Coming from a comparatively little-known gaming {hardware} maker, the Redragon Rudra belongs to a cluttered area of funds gaming keyboards the place the typical informal gamer will not know the place to start out in the event that they wish to discover gems among the many many, many contenders for his or her hard-earned cash.
Fortunately for them, I can come proper out and say it: the Rudra (often known as the Redragon K565 on some on-line retailers) is means higher than a sub-£50 keyboard has any proper to be.
Actually, developing in my testing queue after a parade of premium £150-£250 keyboards from among the best-known gaming manufacturers on the market has marched throughout my desk, you’d battle to select the place it lags behind its costlier rivals. It is obtained sturdy, responsive switches supporting well-designed swappable keys. It has programmable RGB backlighting to gentle up the typing and gaming expertise. And it is obtained a full 104-key structure with a tenkey and numpad in a compact but snug kind issue.
However does it deserve a spot among the many best gaming keyboards (opens in new tab) accessible proper now, or the best keyboards (opens in new tab) total? I obtained to check it over quite a few weeks to search out out for myself.
Redragon Rudra overview: Design and construct
The Redragon Rudra seems placing as quickly as you’re taking it out of the field. It is a mechanical, gaming-focused keyboard so that you anticipate large ol’ chunky keys, however right here they’re virtually typewriter-sized.
Moreover, the switches beneath are made additional seen on account of being translucent whereas the keys on high are matte black. Whenever you flip it on, RGB lighting then lights up each the letters on the keys and the translucent switches beneath, giving the entire board an additional sense of elevation.
It is a wired keyboard, with a rubber-coated wire quite than a material one, however as this can be a sub-£50 proposition, that is to be anticipated. The shape issue is compact, even for full-size 104-key choice I had. There is no such thing as a building or ‘padding’ across the entrance, facet or again of the Rudra, which implies it ought to slot in smaller areas than keyboards with a entrance wrist relaxation or a again panel body. The draw back to that is that there’s nothing naturally positioned to relaxation your wrist or thumb on when typing, which dangers fatigue over the long run.
The typeset used on the keys is stylised and placing, though my OCD is not the most important fan of the truth that the TAB, CAPSLK, SHIFT and CTRL labels do not line up on the left-hand facet…
With the lighting and software program packed inside, the keyboard feels properly weighted and heavy with out being cumbersome to maneuver.
Redragon Rudra overview: Options
The Redragon Rudra comes with RGB backlighting and programmable keys, like most gaming keyboards, the place you’ll be able to reassign any key to just about any operate, in addition to format macro instructions. The backlighting has 18 presets, starting from a darkish board with keystroke light-up to a dizzying quick swirl of colors raging throughout, all relying in your preferences and epilepsy-trigger tolerances.
The case additionally comes with a helpful key-replacement equipment and spare keys, which is a pleasant contact on a sub-£50 keyboard.
As mentioned earlier than, the shortage of a wrist relaxation or certainly any construction in entrance of the underside keys means you may must spend money on an exterior wrist relaxation should you’re vulnerable to wrist issues or do not like having to raise your arms whereas typing.
Redragon Rudra overview: Efficiency
Typing on the Redragon Rudra has, for me, been a pleasure. I freely admit that I am a type of oldies who a lot prefers a giant, clunky mechanical brick that makes that satisfying clicky-clicky sound to a light-weight, response-absent low-key membrane keyboard.
The keystroke motion has a pleasant, agency however not too hindering resistance to it, there is no such thing as a wobble within the keys, even when raised as excessive as they’re right here, and I discovered the accuracy higher on this one than some far more costly premium keyboards I’ve examined not too long ago.
The smaller total kind issue does not appear to have an effect on the typing expertise a lot in any respect, though the keys listed here are a teeny bit tighter packed (particularly in between the principle keyboard space, the tenkey and the numpad. Larger arms and fingers may discover themselves feeling a little bit bit constricted right here, although, as my arms are pretty small.
For gaming use, it is acquitted itself nicely, reformatting is straightforward, and the simple means you’ll be able to change between backlighting modes is a welcome change from another makers’ convoluted strategies to customize their respective gentle exhibits.
There’s a noticeable lack of sound-dampening although, making typing clearly a little bit louder right here than on costlier keyboards with extra superior sound dampeners, so should you’re not a fan of loud clicky noises, this may quickly change into an annoyance.
Redragon Rudra overview: Value
The Rudra is available in at below £50, with occasional provides even pushing it below £40, which needs to be thought-about a unbelievable value for such keyboard. It is squarely inside funds keyboard territory, but has carried out equally to some current mid-level or premium price-point keyboards I’ve examined not too long ago.
Do you have to purchase the Redragon Rudra?
The Redragon Rudra is a funds keyboard that comfortably outperforms its value level. It might not have fairly the identical premium ending as some costlier keyboards, or extra superior options like an ecosystem app to be used with different Redragon gear, but it surely’s obtained 18 completely different RGB backlighting modes, sturdy mechanical switches, and provides an concerned and comparatively snug typing expertise, though greater arms may need one thing rather less compact. It seems placing too, particularly in its red-and-black guise, with stylised lettering to fairly actually high it off. In the event you’re in search of a funds keyboard that does all of it, you are able to do rather a lot worse than the Redragon Rudra.