Reddit reviews CM Storm QuickFire Rapid-i Fully Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with ActivLite Technology and Per-Key Lighting (Brown Switch Model)

Depends on what form factor you want. This is $60 on MassDrop and has backlighting, but it's a compact, so for a lot of keys you need to use a Fn layer. The QFR-i is $100 with Reds, Browns, or Blues on Amazon right now. It's a tenkeyless so no tenkey (numpad) but if you don't use it much then it's good riddance (and apparently more naturally ergonomic to keep your mouse closer to your keyboard). Finally, the XTi is backlit and full size, but more expensive than the others. It's probably cheaper than most other full-size backlit boards available, and all of these have standard layouts so you can swap keysets super easily if you get into it. Any questions, just ask.

Quickfire Rapid-i

It's an older model of this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JM61264/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_O3dCDbZ1MD78C

Cm storm quick fire rapid, about 80 with browns Sorry, prices went up, now $95 w/ browns

For this price, you may as well pay $5 more and get the improved Rapid-i version for $100 with $10 rebate though I think Newegg has a heftier rebate:

http://flash.newegg.com/Product/N82E16823129041?icid=WP_0_03082016

How about this?

Edit: I forgot to mention the qfr-i

CM Storm Quickfire Rapid-i

If you're willing to spend the money, the V80 TKL is on massdrop right now and is pretty dang popular with the community.

Referral link if you want to buy it so I might win some nice headphones :)


As for the $80 price point, I would probably say do the Magicforce 68 even though it isn't a traditional TKL layout, its basically the same thing with the layering if you can manage, or the backlit version of the CM Storm QFR.

CM Storm Quickfire Rapid-i

Ducky One TKL

Those are the best 'boards under $100.

If you want a TKL, the CM Rapid-i is a pretty good keyboard with more lighting effects than just brightness.

You might be able to get a backlit (non RGB) Quickfire Rapid-i for under $70 used

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1480373193&sr=8-1&keywords=brown+switch+tkl&condition=used

Ordered mine through amazon since I have prime but I think you can get it from a few other places. Hopefully some other people can chime in some recommendations.

yeah i ordered one yesterday but cancelled it after reading reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1453903841&sr=8-8&keywords=coolermaster+keyboard

they seem to have an issue with LED either not working or dying.

I'd look at this. It's one of two items I'm choosing between, and it comes with either MX Blues (tactile, loud), MX Browns (quieter, tactile), or MX Reds (linear, quiet). None of the boards are going to necessarily be silent due to the nature of them. It doesn't have an included wrist rest, but the normal price is $140 and it's on sale for $99 with a $20 rebate until the end of tomorrow.

This is another option in the same vein, same switch selection. Same company as well, just doesn't have the RGB. If neither of those quite work, just let me know.

I'm a total sucker for the CM Storm QF TKL. You can get the regular one without backlighting for $85 on Amazon or the Rapid-i, which has white backlighting, on Amazon for $72 on discount right now.

EDIT: Just noticed your note about the switch type... I thought you specifically chose browns. Browns have a super light tactile bump and generally regarded as an "all sort of use" switch between the main 3 of blue, red, and brown. I personally like blues the most, but it's hard to justify them if you're around other people since they're quite loud. Regardless of which switch you choose, you'll get used to it if you're using it daily.

I'm relatively new to the sub and the hobby, been shopping around a bit the last two days.

I found this deal on Amazon. Would this be a good starter MK for office use? I would probably need to pair it with a num pad since I work in Excel almost exclusively, but $72 for an LED TKL seems like a pretty good deal, especially given that the reviews are solid and coolermaster seems to be somewhat of a mid-tier brand.

Any advice or thoughts on this board as a first board? I'm looking at some other options as well, but they're significantly more expensive.

Well, I got it via amazon. On German Amazon you can get the DE layout, and on "international" Amazon you get this.
In Germany it costs around 90€, as a reference.

Probably not the best, but perhaps the CM Storm Quickfire Rapid-i is up your alley? I have a non-backlit Quickfire XT 104 key board and love it, though it seems some people have issues with this board operating correctly from sleep mode on their PC.

