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

Highly recommended if you can’t afford anything better.

I wasnt too sure about this keyboard. I wanted a lit keyboard as I prefer to do my gaming with the lights off. I suppose I delayed for years getting one due to the price. I read all the reviews concerning the Redragon keyboard. Although I was somewhat skeptical, I pushed the key to purchase. The lights (or, why were here): Prior to this keyboard I was using a really nice wireless one from Logitech. It still is nice, but it doesnt lite up the keys. The Redragon does...spectacularly! I dont know that I have a reason to use all the light shows it will perform, however, if you are reading this and you want a keyboard that does...this is the one! Now, when it comes to lighting, I wanted one that I could program the color and intensity of the keys. More importantly I wanted to be able to program each individual key according to the key controls for games. There are many expensive ones that caught my eye but didnt have this capability. This keyboard hits a grand slam when it comes to programming individual keys! Everything I wanted. For me that is enough to validate the five stars I gave it. Tactile feel/feedback from the keys: At first I wasnt sure I liked the feel of the keyboard. I used it in a few games and loved it. But I wasnt sure I was going to enjoy typing on it...until I typed out my first email. My fingers were dancing around on the keys making clickity click sounds like Reindeer on the roof. I was afraid I would end up with a lot of typos on this keyboard and the opposite is true. If you want a keyboard with tactile feel and feedback, then Redragon is your buttercup. In regards to the instructions: They arent that great. The good news is that the operation/programming of the keyboard and downloaded software is very intuitive. Seriously, it aint rocket science. I was up and programming in less than ten minutes. Would have been less except I was enjoying all the light shows. Time to sum it up and move on: Truthfully, $49.89 is outstanding for a keyboard of this caliber. Its a great gamer board and also great for typing (even in the dark). I highly recommended this keyboard! On a side note; this aint no plastic keyboard! Whack somebody with it and youll likely get charged with manslaughter (or womanslaughter, kidslaughter, petslaughter or coleslawder). Nice because it doesnt slide around.

When I was first introduced to the mechanical keyboard a couple of years ago, I was awestruck. Now, some people don’t particularly care for the clickety-clack that these type of keyboards bring, but I rather enjoy it. It reminds me of the same tactile sensation I get from an old typewriter or the old computers from a computer lab in my elementary school. Today, these mechanical keyboards are typically utilized by PC gamers or programmers. It’s a little rare to find someone who writes enjoying one — at least, you don’t hear about it often. But here we are and I am typing away on this lovely Redragon mechanical keyboard. Here are some of the finer points of the device. The Redragon K556 is made with custom Brown Switch mechanical keys and it is shipped with 8 Blue Switches to replace the keys if needed. Keyboard has a 50 million keystroke lifespan. The keyboard lights up in brilliant colors and there are customizable modes to it as well. To access them, you press Fn + Ins, Home, PgUp, Del, End, or PgDn. You can also adjust the brightness of the colors by pressing Fn + Up Arrow/Down Arrow. The backlighting has 16 million customizable color options. The keyboard weighs approximately 3.5 pounds. It’s not for the faint of heart and definitely not for remote working. It is constructed out of aluminum, plate-mounted mechanical keys, and gold plated USB connector. It’s hearty keyboard and meant to stand up to hardcore gaming. The keys are designed to have medium resistance, the lovely ‘click’ noise, and a noticeable tactile feedback. The switches have 60±15g actuation force. Keyboard has a 50 million keystroke life span. As I mentioned, I’m no gamer, but I do enjoy a well-built keyboard especially since I spend most of my day typing away at a keyboard. I also really like the colored keyboard. It makes the workspace seem that much more interesting. Since I’m working with the keyboard on a MacBook Pro, the customizable part of the colors is not useable, but I can still shift through the preprogrammed color options that are included with the K556. For the price, I would say that the Redragon K556 is more ‘premium’ than some of the pricier options in this peripheral category. I also like how it’s a full size keyboard, but doesn’t take up a lot of desk real estate. One of my other mechanical keyboards is full size, but isn’t as small. I rather like the compact nature of this keyboard and how well it fits with my current desk set-up. The keys are well spaced apart and they feel fluid the more I type with them. There are some mechanical keyboards that I feel like you really have to type hard to get a good rebound, but the keys on the Redragon are so responsive that I haven’t had any missed keystrokes or been disappointed with it at all. The Redragon K556 RGB LED Backlit Mechanical Keyboard is a really nice option for gamers and writers alike. I can recommend this as it’s a quality keyboard, but won’t break the bank.

