few people have said it's heavy, and I guess if you've got spindly little girl arms, it could be considered heavy-ish. It's about a pound and a half, which is much weightier than any other keyboard I've used since the early 90's. Construction is solid as hell, and there's only one small CM logo above the numpad. As I mentioned, I'm not a fan of lit keyboards (my officemate says "you listen to techno, but you don't like lights?" "nope."), but these are fairly well done. Brightness is adjustable through 6 steps, and there are 3 basic modes-WASD on, all on, and "breathing". There is also an option to turn them all off. When numlock is off, the arrow keys light up independently, but it's only noticeable if you don't have all the keys lit. Honestly, it looks kinda cool. Solid construction means there is no bleedthrough from the lights, but keys on the outer edges (function keys, left CTRL for example) are clearly not independently lit.You do have access to the numpad in a compact keyboard, which is especially useful if you were taught to use a calculator one-handed. By turning numlock off, you get access to arrow keys and the normal 9-key keyboard functions.Cons - The ****ing numpad. I'm getting used to it now, but holy crap...when I first got the keyboard, I hated the damn thing. You don't realize how used you are to finding the home/end/del keys by feel until you can't feel them anymore. They're just more keys in a row. When highlighting/deleting chunks of code, I use home/end/del constantly. Having to hunt for them almost every single time annoyed the crap out of me until I started modifying the way I work to get around having to use them at all. This is by far and away my biggest complaint about the keyboard, and it's not really a problem with the board itself.Lights are stupid.===============================QuickFire Rapid===============================Pros - I love everything about this keyboard. Seriously. There are no cons. As others have mentioned, the rubberized body of the board is very nice; it's kind of like hopping out of a lower-end Mercedes Benz and stepping into a BMW 7-series. Soft touch plastics everywhere. The letter etching and painting on the keys is very, very slightly raised, which gives them just a touch of tactile feedback. Some might not like it. I am not one of them. The keys on the TK are a little tactile, too, but something about the way it's done on that board makes it annoying against my fingertips, especially the "S" key. It feels classy on the Rapid.There have been a few complaints about the ridiculous number of CM logos on the board. Mine doesn't have those. It has exactly one logo, and I had to look for it; it's on the top (or the front?) of the board, on the other side of the function keys. You know, where you'll never see it. You have no idea how relieve I was to not see the QuickFire logo on the spacebar. Classy move, Cooler Master, and I thank you for it.Con - Okay, I lied. I can think of one, but I'm reaching a little bith with it. The Caps and Scroll Locks are lit by red LEDs, and they're bright as HELL. But how often do you plan on leaving those two things on? What's Scroll Lock even *for*?===============================THE KEYS!===============================Overall, both switches are extremely clean. Every single click is exactly the same. It sounds weird, but when you type as much as I do, you start to notice little inconsistencies in the amount of pressure required to get a key to register. You start to automatically compensate for it. It's especially bad on traditional keyboards as they start to wear down. I found myself banging on the homerow keys for the first week or so. I still do it when I hit my stride.When typing at speed, the blues sound like a hundred chickens tap dancing across a hardwood floor. If you've never heard that, it's a whole lot of none-too-subtle clicking. It doesn't bother me all that much--when you bottom out, it's about twice the decibel output as a standard mouse click. The first click (mid-way actuation point) is about as loud as a mouse click; very subtle. Unless you are a very light typist, I don't see any reason to get the blues over the reds, which are supposed to be the same switch without the mid-way point. I'm learning to hunt for that first click, and it is much faster to type that way. It's an extremely light touch and requires a fair amount of control to achieve.The browns are hardly quiet, but they're also not noisy. They make about as much noise as a standard full-height set of keys, maybe a touch less. The response is mostly tactile. There's a very distinctive bump in the keypress just past the halfway point. When you bottom out the key, it's still less noisy than the blues. Combined with the better feeling of the keytops on the QuickFire Rapid, this makes for a much more pleasant typing experience vs the TK with blues.Huh. I guess you guys just helped me pick my keyboard of choice. Time to order another Rapid with Browns, I think.If you have any questions about either keyboard or switch, please let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

