Redragon K556 RGB LED Backlit Wired Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, 104 Keys Hot-Swap Mechanical Keyboard w/Aluminum Base, Upgraded Socket and Noise Absorbing Foams, Quiet Linear Red Switch

Soon after posting my original review detailing my dead K556, a rep commented (see below) and emailed me. They offered a replacement, no questions asked. Im pleased to report that the entire process took just 6 days from the posting of my review to receiving a replacement keyboard. Redragon has a top notch customer service team and they stand behind their products. I felt compelled to update this review to 5 stars simply due to the responsiveness and professionalism of the Redragon team. Now, an honest review of the K556: 4 stars for the keyboard, 1 bonus star for customer service. Build quality is solid. Very solid. The K556 weighs easily double what the Corsair K70 Mk.2 weighs. It is inflexible and looks perfectly at home in front of and surrounded by higher end components. Cherry MX Brown equivalent switches. Here is where we run into a subtle snag. Both the original keyboard and the replacement have a metallic, tonal ring to each keystroke. They are substantially louder than genuine Cherry MX Browns, and require just slightly more force. That said, the K556 is comfortable to type on and responsive enough for a great gaming experience. These slight issues will bother some more than others. The software, it isnt fantastic. It is janky and in need of an update. It does, however, get the job done, it could just do with a bit more polish. Furthermore, it is necessary to use in order to stop the severe lag that occurs without the software installed. The lighting is not as advanced as one might find elsewhere, but is decently customizable and comes with some simple themes to scratch the RGB itch with which some users may suffer. Even without the outstanding customer service, this keyboard is a great buy for the budget minded gamer or typist. The small quibbles Ive identified are overshadowed by the price and the dedication that Redragon has to their customers and their products. To have a significant increase in quality and experience one has to pay $120 or more. Yes, double or higher the cost of the K556. Typing and gaming from experience, paying double the cost does not result in double the quality. Original Review: It is now April 10, 2019, I purchased this keyboard on April 30, 2018. I just had one hell of a time signing into windows because no keys would work, only the pretty lighting. Three attempts at trying different usb ports, and finally leaving the keyboard unplugged for about one minute, and I was able to log in. I then immediately went to my browser to look for a new keyboard and was met simply with 222222222222222222222222222222222222222222. Several more unplugs and I am able to type this review and have a Corsair K70 on the way. Had I purchased that in the first place instead of going cheap, I ultimately would have saved 60 bucks. For about one year, this keyboard was okay. Thankfully, Amazon has one day shipping.

