Cooler Master CK721 Hybrid Wireless Mechanical 65% Keyboard Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The stock seems to be a little erratic for this keyboard, at least on Amazon. The darker model wasn’t on there, but the silver/grey model with a DE layout was. So it’s best to just keep an eye out for stock, as these things change constantly these days. That model is currently listed at £116.60. However, the UK layout in either colour with red switches is in stock at OCUK for £129.95. Not cheap, but keep in mind this is a flagship mechanical keyboard, with multiple connectivity options, so the price is competitive. I’m sure prices and availability of the add-on parts will be revealed in the coming weeks, but don’t expect them to be cheap additions.

Overview

Cooler Master makes many of my favourite keyboards, albeit, some of them are quite old now, but I always liked their keyboards for being a bit more robust and heavy than most. That’s not really true of the CK721, it’s designed to be a lot more portable than their old tank-like desktop models. It’s reasonably light, so it won’t be a burden while in your backpack, but it’s not as unrelentingly rigid as a result.

The build quality is great though, I really can’t fault that. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into the overall design, material choices and construction. The CK721 looks and feels like a premium quality product from the moment you set your eyes and hands on it. Little details, such as the nicely finished aluminium, slightly recessed keycaps, or quality switches on the side to change the connectivity or the feel of the dial control, all add up to a very pleasant experience.

The choice of switches is nice too, as not everyone wants linear red switches. Albeit, most retailers only stock red, so you may have to shop around for the less common blue or brown variations. It feels just like you would expect an expensive mechanical keyboard to feel though. The keys are smooth, extremely responsive and accurate. For typing lengthy documents, spamming rubbish on reddit, or spending hours in Elder Scrolls Online, it really is great for a bit of everything. About the only thing that it’s rubbish at is working on spreadsheets, as the lack of a number pad is limiting. That being said, if you’re mostly leaning towards gaming, the number pad is rarely used and it’s not like keyboards with number pads are hard to find, if they’re what you need.

Overall though, it’s a very good keyboard, with really good ergonomics thanks to the sort-of low-profile layout of the keycaps, the two-stage angle adjustment, and that Big Chungus-Esque wrist rest that you can really lean into on those long gaming sessions.

If you’re looking for a stylish, compact, versatile, portable, lightweight, customisable, multi-format gaming keyboard to call your own, then look no further. The Cooler Master CK721 may have some compromises, but it’s not without purpose, and it’s easily one of the more interesting keyboards I’ve seen in a long time!