Final Words and conclusion

Final words and conclusion

I gotta be honest with you guys, I've been a fan of the Corsair gaming keyboard series ever since the beginning. The K70 RGB was the highlight of the year, the gadget factor was so immense. In many ways this keyboard is very much the same, just aside from the fact that it has your one LED color, red. Immediately I'll make my one negative comment here, I do not get that a black/red keyboard received yellow connectors ? That minuscule comment aside, the Strafe does kick them proverbial azzes, right? The Strafe, as such, is the evolution of the Corsair Gaming and Vengeance Keyboard series and quite honestly, Corsair did a splendid job with this all mechy box of knobs.

Before we dive into the conclusion an extra video, have a peek: 
 

The inclusion of the switchable, somewhat rugged gaming keys is a thing worthy of mentioning, but most of all the LED back-lighting and all its options are the icing on top of the cake as far as I am concerned. For the Strafe, the primary functionality and feel is just great. You do need to be a fan of mechanical keyboards though; cool - yes, perfect pressure under your fingertips - yes, noisy - YES. Mechies aren't cheap either, this set of keys is selling at a 109 USD / 119 EUR price-tag. But you really are receiving something well designed and comfortable to play games on, plus you get the added benefit of one of the coolest LED lighting systems a keyboard can ever have. In terms of aesthetics and design, I seem to really dig this black/red version. But here again taste is subjective and realistically I can see some users complaining that the board only has red back-lit keys for this particular model and not white, blue or whatever your color of preference is. But me personally, I adore the design and color schema, I really do.

Don't forget that this keyboard has a nifty set of features and improvements:

• Every key is mechanical, using (in our review) Cherry MX Red key-switches – so the keyboard is 100% mechanical. 
• Per-key adjustable back-lighting, using red LEDs, so that you can customize which keys are lit.
• Included are contoured red WASD and QWERDF key-caps.
• Aluminium frame - plastic top cover.
• 1000Hz polling rate (yet configurable in software)
• Full key rollover, 100% anti-ghosting.
• And then extras like the media keys and USB pass-thru.
• Rugged space bar.

Final words

It is a little c-r-aaazy how popular mechanical keyboard have become, and how incredibly happy Cherry must be with that. But for gaming, yes they do rock. If you never used one for gaming before, it does take getting used to a bit. Give yourself a few days with the keyboard to fully understand it and get a feel for it as using a mechy definitely is a little different compared to your run of the mill keyboard. We do have to warn you though that if you use the keyboard for productivity (typing letters etc.) then noise might become a factor to consider. Mechanical keyboards are simply more noisy when you type on them. The Strafe feels rock-solid and has the hip and cool features you want for your gaming keyboard. I'm sure at one point there will be a version with extra programmable G keys, that is the one thing I was missing. Well, that and some fairly simple keys for activating sleep mode / shutdown etc. Other than that the Strafe is very close to perfection. I still do think that Corsair's software suite blows, it's a too complex programmer's flurry. Corsair should make a simple & advanced mode in the software. 99% will use the simple mode, activate a profile for your animations and boom, the sky is the limit. The Strafe comes recommended for the hardcore gamer who likes a little more niche for his or her desktop. Also for those with the cool and hefty gaming PC builds, what is cooler than a keyboard animating LEDs while drinking a beer with your friends while fragging the crap out of each other? Not bad at all for 110 USD, in fact impressive even. The Corsair Strafe, thanks to the Cherry switches, is in the noisy keyboard category though, but if you like it - it does have a nice clicketyclack! Also the Strafe is probably the best affordable alternative to the K70 RGB in terms of value. And gaming wise I definitely liked the keyboard mucho grande compadre.

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