Was DoA. Refunded. There is always someone who gets the bad one, but that might not represent the norm. On the one hand, it was DoA. On the other, I have great respect for the way Redragon takes care of its customers. They have treated me very well with other products of theirs. As such, I have to give them the benefit of the doubt. **** Edit 10/5/17 **** Previously I had listed this keyboard as a neutral three stars. The prior review, above, should explain why. DoA, refunded, but understanding that I was just the guy who got the dud in the batch. No big deal, just a nuisance to be that guy. But I fully realize it doesnt represent the norm, so I gave it a neutral 3. Im updating my review to be an outstanding 5 as I now have a replacement keyboard thanks to Sain Store. Please read my comment section to see that story. I feel its important that those reading my product review are also aware of how Sain Store reacted to my initial DoA keyboard. Im the guy in the family that builds and maintains all of the computers for everyone else. Ive been in charge of purchasing decisions for companies and so on (including my own). I currently own many gaming products from Redragon, Logitech, Corsair, and Razer. My personal feelings relating to the Redragon K556 Keyboard are based on comparing how it stands up against other flagship products like the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum with Cherry MX brown switches, the Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum, and of course others of the past like the Logitech G19 keyboard (all of which I own). Build Quality. The first thing you notice when you take this keyboard out of the box is that its heavy and not built like a flimsy plastic afterthought. Its got some weight to it which really makes it feel like its built to withstand a house falling on it. Nothing about this keyboard feels cheap. I wouldnt be surprised if it has a secret double life as a baseball bat or if it doesnt double as tire spikes for the local police department when your not looking. Its the most durable piece of hardware Ive seen in a long time. The last time I saw a keyboard that felt this solid, was a mechanical typewriter thats best suited as a boat anchor. No wonder they have an 18 month warranty. How many of those cheap keyboards have more than a 30 day warranty? I will say I have called on the Redragon 18 month warranty for other products and they do take care of you the right way. Unlike other places that are a serious pain to deal with. Redragon support has earned my respect multiple times. Quality products, Outstanding support, and generally cheaper prices than competitors (think Logitech, Razer, Corsair) for the same type of hardware. I will most certainly continue to base my future buying habits on that. Gaming Keyboard. Many non gamers may not realize the difference between a standard keyboard and a high end gaming keyboard. I cant count the times someone has asked me to help them with a gift for someone as they put together a system for a gamer. And Ive had to explain that they cant get just any old cheap keyboard for gamers. As any hardcore gamer knows, not all keyboards are created equal. Gamers often have to press far more keys at the same time than a standard keyboard is capable of recognizing. Maybe Im pressing CTRL for crouch, SHIFT for sneak, W and D to walk in a particular direction, and also trying to hop over a ledge with the space bar. Needing five or more keys to all be recognizable at the same time is extremely common for gamers to the point of them not being able to play without it. And typical generic keyboards simply were not designed to be able to do the things that gaming keyboards have to accomplish. Search on youtube for Angry German Kid... if you dare or just want a good laugh. This is what happens when you get your gaming loved ones a cheap keyboard. I suspect, however, that if that keyboard was one of these heavy Redragon keyboards, that it would have won the fight. The Switch (Cherry MX Brown) Of course, there are other reasons why dedicated gaming keyboards are important. Least of which is the switch used for each key. In the case of the Redragon K556 keyboard, it comes with custom switches that are the equivalent of Cherry MX Brown switches. Gamers need a durable switch as they generally put the keyboard through a fair amount of stress. The Cherry line of switches are rated at 50 million presses before failure which means this keyboard would likely outlive me, assuming Redragons custom switches are indeed equivalent. The switch also needs to be fast, as every micro second is the difference in win or loose. Gamers take these things very seriously. Cherry MX Brown Switches. Red switches are often the choice for seriously hardcore gamers. These have very little movement before they activate, sending a signal that the button was pressed. They also dont have a detente or point of resistance that they move beyond to activate. With little resistance and activation at an extremely short point of pressure, anyone who rests their hands on these keyboards can have problems as they register key presses just brushing against it. People buying these keyboards for typing may struggle as they are so sensitive. Gamers like them because they want the keys to activate as fast as physically possible, to give them the best reaction times. Blue is a very common choice for those that want a clicky switch and tactile bump. These are generally the keyboard of choice for typists. They need to be pressed a bit further down before activating. Making them less sensitive than the Cherry MX Red. The key also has a bit more resistance than the Red. Combined with a tactile bump, a little more leeway before they activate, and a touch more resistance, these give the feedback of that clicky mechanical keyboard that a lot of typists want. Brown now, is the middle man. I use my keyboard for both gaming and typing. I do rest my hands on the keys/keyboard. And I consider myself a fairly hardcore gamer. I want that edge over the other guy. I didnt load up my game because I want to loose. I want to win. At the same time, I want to be able to use my keyboard to type various documents, like this review. Ive done a fair amount of programming and other types of work that require me to be able to properly type without getting 16 errors every sentence. The brown switches are considered to be a tactile, non clicky switch. They have a detente or point of resistance that many might not realize is there. If you just push down the button like you would typing something, it just feels like a standard level of resistance in pushing a key. But if you push slowly, you can feel that its actually moving over a little bump. It has limited resistance, but does have an ever so slight little bump that means slightly brushing your hands over the keyboard wont trigger it. Its that sweet spot that gives good reaction times while not being feather sensitive to the point that its hard to even use. For me, this is the switch of choice. I must end this section with a slight declaration. Everyone types differently. Some are heavy handed. Some are not. What Ive been saying about switches is a generalization. Generally speaking... most typists... etc. There are certainly a lot of typists who are accommodated to the red switches and love them. There is no way for anyone to know that all typists are going to prefer one over the other. We are all different in how we place our hands, how heavy handed we are, the angle of the fingers, position adjustments based on large or small hands that might be easier to rest or need to stretch further, and so on. I strongly urge people to try the different types of switches to see for themselves which