CM Storm QuickFire TK Keyboard Review

Clicky clacky, clicky clacky, another mechanical keyboard has arrived at my desk for review. Cooler Master has added yet another member to the QuickFire lineup – the CM Storm Quickfire TK. It's a shortened up version of the Pro with a more compact layout to fit where ever you may go with it. The TK comes in three Cherry MX switches so you can pick exactly what "click" you want: red, blue, or brown. Each switch does ultimately decide what the exterior of your keyboard looks like as well – red switches come with red LED keys, blue with blue LEDs, and brown with white LEDs. A steelplate insert behind the keys also comes in those respective colors. Ultimately either your choice in appearance will choose your key type, or your choice in key type will choose your appearance.

Cooler Master gave me my choice – and the Blue in BluePanda won out. Not only did I want the blue appearance, but I did also want the blue switches. I've used both the Cherry MX reds and browns in the past but haven't yet had the opportunity to try out blues. Today that changes. For those of you who don't know much about the different mechanical switches I'll give you a brief run-down (though I do recommend some Googling to get some pictures on how the switches work). Cherry MX Red switches aren't the most loved switch as they are linear in motion, requiring less force to actuate, but easier to make typing errors with. Browns are light tactile switches – they split the field between typing and gaming. You can double tap fast and still feel the click while typing to avoid errors. Blues, what I'm trying out today, are known as the "Clicky" switch, literally because they have a clicky bump when the activation point of the switch is reached. The only down side is that the switch must fully return to be pressed again – making double tapping a little more of a challenge. It's really up to you what you want in a key. There are companies out there you can purchase sample kits from to really get a feel for what is best for you.

Back on track with the CM Storm QuickFire TK, it's about time we get looking at what this keyboard has to offer. We know it's smaller than your typical keyboard sporting the "Serious Firepower in a Compact Size" slogan, however, it still has media keys as well as a full number pad. How this all works out – well, I guess you'll have to do some reading…