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

After feeling the clicking keys of a display Razer keyboard at a chain technology store, I knew that I needed a tactile keyboard with pretty lights. So began a journey of researching mechanical keyboards, filled with hours of envious browsing of reddits r/MechanicalKeyboards, salivating at every post, imagining that only rich, elite typists were able to obtain such wonderful hardware. For seven months I tirelessly searched for the right keyboard, one that wasnt built like a McDonalds chicken nugget box, one that clicked as I typed for the most soothing intonation of righteous expression. I searched for the cheapest options, quickly learning that building my own keyboard would not, in fact, be the most affordable solution. I discovered the majik of a modular keyboard-- one whose switches could be swapped for a different type of switch for endless experimentation until I found the perfect switch, tactile and satisfying enough to make the stimming effect of a fidget spinner feel like harsh radio static in comparison. I had come a long way from idolizing that cheaply made Razer keyboard-- I now knew of Cherry switches of Gaterons and Outemus and Zealios, of reds and blues and greens and so on and so forth. This knowledge, however, only served to stoke that dull flame of desire within me. I needed my keyboard, and every day typing without that tactile feedback was a constant reminder that no-- I was not one of the rich typist elite. I was a broke college student with goals reaching far beyond their cobweb-addled bank account, typing on what felt no better than poking a rotting fruit too long left in the sun. My search queries became refined and at last, in the comments section of a youtube review of the Glorious Modular Mechanical Keyboard, I saw mention of this: get the redragon k556 devarajas, its the same exact keyboard but sturdier . Nonsense, I thought, surely theres no such thing. Thus began the third and final chapter of my quest to obtain a mechanical keyboard. By this time I knew that I needed Gateron Green switches to be satisfied-- this keyboard happens to come stock with Outemu Browns, a silent switch type with a subtle tactile bump and gentle actuation. I couldnt find proof of this keyboards modular function, but it had the pretty lights Id dreamed about, those months long ago. I decided to bite the bullet and take my chances, buying Gateron switches seperate from this keyboard (I bought them from Glorious PC Gaming Race, should anyone wonder). By the way, I was astounded at the price point of this thing-- its so cheap, how do they do it? I half expected to be gypped and wasnt sure whether to trust this keyboard with its nonexistent fanbase and lack of real documentation. Well, here is my review, to all other broke tactile fanatics: This keyboard is not a gyp. It is sturdy and feels like it ought to cost quite a bit more than it does. The Gateron switches didnt fit at first-- one of the pins are just a bit too wide, but with patience and resilience, I filed down all 104 switches and changed them out for that lovely clicky feeling I had so longed for, and they worked after all. It has an aluminum case with plate-mounted switches that can, indeed, be freely interchanged-- so long as youre willing to put the time into modifying them if you need to. I cant vouch for any switches other than the Gaterons and the included Outemus, which, as other reviews have stated, can be fragile at times. The rgb is pretty extensive with all sorts of default settings and is really pretty and bright, if you are into that. The keyboard in all came with a keycap and switch puller, some Outemu blue switches for standard click factor, and a software disc (which I havent bothered to use because I run Linux and its incompatible). As my first mechanical keyboard, its extremely satisfying and I would recommend it to anyone willing to pay over $30 dollars for a keyboard.

This is a great keyboard, and an amazing deal. You dont find many keyboards like this at this pricepoint. The keyboard is nice and heavy due to its metal body, and is built to last. There are 18 different lightning presets, plus adjustable direction, color, speed, and brightness for all of them! The RGB lights look awesome, especially at night. The switches are very nice to type on and for gaming. This keyboard is sleek and stylish, and definitely looks good! But there are a couple of issues (I will address them later.) As a side note, many people were saying that they got 8 extra brown switches while others were saying they got blues, which is strange because people are getting different switches. Personally, I got two spare reds, browns, blues, and blacks. The switches are all Outemu, for anyone wondering. Pros: -Nice, solid metal body -Adjustable feet with rubber pads -Looks awesome -Great RGB at a budget price -Outemu switches feel great -Double-injection molded keycaps that will last for a long time -Nice sturdy cable with gold-plated USB connector for stable connections -Font isnt all up in your face. (Cough cough, K95 Platinum.) -Spare keys (in my case it was better as a future reference to see which keys I might want to use) -Great overall Cons: -This one is nit-picking, but I will still mention it. The caps lock key doesnt have a light on it to indicate if its on or off. Theres a light on the top right of the keyboard, but Im used to it on the key itself, but thats just me. -No dedicated macro or media keys, but at $60 what do you expect? -No volume knob, also nit-picking -Instructions are unclear on how to remove the actual switches for replacing, ended up breaking one in the process. Good thing they included 2 spare browns. **-This one frustrated me a lot, and its that if you are holding shift while you backspace, it double backspaces. This is really annoying and has caused me several times to go back and forth with one word for a solid twenty seconds. Overall this is a great keyboard for the price and, even though there are a couple of cons, all the pros are still a great reason to buy it. So if you are looking for a budget mechanical gaming keyboard with RGB and a few extra features, this is definitely a good choice to pick up!

