How Much Does it Cost?
Amazingly, the SteelSeries Apex 5 is just £109.99 on the SteelSeries website, which I thought was about fair. However, they sell it for just £89.99 on Amazon UK, which is OBVIOUSLY a better deal! It wasn’t in stock in the US, but you can check for availability here.
Overview
There’s certainly no shortage of fantastic gaming keyboards out there right now. Actually, you would have to work pretty hard to find a keyboard in this price range that’s rubbish. What it really boils down to these days is the little details, and SteelSeries gets most of that right. I think the only issue I have with it is the USB cable. At this price range, I think an upgrade to a fully detachable micro USB port Type-C would be a big benefit to it, but it’s hardly a deal-breaker.
Build Quality
A heavy-duty aluminium alloy chassis makes this keyboard look fantastic, but it also provides a huge amount of rigidity and durability too. The keyboard doesn’t rattle or flex when you’re wailing on it which is good. You can pick it up at one end and it doesn’t warp. The addition of their own custom keycaps, rated for 20 million keypresses, an awesome OLED display, and that durable magnetic fitting wrist rest. The keyboard really is the sum of its rather excellent parts.
Performance
We love a good mechanical keyboard here at eTeknix, they’re durable and reliable and a joy to use, at least, when they’re done right. This is a very well constructed keyboard and it feels as such when you use it. The switches have a really responsive and positive feedback, the RGB lighting looks fantastic, the software is easy to use, and the OLED gives it that little X-factor spice to set it apart from rival products.
Should I Buy One?
It’s one of the best looking, best made and best performing keyboards available today. At under £100 it’s a very competitive keyboard, albeit, be sure to shop around for the best deals as there is some discrepancy. I love the SteelSeries Apex 7, but honestly, I can’t figure out why it’s almost double the price of the Apex 5!