they prefer. Ive seen people complaining about not being able to type one sentence on the Reds without 16 errors. And there are plenty of typists who love them. My preference is the Brown. Your mileage may vary. Fn Keys. This keyboard uses a Fn key to control its extra features like media player, volume, back-light modes, and etc. It keeps it simple and easy and does it right, without crowding everything up in an annoying way like a laptop. Everything is grouped in nice logical locations with easy to see icons, making this quite nice to actually use. Fn + F1-F4 Media Player, Volume Down, Volume Up, and Mute toggle. Fn + F5-F8 Stop, Rewind, Play/Pause toggle, Fast Forward Fn + F9-F12 Email, Browser, Calculator, Search Fn + Windows Start key toggles both the Windows Start button and the Application/Context Menu buttons on and off. Gamers who are often in need of pressing the shift and control keys in combination with several others, commonly end up hitting the windows start key by accident. However, in a full screen game, this can have devastating effects. At the very least, this is extremely annoying. And at worst, it can lock up the game completely. Fn + Plus and Minus keys (main keyboard). Controls the speed of the back-light cycle. Does the rainbow move fast or slow across the keyboard. When the keyboard gets to its min or max speed, the three leds (Caps lock, Num loc, and Scroll lock) will blink letting you know its as fast or slow as it gets. Fn + Up and Down arrows. Controls the brightness of the back-lighting. Again, the three led lights will blink when you hit the brightest or dimmest (off) positions indicating it cant go further. Fn + Left arrow. This toggles the direction of the cycle. Are the rainbow colors moving to the right or to the left. Fn + Right arrow. This changes the color between 9 different options. Rainbow, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan (light blue), Blue, Purple, Violet. Then it starts over at Rainbow. Back-lighting Modes: Fn + Ins, Del, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn. These are the back-light patterns you can choose. Each of the six buttons cycles between three different back-light modes giving 18 in total. You may not remember which of the six buttons are which mode, but youll know which buttons to check without having to look it up. Fn + Ins. 1. The trial of Light, 2. Breathing, 3. Normally on Fn + Home. 1. Ripple Graff, 2. Pass without Trace, 3. Coastal Fn + PgUp. 1. Huricane, 2. Accumulate, 3. Digital Times Fn + Del. 1. Go with the stream, 2. Clouds fly, 3. Winding Paths Fn + End. 1. Flowers blooming, 2. Snow winter jasmine, 3. Swift action Fn + PgDn. 1. Both ways, 2. Surmount, 3. Fast and the furious Reset to default. Fn + PrtScrn. The final Fn key. This will reset the keyboards back-light settings to the defaults. Of note, there is no icon on the keyboard for this Fn key. Back-light tips, notes, thoughts, etc. Some may want just a static non moving color. Perhaps some need a less distracting pattern for an office or something. The back-light mode Normally on is for you. Then use the Fn+Right Arrow to pick your color. You can have a static non moving rainbow, or one of the eight solid colors. Or as an alternative, use The trial by Light mode (described in the next paragraph). Some of the back-light options have no effect on some of the different modes. For example, The trial by Light mode is a solid color across the keyboard that slowly fades through the full color gradient and starts over. Its a way to have a non distracting solidly lit up keyboard, but that also varies the color over time to give some variety. However, the back-light option to change the color does nothing with this mode. Based on what the mode is supposed to do, changing it to one color would be pointless. Then you would just have one solid color, which is what the Normally on mode is for. The second set of patterns (the three patterns on the Fn+Home key) are all interactive patterns. Meaning that a pattern emanates out from the keys as you press them. Ripple Graff is a wave going outward from the key pressed across the keyboard like an expanding circle. Pass without Trace rapidly lights up the key when its pressed and then it slowly dims out (leaving lots of lit up and slowly dimming keys on the keyboard as you type). If the rainbow color pattern is selected then the keys will be random colors, otherwise they will all be whatever solid color is chosen. And the last pattern, Coastal, shoots a wave out horizontally across the one row of the key that was pressed. As you type on different rows, it has a cool effect of lights shooting out on different levels across the keyboard. All of the other patterns are non interactive. The default back-light mode if you reset the keyboard (Fn+PrtScrn), is Go with the stream. It is not the first one in the list on the first back-light mode Fn key. Its easy to think pressing Fn+Ins for the first time will take you to the second mode by assuming you are on the first one already. Nope, after the reset your mode is down in the middle of the list somewhere. Its a nice side scrolling rainbow effect. Of note, one problem with Corsair K95 Platinum (among several with its onboard profile storage mechanics), is that when you bog down the computer with some kind of seriously intensive disk thrashing or something, the lights on the Corsair stop and wait for the system to recover. What this most likely indicates is that the Corsair is using software (ie. drivers) on the computer to run its light show. While likely minimal effect on your computers performance, this is one more thing using up cycles on your computer rather then it having its own dedicated hardware to run that light show. If it had its own hardware running that show, the light show wouldnt stop and wait for the computer when its bogged down. Id expect more from a $200 keyboard. The Redragon K556 on the other hand, just keeps on going at full speed. This means its light show is running off of hardware in the keyboard and does not use up CPU cycles to run it with software on your computer. Software. This is where Id like to see some improvement. If we want this product to compete with with the big boys like Razer, Logitech, and Corsair keyboards, then the software will need some active work to help it mature and turn into what it can be. There is nothing really wrong with the software. It is fully functional and does what it should nicely. But to really be competitive, it will need to up its game with a few more feature rich functions. Dont misunderstand either. I feel it has all of the features that would be technically mandatory to have for this type of thing. But I also think thats where it ends. There isnt something wrong with it that would take away a star. But compared with the other big names, it could also do a lot more then it does on the software side. There are three profiles you can switch between on the main screen. And if that isnt enough, on the top right by the windows min/max buttons is an additional button shaped like a triangle pointing up, with a line under it. This drops down a menu where you can import/export profiles, giving you virtually unlimited profiles. You can setup macros, reassign keys to be a different key press, or assign programs to be run. There is a macro repository where all of your macros are stored and with just a few clicks you can assign them to whatever keys you want. You can also select which back-light mode will be used for each of the three profiles. And of course you can customize them with all the various options. If youve read all the way to the end, then I thank you for taking the time to do so and I hope that Ive been able to provide some useful information.

