Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro L Mechanical Keyboard with Intelligent RGB Backlighting (Cherry MX Blue)

Great Keyboard with One Flaw for Mech Keyboard Nerds

Got this as my first mech keyboard diverging off of various OEM Dell and chiclet-ey Logitech stuff previously and it sent me down the rabbit hole. Previously almost all I cared about was full-size and white back-lighting because of key shortcuts and dark studio environments (when I'm so lucky). Now I buy switch testers and obsess about "tactility". Many things I absolutely love about this deck: MX switches, stiff plate, abundant lighting options ... Show Morewith both software and on-the-fly control, 108-key layout, etc. But most of all it's an understated, classic, "coder"-feeling design as opposed to the over-detailed, oddly-shaped gamer stuff that's out there with the wrapped plates and the diagonal cutouts and the hey hey. This makes it a visually versatile piece of kit. You can turn the lighting off, put some nice caps on there and have something elegant, take it any direction you want. This brings me to the keyboard's one major flaw: keycap compatibility. I thought its black case, flat lines and corners, and full, uninterrupted 108 key surface would look great with a nice, low-profile set of DSA Dolch caps, so I ordered some. Disappointed to report that the radius of the fillets on the keyboard's faceplate is too large, bringing the inner corners of the faceplate in far enough so that the faceplate interferes with DSA keys in corner positions (ESC, CTRL, BACK SPACE, etc.). This is bad enough that, though you can install the keys, once you press them down they will be held down by the corners and stay stuck down instead of springing back up as they should, requiring you to pry them back up with a blade before you can remove them with a keycap puller. This makes the MasterKeys Pro L completely DSA-incompatible (no Granite for you!), but if you're sticking with OEM profile, Cherry profile, or even SA profile (I've had mixed results with SA) it's still a fantastic keyboard. The only other quibble I have with this keyboard is the white plate. I understand why manufacturers spec white plates: to reflect LEDs more effectively. But more and more I think that, unless I have an awesome-looking stainless steel or brass plate in there, I don't really want to ever see it when the LEDS are off. I think it makes a lot more sense to spec a black keyboard with a black plate. LEDs are so bright these days that they really don't need any help anyway, and seeing that plastic-looking white surface between keys in daylight with the RGB off instead of having it disappear to the eye like I think it should makes a very nice keyboard look a little chintzy. I dug around online and found that iKBC puts black plates in their black MF108s and just as I thought, they look really great. Hmm. So: DSA-incompatible and white plate, but I otherwise love this keyboard.Show Less

Reviewed on B&H Photo Video