The Quickfire Stealth is another offshoot of the rather well-known tenkeyless Quickfire series, which includes the Rapid (no numpad), TK (arrow keys/navigation keys integrated into numpad with double-0 key), and now the Stealth. This particular keyboard is notable for its inclusion of four different switches: Blue, Red, Brown, and Green. CM, as far as I know, does not utilize MX Black keys in any keyboards. The layout is similar to the Rapid, but quite stylized.
Table of ContentsDimensionsTaken from the CM website, the keyboard is 14 x 5.3 x 1.4 inches, even shorter by about an inch over the TK and weighing a much heftier 940 grams, thanks to a sturdy steel plate. It has four rubber stands and two feet, which are not rubber coated, to my disappointment, and the keyboard will slide easily on my smooth desk given forward or backward force, but not typing.
It comes with a PS/2 adapter and removable micro-USB to USB cable, with gold-plated connectors and a thin braided wire, thinner than the TK, and a straight, right, and left channel. An issue with mine is that it tends to fall out of the channel often, but it's easily rectifiable with tape. Also included are red arrow keys to replace WASD or <AOE, and two Cooler Master caps for the Windows/etc. key.
TypingHaving a distinct, much harder feel than the MX Blues, the Greens offer a loud, tactile sensation which I found very conducive to typing. Within less than an hour, I could type my usual speed with Dvorak (120+ wpm), but the most noticeable change was the huge reduction in errors. I have ADHD, and my fingers often hit keys from a later word before I can react; the 80g required force nearly completely eliminates that, and I managed to break my typing record (and increase accuracy from 6-10 wrong to 3-5) by 137 in less than two weeks.
However, given that the force is massively higher than the blues, my fingers, even though I use them in sport very often, grew tired the first couple of days before acclimating. I would say that the best thing about this keyboard is that it makes not bottoming out easy, the reason why a mechanical is superior to membrane in typing speed. Also, when tapping a key lightly, it requires firmer force. Randomly, the bottom row keys make a slightly deeper sound.
Personally, I feel that anyone who has tried and enjoys Blues will like the Greens. I had mixed emotions at first, but I realized that it did help my typing quite a bit. However, if you find the keys requiring an excessive amount of force, they aren't the switches for you, given that they are even heavier than black. This is definitely
not a good starting switch, as it is drastically different in stiffness to all other Cherry keys. The sound, however, is pleasant: it is similar to a blue, but with less sharp of a sound and a deeper, louder click.
LayoutJust like the Quickfire Rapid, the board is a basic tenkeyless, with the numpad completely removed. Aside from that, Cooler Master has done their job by not doing anything; the keyboard is six key-lengths, the keys are all in the right places, there's nothing wrong with the layout. In terms of spacing, however, the steep change from bottom (including three arrow keys) to second row (up arrow key) takes acclimating given my measured 5mm difference in height. The function and escape keys are also more recessed than I have previously seen.
Keys
The most distinctive feature of this keyboard, of course, are the keycaps. Instead of having characters on top of the keys, or none at all, they have them inscribed on the portion facing the typist. This ensures, besides the stealthy look and angle so that they are completely visible, that they will never wear off. The keycaps themselves aren't particularly special, but just a comfortable, rather smooth, matte ABS. A distinctive feature are the three lit keys; Caps Lock, Windows Lock, and Scroll Lock; each have a transparent front slit with a bright red light underneath.
As far as the function and special keys, the escape and F1-F12 keys have, in order, a 1x/2x/4x/8x repeat rate for PS/2, four multimedia keys, Windows Lock, mute, and volume -/+. The FN key is between the Windows/etc. and Ctrl.
ConclusionIn summary, I enjoyed typing on the Quickfire Stealth greatly, not only because of its switches which allowed me to not bottom out consistently, but also to eliminate finger-bounce error. Of course, the keyboard comes in other switches, but in particular the Green was a nice change from Blue. The positives include an eye-catching, yet minimalist aesthetic with good-looking but readable text (as I stare at Razer), robust design, and great price ($105 for Green, $85 for others).
Negatives include the lack of rubber on the feet as on the TK and the unreliable channels. The huge difference in height between the bottom three and upper arrow keys of half a centimeter is jarring as well.
Overall, it's a solid keyboard, but there's not much differentiating it from other MX Green or TKL keyboards besides a good price and its key printing. However, from almost any possible angle, the letters are very easily visible, so once you adjust your sight to looking between and not on top of keys you can view the keys by looking less further up or not at all. Good typing!
