Cherry K5V2 keyboard review: Great switches at a high price

Cherry is a reputation that’s inseparable from mechanical keyboards. The German firm’s MX change design is mainly the inspiration of the trendy keyboard trade. But whereas Cherry’s keyboards from the ’80s and ’90s have a sure cachet, as we speak the corporate is principally often called a elements provider to different keyboard producers. 

But Cherry remains to be making keyboards, at the very least as a lot to point out off its newest change designs as to promote merchandise in their very own proper. Enter the K5V2 RGB Compact, a refreshed 65% design boasting Cherry’s newest MX2A Red switches. These switches and another elements are certainly pretty, however the keyboard’s excessive worth and lack of software program customization maintain it from getting a simple advice. 

Further studying: See our roundup of the best gaming keyboards to find out about competing merchandise.

Cherry K5V2 {hardware} and magnificence

The K5V2 will look startlingly acquainted to anybody who’s shopped for a gaming keyboard as of late. Its 65% structure provides a little bit additional width to a compact design so as to match a Delete key and commonplace arrow cluster, whereas sacrificing solely a shortened proper Shift key in deviation from the ISO commonplace. It’s additionally displaying off RGB lighting and a removable braided USB-C cable.

Underneath that exterior are a few surprises. In addition to these brand-spankin’-new MX2A switches, the stabilizers are noticeably smoother and quieter than common. The change sockets are additionally hot-swappable, one thing that’s rapidly changing into vital function…however not one I anticipated to see on a keyboard that’s so particular about the advantages of its new switches. 

The keyboard has a number of different options borrowed from each the “custom” keyboard world and gaming designs, like inner layers of sound dampening, N-key rollover, and “super-scan technology for instant response,” which I’m going to guess is a excessive (however unspecified) polling price. Other than that, it’s a reasonably common design. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

The keyboard’s plastic physique and ABS keycaps aren’t all that spectacular, particularly for the value. While it’s strong sufficient, I discovered the single-stage toes on the underside considerably shallow. The final distinctive function of the design is a plastic badge that sits simply above the correct arrow key. It’s unpainted with a “CHERRY XTRAFY” emblem (the identical an on the Windows key) raised in black, and it’s held in place with nothing however a magnet. There doesn’t appear to be any level to it in addition to ornament. Okie dokie then. 

Software…or lack thereof

The very first thing you discover when the keyboard lights up its pretty vivid LEDs is that just about each single key — save for the key above Enter — has a chosen use on the operate layer. There are keys that replicate mouse motion. There’s a key that permits you to change between USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 mode, although I don’t know why you’d need to. There’s a operate key for launching the default Windows calculator, one thing I haven’t seen in a really very long time. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

Why Cherry felt the necessity to embody such an exhaustive record of capabilities on a keyboard that appears to be geared toward avid gamers, I couldn’t guess. Until I appeared for the programming software program…and didn’t discover any. You’d higher be glad with {hardware} customization, as a result of that’s the one sort on provide with the K5V2. 

How is the typing and gaming on the Cherry K5V2?

Perhaps feeling a bit left behind by competitors that’s been copying and bettering its out-of-patent MX design for years, Cherry made a giant press push for the MX2A switches. But to present credit score the place it’s due, they’re darn good. The pre-lubricated linear design with 45 newtons of working makes every key press easy from the highest of the actuation to the underside. And with an outer casing an identical to the unique design, it’s appropriate with hot-swap change sockets in tens of millions of keyboards. Nice. 

But it’s the stabilizers that basically steal the present right here. Other keyboard producers are inclined to overlook the items that give additional stability to lengthy keys like Space, Shift, and Enter. Not so for the K5V2. These keys get an additional “thocky” sound with none of the wobbliness or rattling that’s seen within the competitors, even a few of the greatest on the market like Keychron’s Q collection. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

All of those parts mix to make typing quick, gentle, and easy. Ditto for gaming, although I type of want one thing with a stiffer spring was provided…which I can actually do: Just observe down the MX2A Black switches with an identical linear design and 60 Newtons of actuation pressure. Hot-swap to the rescue. Sadly, it appears to be like just like the K5V2 is just being provided with Red switches upon the preliminary launch, the preferred selection for gaming keyboards. 

Is the Cherry K5V2 keyboard price it?

All this provides as much as a keyboard that’s fairly darn good, particularly if you happen to care a few strong typing and gaming expertise. Unfortunately, it additionally provides as much as a $139 USD sticker worth. While the German firm can actually declare its heritage in asking for a premium, the chilly, onerous truth of the matter is that this keyboard is made in China, identical to a lot of the competitors. And the competitors provides an terrible lot extra for the cash. 

For instance, just about any gaming keyboard over $100 (and plenty of below) will provide software program customization of some sort. While that is much less crucial for a keyboard than a mouse, it’s nonetheless very a lot anticipated, and a disgrace that the intense LEDs on this keyboard are restricted to built-in lighting patterns. The exhaustive and well-communicated sub-layer isn’t a ok substitute. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

It doesn’t assist that a few corners had been minimize for the K5V2. While the change plate is steel and provides a bit of additional stiffness, it’s the one factor that’s — the remainder of the physique is plastic. And the keycaps are ABS plastic, a slippery step down from the PBT plastic seen on most keyboards on this worth vary (with the notable exception of Razer). 

In truth apart from these nice switches and stabilizers, there isn’t a complete lot extra on this keyboard than there’s on the G.Skill KM250, one in all our perennial price range favorites. And with the latter’s hot-swap functionality, you may get a full substitute set of those MX2A switches (or some other premium change you need) for lower than the practically $100 worth distinction. Ouch.

Michael Crider/Foundry

While the K5V2 is a superbly serviceable keyboard with nice typing and wonderful stabilizers, “perfectly serviceable” simply isn’t sufficient within the extraordinarily aggressive mechanical keyboard market. Cherry is leaning closely on its pedigree, however its lack of software program customization, sub-standard keycaps, and excessive worth imply that it’s nowhere close to the perfect in present.