Gaming peripheral makers are slowly increasing the amount of mechanical keyboards out there. What used to be a niche market has now found its way to gamers’ desktops and we definitely stand by the saying that once you go mechanical, it’s hard to turn back. Today we’re back with another mechanical keyboard from CoolerMaster’s gaming arm, CM Storm, and their QuickFire Pro keyboard. Let’s make this showy!
CM Storm has been quite the successful endeavor for CoolerMaster, garnering quite the following with their brand that produce mostly gaming peripherals. Sometime in the past we’ve checked out the first entry in CM Storm’s keyboard portfolio with the QuickFire Rapid, a tenkey-less supposed gaming keyboard which we ended having mixed feelings with. We praised the keyboard’s build quality and feel as well as affordable price but ultimately felt a bit short-changed that it wasn’t a full-layout keyboard. That changed sometime around mid-year when CM Storm announced their line of new gaming products including two new keyboards: the Trigger and QuickFire Pro. Focusing on the latter, the QuickFire Pro is a full-layout keyboard featuring different variants of Cherry MX keys. The sample we have in our lab today is the Cherry MX Red variant, famous for their low-resistance feel, this variety is intended for fast-paced gamers who prefer rapid response and reaction from their keystrokes.
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CLOSER LOOK
[one_fourth last=”no”][singlepic id=10113 w=120 h=120 float=center][/one_fourth][one_fourth last=”no”][singlepic id=10114 w=120 h=120 float=center][/one_fourth][one_fourth last=”no”][singlepic id=10115 w=120 h=120 float=center][/one_fourth][one_fourth last=”yes”][singlepic id=10116 w=120 h=120 float=center][/one_fourth]CM Storm packages their QuickFire Pro in a large cardboard box with a clear shot of the product in the front. The box goes on to state the features of the keyboard in the back in multiple languages. Upon opening, we can see the keyboard protected by a clear plastic shell and wrapped in a foam bag. Taking out the content we have the keyboard, the detachable USB cable, a key puller and a guide.
[one_half last=”no”]…[/one_half][one_half last=”no”]…[/one_half] [singlepic id=10117 w=550 รย h=540 float=center]The QuickFire Pro is a full-sized QWERTY keyboard. In this shot we can see CM Storm employs some distinct styling to the keyboard with a lot extra functionality for the keys.
Flipping the keyboard over we see the raceways where the USB cable passes through for easy routing. Depending on your keyboard placement you have varying choices that will suit any layout.
[singlepic id=10120 w=550 h=540 float=center]The QuickFire Pro features slightly higher keys than what we usually see on other keyboards.
[one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=10121 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=10122 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half]The stands lift the keyboard slightly off the surface but doesn’t really create much elevation.
[singlepic id=10124 w=550 h=540 float=center]The keyboard features extra Function keys which can be activated by toggling the Fn key on the lower part of the keyboard beside the Windows key. This Fn key will illuminate itself when activated and toggles the functionality of the highlighted keys as shown in the image.
[one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=10125 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=10126 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half]The included USB cable is a 1.5m thick braided cable that is powered off one USB port. The USB plug itself is gold-plated.
[singlepic id=10127 w=550 h=540 float=center]Mechanical keyboards usually employ a large metal piece to which the mechanical keys are attached to. CM Storm has used a crimson-colored base to their keyboard giving the QuickFire Pro a subtle red and black motiff.
[singlepic id=10128 w=550 h=540 float=center]As stated before, our sample uses soft Cherry MX Red switches. This shot illustrates the partial lighting feature of the QuickFire Pro with some keys backlit whilst others are not.
[one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=10129 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=10130 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half]And here is the QuickFire Pro and its multiple backlighting option.
USER EXPERIENCE & CONCLUSION
We definitely expected CoolerMaster to eventually release this keyboard, we just didn’t expect it to be this far off since their release of the QuickFire Rapid. It was worth the wait though as right from the get-go we definitely liked what we saw from the QuickFire Pro.
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First up, we have a full-layout keyboard that features choices of Cherry MX keys to suit specific types of people. As a fan of Cherry MX Blues, the Red variant was definitely a change of pace without the tactile feedback. Still, the QuickFire Pro has this variant as well which should easily help provide loyalists get the Cherry MX flavor they want. Next we have an array of extra functionality such as media keys, lighting control and even polling rate selection.
We’d have nitpicked on the QuickFire Pro if CM Storm hadn’t brought out the Trigger which covers most of the stuff we missed on the QuickFire Pro like full backlighting, wrist-rest and some more advanced features amongst others so we’re letting it slide for this one.
Coming in at around Php4,000 CM Storm manages to once again step in the gaming peripheral scene with competitive pricing. The CM Storm Quick Fire Pro covers all the essentials and does it right. We award the QuickFire Pro with our Recommended seal.
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