Redragon K580 VATA RGB LED Mechanical Keyboard

If you just want to get to the bottom line, this is it: this keyboard is phenomenal for what you're paying. If you don't care about brand names and don't want to pay the high premiums that the industry standards charge, just stop thinking about it and pull the trigger. I've been wanting to write this review for awhile. I've had this keyboard for over a year, and I'm typing on it right now. I bought it when my previous keyboard, a Redragon Indrah, had started to deteriorate on me (the switches were fine, but the LEDs started to fail. I didn't take great care of it, so I pin that on me). That keyboard was pretty good; it had full rgb, switches were good and it had macros and media keys. However, besides what I consider a premature failure, it had a large footprint, and it's looks weren't exactly to my preference. After considering more established options from Corsair, Logitech, etc., I decided it was better to save the money and buy the Vata since it seemed like an overall improvement over the Indrah at more or less the same price. I do not regret my decision in the slightest. Let's talk switches and feel first, since that's the most important part of the product. They feel great. They're blues on this keyboard, which is how I like it -- good actuation force, tactile, and oh so clicky. I don't have an insane amount of experience on other keyboards, so I'm no expert on the matter, but I usually prefer my keyboard over other keyboards I've tried. The main, direct comparisons I can offer are to that of Logitech's and Razer's (both newer and older) blues, and I can say for certain that this keyboard is easily on the same level. Cherry clones have come a long way. In most cases I've seen their performance nearly indistinguishable, and the Outemus on this board is no exception. If blues aren't your thing, I know they have the Vata in optical browns, but I can't exactly speak for those. The keycaps are probably the low point in this keyboard, but by no means are they bad. They have a slight amount of wobble, which may annoy those who are used to more premium offerings, but I find that to be a nitpick -- I don't even notice it. They larger issue with the keycaps is that they're the generic type with this "gamer" style font that you see on a lot of budget keyboards, so they don't look too unique or appealing, but more on that later. Overall, the feel is great, and I have no complaints. Now let's review the feature set. I honestly find this to be just as important as the feel just because I really like having my media keys and shortcuts. A fleshed out feature set on keyboards in this price range is pretty rare, but this keyboard punches the ticket. It has media keys, most importantly a physical volume rocker, which is a huge plus in my book. It has macro keys, that honestly I don't use too much, but they work fine. They have some shortcuts too, but frankly the one I find myself using the most is the calculator shortcut. You'd think this isn't something that substantial, but I honestly use it every time I need to use a calculator and I appreciate its inclusion immensely. Really, the only feature omitted that I would LOVE see is a USB passthrough for my Xbox controller or headphones. The other criticism I have is that the feel of the macros are subpar. They are made of this hard rubber material, and have a membrane feel to them. As I said previously, I don't use macros too much anyways, but I have to mention it. They're not awful, just okay. The media keys on the other hand have this clicky feel to them, which is great, and the volume rocker is pretty good. Maybe the steps could be more outspoken, but that's not an issue at all. The extra features for the Vata are absolutely solid, and it's frankly what makes this keyboard, in my opinion, stand above the rest in this price bracket. The last thing I have to mention is the software. The keyboard is mainly advertised as being able to change its configuration through key combinations, but the keyboard does have software on the Redragon website. Unfortunately it's pretty bad. I can't speak on it thoroughly because I only recently found out about it, but you can configure the macros from there, which I haven't done, as well as the LEDs. I'm not sure if you can customize the individual switch colors (my inclination is no), but you can customize the overall color of each of the effects. I have my keyboard one solid color, so it works fine for that. I have to say the functionality is not all there and the user experience isn't great. Finally let's go over the looks and build. Let me open with the chassis: it has a plastic backing with a metal front plate, which makes the keyboard extremely firm. Pretty much absent of any flex, and it has a pretty decent weight to it too. The pads are good, and it has the adjustable back legs to raise the keyboard, which is how I prefer to type. The footprint is slim for a full sized keyboard, which is great. Not bulky in the slightest, but still firm and solid. In terms of looks, I'd say this category is respectable. The frame has a matte finish, which is my preference over anything glossy or brushed. The switch LEDs are great. Unlike the Indrah, none of them have failed on me and they color match my other peripherals on the tee, given the same RGB values. They even have a LED strip on the side of the board which doesn't look bad, but you can't really customize through the software like you can with the switch LEDs, which is a bummer. They aren't too bright either, so they just get a pass from me. The main detractor for appearance on this keyboard are the aforementioned keycaps. They just look okay, and the aggressive but generic font does it no favors. They don't look bad, but I've seen these caps on so many other boards that it's just disappointing. Also, the light passthrough isn't the greatest. I wouldn't be complaining if they had that generic Arial-like font that so many keycap sets have since that seems to be the industry default. I know they wouldn't have cost more than the caps equipped here, but I digress. You can always easily replace the keycaps if you want, unlike most other things on a keyboard. The build gets a full pass from me, the LEDs are formidable, but the keycaps are my major criticism here. At the end of this review, I have to come back to the price. At less than seventy dollars, this keyboard is criminal. Every time I window shop other keyboards, I can never find a full sized keyboard that at its core is worth it when an offering like this available, so I rarely ever think twice about switching. I love the feel of this keyboard, and the added features such as the media keys are something I can't be without. Rigidness of the chassis is also something to behold. My main points for criticism is the keycaps, the software, and the lack of USB passthrough, but honestly those three points are pretty minimal in my overall opinion here. The keycaps are probably the worst offense here, but I can't say they're bad and I can always replace them if I wanted to. The software is the equivalent of some cheaply made Chinese software, but it works for what I need it to and I don't like spending too much time in my peripheral's software anyway -- at least it seems lightweight compared to the other suites that I have installed like iCUE or G Hub. Finally, the USB passthrough is really just a nitpick, and is just a quality of life feature I would love to see. I write this lengthy review for the appreciation I have for this keyboard. My keyboard is how I connect to my computer, which is something I spend a lot of time on given my profession, and the Vata serves me well. I just can't get over the completeness of this keyboard at the price that it's at. Redragon is a brand that seems like a cheap Chinese brand, and while admittedly their product line seems a bit inconsistent, they do have solid offerings and this is one of them. As more time goes on, I notice they release more enticing keyboards, such as the wireless 60% they just came out with (though I can't actually speak on the quality of that product). I hope that people realize how competitive of a keyboard this is in its category. I also hope a Redragon representative or related reads this and releases a variation of the Vata with a USB passthrough ;). My perfect version of this keyboard would be a more subtle keycap set, with USB passthrough, maybe even with solid Bluetooth functionality. If they could release that at 90 or less, it's something I'd pick up in heartbeat.