Corsair may have diversified into the peripherals market a couple of years ago but they currently are one of the most active gaming peripheral developers. The company does well enough in that segment of the market that they recently founded their own gaming brand, Corsair Gaming. Although the company owes much of their success on the first Vengeance keyboards and mice, it is their recent RGB-series that has given them a significant advantage as a talking point among gamers and keyboard enthusiasts. As a precursor to this piece, we had a thorough review of the Corsair Gaming K70 RGB Mechanical Keyboard when it first came out nearly a year ago, as well as a quick look on all of their RGB keyboards and two of their newest gaming mice some months ago.

The Corsair STRAFE

Although the K65/K70/K95 RGB keyboards are outstanding products, they all share a common flaw - their retail price. Having a fully mechanical keyboard with exclusive Cherry MX RGB switches is an expensive endeavor and, even though their capabilities and performance are excelling, these models are just too expensive for many users and they ultimately paid an early adopter premium as a result. This is especially true for users that do not need or care for programmable RGB per-key backlighting. As a result Corsair is today throwing another card on the table by releasing the STRAFE, a mechanical gaming keyboard that may be limited to red backlighting but supposedly lacks no practical features over the RGB models. The truly interesting part however is that the STRAFE has an MSRP of just $110, nearly half the MSRP of the K70 RGB ($200).

Corsair STRAFE Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Key features and specifications

• Cherry MX switches (Red or Brown)
• Per Key Backlight (Red)
• Fully Programmable (Corsair Utility Engine compatible)
• USB Port
• Textured and contoured keycaps
• Gaming Circuitry (Anti-Ghosting)
• Easy Access Media

Packaging & Bundle

Corsair supplies the STRAFE in a well-designed, thick cardboard box. The artwork is based on a picture of the keyboard itself and has a black/yellow color theme, which is the "signature" livery of the Corsair Gaming brand. Alongside with the keyboard, Corsair supplies a very basic manual, a keycap removal tool and two sets of gaming keycaps. The first set is supposed to be for FPS gamers and the second for MOBA gamers. Both sets are contoured and textured. Two keycaps, the W and the D, exist in both sets but have different contours as a result.

The Corsair STRAFE Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

Externally, the STRAFE is a completely different design than any of the RGB family keyboards that we reviewed in the past. Although the design remains modern and is rather elegant, the flat metallic body is now gone, as the STRAFE has a low profile plastic frame without a wrist rest or support for one. The keys are installed on a red support plate for increased visual contrast and mechanical strength. It is noteworthy to mention that the controversial "winged heart" logo that debuted alongside with Corsair's Gaming division and received much negative criticism is now gone. Corsair's new gaming peripherals logo, a variation on the previous ship sails logo, is now relocated to the top left side of the keyboard.

Although the aluminum body is now gone, the plastics that Corsair is using are of good quality, with great rigidity and feel. The top cover is slightly textured but the sides of the keyboard are glossy and slightly reflective. LED lighting strips have been installed on both sides of the keyboard in the gap between the glossy sides and the textured top cover.

The STRAFE pretty much is a standard full-size keyboard, with the only two extra keys being the square keys at the top right side of the keyboard. By default, one of the square keys controls the intensity of the lighting, while the second locks the Windows keys so they are not accidentally pressed during gaming (which minimised the game and causes a bit of rage). Media functions for volume and track controls have been inserted as secondary commands in the F5-F12 keys, and are accessible by holding down the FN key. There are no dedicated media keys or the much-loved metallic volume control wheel that is found on their higher tier keyboards. Since the STRAFE is fully programmable, it is highly likely that one of the two extra keys can become a volume mute key, or both are going to become volume control keys. There is a lot of dead space between the Numpad and the two keys at the top right side of the keyboard, so there may be an upgraded version in the future with at least the basic volume control keys there.

The stock keycaps of the STRAFE are standard black keycaps with enlarged characters, with the exception of the Space Bar key. The Space Bar key is textured and it feels great while typing. The surface of the Space Bar should also decay less easily now, as Space Bar keys with their right side heavily worn out are a common phenomenon. Beneath the keycaps, Cherry MX switches with red LEDs are used. We received the version with the Cherry MX Red switches, but Corsair also offers the STRAFE with Cherry MX Brown switches. The selection of a switch is heavily a matter of personal preference. Some people like the soft tactile feedback of the Brown switch while others enjoy the linearity and responsiveness of the Red switch.

Corsair supplies two sets of contoured and textured keycaps alongside with the STRAFE. The WASD keycap set is meant for FPS gamers, while the QWERDF set is meant for MOBA gamers. If someone likes to change the stock key settings from, for example, WASD to ESDF like some FPS gamers do, the only solution would be to use the contoured keycaps in the place of the ESDF keys, ignoring the wrong characters.

The STRAFE actually features one thing that none of the top tier Corsair keyboards has - an USB port. The pass-through USB port is found at the rear of the keyboard, near the thick cable. It is worth noting that there is no polling rate switch on the STRAFE, and the cable is not braided either - it is a thick black cable with futuristic easy-grip connectors. 

The Software

As we mentioned before, the STRAFE features only red backlighting and has red lighting stripes on its sides. The stripes on the sides are high and rather dim, so they will not really project any light onto a desk. Still, there are many lighting options and controls. The STRAFE is fully programmable and compatible with Corsair's excellent CUE (Corsair Utility Engine) software. We had a thorough look at the CUE software in our review of the K70 RGB and, save from the ability to select any color other than shades of red, the STRAFE retains the same level of programmability. This includes lighting controls and effects, which can be programmed in individual keys or groups of keys, such as ripple effects and type lighting. The user can also select between about twelve shades of red that practically are different intensity levels. As for programmability, the CUE software is one of the best ever written for that job. There are endless options, from simple layout changes to the creation of very complex macros. The polling rate of the STRAFE is also adjustable from within the CUE software, even if there is no physical switch on the keyboard. Below is a picture gallery of the software, but for a better look into the package we recommend heading over to our analysis on the K70 RGB review.

