SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Keyboard & Aerox 3 Mouse - 18K CPI Sensor for Pro Gaming

UPDATE: I still really like this keyboard, but I was starting to notice that I actually type really inaccurately on it - it does get annoying. I just make a lot of mistakes, and I've been typing for 40 years and normally type about 100wpm. I was trying to figure out why this is, and lately I've had my old IBM Model M in the room hooked up to another computer and have felt the obvious difference in accuracy. (The Model M is where the modern keyboard layout comes from.) I still just type much better on the Model M. So I directly compared the two keyboards to figure out what the difference is.Obviously the Model M is bigger overall, but my big realization is that the actual key layout on the Model M is slightly wider. It's not just a difference in the "dead space" in between keyboard sections, either - there is actually slightly less space between each key on the Steelseries keyboard. I've compared all the keyboards I've owned against the Model M and while some have had minor layout variations and most these days have the function keys much closer to the main keys, this is the first time I've seen keys that were actually closer together. I'm sure it's not the only keyboard like that, but it's the only one I've owned that is and it explains my typing inaccuracy on it. I've taken a star off my original review for that reason. It is just not a full size keyboard, even though it looks like it is. It feels cramped, and I've never gotten fully adjusted to it.My original review is below:----------------------------------------For the price, it had better be good. And it is. My score is 5 stars but consider it more like 4 1/2 rounded up. A bit closer to 5 than 4; not perfect but nearly so. I'll explain.I'm both a typist and a gamer, but these days probably more of the former than the latter. Still, I try to find keyboards good for both purposes, and many are - heck, the old IBM Model M is still a great gaming keyboard if you don't need n-key rollover (and to be honest, most people really don't). But my old Motospeed keyboard, which I loved for its feel and its small footprint (as small as it gets for a full size keyboard) seemed to just wear out - it started repeating keypresses constantly, so I decided I'd just go for something new rather than try to fix it. (But I probably will fix it at some point; it's a great keyboard too.)This is the first linear keyboard I've owned in many years. I usually prefer clicky keyboards and have since the days of the original IBM PC and the Model F. But I just wanted something different after owning clicky keyboards for so long, and my Motospeed was *really* clicky to the point that it did become a little grating after a few years. I'd read about the wonders of the OmniPoint keyswitches in the Apex Pro and I watched the excellent Chyrosran22 review of it on YouTube (search for that; he knows keyboards and he loves this one). I did also manage to try one out for a brief few minutes, though not long enough to really form my own opinion. But in the absence of any more obvious choice, I took the plunge and bought one.Bottom line: It is a really well built keyboard (almost zero flex) that feels *almost* as good to type on as any linear keyboard I've ever used in about 40 years of computing. It has double-shot keycaps so the legends won't wear out, it's got a really useful volume roller, and it's got a little screen that can be used for various things, most of which are kinda dumb but I do use it for displaying current system stats - there is an app to display CPU, GPU and RAM usage. Its backlighting is pretty bright, fully RGB and has some effects that are actually kinda useful - I'm not sure what the effect I use is called, but it just lights the key you press up in white for a half-second or so before smoothly fading it back to whatever color the rest of the keyboard is backlit in. It's actually helpful to have a little split-second feedback showing which key you just typed, just in case you make a mistake.The OnmiPoint keyswitches do feel great - very smooth - and they're user-adjustable in terms of the actuation point. This is unique to this type of keyswitch, which is an uncommon magnetic sensor type of mechanical switch. I will say that I *feel* more accurate on this keyboard than my old Motospeed - I think the design and spacing of the keycaps on this keyboard is maybe a little more standard.So, that's that - now I'm going to tell you about the *little* things that keep it from being perfect. Keep in mind that absolutely none of these are dealbreakers, or things other people might even necessarily think of as drawbacks. But...The cord is non-detachable and it's quite stiff. It's also just rubber insulated, which is fine, but kinda ugly on such an expensive keyboard. The keyboard has two USB plugs, one for the USB port on the keyboard itself (it won't act as a hub, just a pass-through), and that USB plug is on the left side of the keyboard. That means if you want the keyboard cable on the right, which the cable management on the back of the keyboard lets you do, your mouse cable will still be on the left. I feel like this is an odd design given that most people are right-handed. A choice would be best, but if you're going to pick a place for one USB port, put it on the right.Only the "main" keys are OmniPoint - that's everything in the little "typewriter" cluster, that main rectangle of letters and numbers that you type the most on. The others are either Cherry MX Red or some kind of copy of them. To be honest, I'm not sure which switch I prefer! I know which I'm "supposed" to prefer but the regular Reds on the rest of the keyboard seem to have a very slightly lighter weighting. Probably my only semi-serious complaint about the keyboard in general - and this is 100% subjective, so it's not a top-line item for this review - is that the OmniPoint switches are just a *tiny* bit heavier than I like, and probably as a consequence of that feel very, very slightly "mushy" as you reach full travel. The switches on the rest of the board, while very slightly "grittier", are also a tiny bit lighter and do not feel mushy. All that said, I will allow that someone else could feel entirely the opposite. This is personal preference, and anyway it's not a big difference. But there *is* a difference in the switches on different parts of the board, and it does sometimes feel a little odd as a result.After only several *days* of use, the soft-touch finish is already wearing off several of the keys. Now, you can see by this review that I type a *lot*. So it may take longer for you, and anyway the legends themselves will never wear off since they're doubleshot. But my space bar is already looking a little ugly with one part of it already noticeably shiny. I never understand this - my Model F and Model M that are 30+ years old still look brand new, while a keyboard that's only days old (and cost a couple hundred bucks) already has a finish that's wearing off.Overall, though, I think I'll be happy with this keyboard until I get tired of linear keys and want to go back to clicky. But who knows when or if that'll happen. At the moment, I'm pleased with my purchase, even for the money. This thing