I've been using this keyboard for 16 months and have enjoyed it during this time. I type a lot and really like the feel of mechanical switches. I paid about 88usd and it was almost worth it. Minus two stars for the following: 1) On the top row, the numbers are on top of the symbols. This isn't usually a problem, but occasionally I glance down and, seeing the symbols in the unconventional place, I use the shift key inadvertently. 2) After 16 months of moderate to heavy use, the keys have lost their springy-ness and it's time to shop for a new keyboard. This model isn't Prime anymore and other sellers are charging far too much.

I love the size and the key lights.But there is one design flaw, the spacebar does not work as well as other keyboards.Others might not run into this problem though, it might be caused by my way of typing.If one hits the spacebar near either end (that is, not in the center) it becomes "dislodged" (that's the best description I can come up with) and it fails to register a key stroke. Furthermore the spacebar stays in that dislodged state until one hits it in the center again.I see no indication that the problem is specific to the keyboard I got. After opening the case to investigate the problem (and I was hoping to MacGyver a fix) I am pretty certain that this is a side effect of the design. But as I said, I might just be hitting the spacebar closer to the edge than most people.

The keyboard has a major flaw with the space bar that may lead me to return it. Otherwise it has the usual solidity and feel of a CM keyboard. This is replacing an older model Quickfire that the enter key stopped working on. If I'm able to replace the switch, this keyboard will either be relegated as a backup or returned.Pros: Nicely lit keys with good brightness adjustment and the standard CM lighting features (WASD, fully lit & pulsating brightness.) The subtle glow underneath the keys is an elegant touch and the white LEDs give the keyboard a very sharp look.The smaller size is nice--I was actually looking to get a full-sized keyboard with dedicated arrow and INS/DEL/etc. keys but hastily ordered the wrong keyboard. I think I like the smaller size, though it will take some adjustment to get used to using the numpad instead of dedicated keys.Cherry MX Browns - Great tactile feel, quiet and just lovely. My old keyboard also used brown switches and they're a joy to type on.The FN key must be held for two seconds to toggle its activation state. This is an added feature from my old CM keyboard that prevents inadvertent key press of that key. This is a welcome addition to the functionality of the CM keyboards.Windows key lock - Superb idea and it will be very useful for games that freeze when they lose focus.Cons:Missing key cap puller. I have one from my old keyboard but it's disappointing to see that this didn't come with one, even though the brochure indicates that a key cap puller is included.Pressing the space bar with my right thumb makes a *very* annoying rattling sound, likely due to the underlying mechanism that ensures an even key press. Pressing the space bar with my left thumb is quieter and more 'normal' sounding, but it will take a major adjustment to get used to using my left thumb--it drops my typing speed from 70wpm to something closer to 30wpm.Minor nit: Don't forget about us lefties? IJKL lighting would be a nice touch.