Quality Testing

In order to test the quality and consistency of a keyboard, we are using a texture analyser that is programmed to measure and display the actuation force of the standard keyboard keys. By measuring the actuation force of every key, the quality and consistency of the keyboard can be quantified. It can also reveal design issues, such as the larger keys being far softer to press than the main keys of the keyboard. The actuation force is measured in Centinewton (Cn). Some companies use another figure, gram-force (gf). The conversion formula is 1 Cn = 1.02 gf (i.e. they are about the same). A high quality keyboard should be as consistent as possible, with an average actuation force as near to the manufacturer's specs as possible and a disparity of less than ±10%. Greater differences are likely to be perceptible by users. It is worth noting that there is typically variance among keyboards, although most keyboard companies will try and maintain consistency - as with other reviews, we're testing our sample only.

The machine we use for our testing is accurate enough to provide readings with a resolution of 0.1 Cn. For wider keys (e.g. Enter, Space Bar, etc.), the measurement is taking place at the center of the key, right above the switch. Note that large keys generally have a lower actuation force even if the actuation point is at the dead center of the key. This is natural, as the size and weight of the keycap reduces the required actuation force. For this reason, we do display the force required to actuate every key but we only use the results of the typical sized keys for our consistency calculations. Still, very low figures on medium sized keys, such as the Shift and Enter keys reveal design issues and can easily be perceptible by the user.

The Corsair Gaming STRAFE Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is ridiculously consistent, even for a keyboard with Cherry MX switches. The Cherry MX Red switches have an actuation force rating of 45 Cn and Corsair's STRAFE average is exactly 45 Cn, with a disparity of just ± 1.9%. Even the actuation force of the large Space Bar key is just five Cn lower than that of the standard keys, an amazing feat for a keyboard without a different switch there. For any keyboard with Cherry MX switches, we usually expect to see a disparity spread of at least ± 3% and no more than ± 8%. Even with "handpicked" switches of superior quality, it is very difficult to reach such consistency ratings, which had us wondering whether the astounding consistency of the sample that we received may be due to an amazing stroke of luck.

Conclusion

In terms of quality, the Corsair Gaming STRAFE Mechanical Gaming keyboard rates much better than most similarly priced keyboards that I have used. It loses some luster and feel over the models with the aluminum frames but the plastics are of very good quality, significantly better than the majority of $50-100 keyboards that I have previously encountered. The keys are very sturdy and the cross supports reduce wobbliness down to a minimum. Cherry, the most renowned manufacturer of switches, is Corsair's supplier (and revered trading partner, these two companies have struck many deals recently, including Corsair's exclusive RGB switch). The responsiveness and feel of the two extra square keys is excellent as well.

The design of a peripheral is a largely subjective matter and the STRAFE is no exception. It is an elegant keyboard, fancy enough to be appealing on a gamer's desktop but not overly kitschy so as to drive potential customers away. The red stripes on the sides are subtle and not intrusive, giving the STRAFE a futuristic design and feel. The textured Space Bar key is another nice touch, as it feels exceptional while typing and should last a little longer than a typical keycap. For gamers, the inclusion of the two contoured keycap sets may be a nice addition. We do not really find it practical to change keycaps between casual use/work and gaming, or to be restricted within specific key sets on a programmable keyboard, but they might be useful for some gamers, especially those who intent to use the STRAFE just for gaming. Although it is not a critical omission, the lack of dedicated volume controls is not very good for a quality gaming keyboard. On the other hand, the inclusion of a USB port is a nice addition, one that Corsair will hopefully expand to higher and lower tier products.

The greatest advantage of the STRAFE is its programmability and compatibility with Corsair's CUE software. The CUE software is one of the best of its kind, with ludicrous programmability and lighting options that will satisfy even the most advanced and demanding of users. It allows for the programming of each and every key on the STRAFE, as well as of any number of different profiles/settings. The downside is that there is no native profile switch key on the STRAFE so, unless a key is reprogrammed to cycle through profiles, the profiles need to be changed manually or set to actuate automatically once a specific application launches. I can only find it unable to do one thing, which is the recording of mouse movement macros with absolute on-screen coordinates. Still, absolute cursor coordinates can be manually inserted if necessary, making the programming of very precise and swift macros possible, albeit rather time-consuming.

To be clear on our testing here, we usually test the peripherals we review for several days before writing the actual texts. However, we did not have the luxury of time with the STRAFE, as the sample arrived just a few days prior to the NDA lift. Still, it was on my desk for a good couple of days, tested in the lab, and this review as well as two 15-page reports were typed with it. It also encountered about half an hour of gaming and some casual use without issue.

Summarizing, we feel that the STRAFE Mechanical Gaming keyboard is another great idea by Corsair. No, this is not a perfect product, neither a keyboard for everybody. It is a product bridging the gap between standard non-programmable keyboards and the fully programmable RGB family of products, severely reducing the cost for those that want a high quality and fully programmable keyboard but do not care for RGB backlighting or cannot afford an expensive RGB family model. The STRAFE just became available today and sells for $110 including shipping, which is exactly Corsair's MSRP. Considering that the K70 RGB now retails for $155, nearly 25% lower than its MSRP price, the STRAFE may soon live up to its name and be sidestepping the MSRP and selling for less, making it an amazing deal for a greatly adaptive gaming keyboard. Even at its current retail price, the STRAFE is a product that we would easily recommend to anybody wants a high quality programmable keyboard, likes its design and does not mind about having the full RGB experience.