It took a friend of mine a long time to convert me to mechanical, and now I can never go back. It takes a bit of adjustment due to the height difference in keys between this and say, a membrane keyboard, but typing is amazingly smooth and I feel like my WPM has improved. Actual construction of the product is fantastic; very solid. The brushed metal and trim top-down profile look great. Also of note, but not worth taking a star off the actual product rating: Amazon sent this to me by simply slapping a shipping label onto the original packaging. I count myself lucky that the item was in fine working order, and that it wasnt swiftly stolen from my doorstep, as a result. Please do better! My only teensy nitpick is that the color settings, while attractive, dont fare well if youre aiming for an all-white effect; it sort of fires off all colors at once to maintain it, and it makes for a subtle but noticeable flickering, almost strobe effect that was pretty distracting in my peripheral vision. Nothing wrong with sticking to the default solid rainbow lighting, though!

EDIT - 4/21/20: I have owned this keyboard for about a month and a half. My overall impressions are extremely favorable, and I GREATLY prefer this keyboard to my other Redragon board with Outemu blues. However, I have noticed that the Up arrow key developed a springy noise that the other keys didnt. The keys are hot-swappable, so I exchanged the switch for one of the the extra brown switches included in the box. The up arrow key no longer has the noise, but one of the extra brown switches in the box did, so I am now out of usable brown replacement switches. Im not going to change my review, but be aware that the longevity of these Redragon-branded switches may not be up to par with name-brand switches. I will update this review if I experience any more of this. TL;DR: If you hate glossy keycaps and/or metallic pinging sounds while typing, the great features of this board wont be worth it to you. This keyboard has a lot of excellent qualities. It excels in a few categories, but it falls short in others, and the shortcomings are non-trivial. All of the positive things Ive read in reviews about this keyboard are true, but unfortunately, so are all the negatives. Pros: 1. Extremely heavy and well-built. I also own the K551 Vara from Redragon, and this seems even more solid than that beast. No flex or rattle to be found. 2. Very flexible RGB implementation. Im not all that concerned about RGB, but its here if you need it. There are on-board and software controls available. 3. Switches feel nice and there is a tactile bump with little noise. There is less tactility than I expected, but I am coming from blues and Im also a bit heavy-handed when it comes to typing, so this may be an irrelevant complaint for many. 4. Redragon offers an 18-month warranty, which is quite long for a Chinese brand that uses many of the same components as the competition. 5. Redragon includes 8 spare switches in the box, along with a switch-puller and keycap-puller. There are 2 browns, 2 blues, 2 reds, and 2 blacks. Cons: 1. The keycaps are nice and matte on the top, but the sides are glossy and appear quite cheap. The included keycap puller seems to use harder plastic than the keys, and IT WILL SCRATCH THE SIDES. If I end up keeping this keyboard, I will probably switch out the caps down the line. They are noticeably worse than the keycaps on my K551 Vara, which had a very nice matte texture on the sides as well as the top. 2. The metallic ping rumors are true. I feel like this is a result of the shape and metal construction of the keyboard case. It doesnt happen upon pressing down the key, but if you release a key and let it rebound with no pressure on it, you will hear it quite loudly. This will be especially obvious when typing quickly, as you will hear many pings together. Its slightly annoying and I could get used to it, but I dont feel I should have to. This is my main issue with the keyboard. As previously mentioned, I own another Redragon mechanical keyboard with blue Outemu switches, and the ping is present but MUCH less obvious. I think its an issue thats inherent with mechanical keyboards in general, but the switch choice and case design can exacerbate the problem. 3. The switches are NOT Outemu branded. Many reviews and Q&A responses on this listing mention Outemu switches. Because of previous positive experiences with Outemu switches, I was happy to hear that this keyboard uses them. It does not. The switches used, including the spares, are Redragon branded. They must have used Outemu in the past and recently started using their own. With that said, the switches look identical to actual Outemu browns Ive seen in video reviews of this and other keyboards, so its entirely possible that Redragon sources the switches from Outemu/Gaote and rebrands them. They do feel good, and though I have limited experience typing on browns, Im enjoying it so far. Im also changing the keycaps, so that may enhance the feel further. Overall Comments: With all things considered, the keyboard is excellent value, but has some flaws. The build, RGB, and overall feel are very impressive, as is the warranty, but the whole package feels less premium due to the cheap keycaps and the metallic ping. For 10-15 dollars less, there are options like the E-Element Z-88 that use similar brown Outemu switches and seem to have an identical layout and even probably use the same PCB judging by the RGB options. The Redragon K556 Devarajas seems to offer the best experience that can be had with brown switches at this price range, so for many buyers it will be worth the compromise. To get a significant upgrade in features or quality, Id expect to spend twice as much.