First the good. This keyboard feels amazing. Pretty confident I made the right personal choice going with Cherry MX Brown switches. No loud click, but has tactile "bump." Actually, they were still louder than I expected/wanted (can't imagine what blue switches sound like), so I added o-rings. It's been so long I don't remember what the original felt like, but I suppose this is better since I kept the rings on :) Subjective.This keyboard is small, sharp looking, and feels very solid. Very little if any wear after a year, looks pretty much new. I'm not writing Atlas Shrugged-length novels on this, but I use it a lot. Unfortunately the light under my "5" key dimmed probably 6 months after getting it, and is very noticeable in the dark. Almost looks completely dead sometimes. I removed the key cap and compared to an adjacent key; it's just not as bright as the others anymore for some reason. Anyway, if this format is what you're looking for, this might be a good choice.But about the format! This is a TK keyboard. "Tenkeyless." This keyboard combines the number pad and arrows with the control keys (ins/delete/home/end), so they share keys. Numlock toggles. It's surprisingly annoying having to switch between the two modes. Further, the key backlighting and media keys are combined with the "F" keys, and toggled with a function (FN) key. Again, annoying. I use these keys all the time and want them available at.. well, the push of a SINGLE key.I knew all of this when I bought the keyboard, but figured I'd give it a try. Lesson learned. Now, it's not just the toggling alone that's aggravating, but the nuance of how it was implemented. The number pad is toggled immediately when hitting numlock--so one quick click and you're toggled until you hit numlock again. This is fine I guess--I got pretty used to toggling on the numpad, doing whatever I needed to do, and toggling off when finished. 2 extra keystrokes. However, the FN doesn't operate the same way. This key operates like a modifier key (like Shift or Ctrl--I'll call this a "quick click"), unless you hold it down for about 2 seconds, at which point it toggles on like numlock until another "long press." This is generally nice, with one big exception: a quick click does not get you the expected reversed behavior if the FN key has been toggled on. Meaning if I want to quick save a game using F5, while FN is toggled on, I actually can't unless I take 2 seconds to long press the FN key to untoggle. Why can't a FN quick click give me default function keys when FN is toggled on? This probably sounds a bit picky, but the annoyance factor builds over time. I use volume media keys more than standard function keys, but I'm forced to leave FN toggled off, otherwise I have no function keys without having to wait the 2 seconds. If you're adjusting volume by holding the FN key briefly, and don't intend to toggle FN on, you need to be careful not to hold it too long, otherwise it will toggle, then you need to hold it again to un-toggle. It's just not a great system and gets super frustrating after awhile.I rated this 3/5 stars, -1 for the backlight issue so early on in ownership, and -1 for the FN key driving me crazy. If they had included "reverse FN" while FN is toggled on, I think I could handle this keyboard better. With that said, it's truly a solid device, that feels amazing to type on. If you don't care about media functionality and want a smaller footprint, this is a great choice. I would rate it 3.5/5 if I could.An aside: I picked up the LG G910 Orion Spark to replace this. Dedicated keys for everything do not disappoint, although typing itself is not as smooth/fun. Hopefully I only need to get accustom to it.

SUMMARY: The arrow+tenkey design seemed like a good space-saving idea, but it's really bad in practice for any work activities (gaming is okay). Don't buy this for doing work (programming, finance, data entry) or if you're using a Mac.REVIEW: In all the ways the CM Storm QuickFire TK is a mechanical keyboard, it's quite nice: study, tactile, and heavy. However, the QuickFire TK has a lot of minor flaws that add up, and I'll be returning it to Amazon for the (sadly) more expensive WASD Code Keyboard. I was hoping to write a review saying it's the best sub-$100 mech keyboard I've used but it does more harm than good.btw - my keyboard use is about 30% writing prose and 70% writing code.The CM Storm QuickFire TK is excellent, except these issues:#1 - the arrow keys inside the number keys seemed like a great idea, but it's a bit awful to use in practice. You have to toggle numlock between arrows and numbers (of course), so if you use any finance/math software or need to type numbers and navigate concurrently, you're... going to have a very bad time. And it's difficult to find the arrows directly without looking or feeling around for a second. Bumps/braille would help.#2 - If you press the '00' key quickly after the '.' key, such as to type "$1.00" the period gets repeated as well as the '0', so you end up with: "$1.00." or "$1.00.." (note the trailing periods that were not typed).#3 - The spacebar is quite large (6.5?), so if you use your thumbs on modifier keys this means twisting your hand a lot.#4 - "Fn-lock" (holding the function key for 3+ seconds will lock it on/off) -- another minor annoyance here. If you're holding the 'fn' key to change the volume or skip tracks and it takes you more then 3 seconds to get where you want, you're now locked in function mode and need to hold they key for 3 seconds again. Function lock should be a key combination rather than a time-based action.#5 - The ABS-plastic keys are quite slick, there is no texture whatsoever.#6 - Mine came with the left arrow illuminated and it can't be turned off. Could get it warrantied but I'd still return it.