Ngl this is my first mechanical keyboard so I’m no expert but I still really like it. I type a lot both for fun and for school, I haven’t had an issue with the keys or the board itself. It’s heavy because of the metal base but I’m not planning on carrying it around with me or travelling with it. I like the heaviness because it doesn’t feel like it’s going to break. Recommend

I’ve been using this keyboard for several months now and love it. Pros: I’m a fast typed and it keeps up perfectly with no lag. So far no problem with the costing wearing thin or rubbing off. Last keyboard was a much cheaper one and the black coating on the keys wore off quickly which removed letters and made the keyboard look bad. The only cons is I wish it had an on/off switch instead of having to unplug it when I’m done.

Use case: Ive owned this mechanical keyboard (MK) for almost three years and use it daily. Pros: Durable, inexpensive, bright RGBs, great option for someone looking for their first MK I spilled an entire drink on this keyboard. I simply unplugged it, rinsed it in the sink, and set it out to thoroughly dry. Continued to work fine once dry. This was over a year ago. All RGBs still work fine, despite being on all the time during use. Cons: After purchasing a higher tier MK, I can confirm there is a noticeable difference in quality of the keycaps and switches. This MK has more post wobble, louder keystrokes, and overall less sound dampening. This does not impact overall functionality, and is not really noticeable unless you have experience with a higher tier MK. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would recommend this to anyone looking for their first MK, but dont want to break the bank. I would not recommend this to MK enthusiasts who may be disappointed by the less enjoyable typing experience compared to other, more expensive MKs. If ergonomics are important to you, plan to purchase or make a wrist wrest. This is really a requirement for most MKs, including those that are expensive.

