How Much Does it Cost?
There’s no need to beat around the bush here, I’ll just come out and say it. It’s £215… Yeah, that’s like, a lot of money folks. That’s more than the Razer Huntsman, SteelSeries Apex 7, Corsair K95 Platinum RGB, and well… everything else. Big frowny face from me to Thermaltake on that one.
Overview
Thermaltake has built a pretty amazing looking keyboard here, and I do like it. However, with the price tag sitting North of £200, I have to become very critical to justify the cost. So let’s start with the minor issues.
The wrist rest isn’t big enough, I mean… it sort of is, but I need to move it slightly away from the keyboard for my large hands. However, this does seem to be considered in its design. It’s also not wide enough. It doesn’t look like it fits right to my eyes.
The RGB is a bit on the dull side. It should be a lot brighter to compete with rivals, and while you could argue they’re too bright sometimes (they are), you can always dial the levels down to suit your taste.
The keyboard rings like a bell. It’s subtle, but it is there and some large metal object on the interior rings out a little while you type. I’m generally quite sensitive to noises like this, and I doubt others would hear it from across the room, but it is there. It’s not uncommon on keyboards either, but it can be resolved if they put a dampening layer on the interior.
However, there’s a lot to love too. The keyboard is a stunning looking thing overall. Sure, it’s all a big misshapen and uneven, but it does work in its own (genuinely) unique way. It’s all wrong, but it does work.
The overall build quality is excellent, it’s a massive keyboard, and there’s some thick aluminium for the body, so it feels like it’ll survive for many years. The cables are durable, the USB and audio-passthrough are certainly welcome additions too.
I really like the multimedia controls too. They look brilliant, they also have RGB, and they’re easy to use. The volume wheel is a dominant feature, and it has a nice high-quality feel when turned that I really like. Plus, you can click it in for a mute feature, which is neat.
There’s no getting away from the fact that this is a truly awesome keyboard when it comes to gaming. It’s tight, responsive, and it feels very well made. There are a few quirks to the aesthetics and feel of it for this price range, keeping me away from the Editors Choice Award. Still, I can’t argue with the gaming performance of a big heavy-duty slab of aluminium and Cherry MX Speed switches, and likely never will!
