CM Storm QuickFire TK is a No Compromise Compact Mechanical Keyboard

CM Storm announced a new LED-backlit compact keyboard on November 16, that uses Cherry MX switches – the QuickFire TK.  ABT received a QuickFire TK keyboard from Cooler Master with Cherry Blue MX switches and we have been using it for three weeks in gaming as well as for a day-to-day keyboard for typing.   Evaluating a keyboard is subjective and much will be said about the “feel” of the keyboard.

CM Storm QuickFire TK

CM Storm makes an incredibly bold statement when introducing the QuickFire TK on its homepage:

You’re a gamer. You know that a mechanical keyboard means the difference between winning and losing. The original QuickFire Rapid gaming keyboard was embraced by gamers worldwide because it made the difference. Now the QuickFire TK takes the QuickFire Rapid and put it on steroids! Choose between 3 different Cherry MX switches. Each keycap is UV coated to make it durable. There’s full LED backlighting with 3 modes and 5 brightness levels. NKRO over USB means every single keystroke will be registered. An embedded steel plate give you maximum stability and durability. 7 easy-access multimedia shortcut keys save time. A complete numpad lets you get work done while not gaming. The slim and lightweight size gives you plenty of room for your mouse. Great for LAN parties.

We are gamers.  And we are going to explore whether a keyboard can make the difference between winning and losing.  We will attest to the quality of the lettering, the usefulness of the backlighting, the compact size yet solid feel and weight to see if this is the weapon of choice for LAN parties.  It is certainly heavy enough to be a literal defensive weapon at 1.2 pounds and its metal backplate gives it a very solid feel.Many PC users think of their keyboards as cheap and disposable or don’t think of them at all unless there are issues.  Gamers demand much more from their keyboards than casual users and are willing to pay well over a hundred dollars for high quality. The QuickFire TK Keyboard has just been introduced at Amazon.com for $99.99 with free shipping. Naturally we want to determine if it is a good value.

CM Storm brings us a new mechanical keyboard with a choice of three distinct Cherry MX switches – brown, blue and red – for gamers and also for typists. We feel that we can give the reader a thorough evaluation as we have put it to good use in daily tasks, including playing Borderlands 2 – and typing – for more than three weeks.

First of all, the QuickFire TK keyboard that we are reviewing is a compact keyboard. Really compact. This keyboard is the same size as the keyboard in this editor’s 15″ Compaq notebook, and the keys have nearly the same layout which made transitioning easier that it did with our Thermaltake MEKA compact keyboard (top keyboard, below).  The QuickFire TK’s numpad and placement of the arrow keys may trouble some gamers but we had no issues whatsoever as we are primarily a WASD gamer.

Why a Mechanical Keyboard?

The best keyboards feature mechanical key switches and usually are constructed of high-quality materials. Thus they are more reliable and will last longer. Best of all, once you are used to one, a mechanical key switch keyboard will probably make you a better typist – or gamer. You will be able to get things done faster and with less fatigue.  Mechanical switches are also fast – there is almost no lag time from when a key is pressed to action on the screen.

Most keyboards that are mass produced are rubber dome or membrane keyboards. Their main feature is that they are inexpensive and that they get the job done. Not that long ago we needed a USB keyboard in a hurry and paid $11 for a Logitech K-120 at a brick and mortar WalMart. It looks nice and it works for basic PC functions. But it is a world apart from the QuickFire TK keyboard for typing or for gaming.

These cheap keyboards usually don’t provide users with any tactile feedback. The keys themselves feel mushy when they are brand new and they get worse as the rubber underneath them degrades over time. And with a lot of cheap keyboards including notebooks, the keys may not all actuate at the same point and they will often stick when dust gets trapped inside. Cheap keyboards also tend to flex and move around, especially when used for gaming. Not so with a quality mechanical keyboard.

The main advantage the mechanical key switch offers to the user is tactile feedback. Other than by a letter appearing on screen or an action taking place as with a cheap keyboard, you will know by touch that a key has been pressed on a mechanical switch.

In the case of the QuickFire TK, the Cherry Blue MX switches are built to much stricter tolerances than rubber domes and all key presses are consistent across all of the keys on the board. In the case of the QuickFire TK, it is about 3 time heavier and much more rigid than the $11 Logitech keyboard. There is no comparison between the two products in terms of quality – just contrast.

The Cherry Blue MX Switch

We made our typing transition easily from our notebook and we now make fewer typing errors on the QuickFire TK than we did before due to the nature of the mechanical keyboard’s keys.  It is also easy to switch back and forth between keyboards because of the similar key layout.   The keys on the QuickFire TK are less prone to being accidentally pressed as there is some resistance and each key’s surface is concave and it cradles the fingertips.  The key caps are ABS plastic which is grip coated and they are removable.

In addition, the surface the fingers contact is a bit smaller and slightly more isolated from the other keys than most notebook keyboards. This is a superb feature for typists although some might like even less resistance from the keys than the Cherry Blue MX switches provide and CM storm offers three choices of Cherry MX switches – Blue (as reviewed) with a blue blackplate and backlighting; Red switches with a red backplate and backlighting and Brown switches with a brown backplate but with white backlighting.

The QuickFire TK as with most mechanical keyboards are moderately to loudly noisy with distinct clicks as you type or frag. If you or your roommates love total silence, bypass any regular mechanical keyboard that uses loud mechanical switches. The QuickFire TK uses Cherry Blue MX switches which are well-recognized in the industry as having some of the best characteristics for typists as well as for many gamers. However, the Cherry Blue MX switch also has the reputation of being relatively loud compared to other Cherry MX switches and CM Storm offers the gamer a choice of Blue, Brown or Red Cherry MX switches as shown below. 

The Tactile Feel of the Cherry Blue MX Switch

The Blue MX switch feel will probably please the typist and many gamers as it did this editor. When a key is pressed, it moves a plunger inside the switch to push down on the center piece which moves past the switch to activate it.  After the key is released and the plunger is raised back up by the spring, the center piece is pulled back up and the switch deactivates.

This disconnect between the plunger and the center piece that activates the switch gives the Blue its distinct click. A typist will move on to the next key after a successful click response, but a gamer cannot ride the activation point when a single button needs to be spammed over and over as some fighting games require, for example.  This switch has a peak force of 60g yet it is 50g at the point of actuation due to the design of the Blue MX switch.  If you regularly need to spam a key over-and-over, look to the QuickFire TK keyboard which uses the Cherry MX Brown switches instead of the Blue.

Let head over to the unboxing and take a closer look at the QuickFire TK.