I have been using this keyboard since 2017, so I think its fitting that I leave a review for it. This review is for the original listing with standard OTEMU Brown switches. I am aware of the fact that they now come with OTEMU BOX Browns, but the experience is basically identical. Lets go over the basic parameters first: Unboxing Experience: So the box itself is alright, it serves its purpose of holding the keyboard itself. In the box, it comes with the keyboard itself, a keycap puller, a keyswitch puller, and ten extra key switches in a different variant. Since my keyboard used gateron browns, they gave me gateron blues to try out. Box itself doesn’t come with very much, other than these items. The most useful to me were the extra switches in the box. Both the keycap and key switch puller broke after a few uses. the key switch puller in particular broke the clips on some of my key switches. Serviceable, but I would rather buy my own toll in this case. Looks: This keyboard is so damn sturdy. Up until that point, I was used to cheap plastic keyboards. So the mostly metal construction is excellent! I couldn’t feel very much flexing while typing. The keycaps are okay. they are double shot, so they won’t wear out as much as ABS. The font itself is much more of the “gamer” aesthetic. I used them for about two years before replacing them for better looking keycaps. the lighting itself is good, though controls are basic. Changing color profiles without software is a nice touch, though some savvy hackers have found a way to change colors without official software. The all black design makes it fit in with most builds, though it does stand out on a lighter colored desk. the only real downside is the the secondary function keys have their labels printed on as opposed to part of the injection mold. So eventually those legends will wear away, which I have somewhat done in those two years of using the keyboard. There is a Small Red Dragon Logo above the Arrow keys and a sticker on the back detailing the keyboard information. Its very minimal, and actually decent all things considered. Feel: This keyboard won’t win any rewards for being different. The keys themselves are fine for typing, better than membrane keyboards in all regards. There is rattle and wobble on both the key switches and stabilizers, but they are not deal-breakers at this price point. The metal reinforced backplate and metal frontplate do a good job of keeping the board stable while typing, though there is no padding behind the keyboard so it does sound a bit hollow. No lube anywhere, so scratching noises will be common. Features: So this board has hotswap capabilities, but only for OTEMU Switches. Do not try to use Gateron, Cherry, Kalih, or other brands. The pins wont fit the post mounts. This is good for interoperability between different OTEMU brand switches, but you have to desolder the pins if you want anything else. This WAS a selling point back in 2017, however they recently removed it since its only really applicable to OTEMU brand switches. Again, the RGB is a nice touch, including the preset profiles. The design is held in by multiple screws, which makes dis-assembly for modding a breeze. The USB cable itself is connected to the board using a 5-pin header, so if you break the cable, you can easily replace it using a soldering iron. The keycaps are OEM profile, so you can buy an aftermarket set and put them on the keyboard no problem. the stabilizers are plate mounted, so you can replace them with cherry OEMs once they break. Honestly, if you want to use this board as a cheap base for your next keyboard, then this might be for you. Even still, this is a surprisingly reparable keyboard. Downsides: Honestly, I only have two downside for this board. That being a non-removable USB cable. If they had just added a removable port, either USB-Micro B or USB Type-C, it would make this keyboard so much better. Like, they could’ve done it so easily too. The piece that holds the wire in place is not a through hole permanently attached to the chassis, its a rubber piece that holds the cable in place. there is enough clearance to put in a female USB Type C Header in there. The other reason is the OTEMU-only hotswap sockets. I know that kalih brand switches (or similar) are more expensive to implement, but this would allow you to use ANY switch possible. Right now, you can only use OTEMU switches. Yes, they have good variants such as the reds and blacks, but it sucks that its only these brand switches and nothing else. There is also the minor downside of some of the screws losing their paint over time, though, you won’t be able to see them from the top of the keyboard. Verdict: Overall, a good keyboard for the time. Back in 2017, when there were not very many cheap mechanical keyboards on the market, this would have been the no-brainer choice. But nowadays, there is a lot of competition in this market. I would hope that Redragon would be keen to revise this board, with the possibility of a removable cable. Its still a good keyboard, but its becoming harder to stand out with so many competitors.

I have only been using the Red Dragon K556 going on three days now but the seller is asking for an honest review. So far, I am very happy with the entire process. I had originally been looking for an office keyboard that had some sort of back lighting and I had gone through a couple of much cheaper options before upgrading to this one from Red Dragon. When I first opened the packaging it was shipped in, I was a little concerned due to the minimal packing materials but upon inspecting the keyboard itself, it was in perfect condition, not a dent or scratch to be found. This is the first keyboard I have used that has an aluminum casing, It is very sturdy and I like the heft of it when moving it around. It just feels like a well made piece of equipment. The keyboard stays in place on the desk and doesnt slide around. I read one reviewer who said that by sliding the keyboard on the desk, the plastic tilting tabs on the bottom tended to flip closed on one side or the other making the keyboard wobble. This, so far, has not been my experience. I am able to slide it around a bit without affecting the tilting tabs. When first plugging it in, I noticed the nice length of the USB cable. It is plenty long enough to reach my tower that sits about two feet over and one foot down and I still have a nice excess to move the keyboard around a bit. I knew before purchasing that there were many more lighting functions one the K556 but I dont think I appreciated just how many options you have with back lighting colors and patterns. There are 9 different solid color options and I have not even explored how many light pattern options there are. I can tell you that there seem to be many multi-colored options to choose from. I primarily like one solid color but it can be fun to explore all the different options when you just dont feel the work happening. All colors can be completely turned off or they can be set to any of five levels of brightness. This K556 came with brown switches which have proved to be exactly what I had been looking for previously. I didnt really know much about switch brands, such as outemu or cherry but this brown switch is much quieter than the previous blue I used. Mind you it is not silent but it doesnt make much more noise than a soft clicking. The keys are very responsive, being what I suppose is a tactile keyboard. I notice that when typing faster, I dont have to mash the keys. Its almost as if they are two stage keys where you can feel the halfway mark which is as far as I need to push to get a response. The keys spring back instantly and smoothly. I had read another review where the reviewer experiences some sort or ringing or vibrating sound (I dont remember exactly) but they thought it may have been related to the aluminum casing or something. (Again, I think I am remembering this correctly) I do not experience any other sound other that the keys making their normal soft clicking. I have not used this for gaming, hence the three stars for the gaming feature but I cant imagine it being a poor gaming keyboard. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase but again, I have only been using it for three days now. Customer service instantly emailed me to ask for a review and to assure me that they were available within 24 hours should I have any problems. Hopefully it wont come to that. All of this was to say that so far, I am very happy with this purchase am am hoping for long usage.