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The CM Storm QuickFire TK is an impressive product that manages to compress the desirable features and functionality of a mechanical keyboard into a desk-friendly, compact size.
CM Storm has done a good job at maintaining an appropriate level of comfort with the QuickFire TK's larger-than-usual thickness. A user's hands can rest on an area of desk near to the keyboard's bottom edge, before allowing the fingers and subtle wrist movements to operate the key-pressing duties.
Reaching the function keys is made trickier by their increased altitude and distance from the front edge, but raising one's hand from time to time shouldn't pose too many comfort issues for most users.
The attractive, gamer-orientated style of CM Storm's QuickFire TK makes it an eye-catching keyboard. Whether you opt for the breathing, full-lit or gaming LED modes, the QuickFire TK will look good on almost any desk with its compact dimensions and sleek design.
Assisted by a set of Cherry MX Red switches, the CM Storm QuickFire TK offers excellent performance and clear usability in general usage, typing and gaming situations. A low actuation force and almost instantaneous feedback makes writing long essays and articles a trouble-free task that doesn't tire one's limbs. In gaming scenarios, the low actuation force can help to decrease the time taken between choosing to select an input and the on-screen character and setting updating.
The set of media and dual-purpose function keys worked well as methods of quickly changing media and backlight settings. We were particularly fond of the Windows lock key and its ability to prevent those frustrating unintentional drop-outs during an important gaming session.
While the dual-purpose function keys worked well, the inventive number pad variant wasn't as successful. Adapting to a keyboard which features a number pad that doesn't necessarily input numbers was awkward. It took a good length of time and plenty of mistakes to adapt to the fact that an extra key press was required between operating the number pad and directional or page-control keys.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that this issue becomes non-existent when the initial adaptation problems are overcome. What happens when you launch your system and want to enter the BIOS? It isn't as easy as just pressing the delete button because that would input the number ‘4'. One method was to repeatedly and frantically press the ‘NUMLK' and ‘Del' keys hoping that we would register an activation successful enough to enter the BIOS. Many times, this activation slipped through our grasp and a system restart was required.
In reality, there is little that CM Storm can do to maintain the innovative, dual-purpose number pad and avoid the aforementioned issues. Perhaps a completely separate delete key would be a good idea, or programming the number pad's primary function to account for the POST-desirable delete, arrow and page-controlling keys is another option.
Available for £72.25 from Scan, the CM Storm QuickFire TK is competitively-priced for a gamer-orientated, mechanical keyboard. The compact design, sleek appearance and excellent performance offered by the Cherry MX Red switches make the CM Storm QuickFire TK a brilliant choice for gamers that crave a commendable gaming keyboard without the potentially-problematic, large dimensions. Just make sure that your usage scenarios and favourite games don't benefit from the use of macro keys.
Pros:
- Cherry MX Red switches offer excellent performance.
- Choice of Cherry MX switches is available.
- NKRO functionality.
- Lots of convenience buttons such as Windows lock and media keys.
- Good build quality.
- Compact design.
- Adjustable LED backlight system.
Cons:
- Dual-purpose number pad requires usage adaptations and can cause minor problems.
- No macro keys.
KitGuru says: A well-designed mechanical keyboard that tends to the needs of most gamers, especially those with space-constraints.