[Original Review: April 2, 2019 - 1 Star] The Redragon K556 RGB arrived yesterday and I eagerly connected it to my computer. Unfortunately my Win 10 computer (HP Pavilion p6710f) doesnt recognize it as being connected. Ive tried connecting to several different USB ports, rebooting each time, but the keyboard stays dead. My old keyboard works in all of these ports. Installing their driver made no difference. Ive contacted Redragon via their website, as the red card in the package told me to do, so well see what sort of response I get. Meanwhile, it gets one star since you cant give zero. [Update, April 5 - 5 stars] Shortly after writing my initial review, I revisited my Amazon order and clicked the Get Product Support button. The Amazon agent responding to the chat gave me my choice of replacement keyboard or refund. With all the glowing reviews I was seeing here, I just figured I got a defective unit and asked for a replacement. It arrived today, and the instant I plugged it into a USB port on my desktop, it sprang to life, and Im using it to type this update. Im a touch typist and have no problem with the key feel and spacing. The laser-etched keytops let the backlighting shine through nicely and will serve me well for those evening/night computer sessions, and besides they just look cool. Im bumping my rating of the hardware up to 5 stars. Meanwhile, yesterday I received an email from Redragon in response to the message I had left on their website, apologizing for my problem and asking for a video. I replied asking a video of what -- there was nothing to show because the keyboard was dead. They responded asking for my order number and address so they could send me a MOUSE. I replied with the requested information, but pointed out that I had purchased a keyboard, not a mouse, and that Amazon was already sending me a replacement keyboard. Maybe theyre sending me a mouse to compensate me for my trouble (?). I feel they really want to stand behind their product, but there might be a communication problem. Anyhow, well see what ensues. [Added later] Never received a mouse ...

I love the keyboard. Nowhere in the description did it mention that the used condition would mean the key-puller and extra caps would be missing. A small detail, all things considered.

