The Corsair K60 is a very good keyboard of that there can be no doubt. It's performance in the gaming testing was exemplary and produced no faults whatsoever. Throughout the gaming sessions (and since) it has performed at the very highest level and would be comfortable rubbing shoulders with the best gaming keyboards available. The gaming replacement keyset is worthy of another mention as they really are very comfortable to use for long periods of time thanks to the rubber texture and sculpted design.
On the negative side I was initially puzzled by Corsairs choice to use a combination of mechanical switches and rubber domed keys. While I would agree that the function keys are not regularly pressed during gaming and thus do not need the speed of Cherry MX switches, the dull feel of rubber after using mechanical switches is not a pleasant feeling and you can't help but think this was a cost saving measure rather than a performance enhancement. This figures as at £94 which is towards the low end price for mechanical keyboards and the fact it uses the more expensive Cherry red switches, I guess compromises had to be made.
As a general keyboard, it is 'only' average. It is very difficult to report on how a keyboard 'feels' when typing as individual preference purveys bias that perhaps could be deemed unfair by some. Without the gaming key set in place, it is not a bad keyboard to type on by any means would so while the Cherry red switches on a concise keyboard are perhaps not best suited for me, they may well be perfect for you. You also have to consider (and this is my biggest problem) that there is no full-length wrist rest. The wrist rest for the WSAD gaming setup is near perfect for gaming, it is however useless for general use and thus it has to be removed leaving you with aching hands should you type for lengthy periods.
Herein lies the issue with the Corsair K60 keyboard. It does some things extremely well (gaming) but there are always caveats to consider. In gaming, it is sublime of that there can be no doubt but the omission of a full mechanical switched keyboard leaves a bitter taste in the mouth - regardless of whether you would use all of the keys repeatedly or not. Cherry reds may also be perfect for typing (for some) but not including a full length wrist rest made the process of writing up this review uncomfortable. Having a USB port is good but competitors have two. Personally I am not interested in audio ports on a keyboard as this has never been done very well due to the physics involved (extra connections will always reduce audio quality) so thumbs up to Corsair for cutting this from their product. I loved the idea of the raised keys as this will ensure your keyboard looks better for longer and thanks to the 50 million keystrokes of Cherry MX reds, backed up by Corsair's class leading warranty service (2 years) should mean you have lots of use out of this product.
You may well feel I have been overly harsh on this product because as a gaming product it does excel. It does, after all, what it is designed to do and should be congratulated on a job very well done indeed. However, I can't help feeling that Corsair could have done that little bit better, that little bit more because what is actually a very, very good product could have so easily been one of, if not the best product on the market today. Corsair are widely known for being class leaders in whatever they put their hand to so to test a component that was not perfect in every way is unusual for a Corsair product! In fairness though, you would not buy this keyboard for general use. It is a gaming peripheral through and through. Perhaps for typing or a more rounded example you may wish to consider the K90, also from the Vengeance range which we hope to review in the near future. If gaming however, is your bag then look no further than the Corsair Vengeance K60.
I have no doubts that this product will be seen at LAN events worldwide though because if you are up for a frag-fest, be it in a major auditorium or locked away in your bedroom, this keyboard will serve you extremely well. I thought long and hard about what award to give the K60 as it was clearly deserving of one but which to give? On the one hand it falls short of being a well rounded, multi-purpose keyboard. If you intend on doing a great deal of typing I would consider looking elsewhere. On the other hand the Corsair K60 has looks and gaming performance to be the envy of it's competitors. So were it a gaming award, it would be a clear gold winner. However, we rarely have two keyboards on our desks so it loses points for its everyday performance. Therefore, with the pluses and minus's taken into consideration, I think a silver award on this occasion meets on the middle ground and gives a fair reflection of what is a great first keyboard from Corsair.
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Corsair for providing today’s review sample.