Edit: Worth noting this is against the rules.

The Rapid-i is currently on sale at Amazon for exactly $100, plus a $10 mail-in rebate. The initial wave apparently had some QA issues with the LEDs, but it's my understanding that they've fixed it.

But that price is only for the brown switches. If you want to stick to reds, there's also the Rantopad. These are Gateron switches instead of Cherry. Some people actually prefer them. You can also get the version with the blue top for a few more bucks.

I think the Coolermaster Quickfire Rapid-i sounds like exactly what you're looking for. It is a TKL, Cherry MX Browns, black body and caps, white LEDs, not super gaming-y font, n-key rollover, and just $95 on Amazon! Also this link is the CM product page.

You could also look at the WASD Code for something a little more expensive but with great font/design.

Rapid-I? I think it's $99

Edit: Amazon Link for $95

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-QuickFire-Mechanical-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405686381&sr=8-1&keywords=quickfire+rapid-1

Here ya go

My immediate thought is this, because it is TKL, white backlighting, and comes in cherry mx reds

Of course, searching the wiki, especially here, will be useful!

If you do want to wait, Asus is going to release their ROG Claymore (soon?), which is a TKL with a detachable numpad and RGB lighting.

The CM Storm QFR-I has illumination and I think it's a little bit more expensive?

I just bought this a couple of hours ago. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JM61264/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My first fairly expensive keyboard, and my first mechanical one.

In my stalking of this sub I didn't come across that term, what's that mean? Also found this Storm as well, with browns too. Does this also have a non standard bottom row?

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00JM61264/ref=olp_twister_child?ie=UTF8&mv_color_name=1&mv_size_name=0

Nah, it's an expensive machine keyed one. I forget the name. Nevermind: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JM61264/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The keyboard is a QuickFire Rapid-i, this would be perfect for him as I believe that this is one of the most compact tenkeyless keyboards you can buy.

Pack it in. You're done searching White LEDs look clean with any keycaps (soon you'll be getting a few sets of those) and you can always get modifiers if you want to change the color of the LED.

Thanks again for all the help! I think I've narrowed it down to the QFR vs the QFR-i. The QuickFire Rapid-i with Cherry MX Browns are selling for essentially the same price as the Quickfire Rapid with Cherry MX Browns. Is there any reason NOT to go with the newer one?

You don't need to spend over $100 for that, you can get backlighting much cheaper if that's your only concern.

https://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478117484&sr=8-1&keywords=quickfire+rapid+i

https://www.amazon.com/Azio-Backlit-Mechanical-Keyboard-MGK1/dp/B00OBA6QYY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478117506&sr=8-1&keywords=azio+mgk1

https://www.amazon.com/Qisan-Mechanical-Backlight-Cable-Black-Magicforce/dp/B017N5SH6S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1478117519&sr=8-4&keywords=magicforce

Either This

Or

This perhaps?

Both TKL, both available in MX Red. One has white backlighting while the other has Red/Blue backlighting for a few dollars more.

If you go gaming/typing 50/50, I would recommend browns. here is a guide though: http://i.imgur.com/GWfV3.gif

The Corsair RGB is nice but it's definitely on the expensive side even for mechs. Unless you are really into the lights I would suggest something else. The Ducky Shine 5 has great build and great coloring but is for a lot cheaper (https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1366). The CM Storm Quickfire Rapid-i lights up as well but has a limited color selection. Instead, it has an affordable price of $99 which is less than half the corsair (http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449133037&sr=8-1&keywords=quickfire+rapid-i)

Get this instead, much better keyboard for much cheaper. If you want a clicky switch, go with blues. If you don't want a click, but want a bump, go with Browns. If you want the switch that will tire your your fingers the least, and be the fastest for gaming, go with reds.

http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264

Looking to buy a TKL mechanical keyboard, my two options are a CM Storm Quickfire Rapid-I or a KBC Poker 3. Which one should I get?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014T4O92C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=8VELV08P740T&coliid=I126Q5JW0IBBWA

http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453572529&sr=1-1&keywords=cm+storm+quickfire+rapid+i

• Old Lenovo Ideapad Flex 14, upgraded RAM to 8GB.
  
