We’ve reviewed quite a number of keyboards here at OCDrift, but nothing looked quite like this one. The CM Storm QuickFire TK is the first white coloured mechanical keyboard that snuck its way to our test lab. It is the latest addition to the QuickFire lineup of mechanical keyboards from CM Storm, a gaming peripheral division of Cooler Master. It’s a compact version of the QuickFire XT to cater your needs especially when you’re going for a LAN party. It’s also the QuickFire Rapid-i additional set of numeric keys.

The QuickFire TK is built with three choices of Cherry MX mechanical switches which is red, blue, or brown. Each switch will determine what colour of LED that sit under the keycap. The red switches come with red LED, blue with blue LEDs, and brown with white LEDs.

Normally on the market we will see a full-sized mechanical keyboard carries a price tag in the range of RM 400 to RM 500. This QuickFire TK is targeted at amateur and hardcore gamers who don’t want to break their wallets too much, while keeping the working space as small as possible. Retailing at RM 339, it is certainly an attractive pricing but what’s so special about this mechanical keyboard that makes it worth considering? Let’s find out more in our review here.

Product Link: http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/products/keyboards/quickfiretk/
Suggested Retail Price: RM 339

Specifications

Special Features

• N-Key Rollover over USB: N-Key Roll Over in USB mode means even the wildest key combos are registered perfectly.
• Easy cable management: Detachable braided USB cable and cable routing groves at the underside of the keyboard. Easy cable management and better flexibility.
• Full LED backlight, 3 modes and 5 brightness levels: Stylish and provides optimum visibility even in dark rooms. Different backlight modes highlight different key groups.
• Compact layout with integrated Num pad block: The QuickFire TK’s unique NumPad block design merges both navigation and command keys. You get a compact gaming keyboard with a NumPad block.

Unboxing

The CM Storm QuickFire TK comes in a nicely designed black box mixed with red and white accents. The front of the box is dominated by a huge picture of the white keyboard on the middle along with the red and white coloured product name on the bottom and the Cooler Master logo on the top left. There’s also a tagline of “Full Backlit Mechanical Keyboard” printed under the product name to convince users that the every single key of the keyboard does come with an individual LED.

Turning over to the back of the retail packaging, CM Storm explains more detail about the features of the QuickFire TK, which include N-Key Rollover over USB, easy cable management, Full LED backlight, 3 modes and 5 brightness levels, and compact layout with integrated Numpad block.

On the left side of the box, you will see a pair of badges indicating that the keyboard is supported by Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 as well as Windows 8. Also spotted, a sticker indicating the model number and bar code of the product. Our sample came with a model number of SGK-4020-GKCM2 which denotes that we are getting a QuickFire TK with white case, Brown switch and white LED backlight.

On the right side of the packaging, we have three marketing logos of Storm Tactics, which is Strength, Security and Control.

On the last side of the box, you’re given an address of CM Storm’s website to find out more information of the QuickFire TK keyboard just in case you didn’t get much details from the box.

Inside the box, you will find the QuickFire TK is well wrapped in a white soft felt, to keep the keyboard away from dust.

The scope of delivery of accessories package is simple. You will receive a user’s manual and a key puller.

The user’s manual comes in a folded piece of paper, depicting the key features of the keyboard as well as its specifications, package content, warranty and tech support information.

Let’s take a look at the keyboard itself. The CM Storm QuickFire TK sports a white case and black keycaps with translucent letters. The keycaps are made out of ABS material and grip coated to enhance finger grips during typing. The keycap letters can be seen clearly with or without the backlighting. The QuickFire TK is a hybrid tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard. Why did I call it hybrid TKL? Simply because it has ten keys less than a conventional full-sized desktop keyboard and it also comes with  a numpad. Being categorized as a compact keyboard, the QuickFire TK measures 377.5 mm x 138 mm x 33 mm in dimensions and weighs only 800 g.

Coming out from the top side of QuickFire TK 9 is a flexible braided cable measuring 1.8 meters which is long enough to put the keyboard on any location of your desk. The cable is connected to a gold-plated USB 2.0 connector at its end. This keyboard cord is actually removable with the other end of it is connected to the keyboard by a mini-USB connector.

We then connected the keyboard to the USB 2.0 port of our gaming rig. With a simple combination of FN key and the F4 button we are able to activate the backlighting of the keyboard which comes in white LEDs.

Let’s take a closer look to the numpad of the QuickFire TK. You can see the Insert, Delete, Home, End, Page Up, Page down and the Arrow keys are combined with the numeric keys in the numpad. This design results in the reduction of the total length and weight of the keyboard. I personally tried to put this keyboard inside my Dell Targus Synery backpack and it fits in nicely. By pressing the NUMLK key, you should be able to toggle between Arrow buttons and the numeric keys, either one function but not both.

Removing the keycap reveals what’s hiding under the hood. This job can be done without a sweat with the included keycap puller. From here you can see that the QuickFire TK is built with Cherry MX Brown mechanical switches with white LED backlighting. The Cherry MX Brown are known to be the perfect switches for both typing and gaming. They don’t sound as noisy as the clicky sound of the Blue switch. There’s an embedded steel plate give you maximum stability and durability.

Let’s put back the keycap and move up to the top row of keys, you will find the usual Escape button and the F keys. Combination of FN key and the ESC button will toggle the keyboard between 6KRO and NKRO Key Rollover function, which is the maximum number of keys you can press at once and still be recognized by the keyboard. 6KRO is the most commonly seen Key Rollover functionality of USB interfaced keyboards. 6KRO means you can push up to 6 keys + modifier keys (CTRL, ALT, etc.) at once and the keyboard will recognize all of your key presses. NKRO is the ‘Unlimited’ version of Key Rollover, which means that each key is scanned completely independently by the keyboard hardware, so that each key press is correctly detected regardless of how many other keys are being pressed or held down at the time. The F1 to F4 keys will allow you to adjust the LED backlighting up to 3 modes and 5 brightness levels.

