Corsair k95

[kolonelkadat]

TL;DR
Call it 8 out of 10. I like it, but theres plenty of room for improvement. It delivers on its promises of being a keyboard and having programmable macros.

About me:
I figure I will tell you a bit about myself so you can decide if this review will have any meaning for you. I do not play video games. I make hacks for them. I test hacks for them. I do not play them. I also write code. I use a slightly modified dvorak layout tailored to my coding style. This is actually the sole reason for me getting this board. I wanted my cut/copy/paste back on my left hand.

The good
The macros can be stored in hardware.
The volume roller is perfect. Im really happy they didnt go with a diamond knurl.
You can turn off the backlight.

The niggles
The cable is SUPER stiff.

Even with the backlight turned off, there are typically 4 LEDs that will remain lit: the macro record button, the active profile button, the backlight cluster toggle, and numlock. Granted, I can turn off numlock so no biggie there. The macro record and active profile being constantly lit, fine, fair enough. But why the heck is the backlight cluster toggle button lit when the backlights are off? Im not talking about the backlight intensity button, Im talking about the button that switches the backlighting from all keys to a few keys like the wasd cluster. It's always there, a persistent little niggle eating away at your satisfaction with your $150USD purchase.

You cant adjust the backlight intensity presets. You are stuck with 33% 66% and 100%. There is also an "easter egg" setting that will crank it up to like 150% or some such nonsense if you plug it in to usb3 and hold some combination of buttons. DUMB. 66% is already nearly blinding and 100% glows like the sun. A half intensity "easter egg" would have been much nicer. 33% is fine though, I'm actually quite happy with it.

pictures of backlight and media keys http://imgur.com/a/TQ1KC

Which reminds me, Im pretty dissatisfied with the placement of the media keys. Its not a big deal, They are just kind of tucked out of the way. If I used them frequently, it would probably matter more, but with casual use I guess it's almost nice that they stay hidden when you arent using them. In fact, if they were put on cherry switches instead, they would probably get in the way of the volume wheel which would really piss me off.

The Bad
If you dont use the legs, this board will be a massive wobbly piece of ****. RMA it as much as you like, it apparently wont matter. If you use the legs though, its fine and dandy.

The modifier sizes are dumb as hell. Just as an example, right shift is like 3x while left shift is 2x. I still havent gotten batteries for my calipers so I cant measure real precisely, but the spacebar seems to be like 6.8x. Good luck finding a replacement for it...

The neither here nor there
They really went out of their way to make this board an incredible pita to mod or repair.

[riotonthebay]

...It delivers on its promises of being a keyboard...

High praise

But really, thanks for the review. The layout you describe sounds quite frustrating. Given that some things will be difficult to replace, how do the stock keycaps feel?

[kolonelkadat]

The keys are really smooth and insubstantial feeling. Basically the same texture of most laptop keys. Pretty much exactly what you expect from thin abs.

They seem like they will shine up pretty quickly, but that may just be my dirty fingers. In the morning, I will clean some up and see if it makes a difference.

edit: looks like its just a matter of dirty fingers.

[opensecret]

I just got a K95 today, after making the mistake of hanging out a bit on this forum, which spawned the dangerous thought I should test the possibility that there’s life beyond the Omnikey Ultra. 

Overall I’m very happy with the K95, with the programmable macro keys being the feature that sets the board apart for me.  I also agree that the volume switch is cool.  The media keys are kind of hidden behind the number pad, but they’re not a must-have feature for me, and they’re easy enough to find on the relatively few occasions that I’ll use them.

Kolonelkadat’s niggle’s are mostly on target.  The backlighting might be great if I regularly typed in the dark, but I doubt will be many times when I’ll turn it on.  The board does wobble a bit unless the little feet are down, but I want the feet down anyway – I’d actually like them to provide a little more lift in the back (maybe just because I’m used to a higher slope with the Northgates that I’ve been using for more than 20 years).

