Cooler Master Storm QuickFire TK Keyboard Review – A Mechanical Revamp

INTERIOR AND MECHANISMS

Using the key-puller, I easily removed the€˜G ‘ key which like all other keys can easily be depressed and snapped back into place. Remember that unlike the Pro and Rapid, you do not get replaceable sets of the most-used keys, so remove carefully.

Underneath it we can see the mechanical red base that lights a dull red when the QuickFire TK is plugged in:

The backlit red is accompanied by red LEDs found underneath each separate key. The Cherry MX Red switch mechanisms and stabilizers are in full swing:

The neat thing is that these keys will light different colours depending on the type of switch offering you buy. In this review we focus on the Cherry MX Red, but there are other offerings of Cherry MX Blue and Cherry MX Brown (white LEDs). The lighting is perfectly balanced without any hint or indication of improper dimming/excessive brightness ruining the effect.

The switch type is something that is based on preference and subjectively at that. The MX Blue ‘s are tactile, meaning they give you that€œclicky € sound every time you hit a key. These are possibly the best to type on, especially for a person new to mechanical keyboards, as the MX Blue switches require close to full depression for the tactile response to kick in.

The MX Brown ‘s are midway between the MX Blue ‘s and MX Red ‘s. They are soft-tactile switches, and hence are not as€œclicky € as the MX Blue ‘s, but require less force for a response than the MX Blue ‘s (do not have to go all the way down to the actuation point).

Finally, the MX Red ‘s are widely regarded as the best for gaming. They are non-tactile, and give no€œclicky € sound at all. They require less force than the previous two and in my case only required me to apply about 75% depression force on a key in order to produce a response. This means that you will get much faster and quicker inputs, especially when double-tapping, compared to the tactile MX Blue ‘s and MX Brown ‘s (if you are new though, expect mistypes and repeated keystrokes from the MX Red’s).

DESIGNS AND MODES OF FUNCTION

The switches are fine and dandy, but they have to compliment the layout, which the QuickFire TK ‘s design does perfectly. As said before, the TK has a unique design to it in that it includes a modified numerical pad and modified F (function) keys that act as dual-purpose media keys.