Sentey Cyph3r Keyboard review



This keyboard is close to perfect – with just a few little quibbles

The manufacturer lists this as a gaming keyboard. I think it is that and much more. In so many ways it stands alone in terms of design, functionality, usability and comfort.

OVERVIEW

Using a keyboard, at least for me, is a very personal thing. I spend much more time than average at a keyboard and I have rarely found one that is “just right”. It may have to do with the key shape, the amount of pressure it takes to activate them, how far they travel, key spacing (which includes how the manufacturer designs the gaps between the keys), unusual key placement or shape, the slope of the keyboard, how the “click” sounds, and more.

As a keyboard – forgetting whether it is used for gaming, business or personal computing – the Crph3r hits so many of the above points so positively that I would just like to say I love it.  But I can’t. It is close to perfect but read on to see why it left me hungry for more.

HANDS-ON

The first impression when taking it out of the shipping box is how HEAVY it is. The first thing I did is weighed it … it came in at 5 pounds, holy cow! After further unpacking of the retail box I found an all-black inner box with a magnetic flap that opened to reveal the keyboard in a custom-fitted cloth carrying case and an assortment of manuals, posters and a door-knob hanger, all printed on high-end materials. While the keyboard is pretty substantial on its own, I found that the monolithic black box by itself weighed in at a whopping 3 pounds, with the keyboard on its own only weighing in at less than the remaining 2 lbs. Since I plan to use my keyboard daily and will never store it again I guess I will have to find a use for that box to store something valuable in, like my Stradivarius.

HIGHLIGHTS

-        119 keys (U.S. layout

-        Backlit illuminated (red) keys, dimmable

-        Bottom base lights up red (cool)

-        128k internal memory

-        6 rollover keys

-        Heavy-duty braided cable (excellent)

-        9 fully programmable macro keys – no software needed

-        Game key (locks Windows key)

-        Gaming cluster with anti-ghosting











PROS

The biggest plus of the Cyph3r is the astounding number of custom programmable keys and the placement of those keys. I’ve never seen anything like it in any keyboard. Usually when there are programmable keys they are pre-designated by the designer they way he thinks they should be used. They are usually placed in a way that they are scattered around, often along the top where they are hard to reach, and are small, oddly-shaped and don’t have the same “feel” as the rest of the keys. The Cyph3r’s placement is perfect … six of them lined up along the left side of the main keys where, with a little practice, they can be activated by the left hand’s little finger without looking at the keyboard … an obvious advantage for gaming but also for speed typing. But wait, there’s more – there are also three custom keys under the spacebar where they can be activated by touch by the thumb, just where I would want them. All of the keys are illuminated and operate with about the same amount of pressure and key travel.

As a gaming keyboard it checks all the right boxes regarding key response, configurability, accuracy and virtually everything else, all without looking “weird” (which is not a bad thing, but gaming keyboards don’t HAVE to look weird). As a business/personal keyboard it is quieter than most gaming keyboards, an important consideration. But it is not a silent keyboard.

The Cyph3r does something the more famous companies miss out on by accomplishing their programmability inside the keyboard rather than by using a cumbersome software app on your computer, which can introduce significant lag and require almost 100MB of drive space.  Programing a key takes about 5 seconds, so if you are playing a specific game or working on a specific business project you can program the keys just for that one time and then reprogram them at will. I would think this keyboard would be ideal for medical, legal or similar business uses to be able to create custom macros for a specific project.

CONS

For all the good about this keyboard, and there is a lot of good, there are a few things that kept it off of my “perfect” list. Most of them personal preferences rather than defects or problems, but yet it was not perfect for me.

1.      The major issue I am having (and I’ll update this if things change for me) is that there is some unusual key spacing and orientation that I’m just not getting used to easily. Because the keys are very slightly misplaced, my fingers fall naturally to the “home row” but instead of g & h being exposed my natural position leaves g,h & j exposed and the little finger on my right hand lands on the key. So when I scrunch my right hand leftward (to an almost unnatural position) that leaves TWO keys, the and the \ to my right; the \ key being EXACTLY where the Enter/Return key is on other keyboards. Virtually every time I try to press the Enter key I get a \ instead. And the Enter key is a loooong reach with the right pinkie to get to.

2.      Similarly on the left side of the home row, my left pinkie falls exactly between the “a” and the Caps Lock key, which I can’t help but accidentally press.  None of the other keys are weird that way.

3.      I prefer a keyboard with totally silent keys but I don’t mind the mechanical click and I know it comes with the territory on nearly all gaming keyboards. What bothers me is that the keys rattle, as when I lay my fingers gently on them and shake side-to-side they have a lot of lateral movement … noisy movement. The space bar feels totally differently and I wish all the keys felt and sounded like it. The video below includes a sound clip comparing the keystroke sound to my old keyboard.

4.       The backlighting isn’t even, in other words each letter and numeral looks “splotchy” and hard to read. I had to turn it off, which is a shame because it looks cool. When the backlighting is off the keys have a very nice medium gray lettering on a near-black background that is easy to read and attractive. The reason I have to look at the keys is because of the difficulty I’m having getting used to the spacing.

I know it sounds like a lot of cons but honestly, none of them a deal-breakers. You may get used to it faster than me and the key sounds may be exactly what you’re used to. Once I’m used to it I may edit this from another perspective. The only way you will know for sure if it works for you is to try it, which I encourage, because this is very much a quality keyboard with some excellent features.

The Cyph3r is built, as they say, like a tank. I am so happy with it that it has replaced my existing keyboard and I am committed to having it become my everyday all-purpose keyboard for gaming, business and everything else.  It is soooo close to a 5-star keyboard but what kept it away, after everything was counted, were two things … the distant reach to the “enter” key and the side-to-side key wobble/noise. Like I said earlier, neither may be a make-or-break for you.










Bottom line
If you are used to the sound of mechanical keyboards, you can ignore any of my personal preferences, it is only because I have to use the same keyboard late at night and a silent keyboard is an important consideration for me. As far as the key spacing, well again that is a personal preference. I am not a speed typist, although at least I don’t have to look at the keys anymore. How the keys are arranged may be meaningless to you. Remember, a 4-star rating means “I like it” (as opposed to the extra star meaning “I love it”). This is still a well-made, high quality keyboard with some excellent features and I recommend you give it serious consideration.
 
AVAILABLE AT: www.amazon.com or www.sentey.com
 
OVERVIEW VIDEO:
 
 
 
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