I've owned this keyboard for around 2 months now, and I would NOT recommend this keyboard.At first, it was bliss, I loved the feel of the switches, and greatly enjoyed the LED's and various settings. The trailing effect was nice until the novelty wore off and I just switched to constant back lighting; after all I didn't buy this to use it not lit up(Would be sweet if this effect worked the other way around but that is super minor). The LED's worked nicely until I felt comfortable enough to throw away the packaging, and was out of the return window amazon offers. Now the right ALT key has gone dark(as you can see in the photo), no matter the setting. It is a key I don't think I've even used. In reality this wouldn't be a huge deal breaker for me; It's hard to do quality assurance on all parts for all products. It may just be my specific keyboard has one faulty LED, but the 1 month lifespan of this one still has me worried for the rest.A much bigger issue is the keyboard disconnecting entirely from the computer from doing anything that might move my keyboard even slightly: Reacting to something in a game, adjusting position for comfort, moving it to the side to access something on my desk ect. This keyboard comes with a nicely braided micro USB cable. However, this cable is a 90 degree angle cable for some reason(WHY?), and there is NO cable management options on the keyboard itself (unlike the nonbacklit version with nice cable routing on the bottom). On this model, the cord just hangs off the back, solely by it's non locking connection. Like I said, anytime I move, or even nudge my keyboard slightly while doing anything, it disconnects, and I need to unplug it and plug it back in entirely to get it to reconnect. It's a good thing this keyboard has a nice weight to it and isn't moved super easily, otherwise I don't think it would be usable, as it is only passably so now.Since I am out of the return window, I'm going to buy a new cable for this(which I should not have to do with any product I buy that comes with a cable) and hope that having a non 90 degree connection helps(I am not confident since it is a non locking connection). Note that the Cherry MX brown keyswitches feel great, and like i said the general weight of the keyboard is quite nice. If you're dead set on this keyboard for some reason, be prepared to buy another cable. Really what you should do though is just take the extra money you'd spend on a new cable, and possible LED repairs, and just buy a different mechanical keyboard from a reputable brand and avoid this one if at all possible.EDIT* I bought a new cable and it has fixed my connectivity issues. Again this is something I don't think you should have to buy to make your keyboard usable, but it was only a few dollars so it's not too big of a deal. Two additional LEDS have gone out as well (7 and left control). The Coolermaster rep has responded to this review which is nice, and shows some dedication to customer satisfaction. I may try the RMA process, or just live with my burnt out LEDS and not want to deal with the process. I will update if I decide to RMA it with results. Upping review from 2 stars to 3 stars because this keyboard really does feel great, and works perfectly fine now with the new cable.

Surprisingly low quality. Bought the cherry mx blues. The number "9" key stopped clicking in two weeks, unintentionally converting into an mx red. The LED lights were also low-quality - it had that low refresh rate effect, where you can tell with your naked eye that it is blinking rapidly rather than appearing solid. Perhaps it's just me, but the cherry mx blues here feel a bit stiffer than my older CM Storm keyboard from a few years ago (which I still use and love).Too bad, it otherwise did feel solid. High-quality feeling rubberization of the casing, and high quality plastic keycaps. But low quality where it matters. Bought a 40 dollar chinese knockoff that had better switches and LEDs, unfortunately...

This is an overall great keyboard. I was in search of a backlit mechanical keyboard but not full size. This keyboard, plus cherry brown was great. However, my first keyboard's usb wire connection broke after one year because the connection point with the usb port creates a hot spot stress point. There is no cable guide around the keyboard, so the wire is free and lose. If it snags on something the usb port will get pulled and I suspect that is why my keyboard's connection broke.They need to change the design so there is cable guide to preven the usb cable from moving. This one small design can make this keyboard a much durable keyboard.

