I really LOVE this keyboard; and I'm not DELIRIOUS...it has FLAWS, and I love it despite those flaws...let me explain:
You see, My "a" key had problems...making me return the first keyboard after 3 weeks, which led me to a much deeper search into mechanical keyboards within this price range. After some investigation and fiddling, I decided I prefer CHERRY MX BROWNS...these are MY preference, and I believe they give the best combination between tactile feel, and reduced noise.
With that said, once my "a" key started malfunctioning (it would double-type a), I went to bestbuy, checked on newegg, and went on Frys.com in addition to amazon. What I found was that amazon and best-buy have managed to narrow the market down to some of the best for keyboards carrying cherry mx browns in this price range. I found 4 keyboards:
Corsaire Strafe
Rosewill Rk9000v2-BR
logitech 710 (I found it at bestbuy for 89 so I figured it's a comparable price range)
coolermaster (CM) SKG
The Rosewill, I stayed away from, because many reviewers noted issues with the cord's connectivity, and that it's very fragile/temperamental.
the Corsaire, TRUE to some of the more critical reviewers upon testing, had a very NOISY space-bar. I went to best buy to test it, and you literally hear "clink clink clink" every time you hit it. I cannot imagine typing on it for hours without going nuts.
The Logitech 710 was VERY high quality BUT DID NOT GIVE ANY TACTILE FEEDBACK. They say it has cherry mx brows and maybe I'm uninformed but I don't understand how there is such a big differenc. It honestly doesn't even feel like the same key as what's on the corsair or razer, with the same cherry mx browns. Good keyboard, but it doesn't feel, in my opinion, like a mechanical keyboard should.
The CM keyboard, is not tournament style, and offers in-optimal hand positioning for gamers. It may be worth looking into, but that was more or less why I crossed it off.
I also tried a keyboard from a certain Vic Tsing company that only amazon carries(Not sure if that is spelled right) and their keyboard was a cheap knockoff of the razer; the keys felt loose...even though the frame was almost full metal, and the overall construction felt sturdy. It was around the same price range.
Overall for ~80 bucks, the keyboard gives PHENOMENAL performance, in my opinion, compared to the competition. It does what it's supposed to, and as long as you spend like the ~$7 on the extended warranty in case a key craps out, I think it's well worth the money. There are better mechanical keyboards out there, but I'm not sure how much better you could do for ~$80.
| Brand | Razer |
|---|---|
| Item model number | RZ03-00811700-R3M1 |
| Hardware Platform | PC |
| Operating System | Linux, windows |
| Item Weight | 2.09 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 14.42 x 1.61 x 6.3 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 14.42 x 1.61 x 6.3 inches |
| Color | Essential |
| Manufacturer | Razer |
| Language | English |
| ASIN | B00IZXXF92 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | March 10, 2014 |