• CM Storm QuickFire Rapid I mechanical keyboard, because it's backlit and has dem feels.
  
• Very old, duct-taped Microsoft wireless mouse 1000.
  
• IKEA chair (Flintan, black) and desk (Arkelstorp). The desk is not cheap, but the wooden desktop is gorgeous.
  
• 24" LED/LCD monitor.
  
• Sennheiser HD 407 headphones which I bought for like $20 in a black friday deal.
  
  When I'm out of the house I use a Surface Pro 3 (i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB HD), which I share with my wife. My dev files/apps are all synced over Google Drive/Dropbox/Github etc.

Keyboards are really subjective, I personally use a CM Storm QuickFire Rapid-i with brown switches. It really depends what form factor you like and which switch you are most comfortable typing on.

I am thinking about buying my first MK, here are my two canditates so far:

• MasterKeys Pro M
  
• CM Storm QuickFire Rapid-i
  
  Question1:
  They look similar, and I am okay with how both looks. However I am really noob here so which one would you pick and why? (You can also suggest similar MKs) (I picked those mainly because of price. I am going to use it for mostly gaming, dont need numpad.)
  
  Question2: Can I replace their keys with fancy colored ones I see around? If so where do I buy the correct ones?
  
  

I've been looking for a keyboard with the same characteristics.

The Cooler Master Quickfire Rapid-i has had my attention since Linus did a review of it a few months back. It's construction seems solid and I haven't heard of many people having problems with the leds, plus it's price is hard to beat.

$149 off of Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421119980&sr=8-1&keywords=rapid-i&pebp=1421119981908&peasin=B00JM61264

If you need it now... I wouldn't recommend buying it with such a high price.

This is a little ways off from $70, but might as well share it with you anyway. The CM Storm Quickfire Rapid-i with Blue switches is $119.99 on Amazon, compared to its original price of $149.99. It has white backlighting.

http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264

What version of the Rapid are you looking at? Looking at the MX Brown versions on Amazon, the non-backlit version costs about the same, while the backlit version costs about $10 more.

----

Brown (and Clear) switches are quieter than the rest, so those might be good for a work environment. Linear switches like Reds are alright too, but I'd definitely stay away from the tactile clicky switches like Blues and Greens. Those switches are just too loud.

I've heard that to some people, Reds feel nice and Browns feel like dirty Reds. I've never typed on Brown switches before, though, so I don't know if that's true or not.

If you ever find that your switches are too loud, you can always add O-rings to them which can help dampen some noise. I'm typing right now on MX Clear switches with 0.2mm O-rings and while each key sounds much sharper, sounds more distinct than rubber domes, it's not any louder than a rubber dome. MX Brown switches should sound fairly similar.

Backlight:

http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459020334&sr=1-3&keywords=quickfire+rapid

$1 more for backlighting after rebate, but if you don't like lights...

No backlight:

http://www.amazon.com/Storm-QuickFire-Rapid-Tenkeyless-Mechanical/dp/B007VDKLLM/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459020334&sr=1-2&keywords=quickfire+rapid

The TKL life is so much better for gaming. Unless you're doing data entry, you won't miss that numpad after a few days.

Cooler Master Quickfire Rapid. Under $100, solid build quality, standard keycap layout (a plus for when you get into aftermarket keycap sets). This is the MX Brown model, also available with Blues and Reds. No backlighting.

There's also the Rapid-i which is basically the same keyboard but with reactive lighting modes. Again, this is the MX Brown model, but also comes in MX Blues and MX Reds. $125, but still a decent price. There were some issues with earlier models having LED reliability issues, but it was supposed to be resolved in recent revisions.

How would I find out if they've fixed the LED issue or not? It doesn't state this anywhere on the amazon page. There are tons of bad reviews there.

