Is Redragon K617 Fizz a Good Budget Keyboard? Gaming Keyboard Review
The Redragon K617 Fizz is a compact mechanical keyboard that also has a very nice RGB backlighting feature. The product comes with software that allows customers to customize their lighting. It is a cheap keyboard for anyone looking for a hot-swappable mechanical keyboard, people will find that the product is worth its features.
With its compact and minimalist design, this keyboard will look good on any desk while saving desk space for your mouse during gaming. You have two options for the color of the keycaps, pink and white or gray and white.
| Product Name | Redragon K617 Fizz 60% Wired RGB Gaming Keyboard |
|---|---|
| Number of Keys | 61 Keys |
| Frame | Plastic |
| Keycap Material | Double-shot ABS |
| Lighting | RGB Backlight |
| Keyboard Interface | Type-C wired |
| Keyswitch Type | Red switch |
| Dimension | 290 x 98mm |
| Weight | 0.43 Kg |
Aesthetics and Appearance
The Redragon K617 Fizz is a 60% layout keyboard with 61 keys, which is good for anyone looking for a mechanical keyboard and also wanting to save desk space.
With its small dimensions, which are just around 11.5×3.9 in, and with a weight of .43 Kg, this keyboard is very portable. You could put it in your bag and carry it around, to your school or the office and it wouldn’t be a bother.
The keyboard has a clean design, you can also choose from 2 combinations of keycap colors, either pink and white or gray and white.
The RGB is also bright and lights up the keycaps very well. The RGB can be customized using the keyboard’s function keys or using the Redragon software.
READ ALSO: Tecware Phantom 87 Mechanical Keyboard Review: A great budget hot swappable gaming keyboard
Build Quality and Ease of Use
The Redragon K617 Fizz has a sturdy build given that it only has a plastic body and frame. There is some flex when putting pressure on it, but it is not a big issue.
The Fizz can be connected via a USB-type C connection. The wire is long enough and flexible enough that I won’t break easily if you decide to carry this around in your bag. The wire is also detachable and would offer customizability if you are into that.
Sadly, even though the Fizz is a compact keyboard it doesn’t support Bluetooth connectivity.
It takes getting used to the functions layer and how the secondary keys are laid out in the keyboard. If you are an MMO, RTS, or MOBA player this might not be a keyboard for you unless it is okay for you to customize your hotkeys using the Redragon software or the in-game options.
This is also a good typing keyboard if your work doesn’t involve the encoding of numerical data or other symbol keys. Other than that, it is a good keyboard for FPS and for light typing.
Key switch
The key switches used are Redragon brand key switches. The keyboard that I have has Redragon linear switches. They claim that this switch has a 40g actuation force to activate and a 2.0 mm travel distance. They also rate their switches to last for fifty million clicks.
If you have used a keyboard with an Outemu switch, using this keyboard would feel familiar to you. Even though the Fizz has a linear switch it feels mushy and springy to use, like an Outemu key switch.
The good thing is that this keyboard is hot-swappable, but (and this is a big but) it uses a style of hot-swappability that is only compatible with Outemu-style switches. It means that to use its hot swap feature you need to use key switches similar to the Outemu or a Redragon switch.
You can still use Cherry MX or Kaile-style switches in the Fizz if you really want to. You just have to cut or file down the pins of the Cherry MX keys to fit into the Outemu-style hot swap in the Fizz.
Conclusion
The Redragon K617 Fizz gaming keyboard is a good cheap gaming keyboard. The keycaps come in a variety of colors. The quality of the keycaps is sturdy.
It is hot-swappable, even if its hot-swap capabilities are limited it is good to have the option.
There are positive aspects and there are negative aspects. Although this keyboard saves a lot of space, some people may find that the keys are placed too close to one another. The feel of the keys might also turn off some users, but you can replace all the keys with key switches that you like.
ALSO READ: Review of Keychron C1 Mechanical Keyboard