The F5 to F11 keys serve as quick access to your multimedia activities, whereas the F12 button will lock the WIN keys so that you can avoid accidental presses.

One of the backlighting modes you can choose is igniting only the WASD key’s LEDs, which is quite useful when you’re playing a first person shooter game, especially in a dark environment.

Flipping over to the back side of the QuickFire TK, we have a big label sticker on the middle indicating the product name, model number and serial number of the keyboard. Also, it says that the keyboard was manufactured in China. Above this label you can see the braided cable connected to the keyboard by the mini-USB connector that we’ve mentioned earlier. Pretty much a neat cable management we can see here.

Apart from the center, you can actually route the keyboard cord to the left or right according to your liking and condition of your desk. Let’s say if your PC is located on your left hand side then for the sake of shortest path you can choose to route the cable to the left and vice versa. We’d say that it’s a brilliant idea of cable management by CM Storm.

There are two feet on each corner to increase the slope of the keyboard, in case if you need such level of comfort.

Performance

We tested the CM Storm QuickFire TK keyboard from document typing to gaming. For document typing, this keyboard works very well and responsive. The click clack sound is audible, but in my opinion it’s still acceptable. Well it’s a mechanical keyboard after all so just bear with it. The keys fit nicely with my fingers and they don’t feel flimsy at all.

However since it’s a hybrid tenkeyless keyboard, users are required to press the NUMLK key in order to toggle between Arrow buttons and the numeric keys. Not sure if it’s just me but to be honest, I’d say that I’m not used to it and I feel it’s inconvenient ultimately because I’m always dealing a lot with both Arrow and numeric keys simultaneously. Also, the keyboard stands at a total height of 33mm including the keycap, so it won’t be comfortable if it does not include a palm rest. I could feel a little wrist sore when using the keyboard for a long period of time.

Next we tested the keyboard to play the Battlefield 4 game. This keyboard looks extremely responsive on every keystroke. Every movement and key switching can be done very rapidly without any obstacle. The QuickFire TK keyboard doesn’t come with any macro key. But for me I don’t mind not getting it because I don’t really need it for my gaming purpose. Overall, my gaming experience with the QuickFire TK was enjoyable. It works perfectly from sneaking enemy from behind to jumping onto the war tank.

Thoughts & Verdicts

In the end, the CM Storm QuickFire TK is one of the most affordable mechanical keyboards available on the market. In terms of build quality, we’d say that this keyboard is solid. The keycaps are made out of ABS and grip coated to provide excellent grip during typing. The keys are very responsive and don’t feel quite hard when being pressed.

The sample that we received is equipped with Cherry MX Brown switches that are suitable for both typing and gaming occasions. I like the click clack sound that they make. It doesn’t sound noisy at all. Furthermore, there’s an embedded steel plate give you maximum stability and durability. CM Storm offers users a brilliant cable management. Their QuickFire TK is designed with some grooved lines to route the cord in neat condition. Apart from the default center, you can also route the cable to the left or right according to your liking.

During our gaming test, this keyboard is very responsive on every keypress. Key switching can be done very fast without a hitch. Even though without macro keys, I enjoyed playing game with the QuickFire TK. The absence of the ten keys is not holding me down at all because I don’t really need these keys during my gaming sessions.

However, compact mechanical keyboard does have its own disadvantages. Perhaps it was just me but I don’t like the fact that toggling between the Arrow keys and the numeric keys will require me to press the NUMLK button. Maybe I’m not used to it for some reason I am a person who usually deal a lot with both Arrow and numeric keys at the same time. Also, the keyboard stands at a total height of 33mm including the keycaps, so it won’t be comfortable if it does not come with a palm rest. I could feel a little wrist sore when using the keyboard for a long period of time. But hey, this is a compact keyboard after all, so attaching a palm rest will definitely make it bulkier.

Retailing at RM 339, the CM Storm QuickFire TK is not so expensive. Somehow a quick search at lelong.com.my we managed to find a more reasonably priced mechanical keyboard, which is no other than the famous Logitech G710+ that is going for RM 369. What makes the Logitech more attractive is that it is a full-sized mechanical keyboard and comes with a palm wrest. Anyway, the QuickFire TK has its own special features. It is a compact hybrid tenkeyless mechanical keyboard and its case comes in a white flavour.

Performance: 5/5
Materials: 5/5
Specifications: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Performance/Price Value: 5/5

Pros:
+ Reasonable pricing
+ Solid build quality
+ Cherry MX Brown switches are suitable for typing and gaming
+ Keys are extremely responsive, not too hard and stable
+ Full LED backlight, 3 modes and 5 brightness levels
+ N-Key Rollover over USB
+ Brilliant cable management and braided cord
+ Compact design suitable for LAN party goers
+ Include a keycap puller

Cons:
- No macro key
- Spare keycap are not included
- Total height including keycap measures 33mm, which might cause wrist sore after using it for long period of time
- Must press the NUMLK key to toggle between the Arrow keys and numeric keys on the numpad

 

CM Storm QuickFire TK Mechanical Gaming Keyboard received Gold Award from OCDrift.com

Disclaimer: OCDrift.com gives out our own award based on the Hardware Performance, OverClocking Ability, Innovation, and Value as determined by the reviewer