Value and Conclusion
- Pricing for the 1STPLAYER Black Sire Lite K7 wireless keyboard is all over the place as of the date of this review, with availability of the RGB backlit version better in different regions, including the US, Singapore, China, and other parts of Asia. I am taking an average price of $60 based on everything I have seen, though your mileage may vary.
- Good pricing for the feature set
- 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity works well
- CIY socket allows for hot-swappable switches, at least when it works
- Better than average stock keycaps
- Outemu Blue switches work well for productivity and typing in general
- Clean design suits professional environments, especially combined with the wireless connectivity
- CIY switch feature did not work as intended on my review sample
- Only 200 mAh battery used - battery life could be better
- The space bar key used a different switch, which reeks of poor quality control at the factory
- Some of the secondary legends are opaque and will wear out sooner than the other keycaps
This is a review of questions unanswered, all of which lie outside of my control. Pricing and availability of this particular version is a big such question, with the RGB backlit version seemingly taking over the spot of interest for different retailers around the world. But even with the $60 price point, the keyboard would have easily offered enough value for money to merit a strong recommendation if everything else would work as intended. The wireless connectivity option works great here, and the keyboard as a whole works well for typing provided you do it alone to not bother co-workers with the clicky sound of the Outemu Blue mechanical switches.
That would have been easily mitigated had the CIY switch design worked as intended, and perhaps 1STPLAYER is correct about this sample being a one-off, but I can only judge based on what I have. There was no way I was getting any switch out easily without possibly damaging the keyboard, and the use of a different switch for the space bar was another example of poor quality control here. In a weird manner, the heavier spring used on that key worked well in countering the otherwise mushy feeling from a space bar key using Cherry style stabilizers and a low-medium force switch, but it is still another argument against the Black Sir Lite K7. The RGB backlit version may be a different case entirely, coming in at a little more than the regular version. Given how impressive the Bullet Hunter MK6 keyboard was at $55, this particular version of the Black Sir Lite K7 keyboard disappoints more than it impresses.