Corsair K65 RGB RAPIDFIRE Compact Mechanical Keyboard (CHERRY MX SPEED RGB, Aircraft-Grade Anodised Brushed Aluminium, 10 Keyless Design, Vibrant Multi-Colour LED Backlighting) QWERTY, Black

I have previously used the corsair k65 vengence for two years as my first mechanical keyboard, and the experience with using and typing with it was light years ahead of my low profile membrane laptop keyboard. However, while the keyboard overall was fantastic, it did have a couple issues such as a very rattly spacebar, wobbly feet that were not the same hight, and the red switches themselves felt quite scratchy, while some of them felt smoother. These are still minor complaints and I still think that the vengence is a fantastic first mechanical keyboard option. But I recently saw that this keyboard was on sale for only about £100, I thought it would be a good upgrade over the vengence. And I am very glad I did, as there are a lot of improvements in the rapidfire that I really love, although there are some small things that are worth mentioning.The feet that lift the keyboard to a incline are now the same hight, which is appreciated, even though I don't use them, because I actually keep the keyboard on top of a towel to absorb some of the noise that goes into the table. One of the most important things, however is the speed switches are a lot smoother and less scratchy that the red switches on the vengence. presumably because the speed switches are a bit newer than the red switches, but that might not be the case. If you want really smooth switches, you should probably go with gateron switches instead, which have a reputation of being much smoother versions of cherry switches, although I personally have not tried them. The spacebar is also very smooth and so much quieter and less rattly feeling than the vengence. I actually took the spacebar off to see what they had done to it to get rid of the rattly feeling, and they have not seamed to have put any stabilisers under the spacebar, so I don't really know what corsair have done, but the spacebar feels really good anyway. Here are some pros and cons for this keyboard.Pros:The speed switches are fantastic. Not only are they less scratchy than the cherry mx reds, but the short actuation distance makes them a lot faster then reds, although having a nearly identical feeling to the red switches.The rgb lighting, while it may be a gimmick, It looks stunning. The lights are bold, saturated and vibrant, and the clear housing of the switches really lets the lights pop. I have no clue how to use cosairs cue software, but it is easy enough to import lighting profiles made by other users, which all look fantastic. The large blocky font, while looks gamery, really does allow the light to shine though the keycaps.The keyboards build quality is amazing, just like the vengence. The brushed aluminium finish on the body of the keyboard looks amazing, although does attract dust.The keyboard also has volume up, down and mute keys which I simply cannot live without. The keyboard also has media keys which are accessible with the function and F keys.Cons:The switches may not be suitable for typists because they are just so sensitive. If you are used to blue or brown switches then I think you may have issues with accidentally hitting keys while you are typing. I am used to red switches so this isn't much of an issue for me.The cue software is not easy to use and is not intuitive, and while if you learn it you can make some of the most advanced lighting effects available on a keyboard, I just don't think I have the time or patience to learn it, which is another reason the ability to download lighting effects is so great.The included wrist rest I find to be too short for my hands. It is have of a nice soft touch material, but is just quite short.The keyboard is only available in red or silver/speed switches. If that's what you are looking for, then great, but if not then you may need to look elsewhere.The rgb lighting can lag games and your computer if you are using advanced lighting effects. This is probably just because my computer is slow.And finally, the biggest issue I find with the keyboard is the keycaps. I actually prefer the keycaps on the vengence because, while they may be made of abs plastic, there is a texture to the keys that makes them easy to grip, and even on my most used keys that have turned shiny, there is still a bit of grip there on the keys. The keycaps on the rapidfire however, feel quite cheap with a matte coating causing the keys to be slippery. The keys overall construction is good, but that matte coating just makes the keys uncomfortable to use. I have for the most part gotten used to it, but I just wish that corsair used more high quality keycaps in the keyboard that have more texture. The worst thing is that the keyboard uses a non standard bottom row which makes it near impossible for find good keycaps for this keyboard. Corair does sell a doubleshot injection set of pbt keycaps, but that would run you another £38 for the black keycaps and £45 for the white keycaps, on top of £190, If you pay full price for this keyboard. Even though I was lucky enough to get this keyboard on sale, Its still a very high asking price for a tenkeyless keyboard.Overall, the cons are very nitpicky things that you could love or hate. For example some people may love smooth matte coated keycaps, and if that's you than this is a solid option. If you are in the market for a new keyboard and don't mind only having the option for sliver/speed switches or reds, Then I would highly recommend this keyboard. The construction and overall feel of the keyboard is excellent, the switches are great and the rgb lighting looks amazing. Overall, I am very happy with my purchase, and will keep this review updated on how the keyboard holds up after I've had it for a while longer.

The build quality of this keyboard is excellent, all the extra details add up to make the K65 really enjoyable to use on an everyday basis:The aluminium chassis gives it a premium feel despite it's relatively low cost for a mechanical keyboard - you can tell the quality is amazing when you use it, the aluminium makes the K65 sturdy yet lightweight, which is good if you plan on taking it around. The detachable USB cable also helps in this regard, so you don't have to bend the cable when fitting it into a bag and risk damaging it.The low weight doesn't mean it slips when using it though, as the rubber feet on the underside have really good grip. The foldable feet that adjust the height of the keyboard are also quite chunky, and they fold out sideways too, probably so they don't break easily.Keys feel great to type on, as with all mechanical keyboards. If you've not used a mechanical keyboard before, they're loud at first because you're pressing the key all the way down, but the sound can be quietened by buying O-rings to put underneath the keycaps, and as you use them more, you'll get used to not having to fully press the key.Lastly, there are 4 dedicated buttons at the top right of the keyboard that mute volume, lower or raise the volume, and a button that locks the windows key, preventing the start button popping up if you accidentally press it, useful for gaming purposes.There are a few minor downsides, nothing that is deal-breaking:* Dedicated media keys - the K70 and K95 have dedicated keys that play, pause, stop, rewind and fast forward, on top of having the same 4 functions that the K65 has, while the K65 requires you hold down the 'Fn' key and then press the F9-F12 keys, although that's fair given it's reduced size.* Keycaps are not laser engraved - so eventually the stickers indicating which key is which will eventually fade away, although you can always just buy replacement keycaps when that happens.* Doesn't come with a keycap puller - Keycap pullers are easy to find though and you probably won't be needing it as soon as you get the keyboard anyway.