does feel like an expensive keyboard.LEDs: They’re good work well and have lots of customization to them can’t go wrong with them only problem is I did notice on my full size after a few years of owning it one of the colors started to go out in my Left Alt button I believe blue went out on white the LED was a yellowish orangish color.Switches: These are very advanced switches if you’re looking for something simple or tactile these aren’t for you these have a nice feature I play with a lot witch is the actuation you can constantly change it to whatever suits your use case typing a lot? Turn it up to make sure you don’t miss click anything. Gaming? Maybe turn it down to around 4 for more faster reaction time or possibly turn it up for more accurate movement? All personal preference but I love the ability to change it but if you’re a settings person like me you may drive yourself crazy trying to find any excuse why you can’t play correctly and spend more time messing with this option.Key caps: the original key caps work well had no issues on my full size with them used the for a long time with not a problem. However on my new keyboard this one the TKL I decided to opt for the Pudding Keycaps I noticed the ones listed for this steel series was going for around 30$ for the set and read a review just as this one that stated the hyper x caps were exactly the same with a hyper x space bar that costed almost half of that so I opted for the hyper x pudding caps and they work perfect no issues or complaints but they really don’t do much other than appearance wise they look really clean with RGBs on.OLED Screen: I really don’t even look at it I set a custom image on it and other than that it’s just there for eye candyVolume Scroll Wheel: I will have to say it kinda sucks on my full size it got dust and whatever else trapped between it and the sensor / switch and caused it to completely work backwards turning it down turned it up and turning it up made it turn down very annoying but found online it said to blow between the scroll wheel like we used to do with game cartridges to clean them out and it started working correctly again but this is not a solution so far on my TKL I have not had this problem but it hasn’t been very long I expect it to happen for sure other than that when it works correctly it’s very nice and feels very good.Quality: Very good keyboard built sturdy and does not feel cheap it’s not all metal it says there is some but it all does look like plastic but it does feel very solid compared to other cheaper keyboards I’ve used.Value: Now here’s where it gets tricky I bought this purely based off wanting something I was comfortable with but I am aware there’s a lot of other options most likely even cheaper with just as good quality but I will say this much this one is packed full of options you most likely won’t find on others. So if you like complex and lots of features and options/settings this is the one for you if you don’t then why are you even looking at this product?I am writing this after my kid dumped a large mug of chocolate milk on his SteelSeries Apex Pro. He didn't clean it up immediately so it had time to spread. When he tried it, about the only thing that worked was the tilde key. I've been in IT for years so I figured I'd try to clean it up before trashing it. It was already totaled so why not try, eh?Liability statement: If you try to clean a keyboard this way, it is at your own risk. Don't blame me if something doesn't work.So, I decided to take this apart and literally wash it. I was impressed with how sturdy the keyboard is. They have tons of screws that create a strong attachment from the circuit board to the casing. The USB/power cable is anchored really well inside the case. The casing was also very solidly screwed together. There are good protectors keeping the cable from shorting the main board and also good guides for the smaller wires. Some engineers put some time into the design of this and did a good job imho.Taking off all the keycaps was easy. But I found the switches couldn't be removed without dealing with desoldering, etc. which I've never tried before. So they stayed in. After I got the main circuit board removed, I literally washed it - twice. I could see areas where the chocolate milk was dried on the board and it was a bit goopy. I put the board in a large sink with a bit of dishwasher soap and some vinegar and shook it around. There were some areas the milk needed to be scrubbed off with a gentle brush. It was a testament to being a good product since none of the board solders came loose or seemed impacted by the scrubbing. Then I rinsed it well under cold water. I did this twice. I also did this with the top portion of the case which included the led display in the upper right corner. Then I let both dry outside in the heat but not in direct sun for 2 days. I hand scrubbed the bottom part of the case since it had tape that was working as vents or something I didn't want to ruin.I put it back together with very low hopes. Son of a .... if the thing didn't work perfectly. Even the LED screen worked and had retained the memory with my kid's macros and custom mini led screen drawing.So, this review doesn't address all the advertised features. There are many video reviews that can tell you more. My kid thinks it is great and leaves the thing on all night so he can see the leds flashing. His macros work well. The keycaps washed off well. The switches literally were soaked goopy liquid that dried and then in water and worked just fine after proper drying. My kid got pissed off once and banged the space bar hard enough to break it in two but even that didn't hurt the switch or the risers. (Some superglue fixed the space keycap).I'm not an expert in keyboards like this but I can say this thing is a beast, solidly built. For us, this was a great choice. I hope this helps you make a decision on your keyboard. Good luck.I don't usually do these type of reviews, but unfortunately, in this case I have to.I purchased the Apex Pro version of this product. It arrived defective as you can see from the picture. The A key sticks about 90% of the time when it is pressed. I assume it is an issue with the switch below it. Unfortunately, Amazon is refusing a return on this product and told me to contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer up to this point has ignore and not responded to my support ticket on their website. They do not seem to have a phone number for their support, only a ticket system via their website.If I had known this I would not have purchased this product and no where on Amazon's page does it state that the product is not returnable at all.Unfortunately, this product is not usable and I'm left with a very expensive paperweight.I ordered this as a replacement gaming keybiard to a logitech g910, its very chunky and the keys are really loud . That with the lack of a ten key makes this very expensive keybiard a real waste of money compared to competitorsMy son got this as an early birthday present as he is a aspiring gamer/YouTuber it is a very solid keyboard and feels built to last, also very colourful, very happy with this keyboard.Bought for a friend . There son loves it , the lights on the keyboard are lovely and not in your face . Very good buy.