Monoprice Enthusiast - Backlit Full Size Red Switch Mechanical Keyboard (113790)

I ordered this keyboard as my first mechanical keyboard. I've had it for a few weeks now and I am satisfied with the performance. I have no complaints with the quality of the product, however I do have 3 complaints. First of all, there is no braided cable which the keyboard advertises to have, it really doesn't bother me that there is no braided cable, however it says in the description of the product that there is a fully braided cable. The second complaint I have is the instruction manual that comes with the keyboard. It is wrong, it was only a minor setback though because the full manual is on the monoprice website. The third and final complaint I have is that the 5th picture in the description claims to have multiple colors to choose from with the backlit keys. This is false, the only color that appears is a white LED light. I was disappointed with this because I want to match the color of the keyboard with a color of the light strip I have on my desk. These problems were frustrating, however the pros outweigh the cons with this keyboard. I would recommend this keyboard as an entry level mechanical keyboard. I personally really enjoy this keyboard.

good

Good quality product and worth the money spent.

Enter key is in an awkward position, which I should've accounted for when purchasing it. After about 9 months of usage, though, I've noticed that the keys don't have a satisfying "click" when you press them down; in fact, some of them emit an annoying squeak. For a first mechanical keyboard, though, it's not that bad, especially for its price.

the mechanical keys are too "clicky" for me (loud) and the enter key is difficult to reach comfortably. I liked the backlit features! I wish it wasn't a mechanical keyboard and the enter key was within reach otherwise i wouldn't have sent it back..

First of all, you can get this exact keyboard on the Monoprice site for $23. Whoever is selling this on amazon for $95 should be ashamed of themselves. For $100 you can get MUCH better mechanical keyboards.This is a great first mechanical keyboard or a mechanical keyboard for someone that doesn't mind the ugly "gamer font" that used on a lot of these budget keyboards; I do wish it was a little more professional looking in that regards. More on this after a bit. It's built like a tank. I love the outemu red switches - they're a little scratchy feeling, but I kinda like it. I don't have experience with Gaterons or other brands though so your mileage may vary.There's a few BIG issues with it though.It's a mix of both ANSI and ISO layouts. If you look closely, the enter key is ISO, meaning it's not the width of two keys next where you'd normally be pressing it. Because of this, you'll need to retrain your muscle memory to reach further to the right with your pinky, until then you'll be hitting the \ key by accident. It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but it's annoying.The other issue however, was a bigger disappointment and will really only affect users who wish to customize the keycaps. Although you can find custom MX style keycaps in mixed ISO/ANSI standards, the stabilizers used in this keyboard's larger keys are not MX compatible. This means that you can't replace the modifier keys and some of the keys in the numpad. They're neither MX nor costar style. You're stuck with mixing the ugly keys with your new ones. Although I have ordered a replacement set of costar stabilizers to test their compatibility - they're coming from china and wont be here for another month. I'm not holding my breath though; I doubt they'll work.I do like the keyboard and will probably use it at work but I wanted to customize it a bit to use for gaming at home. Since none of this was mentioned in the description, I will assume other Monoprice keyboards use these stabilizers so I'll be getting something else.Tl;dr: It's a nice solid keyboard that you can get for much cheaper at the monoprice site - but don't get if you have any interest in replacing the keycaps.

Mechanical keyboards aren't exactly cheap now a days. With some reaching well into the $150 price range. Just finding a good back-lit one can hit the wallet pretty deep. But here is a excellent choice for a great gaming grade mechanical keyboard, that doesn't break the bank. After using membrane keyboards for years, I thought they were good enough. Im typing this review using this enthusiast keyboard. It can be a bit touchy for typing errors but still good for doing the task. Its extremely responsive and feels very accurate. Double taps of the keys are a breeze and feel much better than on a standard keyboard. Each key has individual back lighting and can be set using the "Fn" key to do awesome effects. The snake is my fave, although I prefer to leave all the keys fully lit for visibility. The back light is white with no other options. They have a RGB version I believe with more color choices. There is some squeaking when some of the keys are pressed. This mainly happens with the larger keys like the space bar or shift keys. Its not too bad though and with a pair of headphones on, it's non existent. The switches used are Outemu Red which are similar to Cherry's, but are not exactly the same. None the less they feel and work excellent. My main gripes are that I wish the keys were labeled a little better regarding the Fn functions. There is a sheet of paper it comes with that explains what Fn functions are available. But the keys themselves have nothing other than the standard icons. So for instance to forward a track in iTunes you hold the "Fn" key and press F1. But the F1 key just says F1, no arrows like a track forward icon. Then I wish the Palm rest was a inch longer. It is removable so you could always add your own. The build quality is great and the keyboard feels very solid and has a good heavy weight to it. Overall I highly recommend this keyboard. For the Price it's in a class of it's own."This product was sent to me by MonoPrice for review."