CM Storm Quick Fire Rapid - Page 3

Do you have a rough estimate on when this keyboard with cherry reds will be available in the US?

That's a pretty sweet price. Here's hoping for some Red switch love in the U.S.

Yeah, at that price ill get one. Just hope it'll be up on Amazon.


Sent from iPhone

Yeah I wanna make this my first mech keyboard so hurry up!

I think the OEM on these is Leopold. All the keys appear to be identical and they're the only other keyboards I know of that do that removable USB cord with channels thing. Pretty nice price if that's the case. I wonder if it would be possible to get a blank spacebar?

IIRC, folks at GH determined that the OEM is Costar. The BIG question is whether the spacebar is Filco-sized or not. Leopold spacebars don't fit much else.

I'm fine with the CM storm logo being placed over the arrow keys, but they're honestly over doing it with the the one next to the ESC, Windows keys, and "quick fire" text on the space bar.

The price point is good, but I think I'm actually willing to pay a premium for simplicity :\\

is it confirmed that there will be no ISO format, like german?

Quick review of Cooler Master Storm QuickFire:




The Cooler Master Storm QuickFire is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard that comes with a detachable cable. Having a Detachable cable is definitely a good thing as it make transporting the keyboard easier and the cable can be easily replaced if it goes bad unlike keyboard with fixed cable which rarely can be fixed. The model that I have sports Cherry MX Red switches and a SEXY RED plate. The top casing has a very smooth rubber coat. I wonder how well the rubber coating will last.



Accessories:
- WASD pad-printed keys
- Alternative "Cooler Master" Win keys
- PS/2 Adapter
- Ring-Puller



More braid comparison to common "gaming" brands

Full size : http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ality_full.jpg
The QuickFire comes with the highest quality braided-cable that I have ever came across. Any braiding expert here to comment on these?



It's has a well-designed cable guide and very grippy rubber pad which prevents it from moving around while in use.



The QuickFire have height-adjust feet which uses the friction-lock system to hold it place. If it had rubber feet, it's would have been more perfect.



Going deeper, the Cooler Master Storm Quickfire uses Costar-style stabilizer which I personally find the best stabilizer as it does it's job and still maintain the switch natural feel unlike Cherry-style stabilizer. I also noticed that the keycaps have the same marking and labels as seen on Filco keyboards. The only difference is QuickFire uses Lasered lettering instead of pad-printed lettering that Filco uses. Laser lettering will get dirty over time but most users will probably change to fancy keycaps by then.

Testing the NKRO, it has 6KRO over USB and full-NKRO over PS/2. It's KRO performs identically to the Filco Majestouch 2.



Conclusion:
From all the evidence found, Cooler Master Storm QuickFire is basically a refined version of the Filco 87 with a detachable cable. The FN and multimedia keys are well thought out and placed without affecting the overall usability. At it's price point, it's a STEAL with it been packed with features and quality compared to other mechanical keyboards in the market. Apart from the over-branding, it's a sure-buy for anyone who wants to get a cheap and high quality mechanical keyboard.

Score : 8.5/10

Pros:
- High quality
- 6KRO over USB, Full NKRO over PS/2
- Detachable cable
- Well implemented multimedia functions

Cons:
- Rubber coating might not last



Edited by squarebox - 10/8/11 at 10:47am

Thanks for sharing Squarebox. The price for that board is $80? If so I'll be ordering it for sure. I don't mind the over branding because I wont be staring at my keyboard.