XTRFY K5 Ultra-Customisable and Compact RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, UK Layout with Super-Scan Technology for Instant Response, Transparent White

Product Information

The Silent Red switches are linear and smooth with low operating force, and come with a patented damping to minimize noise, while the durable PBT keycaps bring a firm, high-quality feel to every keystroke. On the K5, everything from the switches, stabilizers and keycaps to the cable, frame and even the little plate for the logo is swappable. Custom parts are available separately so you can add what you want to the K5 Compact Barebone. Not sure if this magnetised logo is an intentional engineering choice, but, it’s my new favourite fidget toy when I am waiting and procrastinating – nice job Xtrfy! It’s a little plate that is attached via a magnet and is great to mess around and fiddle with. Build Quality

The K5 comes in two different editions as standard. And to give you all possibilities of customizing your keyboard, everything from the switches and keycaps to the cable, frame and even the little plate for the logo is swappable. This keyboard is special edition of the Xtrfy K5, made in collaboration with Sharkmob for the game of Bloodhunt. Designed for esports-grade performance and durability, this keyboard brings you everything you need to dominate the night on the rooftops of Prague. Before we dive into this review, I would like to thank Xtrfy for providing this sample for a keyboard review. I would like to also state that this does not impact how I approach our review. We do not give manufacturers any chance to review our work before it is published. We remain neutral in our approach. On the bottom of the case are four rubber feet along with two flip up feet should you want to place the keyboard at an angle. These do a fine job at keeping the board in place. The cutout for the USB-C cable is also wide enough to take a variety of custom cables. Performance and Everyday Usage Switch choices are impressive bringing a healthy selection of brands and even variants to choose from such as:

Most keyboards on the market come with just a few configuration options. They come as is with just a few switch options for you to choose from. This keyboard is a custom edition of the Xtrfy K5, featuring CHERRY MX Silent Red switches and Tai-Hao PBT keycaps. A combination that brings you a satisfying, quieter and more premium typing experience. Is there likely a better keyboard out there? absolutely, but, from my experience testing a variety of different brands and models, I can safely say, this is amongst the best for overall comfort and quality. I would be happy to spend my own hard-earned money on this gaming-focused keyboard. Mechanical Keyboard Final Beauty Shot

Out of the box, the K5 comes equipped with Kailh Red mechanical key switches, trusted by pro gamers for their light touch, fast actuation, and durability of 70 million keystrokes. If you’d ever like to change them, they’re hot-swappable so you can easily replace them with any compatible MX-style switches – no soldering required. The same can be said for the foam on the bottom of the case. It’s extremely thin and while it’s of course better than having nothing there at all I do feel like this could be improved. It’s not as bad as with the PCB foam (that just really feels subpar) but still. As an off-the-shelf gaming keyboard experience, initially, I am impressed with the quality of what’s on offer, but, there are some inconsistencies which do let it down, but it is not all bad, bare with me – they can be fixed. This keyboard comes in a 65% format – bringing you an extremely compact design without sacrificing the convenience of arrow keys.Another aspect which I wasn’t quite prepared for was its size. I thought a ten-keyless (TKL) keyboard was small but this is on another level – A gaming keyboard for the pure minimalist. Xtrfy took it a step further with the K5 65% gaming keyboard. They built an entire custom keyboard configurator where you can customise almost every aspect of your new keyboard from the base, keycaps, keyboard frame and even options to build it yourself or have someone do it for you. Elgiganten A/S | Arne Jacobsens Allé 16, 2. - 2300 København S. | CVR: 17237977 | Alle rettigheder forbeholdes | [email protected] | Vi tager forbehold for tryk- og korrekturfejl samt afgifts- og prisændringer. Vi gør i øvrigt opmærksom på at din bestilling ikke er bindende for Elgiganten, før Elgiganten har behandlet din ordre og sendt en bindende faktura. Feel. Sound. Durability. It all comes down to build quality. The K5 is built with a metal plate construction, double layers of sound-dampening foam and high-quality PCB-mounted stabilizers – pre-lubed by hand.

Something that caught my eye with the K5 RGB Compact (I will sometimes refer to it as ‘K5’ throughout this review) is that it’s the first mass-produced keyboard that I’ve seen with a shine through case. I’m not much of an RGB fan when it comes to my daily driver keyboards but I love a good light show on gaming keyboards, and if that’s something that you’re also a fan of you will absolutely love the K5 RGB Compact in the transparent white color. The board also has a button combination that you can use to boost the RGB (you will need a USB 3 port for that though) and that really brings out the goods. Sure, it’s completely useless as far as your gaming performance goes but oh boy does it look good. I mentioned already that the sound was something I was quite impressed with. I’m not just a gamer, I am also the editor for this blog and I am a programmer by day so my time spent typing at a keyboard is extensive on a day-to-day basis. I would argue I spent more time a year at a keyboard typing in some form than I do any other activity. Small doesn’t mean less. This keyboard is extremely compact yet fully featured, with per-key customizable RGB illumination, macros, media controls and more. All settings are made using the keys. No software needed. BUILD QUALITY ON A NEW LEVEL. The K5 comes in two different editions as standard. And to give you all possibilities of customizing your keyboard, everything from the switches, stabilizers and keycaps to the cable, frame and even the little plate for the logo is swappable. The PCB foam is rather thin and in two of the three boards I tested I found that it had folded inward when the switches had been installed, meaning that was ‘crushed’ and compacted by said switches. All of the switches worked, but it’s evidence of just how thin and almost inconsequential this foam is. If you ask me, this foam should be denser: that would prevent it from folding or bending and would do better at noise dampening.

The K5 RGB Compact I have here for review has a lovely deep, creamy, dampened sound – something I’ve not experienced before but definitely something I will be seeking in the future. Hot swappable switch demo - K5 65% keyboard Yes, Xtrfy’s RGB keyboard lighting really is that good. It’s a good mix of vibrancy and configuration that helps it stand out despite not having any software configuration options. It has a variety of lighting configurations and settings for you to mess around with via keyboard shortcuts. Typing on the K5 RGB Keyboard Shaped by the community’s input. Trusted by top players. Xtrfy’s 5th-generation keyboard brings you the performance you need. With the customizability to make it yours. It’s all there, of course. There iscase foam, there is PCB foam, and the stabs are lubed. It’s just that there’s either not enough of one thing (foam) or too much of another (lube), culminating in a product that has a lot of great ideas behind it but stumbles when it comes to the execution.Is it a badboard? No, not really, but at this price point there are better alternatives to consider.