Pros: Falcon-8 can be used as a mini-keyboard, key testers to find your perfect match, looks and design, overally build quality, easy to assemble even as a novice
Cons: Worldwide availability
Pros: Design, software, dedicated media keys
Cons: Lack of accessories, price, key cap quality, bugs with the firmware, not fully programmable, no dedicated macro keys, no wrist rest
Build Quality & Accessories: 5/10
Design & Look: 7.5/10
Software: 8/10
Value: 6/10
Performance: 9/10
My final Rating: 7/10
Review Date: March 2016
Review Price: £140 / $160
First of all I would like to thank Logitech for sending me the Logitech G810 Orion Spectrum mechanical keyboard for review. I was very much intrigued about the new Logitech keyboards which were released, mainly due to their own Romer-G switch, which just like other manufacturers such as Razer and SteelSeries have moved away from the trusted Cherry MX switches, which I use on a daily basis on my Logitech G710+ (home) and Cooler Master Storm Quick Fire XT (work). Both of my daily keyboards use the Cherry MX Brown switches and have been also custom painted in a Lamborghini colour!
Now one thing I don’t get is why the G810 is more expensive than its older and feature-rich brother the Logitech G910. The G910 can be found for £120, now I can understand resellers are going to have different prices than the MSRP, but even then the price difference on Logitech’s website is £20. If I’m going to be spending £140 on a keyboard, I don’t think I would mind spending an extra £20 to get a keyboard that has a wrist rest, many more macro keys and even a stand for your phone to sit on!
After asking Logitech’s PR, I was told that they have “different designs” and it “comes down to personal preference” – Now I haven’t tried the G910, but I can sure tell from pictures alone that it would be a more ergonomic keyboard to use and the fact it has added functionalities and is currently cheaper than the G810 – this just doesn’t make any sense in my head! Anyway, with that said, I’ll still be reviewing the keyboard as a standalone review.
Pros: Design and build quality, RGB colours, clicky-sound is satisfying (subjective), price
Cons: No wrist rest, not a well known Chinese switch manufacturer, no additional accessories, RGB colour is per section and not individual, heavy switch to type on (subjective), little bit of key cap flex, available in US layout only
Build Quality & Accessories: 8.5/10
Design & Look: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Performance: 8/10
My final Rating: 8.5/10
Review Date: October 2015
Review Price: £70 (can be found in the US for cheaper at $90)
First of all I would like to thank Gary from HAVIT for sending me the keyboard for review.
After having previously reviewed various mechanical keyboards that had various different mechanical switches on them, I was intrigued to see what HAVIT had in store. I’ve previously been really impressed with the price to performance ratio from HAVIT products – where they’ve been able to produce good quality products at an affordable price.
The HAVIT HV-KB366L can be found for around £70 on AmazonUK and around $90 on AmazonUSA. As you’ll be able to see from the conversion rate, the price in the US is much more favourable, however as I am based in the UK, I will be reviewing it at the UK pricing and availability.
On another note, this keyboard can unfortunately only be bought in a US layout. At the time of writing there’s currently no UK layout available, which can be a deal breaker for some.
Before getting into my written review, here’s my video review of the HAVIT HV-KB366L:
Pros: Design, GameSense activation, software, full programmable
Cons: Lack of accessories, QS1 key switch feels like a membrane rubber dome keyboard, price
Build Quality & Accessories: 8/10
Design & Look: 8/10
Software: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Performance: 8.5/10
My final Rating: 8.5/10
Review Date: August 2015
Review Price: £140 / $190
After having previously reviewed the original Apex gaming keyboard, I was very much intrigued to see how the new RGB mechanical keyboard, that utilises SteelSeries’ very own QS1 switch would compare and furthermore stack up against other mechanical keyboards out there on the market, namely those using Cherry MX switches.
I would like to thank SteelSeries for yet again sending me the keyboard for review.
The Apex M800 can be found for around £140 on AmazonUK and around $190 on AmazonUSA. I should note the version I got sent has the UK Layout keyboard.
Before getting into my written review, here’s my video review of the Apex M800:
Pros: Price, looks and design, backlit keys & WASD/arrow keys in a different colour
Cons: Content mechanical switch
Build Quality: 8/10
Design & Looks: 10/10
Software: 10/10
Value: 7/10
Performance: 8/10
My final Rating: 8.5/10
Purchase Date: March 2015
Purchase Price: £55
First of all I would like to thank Sumvision for sending me the keyboard for review. The keyboard can be found on AmazonUK for £55. This keyboard is one of the cheapest mechanical keyboards I’ve ever come across, which also uses a switch that I’ve never heard about – the “Content Mechanical Switch” – which is, according to Sumvision, identical to the “Kailh Mechanical Switch“, which can be found in recent Razer keyboards (Razer and others re-brand these switch as their own – ie. the “Razer Switch” is in fact made by Kailh)
Before getting into my written review, here’s my video review of the Nemesis Ultra:
