CM Storm’s Trigger Mechanical Keyboard Blazes in Crimson Red (Review)
The CM Storm Trigger Mechanical Keyboard
Trigger’s packaging continues with the CM Storm line’s red and black color styling. The most interesting part of the packaging is the featured five programmable macro keys, dual USB 2.0 hub, and 64KB macro and keyboard profile memory. Opening the packaging was stress free with simple stickers to cut.
Trigger is unveiled below.
Trigger is a sleek mix of black and silver with a rubber-like coating for the black on the keyboard. The material lends grip to Trigger and doesn’t feel cheap or too rough.
Trigger also comes with a detachable wrist rest in the same material described above. This easily snaps on and off the keyboard itself. The wrist rest material is heavier than the keyboard and allows your hand to stay in place instead of sliding around.
The wrist rest adds some bulk to Trigger so some may not like it. We enjoyed the gripping surface and it was comfortable to have.
The whole keyboard together takes up quite a bit of space at 18.7(L) x 6.5(W) x 0.98(H). It is very comfortable and ergonomic, even with heavy use.
Actuation is audible and tactile with the Cherry MX Blue switches. Trigger’s keys are easy to feel for and see in any setting.
CM Storm Trigger features three different modes of illumination. The three modes cycle the keyboard backlighting to the entire board or a gaming cluster (WSAD, four arrow keys, and 5 macro keys) and the final mode is a “breathing mode” in which the keys cycle through levels of brightness constantly.
Trigger has three levels of brightness available to cycle through without a DC 5V connection. CM Storm Trigger did not include a 5V cable so you would need to buy one if you want the two increased brightness levels with the 5V connection on the top left of the keyboard.
We do not have a DC 5V cable so we could not see the two extra levels of brightness but the three we experienced were as bright as we needed.
A possible future upgrade to the software would be to allow the user to create custom lighting modes. Most games use more than the standard WSAD/arrows cluster for gaming. The ability to create a mode that lights up all the keys your game would use and no others would be a fantastic option.
The keys of Trigger are fully programmable with an included program on a packaged disk that allows you to customize any key. We will explore this more in the upcoming software section.
Trigger also features 2 USB 2.0 slots right on the keyboard, something that makes cable management and life easier. The hub is perfect for a quick smartphone or USB stick connection.
Lets explore Trigger’s performance and the effect our Cherry Blue keys had on our experience.
