Dragon War Dark Sector Review

[DigitalHermit]

Hi there... About time I wrote a review...

 

Dragon War Dark Sector Keyboard

 

Overview:

The Dark Sector Keyboard is a tiny keyboard from our friends at Dragon War. This keyboard is a backlit semi mechanical (scissor-switch) keyboard with function keys. I got this one at Data Blitz Glorietta 2 Branch for 695PhP (~16USD at the time of posting). It has a nonstandard layout.

 

Build Quality:

The first thing I noticed about this keyboard is its weight. It's heavy for its size.

 

The 1.8m cord is cloth sleeved (?) braided and terminates in a gold plated plug. The cable can't be flexed beyond a certain degree thanks to the sleeving.

 

The keyboard has a matte black finish that felt slightly on the cheap side, but felt better with use. The underside of the keyboard feels like it's made of some cast metal (aluminum, maybe) with the rest of the keyboard built of dense plastic (ABS?).

 

There are also some rubber feet to keep it from slipping.

 

 

Keys:

As mentioned earlier the keys use semi-mechanical switches. These keys are heavy compared to the MX Blues that I used on my friend's Razer Black Widow 2012. The travel is also shallower, closer to those found on laptops. They also have this very satisfying sound to them with the option of becoming almost silent by changing the way you type.

 

The keys have a nice matte-black finish with blue backlighting. The backlighting is not too dim and not too bright. You can see the backlighting even on a sunny day but it won't blind you at night. Tkeys are also evenly lit.

 

The layout of the keys feel natural with the less-used keys out of the way. The layout resembles something found on a laptop. The backspace key is only one key wide so it takes some getting used to. The right shift is also smaller and the arrow keys are right below the enter key. The page navigation keys are vertically laid out to the right of the enter key. The function keys are also smaller than the rest of the keys. The numpad is standard.

 

Features:

The keyboard has media keys which work well with Windows 7. The modifier key is right beside the start key which makes it a bit confusing to reach when in a hurry or when not looking. Aside from the backlighting and media keys, there are no other features. It does lack adjustable height so it lies flat on the table most of the time.

 

Conclusion:

It's a nice cheap keyboard that feels good enough to type on. I actually find it leagues better than the Black Widow 2012 with MX Blues. The layout takes some getting used to.

 

Pros:

• Cheap-ish
• Good backlighting
• Great build quality for the price
• Sleeved braided cable

Cons:

• Non-standard layout
• Small right shift and backspace
• No macros (even though I find them to be unnecessary)
• Height not adjustable

 

Score: 8/10 It's better than expected!

 

(Pardon the potatopic.)

[Zeke]

The 1.8m cord is cloth sleeved (?) and terminates in a gold plated plug. The cable can't be flexed beyond a certain degree thanks to the sleeving.

I think the word you might be looking for is "braided".

 

Nice review.

[DigitalHermit]

I think the word you might be looking for is "braided".

 

Nice review.

 

Yeah, that might be the term...

 

Thanks.

[Lord Pantaloons]

Interesting, you should edit the title to say keyboard though. It sounds like a game or a movie as it is now.

[The Cool n00B]

Is it clear plastic with black paint? How did they do the backlighting?

[DigitalHermit]

Is it clear plastic with black paint? How did they do the backlighting?

 

Not sure but it looks and feels like it on the surface...

[The Cool n00B]

Not sure but it looks and feels like it on the surface...

Have you pulled off one of the keys?

[DigitalHermit]

Have you pulled off one of the keys?

 

Not risking since the warranty expired last week... From beneath the backlighting I see something similar to the tops of cherry switches...

 

I don't think that the keycaps can be pulled easily since the gaps between the keys are very small...

[The Cool n00B]

Not risking since the warranty expired last week... From beneath the backlighting I see something similar to the tops of cherry switches...

 

I don't think that the keycaps can be pulled easily since the gaps between the keys are very small...

Oh ok