On the negative side I was initially puzzled by Corsairs choice to use a combination of mechanical switches and rubber domed keys. While I would agree that the function keys are not regularly pressed during gaming and thus do not need the speed of Cherry MX switches, the dull feel of rubber after using mechanical switches is not a pleasant feeling and you can't help but think this was a cost saving measure rather than a performance enhancement. This figures as at £94 which is towards the low end price for mechanical keyboards and the fact it uses the more expensive Cherry red switches, I guess compromises had to be made.
As a general keyboard, it is 'only' average. It is very difficult to report on how a keyboard 'feels' when typing as individual preference purveys bias that perhaps could be deemed unfair by some. Without the gaming key set in place, it is not a bad keyboard to type on by any means would so while the Cherry red switches on a concise keyboard are perhaps not best suited for me, they may well be perfect for you. You also have to consider (and this is my biggest problem) that there is no full-length wrist rest. The wrist rest for the WSAD gaming setup is near perfect for gaming, it is however useless for general use and thus it has to be removed leaving you with aching hands should you type for lengthy periods.
Herein lies the issue with the Corsair K60 keyboard. It does some things extremely well (gaming) but there are always caveats to consider. In gaming, it is sublime of that there can be no doubt but the omission of a full mechanical switched keyboard leaves a bitter taste in the mouth - regardless of whether you would use all of the keys repeatedly or not. Cherry reds may also be perfect for typing (for some) but not including a full length wrist rest made the process of writing up this review uncomfortable. Having a USB port is good but competitors have two. Personally I am not interested in audio ports on a keyboard as this has never been done very well due to the physics involved (extra connections will always reduce audio quality) so thumbs up to Corsair for cutting this from their product. I loved the idea of the raised keys as this will ensure your keyboard looks better for longer and thanks to the 50 million keystrokes of Cherry MX reds, backed up by Corsair's class leading warranty service (2 years) should mean you have lots of use out of this product.
You may well feel I have been overly harsh on this product because as a gaming product it does excel. It does, after all, what it is designed to do and should be congratulated on a job very well done indeed. However, I can't help feeling that Corsair could have done that little bit better, that little bit more because what is actually a very, very good product could have so easily been one of, if not the best product on the market today. Corsair are widely known for being class leaders in whatever they put their hand to so to test a component that was not perfect in every way is unusual for a Corsair product! In fairness though, you would not buy this keyboard for general use. It is a gaming peripheral through and through. Perhaps for typing or a more rounded example you may wish to consider the K90, also from the Vengeance range which we hope to review in the near future. If gaming however, is your bag then look no further than the Corsair Vengeance K60.
I have no doubts that this product will be seen at LAN events worldwide though because if you are up for a frag-fest, be it in a major auditorium or locked away in your bedroom, this keyboard will serve you extremely well. I thought long and hard about what award to give the K60 as it was clearly deserving of one but which to give? On the one hand it falls short of being a well rounded, multi-purpose keyboard. If you intend on doing a great deal of typing I would consider looking elsewhere. On the other hand the Corsair K60 has looks and gaming performance to be the envy of it's competitors. So were it a gaming award, it would be a clear gold winner. However, we rarely have two keyboards on our desks so it loses points for its everyday performance. Therefore, with the pluses and minus's taken into consideration, I think a silver award on this occasion meets on the middle ground and gives a fair reflection of what is a great first keyboard from Corsair.
Pros:
+ Brushed aluminium mid-plate
+ Cherry Red MX switches
+ Sculpted spare key set
+ Ergonomic gaming wrist rest
+ Long braided cable
+ Raised Key set
Cons:
- Rubber domed Function and Paging keys
- Only 1 USB hub
- No full length wrist rest included
- No back-light
+ Brushed aluminium mid-plate
+ Cherry Red MX switches
+ Sculpted spare key set
+ Ergonomic gaming wrist rest
+ Long braided cable
+ Raised Key set
Cons:
- Rubber domed Function and Paging keys
- Only 1 USB hub
- No full length wrist rest included
- No back-light
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Corsair for providing today’s review sample.
