One of the best things about mechanical keyboards, at least for me, is that there are a ton of choices and options so you can find the one that perfectly fits your preferences. Whether you're a hardcore gamer who needs the biggest, best and fastest one around or you're a more causal gamer who needs something great at work and occasional play, there's something for everyone.
Cherry has long been one of the best keyboard makers and continues to have a huge presence and influence on the industry. The newest version of it's popular compact gaming keyboard, the XTRFY K5V2, offers a lot for both hardcore and enthusiast gamers to love.
What I like about the Cherry K5V2 keyboard
Jason Cockerham/CNET
I sometimes forget how much I enjoy smaller keyboards. They take up less space on my desk while still giving me all the essential functions I need. The K5V2 is a 65% keyboard which keeps things nice and compact with the only extra keys being Delete, Page Up and Page Down, all of which are tucked in on the right edge. There's a tiny Cherry magnet on that side too which I found to be an odd inclusion but at least you can take it off.
Cherry switches have long been synonymous with build quality, and thankfully its keyboards are just as well built. The K5V2 has a metal plate, two layers of sound-dampening and pre-lubed PCB stabilizers, all adding up to a very solid keyboard. No part of the K5V2 feels cheap.
Glorious Cherry keys
There's a reason Cherry has been such a dominant player in the mechanical keyboard space: it makes beautifully tactile switches. The K5V2 I reviewed has Cherry's new MX2A Red switches. They don't have quite as much audible clack as I'd like, but they still feel great. They're smooth and responsive with enough tactile feedback to remind me why I fell in love with Cherry switches in the first place.
This keyboard is part of Cherry's XTRFY lineup which is all about gaming, so the company has included its "super-scan technology" which increases the polling rate of the keys. The company claims the keyboard is scanning keypresses every half millisecond for an incredibly fast response rate, and while I wasn't able to directly test that claim, I can say it responded incredibly fast for me.
Detailed customization
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