Page 4: Use, Conclusion
Use
The Arctic K381 is an excellent feeling keyboard. We had some hesitation at first thinking it would be a LAN gaming keyboard, we quickly became impressed with how typing felt on the K381. I personally used it for a week and once used to it, it was easy and seamless. Like any good keyboard, it should have a minimal angle so your wrists don't have to bend. Arctic put some thought into this since one of the selling points is the low angle of the keyboard.
Key presses are a bit more subdued in sound and force compared to a normal gaming type keyboard such as the G15 or G110. The K381 acts more like a laptop style keyboard in that the keys don't have to travel that far down to be pressed. Since this is an input device, we urge you to try it before you buy it. While we can give recommendations on a product, it is ultimately your hands that will be using the product.
That being said, we were happy with the performance of the K381. We pressed 6 keys in the WASD area before the keyboard stopped registering keystrokes. Some cheap keyboards tend to only register two or so keys at a time at once. The K381 looks and feels like a quality product.
We welcome feedback on our video reviews. Please leave us comments on Youtube or post a response right here in the article.
Conclusion
If you like Arctic Cooling, pair this keyboard up with the »M571 mouse to have an excellent combination for gaming. In addition to performing well, the K381 is small enough to take with you to LAN parties. While the minimalistic design may shun away some people that like macros, the overall design and feel are good. The K381 has a MSRP of $24.95. This is a great price on a good product. Arctic Cooling is pricing themselves into an excellent place in the market. While the brand may not have the clout that Logitech has, at these prices, people will try them out.
Once they start using the products and see the quality, it'll snowball into more competition. ASE Labs is a huge fan of competition in the marketplace and other gaming peripheral companies should look at what Arctic Cooling is doing with the pricing of their products. Quality doesn't have to be expensive. If you like laptop style keys, this is the keyboard for you. ASE Labs recommends it.
Let me mention again that input devices are subjective. While I liked the K381, you may not. It is important to try before you buy, but at $25, just go for it. If you do see it in a retail store, send us a comment.
ASE Labs would like to thank Arctic Cooling for making this review possible.
The Arctic K381 is an excellent feeling keyboard. We had some hesitation at first thinking it would be a LAN gaming keyboard, we quickly became impressed with how typing felt on the K381. I personally used it for a week and once used to it, it was easy and seamless. Like any good keyboard, it should have a minimal angle so your wrists don't have to bend. Arctic put some thought into this since one of the selling points is the low angle of the keyboard.
Key presses are a bit more subdued in sound and force compared to a normal gaming type keyboard such as the G15 or G110. The K381 acts more like a laptop style keyboard in that the keys don't have to travel that far down to be pressed. Since this is an input device, we urge you to try it before you buy it. While we can give recommendations on a product, it is ultimately your hands that will be using the product.
That being said, we were happy with the performance of the K381. We pressed 6 keys in the WASD area before the keyboard stopped registering keystrokes. Some cheap keyboards tend to only register two or so keys at a time at once. The K381 looks and feels like a quality product.
We welcome feedback on our video reviews. Please leave us comments on Youtube or post a response right here in the article.
Conclusion
If you like Arctic Cooling, pair this keyboard up with the »M571 mouse to have an excellent combination for gaming. In addition to performing well, the K381 is small enough to take with you to LAN parties. While the minimalistic design may shun away some people that like macros, the overall design and feel are good. The K381 has a MSRP of $24.95. This is a great price on a good product. Arctic Cooling is pricing themselves into an excellent place in the market. While the brand may not have the clout that Logitech has, at these prices, people will try them out.
Once they start using the products and see the quality, it'll snowball into more competition. ASE Labs is a huge fan of competition in the marketplace and other gaming peripheral companies should look at what Arctic Cooling is doing with the pricing of their products. Quality doesn't have to be expensive. If you like laptop style keys, this is the keyboard for you. ASE Labs recommends it.
Let me mention again that input devices are subjective. While I liked the K381, you may not. It is important to try before you buy, but at $25, just go for it. If you do see it in a retail store, send us a comment.
ASE Labs would like to thank Arctic Cooling for making this review possible.