I got mine with MX Cherry Blue switches.The Design of the keyboard was perfect. I wanted a small keyboard that still had a ten. In fact I really have nothing bad to say about anything with this keyboard.My issues was I ordered my first in January, and less than a month later, I had to RMA it because the space bar would get stuck down. I got my second one and it has lasted for around 4 months and the 7 key on the tenkey numpad has quit working all together. If I press the 00 key it starts typing 00 followed by a bunch of 7's that won't stop until I press the period key on the numpad. When I toggle the numpad back to be the other keys ( Delete, insert,etc.) everything works fine.

This keyboard was my pride and joy (PC wise) and was a dream to type with, but I barely had it two months and keys started to type the keys next to them when pressed (see the bottom of this review to see what I mean). I now know that I am a Blue Switch kind of person, but I won't be buying Cooler Master keyboards again.Before you mention RMA, I tried that. I set up an account and registered my serial number for my kb and waited until payday before I started the process because I knew they'd probably charge shipping to China... Anyway, the next time I logged in to start the RMA, my keyboard is no longer listed in my owned products, so I re-enter it. Nope, that serial has already been registered, even though it's invisible or just gone. So I can't RMA it.I go to the forums for support. No support threads that I could see, but tons and tons of people having problems similar to mine who are reverting to posting in the wrong threads about the many problems they're having with their whole range of kbs. Live chat button didn't have a link and I'm not about to bother with phone or email...So I look up some tutorials about how to clean the PCB and the inside of the switches. I open it up (no longer under warranty at that point) and am greeted by a main PCB that is straight out of the early 2000s, and the USB PCB looks like maybe a 1960s home-brew crystal radio set, but with slightly better soldering. I clean it up with iso alcohol and let it dry over night. No change, still broken and I don't know how to go about going deeper to fix it.I'll be keeping the key caps cuz they can be expensive separately, and throwing away the rest. Next time I'll either buy something super cheap with Kailh switches and not expect much, or spend a pretty penny for a Corsair or something that the Tech YouTubers use and suggest. CM, I love your Hyper 212 Evo, but I'm not coming back for anything but coolers.Keys typing the key next to them, problems withing 2 months:` 1~ ![Tab] q[Caps] a[L-Shift] | (pipe symbol, which is odd since it's on the other side of the keyboard)0 00 (the num pad has a 0 and a 00 button next to it)L-Shift LED is dead

The good:Got the keyboard with brown switches, nice typing feel and love that it is 4' shorter than the ten key keyboard, saves an 8" round trip to the mouse and back about 1000 times a day. The USB cable that exits from the back of the keyboard is now angled to the Left and that fixed some of the complaintsThe not-so-good:After just 3 weeks several of the Key LEDs are already dead. Yes, I could send it back under the 2 year warranty but the cost of shipping is the owners responsibility even for this ongoing and well known problem --- see other reviews. Will I be continually shipping the keyboard back for repairs with shipping at my cost? This is an expensive keyboard and I bought with the expectation that all of the features would continue to work. . I would suggest not buying this keyboard until they have solved the failing LED issue. As an interim gesture (until they fix the problem) it would be nice if the manufacturer would at least provide 100% shipping for this documented issue.

