I paid $79.80 around November 2017 for this G.SKILL RIPJAWS KM780R MX On-the-Fly Macro. My other membrane keyboard drown one day.. thankfully! I never knew what I was missing now that I have this keyboard, specifically with the Cherry MX blue mechanical switches. I am a true believer in the value of this keyboard. I read a load of reviews on all kinds of keyboards until I decided on this one.
I was so worried that the keys were going to be loose or that the lights weren't going to work properly. Or that the keys were going to be unable to be seen at night, or that the keys were going to be unevenly lit. I'm here to say, this is a solid keyboard and great buy without any of the above issues. After searching for weeks through duds or apparent duds with mixed reviews, some saying "it's the best," other's saying "it's the worst" and then me wondering who was telling the truth, I found “The One.” This is my first mechanical keyboard. I LOVE TYPING ON THIS. Of course, I wanted the gold-plated blue switches, gold usb connector, gold mic connector, gold headphone connector, and the USB passthrough which makes my new "Encrypted Safe Mouse" able to work perfectly be used with my computer (the mouse is only 3 ft, one inch long which would be too short normally without the passthrough USB).
My hands have incurred damage throughout the years, so I was wondering if the blue switches would be too heavy; and, I'm happy to report they are not! If anything, the blue switches ensure that I don't type the wrong key. This is easier on my hands (without a lot of backspacing/deleting/rewriting words that were accidentally easily pressed). I don't know how I could live without this keyboard; I look forward to waking up to use it. Writer's block be gone, pshhhh!
One question though about this keyboard: Can you adjust the brightness of the monitor? So far, I can only dim the red keyboard's lights, and I can't figure out how to turn the lights completely off. I care less about turning them off now because I've gotten used to them and they do help, but I'd still like the option.
I was wondering how my eyes would do with the red lights under each key. My eyes feel normal, so no worries if you have vision issues.
I put a long gel wrist pad on top of this keyboard’s wrist rest and the gel wrist rest fits perfectly. Because of the clingy texture of the wrist rest, my new gel padded wrist rest sticks to it easily.
The volume lighting indicator rocks, BTW. There was a reviewer who said that the volume wheel isn't very responsive. IMO, it works pretty well. well enough to warrant it there; in fact, that was the reason I went for this keyboard. I prefer the wheel to pressing a button because it’s easier on my hands, and easier to spot visually. The volume controls and media buttons are right there organized in the right upper corner which is perfect for me.
I haven't used it for games, I bought it because it's lighted, has a solid frame, and the layout is one that I'm familiar typing on (i.e. the number signs are above the numbers, and the brackets are normally positioned for typing. I'm amazed at how long it took for me to find a lighted keyboard, with bells and whistles, with a standard US format. Even some brands said they were US layout weren’t; I spent loads of time as I looked deeper, zooming and cursing the shitty pics that were included with different products. The format that comes with this computer is perfect; staying with the normal typing format allowed me to use my already built up muscle memory, so that I could type and surf the internet easily.
I was looking at the Cougar red-lighted, $59 keyboard because it looked sturdy, but it didn't have the bells and whistles of this keyboard including replaceable key caps, and maaaaany people who'd reviewed that keyboard said that good customer service for that product was impossible and intensely frustrating with the run around game, including long waits on hold. I did contact this seller who sold me this product and he very briefly directed all of my concerns to the company (who I didn't try to contact). I feel that this seller should have and share some basic information about this product instead of sending me to purgatory to fix a simple thing. Know your product? Also, the sellers response to my email took some time.
Problems (thankfully only minor):
--I plugged this keyboard into a USB 3.0 port, but the lighting indicators for caps lock, number sign, and scroll lock doesn't get lit, but those key still work. All those lighting indicators light up properly, however, if I plug the keyboard's USB into a USB 2.0 .
--When I have my computer closed, sometimes my otherwise-seeming "off" keyboard lights up for a while. That's a bit creepy, so I make sure to unplug and replug when it's not in use; that arrangement works for me. There’s no power off/on button for the keyboard (that I know of). All in all, I think this keyboard will be with me for a long long time.
About the size of this keyboard:
Personally, my hands don't feel squeezed together uncomfortably while I type, but if you have large hands, I don't know. Most keyboards I've seen are manufactured narrowish like this or short. This entire keyboard is long keyboard, but it’s not heavy. With a measuring tape, you can compare the keyboard to your own current keyboard to see if your hands would be to large for it. Here’s the entire keyboard’s exact measurements: 20 inches long from side to side, and almost exactly 8.5 inches from top to bottom. The middle section for typing (not including the G-keys or arrow keys) is 11 inches side-to-side and 3.5 inches from top-to-bottom (not including the F-keys). I searched for EVER trying to find "The One" keyboard that had more pros than cons. I’ve searched ergonomic ones, reinvented ones, split ones, and I'm not unhappy with my choice. That being said, in a perfect world, G. Skill and other keyboard makers would make a keyboard that can extend longer to give a wider distance between my hands; bar perhaps that could be built into the frame that would extend the sides to lengthen the keyboard to fit larger people’s hand size. The distance does work well for me, especially since the keys are not too close together. The distance between the keys allow me more typing precision than if the keys were squeezed together to “save space.”
The box was packed very well without being frustrating to open. Upon inspection there were no scratches on this keyboard, thankfully. The last membrane keyboard I bought came with scratches on the wrist rest and small scratches on the bottom. I want to be the one to scratch up my new product. The clear plastic top that comes packed with this device can prevent dust/hair from screwing up this keyboard.
The back plate on this keyboard (which is right under the keys) looks sharp and expensive.
I'd recommend this device for someone looking for a sturdy device they don't have to worry about breaking, one that is a sharp looking keyboard, and one with some bells and whistles which ensure durability; and a keyboard you can grow with seeing as it has all those macros, recording features, and memory right on the board. This keyboard is the one for me, I hope you all find the perfect one for you without you spending hundreds of dollars. After reading what seemed like endless reviews for different products, it seems like a quality keyboard doesn’t mean that I have to pay more for it. Like most things, everything is great in the beginning, but this keyboard has to pass the test of time. I’ll let you all know if this keyboard takes a turn for the worse, and how the warranty and customer service performs. If anyone has dealt with G. Skill’s customer service, please help us all by including that info in a review. .
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
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