Redragon K552
$33.99
Pros
- Affordable
- RGB Lighting
- Mechanical Switches
Cons
- Not wireless
In this Redragon K552-RGB Kumara review, we will be testing out the K552-RGB, which is also known as the K552-RGB Kumara. Redragon have been around for quite sometime but they gained their popularity worldwide only in recent years. Established in 1996, Redragon are known to provide good-quality, low-priced products, and this mechanical gaming keyboard is a great example.
With its great build quality and impressive RGB lighting, the Redragon K552 Kumara RGB is definitely a keyboard to look out for. Especially if you’re looking to buy a mechanical keyboard for less than $35. There are quite a few versions of the Redragon K552 mechanical keyboard, such as the K552-N, K552-R, and K552-RGB. For the purpose of this Redragon K552 Review, we will be testing out the K552-RGB variant.
At the time of writing of this Redragon K552-RGB Review, the Redragon K552-RGB is only $33.99 on Amazon. It’s extremely difficult to find a mechanical gaming keyboard for that price, especially one that’s good and has customizable RGB lighting. Given the super cheap price point, the Redragon K552-RGB is a great option that doesn’t break the bank.
What’s the difference between the K552 variants?
The difference between the variants is that the K552-N does not have any backlight and the keycaps are non-doubleshot screen-printed keycaps. With a pricepoint of $25.99, the K552-N may just be the cheapest mechanical gaming keyboard in the market.
The R in K552-R stands for rainbow, in fact, in some websites this keyboard is also referred to as K552 Rainbow. Even though this variant is backlit, it literally has only one lighting mode which is Rainbow. You can still control the speed and brightness of the rainbow, and even turn it off, but you won’t be able to customize the lighting of the individual keys.
The K552-RGB, which is also known as the K552-RGB Kumara, comes with full RGB lighting, which means that you’ll be able to customize the lighting of each different key. Apart from that, you’ll also have multiple lighting modes to choose from. We will be testing out this variant in this Redragon K552 Review.
Design
The Redragon K552 is a keyboard with a TKL (Tenkeyless) layout, and this may be a deal-breaker to those who depend on their number pad. If a number pad is something you require in a keyboard, you should check out the K582 instead. The Redragon K582 is essentially the same keyboard but with a full 100% layout. Having said that, its a 65% layout so it still has the arrow keys, page control keys and F-keys. A great advantage of a TKL layout is that it will take a lot less space on your desk. In fact, this mechanical gaming keyboard has a width of only 14″ (35.5cm), so its footprint is fairly small. This is especially great if you don’t have a lot of desk space available.
When it comes to build quality, the Redragon K552 is definitely built to last. The description from their website literally states that this keyboard is “built to take a beating”. It’s built with a mix of hard plastic and metal, and it definitely shows no sign of flex. This cheap ten-keyless mechanical gaming keyboard comes with double-shot keycaps instead of the cheaper non-doubleshot screen-printed keycaps like the K552-N.
The rear feet in budget gaming keyboards aren’t usually adjustable or rubberized, but the K552-RGB actually has both! This mechanical gaming keyboard comes with adjustable feet to adjust the incline of the keyboard. Apart from that, the feet are rubberized so that the keyboard doesn’t go off sliding. When adjusting the feet to the maximum incline, the keyboard stand quite tall which can be slightly uncomfortable. With quite a tall profile, a wrist rest is usually required for ergonomics, but unfortunately it is not included in the box. However, given the budget price, we weren’t expecting one.
Switches
The switches in this budget mechanical gaming keyboard are Outemu Blue which are Cherry MX Blue equivalent. Just like the Cherry MX Blue, these switches may be slightly too loud to use in an office environment. The tactile click of the Outemu Blue switches are extremely satisfying and comfortable to use.
Features
Given the super cheap price point of this keyboard, the K552-RGB does not have a lot of features to play with. Having said that, the majority of features that are included in keyboards nowadays are generally useless. But still, it’s nice to have some features to make use of. The only features that the K552-RGB has are the media hotkeys at the top of the board, and the Windows Key Lock. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a USB pass through or any macro programmable keys.
Lighting
The K552-RGB has the best lighting when compared to the other K552 variants. This mechanical gaming keyboard has 18 different RGB lighting modes, with 9 different colors and 5 different backlight brightness levels. Apart from adjusting the brightness, you can also adjust the breathing speed. Unfortunately, the K552-RGB has no software support so the lighting has to be adjusted using the keyboard itself. This can also be seen as an advantage for some people, since you won’t have to download any software to control the lighting.
What’s in the box?
Apart from the keyboard itself, the box includes an awesome Redragon logo sticker, a user guide, and a keycap remover! We were quite surprised with the keycap remover since budget keyboard don’t usually include anything else other than the keyboard and a small guide.
Bottom Line
The Redragon K552-RGB is a great budget mechanical gaming keyboard with a superior build quality and customizable RGB lighting. Even though it lacks some of the features when compared to the best gaming keyboards, its still a great choice if want to get a mechanical gaming keyboard for under $40. If you’re looking for a great entry-level, mechanical gaming keyboard with RGB lighting, you should definitely try out the K552-RGB.
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