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geekhack Community => Reviews => Topic started by: shrubkeys on Mon, 23 February 2015, 13:31:55
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tl;dr: This keyboard is either pretty uninteresting or is exactly what you've been praying for.
The Rapid Si (Rapid i/Stealth Edition) is the only keyboard on the market that's both backlit and front-printed. To some people, those are the two sweetest aesthetics - and it's exciting to finally have them in one board. If not, a Quickfire Rapid is cheaper and exactly the same.
Actually, there's not that much more to write. Everything is precisely what you'd expect. Fit/finish is typical Cooler Master - which is to say unspectacular but very nice. Matte black case with ABS OEM-profile keys to match (Duzeyao shows a white keyset too, but I haven't seen it). It's got fine lighting effects - tho no ARM processor onboard, which means nothing super-complicated like the Rapid i. The backlighting is crisp and goes from comfortably dim (I wasn't blinded in a pitch-black room) to extremely bright (visible in daylight - looks like crisp white doubleshot text.) Pulling off a cap, you can see that they just moved the LED to the bottom. That, with its unique translucent side-printed text = your Mom. Or this keyboard.
I hate brown Cherry switches - which is the only way it's being released, at least for now. With a little DIY you could either solder in different switches or move the caps to a different board that happens to have bottom-mounted LEDs, like the orange Monoprice TKL or the KPB V60 (CM's not selling the caps separately), and you could recoup some of the cost by reselling the original as a backlit-Rapid/ghetto Rapid i. But I definitely don't care enough to do this.
FWIW, according to a post @DT, Filco patent on front-print = it won't be released in the EU (confirmed w. CM reps).
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CM specs the keycaps as having "grip coating". What's it like? Does the board sit flat on the table or did you get any rocking? What FN function/media keys are there? I'm pretty disappointed about missing ARM and lack of per key lighting. I guess bottom LEDs and front-facing backlit keycaps are equivalent to the Rapid I features if CM decided to step it down.
By the way, I'm positive I saw someone on r/ looking to buy this exact board. You might do a little search.
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Could be interested, could take some better shots of the case? I dont expect myself to stand any stock key caps from a "gaming keyboad" but if the case is nice, white LED's and come in Mx Red I could be interested
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Could be interested, could take some better shots of the case? I dont expect myself to stand any stock key caps from a "gaming keyboad" but if the case is nice, white LED's and come in Mx Red I could be interested
The case is same as Rapid-I
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I don't know why I thought this board would be more exciting. At first I was all gung-ho and couldn't wait to get one in my hands, but seeing as I'd eventually be changing the keys, there's not much new to it. Oh well. Cool nonetheless!
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any ideas where I can get this keyboard - i'm really struggling to find it for sale anywhere globally :(
Nox
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Interesting how it was a downgrade in terms of lighting effects compared to the standard Rapid-i. I wonder if it's closer to the original Stealth/Rapid or the Rapid-i in terms of design and formulation (probably the former).
Edit: holy did not notice the necro, only saw the March's, heh.
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sorry about that, I was in two minds whether to create a new thread (and run the risk of people not knowing about it) or resurecting this one! I figured as the review was pre-release then it should be to market by now... but it's not from what I can tell :( the only places i've seen it are in the hands of reviewers, and on the CM website. Really like the keys.
Nox