Price at Amazon: INR 2995/-

Red Gear “Invador mk881 Tournament Edition” is an outstanding mechanical gaming keyboard. The least price it was sold for at Flipkart was INR 2449/- after when it went out of stock. The mate black colour, the edges and that precise font of letters & numeric on the key-caps (all in Upper cases) defines the word “Mechanical” to its best. I’ve been using mk881 from more than a month now and after spending more than 150 hours of gaming with this keyboard I thought of writing a review on it. To keep this review simple, I have divided it into four sections and you’ll find “Pros & Cons”1 at the end of the article:

• Look & Build: When it comes to looks, Invador looks classy and the spectrum wave backlighting makes it the most attractive back-lit keyboard I have ever seen. Invador mk881 weighs 860 grams which is quite heavy. Here are the key things about the build and looks of this keyboard:
  1. It doesn’t comes with separate media keys, the media functions are controlled by a distinct “FN” key in the similar manner as you operate in most laptops now days.
  2. Invador mk881 comes with a long braided cable (which is very strong) and a gold plated USB 3.0 connector.
  3. When you look at the back of this keyboard, you’ll find that it has three outlets for the cable so that you can fold the cable accordingly to connect it with your laptop or PC. It does have rubber coated clips at the back for better grip.
  4. MK881 sports carved keycaps, there is nothing printed. So, whatever is written on the key-caps is not going to fade ever. No matter how much you type or game on this keyboard.
  5. The longer key-caps (space bar, shift key or the backspace key) are fitted with two plastic rests so that key equilibrium is maintained and the output can be easily generated by pressing at any corner of the key with same force.

• Specifications:
  1. 104 keys, all with Kailh Blue Switch. Interestingly the Kail Blue switches are economical alternative to cherry mx blue switches with identical actuation force performance.
  2. Dimensions: 442 x 138 x 39mm
  3. Working Voltage: DC 4.5-5.3V
  4. Power Consumption between 40mA and 120mA, it is recommended to plug-in the charger if you are using it with your laptop.
  5. Polling Rate: 1000hz
  6. Actuation force: 50g
  7. Life Span (Kystrokes): 70 million (as written on the box, but the life span of Kailh blue switch is of 50 million key-strokes)
  8. Operating System support: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and MAC.

• Features: Invador mk881 packs in some amazing features for gamers and typos.
  1. Window-key lock: The window-key can be locked (shortcut is FN+Window key) for un-interruptible gaming experience. There is a separate window-key lock indicator situated at the up-right corner of the keyboard.
  2. 6 profiles: You can switch between modes by pressing FN+ numpad keys. My favourite profile is “League of Legends” which is basically for the first person shooters and activated by FN+4. Another useful profile is “Office” activated by FN+6.
  3. Custom profile: Invador offers to create manual profiles which will backlit the keys as per your demand. To create a manual profile:
     1. Press FN+PD
     2. Press FN+1 or FN+2

• Now press the keys you wish to backlit.

1. Press FN+PD

• All keys Anti-ghosting: Well, this is the beauty of every mechanical keyboard which outruns every membrane keyboard. By anti-ghosting we mean “Number of keys that can be pressed simultaneously to give a precise output inside a video game or elsewhere.” We tested this keyboard in games like “Split/Second : Velocity” and “Street Fighter X Tekken” where you need to press 4 to 5 keys together for achieving distinct output. Invador worked absolutely fine and it can be used as alternative to Hitboxes. Furthermore, you can visit https://www.microsoft.com/appliedsciences/content/projects/KeyboardGhostingDemo.aspx  (copy the url on your browser) to check the anti-ghosting of any keyboard.

Pros:

• Keys are well placed, the touch and fell of this keyboard is far better than many keyboards in this price range.
• Each key cap is removable; thereby you can easily keep this keyboard clean.
• No matter how much you type or game on this keyboard, whatever is written on the key-caps is not going to fade ever.
• All key anti-ghosting
• Remarkable touch and feel
• Window-key lock feature for hassle free gaming
• Spectrum Wave Backlighting with custom profiles to operate in dark.
• Additional plastic rests for longer keys so than you can press them from any corner to generate the desired output.

Check out performance review in this video!

Cons

• Red Gear Invador mk881 is a dirt-magnet; it catches dirt very quickly.
• Keys are noisy which irritates at times, but that’s the property of clicky switches.
• Media keys are not present separately. No spare keys in the box. Volume control options which are present on the arrow keys are not functional.

Verdict

Despite being a dirt magnet, Invador mk881 Tournament edition is the best mechanical keyboard to buy in this price range with overwhelming colourful profiles that offers an astonishing gaming experience.

Buy RedGear Mk881 Here