There's a lot to like about this mechanical keyboard, but unfortunately a rather severe bug makes it difficult to recommend.Pros:- Choice of MX Blue or Browns, and the switches themselves feel well done. If you know what Cherry MX switches feel like, you won't be disappointed. I bought the blues version.- Tenkeyless layout, which I prefer for ergo reasons.- Backlit! This plus the tenkeyless already makes it a rare beast with not a whole lot of competition. There are a few different backlight modes available, most of which I found silly. The standard backlight on/off with 5 varying levels of brightness suited me just fine.- Build quality was pretty good. The casing has a slight rubberized coating to it. Not as ostentatious as some other keyboards with regard to weird looking logos, even compared to other CM Storm keyboards.Cons:- Right angled USB plug on the cable is stupid. If you're a right-handed mouse user (as I imagine most people are), the angle of the cable plug means the cable is going to intrude on your mouse area. I don't know why someone thought this was a good idea. Thankfully the cable is removable and micro USB, so if you get this keyboard buy a cheap straight-plug micro USB cable.- Firmware updates are distributed as windows EXEs only. Mac/Linux users will need to find a PC friend to update for them.- The key font is not great looking. I know this is marketed as a gaming keyboard, but still. The rest of the keyboard is so reserved, it's a little odd to see something like the Titanfall font every time I look at it. To be fair, compared to some other gaming keyboards I'd still prefer this font.Dealbreaker:As it stands today (Nov 2014) this keyboard has what I consider a critical bug that makes it not worth it. In short, often times this keyboard will not work on start or wake from sleep, necessitating an unplug/replug of the USB cable. It's essentially random so you'll wake your computer and try to start typing, but nothing will happen and you'll have to start fiddling with cables. There is a thread on their community support (http://community.coolermaster.com/index.php/topic/11379-cm-storm-rapid-i-doesnt-start-sometimes/) acknowledging the issue but even the latest firmware has not fixed it yet, with currently no ETA of a complete fix.

I love this keyboard. It is nice to use and typed well, but after a few months of use, more than 4 frequently used keys have broken the x shaped mount under the keycaps. The space bar is a little wobbly and sometimes fails to register. I already purchased an expensive set of PBT keycaps that should be much better than the flimsy ones it came with, but there is the issue that the function keys have labeling specific to the keyboard, so they cannot be replaced without losing there clearly labeled functionality. I was disappointed that the manufacturer does not sell individual replacement key caps, especially for F1 through F12 .I have not heard from the manufacturer with an offer to replace the key caps.I replaced the key caps with e-element caps. These are solid and do not wobble nor break.When I removed the original keys, about 30% were either broken, breaking as removed them, or about to break. The new ones are much better attached and do not fall off wewn I carry the keyboard around like the old ones did.

Beware this keyboard! I just got it hoping there would be no LED issues, and sure enough the entire main board is out, with only the arrow keys on the numpad functional, and then THEY go out after the numlock light go on. And just fyi - I was interesting in trying the cherry greens so this was one of the few options for that out there. I was looking for something a bit more resistant than the blues. These are WAY more resistant (I did know that going in, but only had a slight idea what it would be), and not only upon actuation, which I was expecting, but on the complete up and downstroke. A bit too tough for me, so it's back to the blues. I'd love to find a happy medium like the old IBM PC KB, but I'm still looking. Fortunately this KB was doa in that respect. It's an awesome size and build quality is sturdy, but it still has the LED issues in some at least. Thanks Amazon for making me go through the hassle of returning a crap product without just pulling it. :P NOT pleased by this experience. I saw the issues in review, but none were recent so I was hoping they'd fixed it. NOPE. BEWARE.EDIT: Well, having used Amazon's drop box return for the first time yesterday, I can't really fault Amazon. I got my refund a day later (today) after putting it in the box downtown here in Denver, so no two-week wait for my money. Very, VERY well done Amazon. XD

I've had a computer in the house since 1989. In all of that time, this is, by far, the single worst keyboard I have ever tried to use. Personally, I find a keyboard to be rather useless when the keycaps simply WILL NOT STAY ON. Period. Apparently, my only solution will be to actually glue that damn things on. In all of the keyboards I've used over the years, and there's probably dozens of them, I have never had this problem with any other board.Should have known it was going to be a problem, when half a dozen of the keycaps were off, loose in the box when I unpacked it. But little did I know they were going to so easily pop off while trying to actually use the thing. It can be incredibly frustrating having, say the W or S keycap pop off while playing an FPS game. Nothing like dying in the game because, instead of playing you're suddenly fumbling around trying to find where the keycap went and put it back on.Seriously, who thought it was a good design for keycaps to just loosely sit on top of a key, with absolutely NOTHING beyond gravity holding it in place. And, apparently, a surface on the keycap with a tendency to stick, ever so slightly, to your skin, so when you lift a finger the keycap follows. And now, my S key is actually broken, probably from fumbling mid-game trying to get it back on.Gamers be wary, this keyboard is useless for that purpose.

