Coolermaster Quickfire XT Gaming Keyboard Review

Final Thoughts

Price

This is certainly one of the strong points for Cooler Master, since this keyboard doesn’t feature full LED backlighting, the cost has been able to stay low and competitive, which means you still get all of the performance at a much lower cost. For around £72 from CCL this is an absolute bargain. Obviously it’s a lot more expensive that a similar specification membrane keyboard, but mechanical switches have a much longer life span and this keyboard has great build quality overall, so it’s a very good return on investment.

Overview

As an all round keyboard, the Cooler Master Quick Fire XT really delivers on all fronts, it’s really well made and feels durable and tough, something that will no doubt please those who plan on throwing it in a LAN bag and taking it on their gaming travels to tournaments and events. Fully removable and replaceable key caps extend the life span further, making it easy to strip the keyboard down and give it a good clean when you need to, but also allowing you the use of custom keycaps from places such as QWERKeys. The braided USB cable is good quality too, but should it fail it’s just a standard USB cable, so it’s easily replaced should you ever need to.

The MX Blue switch keeps with the high quality that Cherry have become world-renowned for, but won’t be to everyone’s taste due to their strong tactile click and somewhat noisy performance. Fortunately there are a choice of switch types available from Cooler Master and I suggest that you get down to your local retailer or purchase a switch sampler if you’re not familiar with mechanical keyboards, find which one works best for you before making the big investment.

As subjective as style can be, the Quick Fire XT is a great looking keyboard. It’s nothing too fancy in terms of design, actually it’s pretty basic looking, but the quality of the material used really shines through and basic or not, it still looks and feels like a premium quality product.

Pros

• Great build quality
• Choice of Cherry switches (availability of each depends on region)
• Macro features
• Removable key caps
• Accurate performance
• Nice aesthetics
• Ideal for eSports / Tournaments
• Competitive price

Cons

• No separate / dedicated macro keys
• MX Blue switches are loud

eTeknix says: “For around this price you’ll struggle to find anything better, the build quality is superb, there is a good selection of switch types and the price tag makes it great value for money; the Quick Fire XT is easily one of the best value for money mechanical gaming keyboards on the market today and it’s another great addition to the already exciting CM Storm range.”

Thank you Cooler Master for providing us with this sample.