Cooler Master Rapid I

http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264

it is 90$ after rebate but already a mech with MX browns. I have the non LED version for ~3 years now and could not be more satisfied with it.

I would not "waste" money on a non mech now just to spend more later.

I got mine from Amazon (yay two day prime shipping!) http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416177206&sr=8-1&keywords=quickfire+rapid-i

How about a QuickFire Rapid-i?

If I was in YOUR position.. I'd get a new keyboard, but that would be simply personal preference. I like to promote the 10keyless Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid-i, but simply because I love that keyboard. A ton of people hate 10keyless though, and the k70 is already pretty sweet.

I pulled the trigger on this https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JM61264/ref=pe_386430_207393060_TE_item

I like the look of it, seems like a proper foray into Ten Keyless set up.

It's only my keyboard options
https://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264
spams 2 times per sec

Personally, i looked at both of these as well along with the rapid i version. I ended up buying the rapid i and i love it, cherry mx blue switches. If you dont care about the numpad i would definitely recommend that. Backlighting is always nice too. oh and if you end up wanting brown switches its on sale on amazon right now: https://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264
cheers

That's the outgoing model with limited stock, hence the long shipping window. The newer model is the Quickfire Rapid-i, but the price is significantly higher at ~$140.

http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264

I'm new to mechanical keyboards. I currently own a Logitech K750 wireless solar keyboard...

I'm looking to get a mechanical keyboard for under $100 for mostly typing/writing code and some gaming. It seems like cherry browns or reds (the blues would be too clacky/too loud for me).

That said, which of these would you recommend?
http://www.amazon.com/Qisan-Mechanical-Backlight-Cable-White-Magicforce/dp/B01872MCIA/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1463293362&sr=8-17&keywords=cherry+mx+brown

http://www.amazon.com/Azio-Backlit-Mechanical-Keyboard-MGK1/dp/B00OBA6QYY/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1463293220&sr=1-2&keywords=azio+keyboard

http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1463293891&sr=1-10&keywords=cherry+brown

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816057&cm_re=corsair_k70-_-23-816-057-_-Product

I like how the Corsair K70 and Azio are aluminum and backlit...

Here is a TKL version of it, not sure if it is as good though --> http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264

I guess this is a good choice? http://www.amazon.com/QuickFire-Mechanical-Keyboard-ActivLite-Technology/dp/B00JM61264

What does "medium/standard size" mean? Full-size? TKL?

If you want TKL, then a QFR-i fits your budget. They can be found on Amazon for a hair under your price.

The important parts are the switches (and how they're mounted), the case, and the keycaps.

Here's some examples to give you perspective:

The Magicforce is an entry-level keyboard with clone switches.

The QFR's an example of an entry level keyboard with Cherry MX switches. The QFR-i is equal quality, with backlighting.

The FC750 is an example of a higher end keyboard with a Cherry MX switches, quality casing, and great PBT keycaps.

The VB87M is close in quality to the FC750, but has backlighting.

Well the only keyboards I've found at this point that are in my pricerange are the Poker II and the Cooler Master Rapid-I

I love the feel of the Browns, they type well and and they do not have the obnoxiously loud click of the Blues that annoyed the person next to me in Mirco Center the second I typed my first word on it.

However I'm not sure if I like the lights on the Cooler Master or not.

I was looking into this one but I'm not sure if I will like the Greens.

How loud are they?

If they're less than the Blues and a bit more than the Browns then I could deal with it.

I like the size of the Poker II but I'm not sure how long I will last without arrow keys.

But if I like the Greens (going to a different Micro Center tomorrow) then I'm going to buy the QuickFire with Greens.

Or Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-QuickFire-Mechanical-Technology/dp/B00JM61264/

Could you tell us which quickfire ? It seems to be Rapid-i Model but I'm not sure.

$141, solid quality, neutral colours and a standard layout.

If you're patient, the KBP V80 is basically identical, just it has dual LEDs and has all switch options, commonly goes on Massdrop for ~100USD if you're willing to wait a bit for it to arrive.