I bought this as my first mechanical keyboard in January. It feels nice and sturdy in your hands and the blue switches are a dream to type on. However and about 5 minutes of use the LED on the "F5" started flickering and soon after died out all together. My friend told me it was no big deal since that key was sort of out of the way, It still bothered me however that I payed $100 for a piece of hardware that was already broken. I decided I was going to RMA through CM about the faulty LED. The entire RMA process took a little over a month to resolve. What I got back from CM was a complete disaster. The F5 key LED now works per se, but after about five minutes of use the whole keyboard will start to flicker its LED's on and off and becomes unresponsive until i pull out the USB and plug it back in. I've tried different wires, different USB ports, different computers, different operating systems. I've tried NKRO and 6KRO and nothing seems be the fix. The keyboard is still somewhat usable if I just shut the LED's off from the keyboard, it still dies, but not as often as it does with the LED's on. All in all Cooler Master's RMA made a minor problem a much worse one by breaking all the LED's instead of just one. I don't want to spend another $20 for shipping and wait another month and a half for yet another RMA. I'm very disappointed with this product and frankly don't see my self buying another Cooler Master product again.

I was excited about this keyboard. I'm a software developer and have been using a scissor key keyboard for years. Those wear out every few years and I find myself hurting my hands by hitting the keys to hard once they lose their springiness. Before going back to a 30 year old Model M keyboard I decided to give a new keyboard a try.I love the tenkeyless layout and the fact that they didn't decide to mess up the Insert / Delete keys and rearrange them into mess. The key response is good and typing is a breeze. The keyboard also weighs like 10x what any other keyboard does so there's no problem with it sliding away from you as you're typing either. The backlight patterns are fun to play around with and I sort of liked the programmable mode where you could only have the keys you wanted lit.I will say that I am not a fan of the reversed number / shift number printing on the key. Sometimes I will look down to hit, say 7, and looking at the key it makes your brain think "The normal key is & and shift & would give you a 7". It messes with my brain in a very subtle way that makes me think twice before I hit the key.The problems started when some of the LEDs decided to start not working, after less than a year I had 6 or 7 that failed to light. Around the same time, the space bar started to not activate every time I pressed it. It is just a single switch with an additional spring under each side to help balance it out, however if you play games where your thumb is always just on the edge of the spacebar, look for it to slowly degrade to the point it will wedge on downstroke and fail to register. Definitely a very large drawback for a keyboard aimed at a higher end market such as gamers.I've sent the keyboard in for RMA repair, which also cost almost $18 due to the keyboard's weight. This repair needed just 10 months in, combined with a premium initial price tag make me feel like there have to be better options for this kind of money. Updated: It took *11 weeks* for my RMAed keyboard to be returned. Instead of repairing the keyboard I sent them, I received a new one. Out of the box, 3 of the keyboard LEDs were non-functional. When a company takes almost a quarter of a year to replace something under warranty, and doesn't even send a working replacement, I don't think their products are worth buying at all. Lowering my review from 2 to 1 star.

Don't plan on the backlit keys working very long. This is my second unit and both lost random LEDs within two months. Fortunately, the first one failed during the return window. Unfortunately, the second one started losing LEDs too late to return. The only way to fix is to take apart and de-solder LEDs and replace. Bummer.Otherwise, it would be a really good keyboard. However, somebody needs to work on their quality control issues.Update (2 months after purchase): LEDs for individual keys are failing at an accelerating rate. This is ridiculous. I've had my other (higher priced competitor to this one) mechanical keyboard for at least three years and have never had a single problem. You definitely get what you pay for.Update 2: (3 months after purchase): I fully expect to have a dark keyboard within a few more weeks. Keys I've rarely ever even used are blacking out at this point.