The layout pretty much works for me (after I repositioned left ctrl, left alt, and caps lock).  I miss having function keys on the left, but I’m willing to sacrifice those for the macro keys.  The keys are a little more closely spaced than I’m used to, but I’m finding the keys and the Cherry reds comfortable and fast to type on. 

When I first plugged in the keyboard, the macro keys didn’t program.  So I downloaded the keyboard software and installed it, whereupon the keyboard lost all communication with my PC.   The mistake may have been installing the Vengeance software before I updated the firmware.  Once I got that done, all worked beautifully. 

[justnits]

i think the left shift is 2.25 and the right shift is 2.75, which is standard layout size.
but the CTRL is 1.5, ALT is 1.25, Winkey and FN are 1.0 each, and 6.5 spacebar...yeap, you'll have problems with the keycaps in this row if u ever want to change them

[opensecret]

i think the left shift is 2.25 and the right shift is 2.75, which is standard layout size.
but the CTRL is 1.5, ALT is 1.25, Winkey and FN are 1.0 each, and 6.5 spacebar...yeap, you'll have problems with the keycaps in this row if u ever want to change them

There's probably no perfect solution, but using materials at hand, I've come up with a couple of ways to align the keycaps with my slightly remapped layout.  The left alt key is undersized and the text on the caps lock key is jarring, but I can live with this for the moment.

[Linkbane]

The keys are really smooth and insubstantial feeling. Basically the same texture of most laptop keys. Pretty much exactly what you expect from thin abs.

They seem like they will shine up pretty quickly, but that may just be my dirty fingers. In the morning, I will clean some up and see if it makes a difference.

edit: looks like its just a matter of dirty fingers.

Mine shined up after a few months pretty well, perhaps I have dirty fingers also.
I'd like to ask, as you've rearranged your keycaps, if the keycaps are unsculptured? I tried something and I think it was quite awkward on my K60, or I could just be remembering falsely.

[C5Allroad]

Nice review!
I really miss my K90.... I haven't sold it yet. I am tempted to go back.... But here's the thing if I do go back, I will be used to those caps and then switch back to my shine 3 I will be like HOW I TYPEZ!?

[kolonelkadat]

I'd like to ask, as you've rearranged your keycaps, if the keycaps are unsculptured? I tried something and I think it was quite awkward on my K60, or I could just be remembering falsely.

It winds up a bit lumpy but its hardly noticeable. The keys are pretty much flat.
Ive added some side view pics to hopefully help give you a better idea. http://imgur.com/a/TQ1KC

[justnits]

i think the left shift is 2.25 and the right shift is 2.75, which is standard layout size.
but the CTRL is 1.5, ALT is 1.25, Winkey and FN are 1.0 each, and 6.5 spacebar...yeap, you'll have problems with the keycaps in this row if u ever want to change them

There's probably no perfect solution, but using materials at hand, I've come up with a couple of ways to align the keycaps with my slightly remapped layout.  The left alt key is undersized and the text on the caps lock key is jarring, but I can live with this for the moment.

(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

yeah, it's not totally impossible to change.
basically the most ideal method to change a full keycaps is to get a normal winkey set (for the 1.25 Alt and Spacebar) AND tsangan kit (for the 1.5 CTRL and 1x Winkey and FN). but u'll still have a slightly bigger gap in between the 2 ALTs and Spacebar since the Spacebar u have to use 6.25.

[Linkbane]

I'd like to ask, as you've rearranged your keycaps, if the keycaps are unsculptured? I tried something and I think it was quite awkward on my K60, or I could just be remembering falsely.

It winds up a bit lumpy but its hardly noticeable. The keys are pretty much flat.
Ive added some side view pics to hopefully help give you a better idea. http://imgur.com/a/TQ1KC

Ah, you're right, it is a little bumpy. Personally I really wish there were more Dvorak sets, as I really dislike unsculptured keysets, but the only way it would be not in QWERTY would be if it were blank, hence what I'm currently going for. The upcoming RainDrop might convince me otherwise, though..