Save £70 on our favourite 65 percent gaming keyboard from Currys in a mega deal
The K5V2 is super cheap at the moment.
The Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 is our favourite 65 percent gaming keyboard on the point it offers a compelling package with lots of customisation and marvellous mechanical switches. It's virtually being given away at just £30 from Currys - that's a substantial £70 saving on its £100 retail price, and a steal of a deal if you're after a highly customisable and compact mechanical 'board.
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Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 (65%, MX2A Red, customisable)Now £29.99 (was £99.99) |
One of the main reasons we love the K5V2 is because of its use of Cherry's newer and improved MX2A switches, which bring with it lubrication for a smoother typing feel, a ribbed steam for less key wobble, and diamond polishing for a super-smooth surface. In this instance, it comes with tried-and-tested MX Reds, which feel excellent for gaming and office workloads with a lighter, smoother feel. I've been a big fan of these MX2A Reds (and their associated silent variant) when I tested them in the Cherry Xtrfy MX 3.1. They are a major improvement over the original Reds, especially with things such as lubrication and such to make it a smoother and more responsive keypress There is also sound-dampening and pre-lubed stabilisers for better acoustics, too - the sign that this is an enthusiast-grade keyboard first and foremost.
In addition, this is quite the customisable keyboard, with lots of physical means, such as keycaps and switches, given the K5V2 is hot-swappable, so you can bundle in whichever three or five-pin MX-style switches you want to without an issue. To this end, keycap and switch pullers are provided inside the box, and it's very easy in a matter of minutes to swap switches and keycaps out to change the look and feel of the keyboard completely. Just make sure you've got more than enough switches in case you bend a few pins on the underside when putting them into the hot-swappable sockets - it happens to the best of us.
The keycaps here are a thick ABS, alhough it's possible to get inexpensive PBT ones online that can help change the aesthetic and increase the durability of the caps you're using. Considering the savings you're making on the keyboard itself, it might be a worthwhile upgrade for you to do. You may not get any software, owing to Xtrfy's tournament-compliant approach for function integration, but the K5V2 comes with a range of secondary functions across virtually all of its 65 percent layout for everything from backlight adjustment to media playback, plus Win key lock and other useful creature comforts.
The 65 percent layout is perfectly usable and provides probably the smallest layout I could get away with using, given arrow keys and some navigation functions are a non-negotiable for how I work, but your mileage may vary, of course. In the form it is here, it's arguably closer to the 75% layout a lot of my other keyboards utilise, and surprisingly functional for such a space-saving layout. Of course, this has the benefit of providing you with more desk space for the benefit of ergonomics and for providing more room for you to execute big, sweeping mouse movements and wrist flicks in more competitive play.
Oh, and before I go, if you fancy a special edition variant of this keyboard, then Currys also has the 'Northern Lights' K5V2 for £70. This swaps out the ABS keycaps for special PBT ones, and changes the switches to the limited Cherry MX Northern Light silent linears, plus you can an new case design and a mousepad to match. The core functionality of the keyboard remains the same, but if you want a complete setup in one box, this could be worth a look.
If you want to grab a capable keyboard for competitive gaming in a small form factor, the Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 is a veritable bargain from Currys for just £30.