Rosewill Mechanical Keyboard RK-9000RE with Cherry MX Red Switch

Pros: I have had thio keybeard for almmost six months now. I love it. best of all, I was able to just switch the keys and change a settingand I had a DVORAK kebaord with the Cherry MX Switch. The price is good, especially for the smoothness you get.

Cons: Like any mechanical keyboard, it is as noisey as a cat in a blender.
Not backnight?

Other Thoughts: i would definitely get this if I had to chose between this and the Razar I have on my other rig. It is plain looking, but means buisness.

Pros: It is a well built mechanical keyboard that has a solid, heavy frame and a Costar main PCB and daughterboard. Can be bought for cheap.

Cons: Something is cursed with the RK-9000RE keyboards. I have a brown and blue RK-9000 and both are fine. I was even lucky enough to not be hit with the USB mini-connector problem. However, I have had to resolder three keys -- the backslash, enter, and right shift -- because the pads have popped off the PCB and broken all the traces. Hence, there is no conductivity between one contact of the switch and the controller.

Other Thoughts: It seems like no coincidence that all the broken keys are in the same area. To fix the problem, I had to scratch the finish off from the area adjacent to the pad, pull off the existing solder, and drop a larger blob of solder in its place to reestablish the connection.

My main PCB says Nashville 104568 MB V5.0 2012-06-18. It seems to have the USB connector fixed but now has these new key problems. Expect things to break if you hit the keyboard the wrong way.

Pros: Cheapest cherry MX red keyboard I could find
sounds loud but fantastic
simplistic and attractive
like typing on a cloud

Cons: the spacebar edge is a little sharp which could potentially cause some thumb irritation
Also the keyboard is heavier than expected if you could consider that a con. Some might find the lack of extra features such as media buttons, macro buttons, wrist guard, etc. leaving some to be desired.

Other Thoughts: Keys respond to the slightest touch, even when only pushed down partially. Personally I'm very satisfied with these cherry red keyswitches for both gaming and typing. Personally I find no fault with the USB connector.

Pros: Cherry keys are great.

Cons: Seriously, how hard is it to make a decent usb mini port connector? I would not buy this keyboard. The usb connector issue is a fatal flaw.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you very much for purchasing this unit.
We strive to provide the most reliable and highest quality products to our customers.

Please kindly contact the Rosewill support team
Phone: 1- 800-575-9885
Email: rma@rosewill.com

So we may assist you with (in-warranty) replacement.
We look forward to hearing from you.

The two adjustments made to address the issue are:
1.       We’ve made the mini usb support board longer to handle the stress from the cable connection and disconnection.
2.       We’ve secured the mini usb connector from moving by enhancing the keyboard casing/enclosure by providing additional structure support above and around the connector.



Thanks,
Rosewill Customer Care

Pros: keyboard itself is good.

Cons: unfortunately it is only as good as its weakest link which is the flimsy usb connector which seems destined to fail.

Other Thoughts: I've owned this keyboard less than a year and like everyone else the connector is broken. If you are considering buying this keyboard budget an additional $10-20 for return shipping when it breaks within a year and you will be out of luck once the warranty runs out.

Pros: Price
Uses Costar style stabilizers
Good heavy duty plate mount for switches
Build quality seems nearly as good as my Filco

Cons: Pad printed keycaps (but what do you expect for the price)
Possible issues with USB jack

Other Thoughts: I purchased this board after trying a CM Storm Trigger that I absolutely did not like due to backlighting issues and Cherry stabilizers. This board uses Costar stabilizers and is supposedly made by Costar (best company also makes Filco)
I wasn't sure about the red switches at first, but I knew they would be similar to browns which I love and I didn't want to spend the premium to get browns just for my keyboard to bring into work with me. (Filco stays at home) I'm glad I got the reds they are very nice. I would still give a nod to browns, but the reds are very similar and also light. Very easy to touch type. I would say browns are slightly better for typing and reds slightly better for gaming, but they are very close and you can easily use either.

Pros: The keyboard is not made by rosewill, the company that makes this sells similar quality keyboards for over 200 dollars.
The red backplate looks amazing
The clack of the keys is satisfying
It is dirt cheap
It comes with a mouse cable and a usb cable (both sleeved)


Its just great

Cons: Led is a little bright

Other Thoughts: Its just a good heavy keyboard

Pros: Lots of good things to say about this keyboard but it's irrelevant if the keyboard doesn't even work.

Cons: USB cable has a major issue. I've read other user comments and I always thought it wouldn't happen to me, but TRUST ME. It'll happen to you. It constantly disconnects after I've used the keyboard for around 3 months. I've now owned the keyboard for almost 9 months and I'm finally fed up with the constant connect/disconnect. I type quite fast (usually at 100+ wpm), an avid coder, and also gamer. Going to ask for an RMA and hope I can get one w/o the issue.

Pros: Simple, nice feel to the keys, fairly inexpensive

Cons: A couple of keys started to fail after a week or two of use, when I tried to fix it and removed the solder, the surrounding connector fell right out; a sign of a circuit board of poor quality. If you know how to solder and want to be fixing your keyboard every few weeks, go ahead and buy this keyboard, otherwise look elsewhere.

Pros: Enjoyable typing compared to cheap membrane keyboards. Reminds me of the well-loved, Apple Extended mechanical keyboards Apple Macintosh shipped with its best desktops in 1987 that then cost over $150. Today, with inflation, that's equivalent to about $300. But Apple's keyboards were better built.

Cons: Poorly printed key cap lettering wears off within a couple of months. That's unacceptable for a keyboard of this price. Keyboard is advertised as durable and "• Laser printing design for the keycap" That's certainly not laser etching.

Do we have to coat each key cap with clear nail polish before the lettering is gone altogether to prevent worn lettering?