Redragon K550 RGB Gaming Keyboard, 104 Keys + 12 Macro G Keys Wired Mechanical Keyboard w/Aluminum Top Plate, Custom Clicky Purple Switch, Extra USB Port & Wrist Rest

This is by far the best mechanical keyboard with many macro keys that I have come across since I got my original Gateway 2000 Anykey keyboard with my Gateway 2000 computer back in 1994. I've tried a number of keyboards since, but this one is the first to have all the features of the Anykey, plus more, all at a very reasonable price. Yes, older versions of the Corsair K95 had 18 macro keys to the Redragon Yama's 12 (the Anykey also has 12), but for $200, the old Corsair K95 just didn't really provide significant additional value. Neither did the various Logitech keyboards of years past that provided large numbers of macro keys. And today, it seems to be impossible to find a keyboard with at least 12 macro keys that is sold as new. Most keyboards, including the Corsair K95 and K100, have a maximum of 6 dedicated macro keys.The K550 Yama is no longer listed on the main Redragon site, although you can still find it on their redragonzone.com site. For this reason, if you're considering buying this keyboard new, you might want to do so in the not too distant future.The keyboard can be run strictly as a plug-and-play keyboard, with full macro key functionality available, available with a wide variety of 18 preprogrammed lighting schemes. Or you can download software designed specifically for the K550 Yama, which allow you to reprogram just about any key on the keyboard, either with a single key replacement or a custom macro - just like the Anykey. You can also create your own custom lighting schemes. The software comes with three custom profiles, so you can easily switch from one to the other depending on your needs at the time.The biggest gripe that people have with this keyboard is that by default, when macros are recorded, the delay implicit in typing the macros is recorded with the macros themselves. This appears to be a rather bad design decision, but fortunately it's very easy to overcome via an undocumented feature. If you don't want any delays between keypresses when your G macro is replayed, simply hit the Rec button twice quickly (instead of once) when you start to record your macro. Normally, any time you hit the Rec button, it will toggle its state between lit and unlit. But if you hit it rapidly enough twice in succession (which isn't very hard), it will light up after the first hit and stay lit after the second. Any macro you record now will not have any delays.The other problem people have is that they can't find the current software for the K550 Yama, as it isn't listed with the software for Redragon's other keyboards. As I mentioned earlier, the K550 Yama is no longer listed on the main Redragon site, and so you have to go to a different Redragon site to find the K550 Yama and its software. You can find everything you need at https://www.redragonzone.com/pages/download. There's an image of the K550 in the second column, third from the bottom. If you click on this image, you get a little popup window that contains a link to the actual software in the form of a zip file. Don't be discourage by the fact that the first two files in the zip file are in Chinese; the third file is the actual program, and it is entirely in English. It also appears to work fine.Using the software, you can also save and restore your configurations.All in all, this is a fantastic keyboard at a great price, and the availability of RGB lighting with essentially unlimited lighting schemes, plus a few extra dedicated keys for frequently used programs (email. browser, calculator, calculator, search, etc.), make this the best keyboard I have seen in 30 years, and the first to truly surpass the Anykey.

Better than expected. Great quality, the colors are very vibrant and the preset light patterns are really cool. Overall amazing price for a fully mechanical 100% keyboard. I also didn't expect to fall in love with the metal frame, but it looks great with my setup.

I decided to switch away from a versatile yet boring ergonomic keyboard to something with more macros and fun lights. I am glad I did, because going back to a standard form keyboard has kept my form more in line with the laptop keyboard, streamlining the process of switching between them when mobile. The Redragon software for this keyboard is a bit difficult to use compared to others that have full features and can even load profiles per app (is there a diff app for customization?). With the number of macro and accessory keys, it speeds up your process, whether for gaming or other repetitive tasks. The extension USB on it made for an easy method of daisy-chaining all of my accessories to reduce USB port usage on my laptop. Overall, I recommend it in spite of the customization software being difficult to use.

My son is so hard to buy for so when he casually mentioned once that he’d like to have a keyboard with a USB port, I knew what to get him for his birthday! He loves the sound and feel of a mechanical keyboard and this is most gamers’ & programmers’ preferred brand. High quality, plug & play, & the different color options are cool.

The K550 feels great to use. As my first mechanical keyboard having the buttons register before being fully pressed makes it feel almost like the keyboard has a negative latency, which is a pretty cool.The RGB Lighting is absolutely fantastic. Being able to set individual key colors let me set up my lighting in a way I've never been able to before & I love it!The problems comes when trying to set up the macro keys... There is no option to change the delay for the G-Keys whatsoever, but there is for every other key... I tried to work around this issue by setting my G1-G12 keys to F1-F12 & then using F1-F12 as macro keys so I can adjust the keypress delays on my macros. Problem solved... right? Wrong. The G-Keys cannot be used with modifier keys. So performing actions such as Alt+G4(Alt+F4 with my current setup) is completely impossible.So now I have to make a choice... Not have control over keypress delays in my macros, or not have access to shortcuts like Alt+F4... Not exactly ideal.On a smaller note... the media keys don't light up until pressed...... Who's the genius who thought that was a good idea? The only time the media keys light up are when your finger is ACTIVELY covering them to press them down.... Really? 1.) I need to SEE my keys before I press them. 2.) What's the point of a light that only shines when it's completely obstructed?Anyway... Aside from those failings, I love everything else about it. It's EXTREMELY sturdy feeling due to the fully metal backing behind the keys, the latency feels non-existent, & the lighting is seriously mind-blowing. This is hands down the best keyboard I've ever owned when it comes to quality & typing feel, so I can't be too harsh because of a few downsides. Even the volume roller has an excellent notching feel as you roll it. Will probably buy again, & would buy one with the downsides above fixed in a heartbeat!