Capsule Review: Rosewill's RK-9000 Mechanical Keyboard
by Dustin Sklavos on January 26, 2012 12:40 AM EST- Posted in
- Keyboard
- Peripherals
- Rosewill
- Cherry MX
- Input Devices
The Rosewill RK-9000 in Action
While the Rosewill RK-9000 may not be much to look at, in practice it's something else entirely. We can break down the usage patterns a keyboard will see into two primary categories: gaming and word processing.
Before we get to that, though, there's an issue that bears mentioning. I've been using the RK-9000 for a touch over a month as my primary keyboard, and while it's a fantastic piece of kit that has made me enjoy working on these reviews for you that much more, I ran into one problem with it: the lettering fading.
It doesn't show quite as well as I would like in the photo, but take a look at the E, S, D, F, and C keys and you can see they're not as bright as the other keys. This isn't dirt, this is actual wear. And while I do beat my keyboards like they owe me money, this is a bit of a quality issue. Our rep assures me this shouldn't be happening with these keyboards and is sending me a replacement along with getting back to Rosewill's QC, but there's just no way to know if my sample has a problem or if this is going to be pervasive. I'd err on the side of pervasive, honestly, but this is a minor complaint. As long as the keyboard still works (and there's no reason not to think it won't for a long time), the lettering is an aesthetic issue as opposed to a practical one.
Gaming on the Rosewill RK-9000
The Rosewill RK-9000 uses Cherry MX Blue switches, and these switches are incredibly loud and incredibly tactile. Part of the experience is the sheer travel the keys have; if you have a tendency to royally beat up on your keyboard while typing, these switches are going to be fantastic. Unfortunately, during gaming I've found the RK-9000 to be less desirable than a high-end membrane-based keyboard.
The problem with the Cherry MX Blue switches is that everything that makes them fantastic for doing any kind of real writing with makes them poor for gaming. Key travel is pretty deep, making the RK-9000's base model a bad choice for any kind of game that requires multiple rapid keypresses, which is pretty much all of them. I've played many different kinds of games on the RK-9000, and while it hasn't had a drastically negative impact on the experience, it's definitely a step backward from the beat up Microsoft Reclusa I was using beforehand.
Typing noise can be an issue with these switches, too. While I personally love the sound of a good, clicky keyboard, it definitely detracts from the gaming experience. At certain points it may actually be difficult to hear the things you need to hear in a given game over the sound of the keyboard. This isn't a major issue, but it's noticeable.
Typing on the Rosewill RK-9000
While the RK-9000's Cherry MX Blue switches may be far from ideal for gaming, for regular typing they're the best experience I've had in a very long time. Since using the RK-9000, I've found I make far fewer typos than I did on my old Reclusa, and I suspect this is at least partly due to the increased key travel. You have to press the keys a little bit harder to register them than you would with a typical keyboard, which is fine if, like me, you brutalize your keyboards. Yet because of this travel, it's also much harder to fat finger the wrong keys. Spacing between the keycaps is generous yet the keys themselves never feel too small.
As for noise feedback, that's going to be a matter of taste, but personally I feel like I'm actually accomplishing things when I'm using the RK-9000. The clicking switches in the keys sound like work being done to me, in addition to just reminding me when keyboards used to be thick and heavy enough to be used as murder weapons and all the fun I had on my old computer when I was still just learning to be a geek.
Until I've tried the other mechanical switch types, I can say I'd very easily recommend the RK-9000 for anyone who's using their computer primarily or even almost exclusively for heavy duty typing. You might need to consider others near your work space as the clicky noise might be a distraction/annoyance, and there are bound to be some typists that prefer a lighter touch, but if you get a chance to try out a mechanical keyboard the majority of typists will like the experience.
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DanNeely - Friday, January 27, 2012 - link
Does your Choc Pro use a custom USB driver? I thought the 6 key roll over limit was from that.Aluvus - Friday, January 27, 2012 - link
I find it genuinely bizarre that you would describe the appearance as "generic" without noting the bright red backplate...that is quite visible in the adjacent picture. It's a pretty distinctive feature (and FWIW, I think looks pretty good in person).Belard - Friday, January 27, 2012 - link
While this keyboard *IS* about 15 years old, its not Mechanical... it does have a plastic piece that pushes down on a thick rubber membrane to the sensor. I paid $20 for it back in 1997, made by LiteON (but sold under other labels as well).This keyboard is SO old, I have to use an AT>PS/2 adaptor > extension cable to use it (otherwise its 4" of heavy connectors hanging off the back).
And back then, they didn't use the CHEAP paint or stick-on decals they use today! Look at your keys, notice the outline? Yep, they stuck the letters on your keyboard. Even a $100 Logitech keyboard has stickers?! So my letters look pretty much the same as 10+ years ago.
I do like the feel of Mechanicals, but not the noise... but the feel of this keyboard is what I like. It has a FAT enter key, a big Backspace button and they tucked the \ key under the Enter key. Which is more useful. We don't need a big shift key on the right side.
When this keyboard dies... I am screwed. NOBODY makes a keyboard like this... A few that are kind of close are black, which makes it hard to read in the dark.... so I'll most likely have to go with a $100 illuminated keyboard... with the think enter key and tiny backspace key.
Keytronic also makes mechanical keyboards... but the quality is not the same from 10+ years ago. I also keep an old DELL mechanical as backup... noisy, ugh. But does feel good.
Pylon757 - Saturday, January 28, 2012 - link
It's not stickers, though it looks like it. They printed it and give it a hard plastic coating (which looks like a sticker)Keytronic does not make mechanicals, but their rubber domes are really nice quality.
Lugaidster - Friday, January 27, 2012 - link
I both type a lot and game a lot (various game types). And while I would love to have a mechanical keyboard for typing, they are neither available in my visual layout (I still haven't found one and I've looked) nor are confortable for playing games like SC2 (however, I would love to be proven wrong). That being said, if I ever buy me a workstation, I'd love to have one of these http://matias.ca/tactilepro3/index.php, they are both beautiful and functional, and are sold with different switches. Dustin should review one of these, and the ones sold to gamers like the Corsair and the tT meka g1.Cheers,
Lugaid
don_k - Friday, January 27, 2012 - link
Certainly niche, yes. You're wrong about gaming though, professional Starcraft players typically use mechanical keyboards, at least a large percentage do. Google 'starcraft filco'.Pick one with cherry mx black switches if you want to game a lot, those type of switches are best for repeated key presses.
For people curious about mechanical keyboards I'd recommend either the Matias tactile pro for Mac users or a Filco mechanical.
Earballs - Friday, January 27, 2012 - link
I won't buy a KB these days unless it's ergonomic (not the "wave" shape). Us wonky board people get he shaft!GullLars - Saturday, January 28, 2012 - link
So would this be good for programming then?I have a logitech G15 i use for gaming, so if there's no compatibility issue with having both plugged in and just swapping them on the desk when starting (or stopping) gaming, i'd consider buying this. Price is not an issue as long as it's not several hundred $.
AssBall - Saturday, January 28, 2012 - link
When my wife's office upgraded their systems 9 years ago, I told her to snag me a few of their USB WYSE keyboards. I am still using the one and I am very hard on it. I have 2 more for backup when I finally break this one.Athlex - Friday, February 3, 2012 - link
I use a Cherry "RS 6000" (quite similar in name to the RK-9000) which just has cheapo silicone dome switches and is showing almost identical keycap wear to this Rosewill. I wonder if this may be a rebadged Cherry keyboard with better switches...