First, let me talk about my title. I said it was Fully Programmable - on-board. What this means is that you can download the software and go in and change any key you want to be any other key you want. For instance if you wanted to set the / key to say be q all you have to do is open the software click the key and then click apply. If you want to change that key to be a large macro you can do the same thing just select the key in the software and click macro and type you maco very easy! Changing how the keys light up is just as easy. Now, here is where all those computer nerds out there are going to get excited. Those macros are stored on-board meaning that if you program it with your personal computer and than swap to your work computer your profile comes with it. I work with a dos based system that logs me out all the time and because of this I need to log in all the time! This computer does not allow me to install anything to the computer so I was not able to load the software onto it but I was able to put the keyboard on my personal computer install the software and than add a few macros to get me through my log in script. Now, when I need to log in I just press 1 button and than wait for a few seconds while it types out my user name, tabs over types out my password hits enter and than does a few things to get me to the screen I need and everything taken care of. I than set that specific key to glow a different color to help me remember what it does. Plugged the keyboard into my work computer and it allowed me to log in without a hitch. I do want to also mention Coastal is the lighting scheme you must pick in order to set your own lighting up. Not sure why they have the name as Coastal but yeah. The keyboard itself is made out metal and actually has some good weight to it. Not actually heavy but for sure not light! I have 2 complaints with this and they are a bit minor. The first has to do with taking the keys off. They supply you with 2 tools in order to do so and with the plastic one I was able to get my KeyCaps off pretty easily but it left a scratch on the key caps that is not really avoidable. With the keys them selfs this is even worse as I tried on 5 of them to gently get them off and broke the pieces of plastic that hold the keys in. Now, this has not affected me too much but I had great difficulty getting it taken care of so that I could try the different button. My other complaint has to do with the fact that the keys have rather sharp edges. Thais means that when I am clicking hte keys I am find but if I do it for too long my fingers start to hurt especially my thumbs.

Ive used it for about 4 years and it has held up very well with no issues

I have been eyeing this keyboard for a while now. I finally got it while it was around $40 during the Prime sale. I have only been using membrane keyboard and this feels, somewhat underwhelming when I first get it. I was expecting a bit more resistance but this keyboard is made to be very light and very light click. However, after using it for a while I know that I wont be able to go back to using membrane keyboard. The light pattern that came with this keyboard is quite useless. Its pretty. I especially interested in using the ripple effect one. However, when I selected it, every key is dark until I press them. Needless to say I cant use it. I ended up using the default one it came with and be happy with it. I flows RGB slowly and makes the keyboard look pretty. I like the sturdiness and weight. I think the base is made out off metal. Overall, I grew to like it. Lets hope they keys last for a very long time.

I have 2 of these, both going strong after more than 2 years of daily usage. The software is adequate but not great. I rarely use it - the light controls are functional enough from the keyboard that I havent really needed it. RGB is bright and nice enough for my needs. I dont do much with RGB customization though. I like the brown switches. The keyboard feels heavy duty - metal chassis and keycaps have been solid. Its as ergonomic as you get in typical keyboard format. Its comfortable to type on if you use a normal keyboard layout. Overall great entry level mechanical keyboard. Possibly higher quality than most entry level ones. Ive been happy with the durability and function. Nicer build and keycaps than the one-handed keyboard I have from them (K585 - which is fine this just has a better feel). I considered 4 starts b/c of the software, but I dont use that enough to deduct a star. Overall, I would purchase again if looking for this type of product.

This is my 2nd Redragon keyboard. The reason that Im no longer using that keyboard, also plagues this one. The switches keep dying. If you dont know, the switches of a keyboard is what enables the keys to work. If the switch dies, the key doesnt work. My first Redragon keyboards switches were dying left and right. I believe it came with 4 sample/replacement switches and I used all of them in less than 2 months. Usually it would happen during gaming sessions and its kind of inconvenient when one of your directional keys die in the middle of a fight. Why would I buy another Redragon keyboard if my first keyboard from them was faulty? -Because it was my best option for the money. I saw many recommendations of this keyboard from enthusiasts and Amazon of course. I thought maybe my first Redragon keyboard was just a fluke and it wouldnt happen again, especially on a completely different model. I was wrong. As of writing this, one switch has died and I got it about 2 months ago. Better than last time but still. Its very frustrating to have this occur. Especially twice in a row. But I wont make the same mistake. My next keyboard will not be from Redragon and my view on their company has definitely suffered. Tldr: Switches have died on Redragon keyboards every time I have bought them.