Package front
The QPAD MK-80 arrives in a glossy black sleeve with a picture of the illuminated keyboard. To the left is a brief rundown of the main product features. The side of the box has a few photographs of the keyboard in detail and expands on the features mentioned on the front of the box.
Package Rear
Flipping the box over we have the feature list broken down into six languages with the main European languages catered for along with Chinese. There is also a short introduction from QPAD details their Grassroots commitment to the gaming fraternity.
Box Open
Upon removing the outer sleeve and opening the stiff box with the folded flip lid we are greeted with the keyboard itself which is held fast in stiff foam at either end of the box. Beneath the bagged keyboard are the accessories and keyboard cable.
Accessories
For the accessories, you get four spare bright orange keys, a key pull ring, a PS2 to USB adapter and a manual. I will cover the spare key set later in the review but suffice to say this accessory list is brief yet more than sufficient considering that a driver and thus a CD is not required as it is a plug and play device.
Wrist Rest
A rubber coated wrist rest is also included which can be a little tricky to attach (read the instructions!). While not very wide, it is very sturdy and should be able to handle moderate abuse.
QPAD MK-80
Finally, we get a first glimpse of the keyboard itself. While not much bigger than a standard Dell affair we are all familiar with, it is much heavier thanks to the switches used. I would go so far to say it is the heaviest keyboard we have reviewed thus far. Heavy keyboards, while obviously more laborious to transport to LAN parties, are not normally moved once in-situ and I much prefer a little weight to a product due to the fact it gives you confidence in operation rather than fearing it will fall apart after a few weeks use.
Let's get to grips with the keyboard itself...