The confusing naming scheme aside, the Corsair K68 is really more of an updated STRAFE with a very similar design (sans the light plates on both sides) and the same $99.99 price tag the latter released at two years ago. As such, the direct comparisons would lie there since the STRAFE has the same CUE and hardware driver support and red backlighting. While nearly all the SKUs of the Corsair STRAFE currently sell for less, which makes sense, the Cherry MX Red version does, interestingly enough, continue to sell for $99.99 even today, making the K68 look better by comparison.

The two rubber molds are really all that make the K68 a unique product in the Corsair keyboard range, and I took some time and thought about the potential customer for this keyboard - the Internet cafe owner in Asia where customers come in to game and spend the day with drinks and food around, the external user at construction sites and industrial plants, and.. that's about it. This is not a waterproof keyboard, so there are limits to what you can do with it, and it ends up in a confused middle-of-everything application niche.

When you consider the vast market outside of Corsair, there are a lot of keyboards with the IP32 and some even more stringent ratings, but a lot are either membrane keyboards or cost more. So perhaps this middle state is a good compromise after all. The customer who confesses to being a messy user or simply works in a dusty office will also find this keyboard to be of interest, with both finding CUE to be useful for a lot of similar reasons - key assignment/re-assignment, backlight illumination, and more. So if you need this feature set, go for it, but there are many products with better value for the money if you go buy a $5 silicone rubber mold that fits your keyboard and apply it yourself.