This review is specifically for the Corsair STRAFE, NON-RGB (Red LED), Cherry MX Brown Key Model:



The MX Brown keys do not make a clicking sound when they are actuated, but they'll still make noise when they bottom out and when they return to their initial top position. The amount of noise depends on how forcefully you type. You can reduce the bottoming out noise buy purchasing o-rings but this will also reduce the total travel distance of the keys. It's really a matter of personal taste. If noise is a serious issue for you, you may want to consider a different key type.



The keys that have a secondary purpose (e.g. number/symbol keys) are “flipped” from what you're used to seeing. For instance, the 3 key has the # symbol below the number instead of above it. And since the red LEDs are situated at the top of the keys, the secondary functions are not lit as brightly. For instance, the # symbol is only about half as bright as the number 3. I think this is a flaw with the design but not a show stopper.



This keyboard doesn't come with a wrist rest and doesn't have slots/holes to accept one. I realize Corsair was targeting a specific price point and also wanted to differentiate its product line, but I feel they should have included a wrist rest anyway. At a minimum, it would have been nice if they offered a compatible wrist rest as an optional add-on (at an additional cost). You'll see conflicting responses concerning this in the Amazon Q&A's. Some customers say the keyboard comes with slots to accept a K70 style wrist rest, and others say it doesn't. I think this is either because Corsair changed it's design mid-production or there's confusion over the different models that can be purchased from this single Amazon page (it's probably the later). At the time I purchased, the page could be used to buy both the RGB and Non-RGB model and there was also a choice of key type (brown, blue, red, etc.). Is there only one shared Amazon Q&A page for all these combinations? All I can say is that the keyboard I purchased didn't come with a wrist rest and I see no slot/holes on the side or bottom to attach one.



It does not come with a user's manual for the CUE software. I was able to download one from the Corsair website but it was for the RGB model. I couldn't find a separate manual specifically for the Non-RGB model. If this is a “shared” manual, I feel it should have been stated on the first page, but it wasn't. The manual is detailed, but there are a few issues. First, the screen shots may be from an older version of CUE. Second, they may need to make a few corrections. For instance, the polling rate section states: “The USB Polling (Report) Rate section configures how frequently the keyboard communicates with the keyboard.” Does this keyboard talk to itself?!? And third, there's some important details left out of the manual. The specification states that it has a BIOS mode, but there's no physical button for it on this model and the manual makes no mention of it. Only after searching the Internet did I find that holding down the F1 key and the Lock button (upper right corner) for 3secs would toggle BIOS mode. I also believe you may be able to reset this keyboard by holding the ESC key for 10sec when you power it up, but I have not confirmed this.



I believe the CUE software must be installed and running for any dynamic lighting and actions to work properly. I think the on-board keyboard memory can only store STATIC lighting effects and some performance settings. If dynamic lighting effects are really important to you, I think you'd like the RGB model much more the Non-RGB. There's only so much you can do with red.



Finally, the keyboard doesn't mention any support for Linux but I'm using it with Linux Mint Cinnamon. Some Linux users report they are experiencing a 30sec delay on boot, but I have not seen this issue. CUE doesn't run on Linux but there is a non-official, open source option, called ckb, that has some of the same capabilities as CUE. I only need static lighting, so I saw no need to load ckb, but there are some limitations. For example, the Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock lights do not work. However; the Caps Lock and Num Lock lights will work if I switch to BIOS mode, but under BIOS mode the Scroll Lock light blinks every second and I found this annoying. These lights are not show stoppers for me, as I rarely ever use the Caps Lock or the number pad. If you are a Linux user and you use VirtualBox to seamlessly switch between different OS's, I think you'll want to avoid CUE or ckb because switching between virtual environments causes the keyboard to malfunction as the drivers and VirtualBox USB settings attempt to negotiate the different environments.



The cable is very thick because it has two USB connectors: one for the keyboard itself and the other for the USB pass-through connector located in the rear. It doesn't appear that you need to connect the pass-though connector if you don't need it.



Overall I'm very satisfied with this keyboard. The mechanical keys are excellent and the lighting effects more than meet my needs.