Great value for money
What’s in the box:
- 1x ASUS TUF Gaming K1 RGB keyboard
- 1x detachable wrist rest
- 1x Manual
- 1x Warranty booklet
Features:
- Anti-Ghosting: 19 keys-rollover
- WIN Lock Key, Lighting Brightness Level Switch
- Dedicated volume knob
- Spill-resistance
- Side light bar
- Cable: 1.8m rubber cable
- Colour: Black
- Ergonomic design
Specifications:
- Media Hot Keys: Forward (F9), Play/Pause and Stop (F10), Backward (F11), Mute/Unmute (F12)
- Macro Hot Keys: F1-F8 keys Programmable, On-the-Fly Macro Recording, Step 1: Fn + Right-ALT to Start Recording, Step 2: Fn + Right-ALT to End Recording, Step 3: Assign Macro Key
- Colour Setting Hot Keys: Fn + Delete: Red Increase (10 Levels), Fn + End: Green Increase (10 Levels), Fn + Page Down: Blue Increase (10 Levels)
- Connectivity: USB 2.0
- Lighting: 5-zone RGB
- Macro Keys: On-the-Fly Macro Recording, Step 1: Fn + Right-ALT to Start Recording, Step 2: Fn + Right-ALT to End Recording, Step 3: Assign Macro Key
- Profile Hot Keys: Fn + 1/ 2 / 3/ 4: Profile 1 – 4 (4 is the Default Profile)
- Lighting Effects Hot Keys: Fn + Right or Fn + Left
- Brightness Setting Hot Keys: Fn + Up or Fn + Down
- Clear On-Board Memory Hot Keys: Hold Fn + ESC for 15 Seconds
- Weight 810 grams
Aesthetics:
The ASUS TUF K1 keyboard is an absolute stunner with smooth lines and RGB lighting. Here we have a matt black finish with a pretty cool pattern on the top of the keyboard to make it stand out just that little bit.
On either side of the keyboard, there are two rectangular light strips that add a little something extra.
The lights to show when your Caps Lock, Num lock, etc is engaged are little rectangles on the right side of the keyboard. I quite enjoy the placement of these as they coincide with the rectangle RGBs on the side of the keyboard.
The top of the keyboard features a section that stands out from the rest of the keyboard and holds the volume control button, which adds to the overall appearance of the keyboard.
This piece features the ASUS TUF logo as well as the cool pattern I mentioned previously to give it a more dynamic appearance.
Comfort:
The K1 is extremely comfortable to type on and for a membrane, keyboard has higher keys than other membrane keyboards in its class.
I use my keyboard for a lot of typing as I’m behind my PC most of the day and I found this keyboard to be super smooth and my typing speed doesn’t get affected, in fact, I type even faster now.
I hardly notice the keyboard is there anymore and the wrist rest helps with this as it adds to the comfortability when in use.
The keys are just the right amount of tactile and are not too clicky but for those who enjoy the clicky sound, there is still an element of this present here.
Durability:
The keyboard itself is made from a hard durable plastic; it has a little weight to it which does add to its durability.
There are two little plastic flaps on the back to angle your keyboard upwards and these open with a satisfying little click and are pretty sturdy as in they won’t just fall over when the keyboard is bumped or pushed.
The ASUS TUF K1 is reportedly resistant to small spills on the keyboard which is great for those of us who enjoy our cup of coffee while we work, but as to the efficacy of this I haven’t tested it out yet.
This keyboard has a rubber cable that is very sturdy and does not tangle or knot, which is ideal in a power cord because you don’t want to waste time fiddling with it.
User Friendly & Functionality:
The F9, F10, F11, and F12 keys can also be used as media keys.
There is a dedicated volume knob on the top right of the keyboard for your convenience when you want to blast your music a bit louder or maybe have those in-Game sounds pop just that little bit more.
The F1 to F8 keys are your programmable Macro keys which you can program to your liking.
Let’s talk about the keyboard’s overall RGB lighting. The K1 doesn’t feature per-key lighting but rather for a five-zone lighting scheme. There are four preset lighting choices namely, Static, Breathing, Colour Cycle, and Wave. If you aren’t happy with these you can customize your settings with the ASUS Armoury Crate software.
This keyboard also has onboard memory, so you can carry your customized settings with you wherever you go.
One issue you could run into is that if the RGB lighting is turned off you won’t be able to see the letters on the keys at all. Another issue I ran into is that the RGB lighting has missing areas if you look closely at the keys themselves.
MGR Gaming’s Conclusions:
I personally loved this keyboard even though it is a budget keyboard and on the cheaper side of the spectrum, I found it to be really good quality and have gotten quite attached to it.
The keys are all where they should be, and there’s no need to look down or get used to different key placements, making this a perfect choice for someone who types a lot and wants to focus on what they’re doing rather than thinking about it.
Overall great quality for a great price, this keyboard really has everything you need and more, and really surprised me for the price. I enjoyed working with this keyboard as it’s tactile but also smooth enough to type effortlessly for hours without issues.
You can purchase this amazing little keyboard at Takealot.