I am a software developer. I have spent the last 25 years using rounded dome over membrane keyboards, common as low-cost reliable keyboards from the name brand PC and keyboard manufacturers. They work reasonably well, are lower profile, quieter, and a bit mushier than the keyboards I started out with in the early 80s. Since gaming and programming have brought inexpensive mechanical switches back to popularity, and since I longed for an illuminated keyboard (I need one for my recipe PC in the kitchen, and one for my workstation in my home office), I thought I would try this product. I selected Outemu Brown switches because they have a tactile feel, medium pressure, and otherwise do not attempt to be loudly clicky (like Blue switches) or have no bumpy tactile feedback (like Red switches, best for speed in gaming). They remind me of the Tektronix 4051, DEC VT102, IBM 3270, Ann Arbor Ambassador, and TVI 925 terminal keyboards I used as a college student back in the 1980s... more precise, less mushy, and a little more predictable. Once I got used to the taller height of the keytops above the desk (forcing proper floating arm position), I think I am typing faster and more accurately. Plus, I get all these great backlight patterns and colors. They are quickly accessible by pressing Fn + <key>, and the keys are clearly marked. Speed and brightness of the many patterns can be changed at the keyboard. Since I run Linux 24x7, I havent and probably wont try out the software that the manufacturer provides, or do any single key color programming. The aluminum case of this keyboard makes it quite heavy; it is a flat rectangular box and it comes straight down to the table side with a black anodized brushed texture; its not as easy to pick up the keyboard from the sides as a lighter plastic keyboard that are designed to narrow in width toward the table surface. Although it might have been nice for there to be a slight lip on the upper edge of the sides, I think this is fine overall. The weight helps it sit securely in my lap if I so desire. I think this is going to remain my workstation keyboard. For my kitchen recipe PC, which I often want to use quickly in the dark and which started me looking at illuminated keyboards, I may choose a lighter weight keyboard (plastic case) which is easier to lift up by the edges. USB 2.0, VID:PID = 0x0c45:0x5004. Vendor = Microdia, Manufacturer = SONiX, MaxPower = 400mA, HID class, Boot Interface subclass.

This is a pretty quick and easy review. The construction is sturdy. The many different lighting options is great. No aura sync, but got it to match anyhow. All of the switches work great. Very responsive. I really cant say anything bad about this keyboard. I took a gamble on it and am very glad that I did. Its a keyboard, it works well, and it looks cool. Triple threat.

I bought this keyboard because the one that came with my new PC had a weird problem with the space bar. I knew I wanted a mechanical keyboard eventually anyway, so after a TON of research, (learning about the dizzying array of features that modern keyboards can come with), I settled upon this keyboard from Red Dragon. I wanted a wired, full sized keyboard with backlit keys. After about two weeks of use, Im happy to say that I made a good decision. I was also surprised with how quickly the keyboard arrived after placing the order. The keyboard feels solid and well made, but still sleek and modern looking. While its a full sized keyboard, it doesnt take up a lot of real estate on my desk at all. It feels nice to type on, I enjoy typing and Im pretty quick. I havent had any problems with hitting the wrong keys or anything like that. Its also very satisfying, I like to hear the keys being pressed, so there is definitely a satisfying clicking sound, but I wouldnt say this keyboard is too loud at all. All the keys light up, there arent any dud keys. Backlit keys were important for me, as I like to use my computer in the dark. If you like to have cool lighting effects, this keyboard has a lot of different modes, and its easy to switch through them all. I prefer to have one solid color constantly, and I found the mode for that. You can also change the static color. I saw someone write in a review that they wanted a keyboard where you couldnt see lighting coming from underneath the keys, they just wanted the characters on the keys lit up. If that is something you are looking for, this keyboard is not for you. All the keys are raised up and there isnt any housing around the keys to stop the light from spilling out. This isnt a problem for me at all. Honestly, it looks pretty cool like this and its probably a way to keep the price down. As for some reviewers mentioning a ringing sound similar to a chain link fence being hit, I can definitely hear what they are talking about, but its honestly not very noticeable at all. While youre typing, you really have to be intensely listening for it to hear it at all. I brought my wife into the room to ask if she heard anything odd, and she said no. I then told her theres a ringing sound which she still couldnt hear. Then I hit the backspace and enter key harder than I normally would, and then she heard it faintly. I would never be hitting those keys that hard during normal use. She laughed and told me that its a silly complaint and one that she would never even notice. The only drawback on this keyboard is that there are no buttons to change your computer volume, or open up a browser, etc. But for me, Ive had keyboards with buttons like that in the past, and I never used them as much as I thought I would. My audio interface is always right in front of me, and it has a volume dial for that anyway.

The keyboard is great, types really well and doesn’t make an extraneous amount of sound. But if you want to keep the LEDs always on and not some ridiculous pattern that’s distracting, you have to download their software. Included in it is a file called HidServ.DLL. Normally that’s included by Windows, but the DLL included with the ZIP file downloaded has extreme anti reverse engineering tactics applied like encrypted strings and checking if a debugger is attached. If you download the software, delete HidServ.DLL as it’s not even needed by the EXE to run at all.