If there is one takeaway for me from this review of the i-Rocks K71M RGB keyboard, it's that I clearly spent too much time not looking at what the company has been up to since the last review. Every single keyboard of theirs we have tested has offered something fairly novel and fun. Things are more subtle with this keyboard, believe it or not, with no LEGO-frame plate or removable top cover with user-modded insert papers. But i-Rocks still added their own touches with that angled case at the top and the light bar in between that makes for a more avant-garde approach than the usual rectangular slap. There are many LEDs on the sides to allow for an impressive light show in combination with the typical 16.8 M RGB backlighting, too, albeit three of the sides are not long enough to diffuse the light fully, and we still see the discrete LEDs from an angle. In use, the top edge is the one most visible, and it is longer than the others to where the effect is more uniform too.

i-Rocks has plenty of onboard controls and customization options for the lighting, and there is also software support for added granularity. It is a shame then that the backlighting and side lighting are separate and not tied to each other in their dynamic effects, so you will almost never have any cohesive lighting action. This is where the larger companies with their increased resources show a difference, but you also never see this feature set at this price point. Indeed, at $80 for either switch option as well as the pink editions which are an i-Rocks tradition from 2009, the K71M offers so much more than any mainstream keyboards today. There are even features we usually only see in high-end flagships, if at all, including the light bar and sound-absorbing pad in the case, and the smart wheel that can toggle through various modes and be recognized as a Windows 10 wheel device similar to the Surface dial. Sure, you don't get all the features of the Surface dial here, including haptic feedback and what not, but for something that is otherwise just a volume wheel at most, i-Rocks has provided more. The case design also makes use of the larger wheel in addition to the indicator LEDs up top, in the corner that is still "full-sized."

The switches might be a deal breaker for some, with Outemu having the budget-keyboard reputation. But then we remind ourselves that this is a budget keyboard, and the switches are still plenty fine. I will go as far as to say that the typical end user will not be able to discern this switch from, say, the Cherry MX Brown switch. Both may be scoffed at by some enthusiasts, but switches that offer a tangible difference will also cost more than the cost of this entire keyboard alone. I had a good time using it for typing as well as general productivity, and I typically use static lighting anyway, which made matching side and backlighting quite easy. The wheel also came in quite handy for image editing and general productivity tweaks in Windows, but do be aware that you need to be on Windows 10 to make the most of it. I do wish the keyboard would be available in more switch options, but if you are fine with a tactile or clicky switch experience, definitely do consider the i-Rocks K71M.