Performance

The Redragon K530 Draconic keyboard supports N-key rollover USB and 6-key rollover Bluetooth, the latter of which tested successfully using Aqua's test. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either, and as is usually the case with mechanical gaming keyboards these days, the right Windows keys is replaced by an Fn key. The Switch Hitter screenshot above also shows the functions with dedicated keys on the base layer of this 60% keyboard.

When first powered on, the indicator LED on the side blinks red to show the keyboard is attempting to connect to a compatible device via Bluetooth. The LEDs underneath each key are set to cycle through colors at the same time, and the light show runs for a few seconds before turning off if no signal is found, which in turn preserves battery life.


Using the driver, I then set the keys to static lighting to test for light bleed, and it was not as obvious here as with keyboards that employ floating keycaps. Backlighting uniformity is also biased towards the top center, with some of the legends not backlit as we saw before.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, including a rainbow wave, spiral, and breathing modes, making full use of the hardware and software alike. I would have liked to see more onboard control for those not wanting to use the drivers each time, and even more effect-specific controls beyond just speed and brightness. But that is easier said than done with far fewer keys to use on this form factor, so the Redragon K530 gets a pass.

Using the Redragon K530 Draconic can be harder than most keyboards in the beginning, with the smaller 60% form factor a steeper learning curve to cross. The lack of the Fn key row can be befuddling, especially to many touch typists, with the fingers naturally going to a key that is either no longer there or something else instead. The base and Fn1/Fn2 layers associated with the so-called Magic FN feature make it easy to get past this if you give it some time, with some logically placed, layered functions, such as the arrow keys on Caps Lock+WASD, and the ability to remap the keys with the software also helps. If you do find you are not using some keys, perhaps a macro or multimedia shortcut can come in handy too. But I suspect most will use the keyboard for the increased portability and ergonomics as a result of shorter finger travel. The swappable switches are the icing on this cake, allowing for even more customization on a per-key basis based on the type of feedback you wish to have on various keys.

USB functionality is flawless, as it should be, and I am happy to report that the Bluetooth implementation is really good too. Indeed, I dare say I have had no real issues testing this in Bluetooth mode, unlike some competing, more expensive implementations from much bigger brands. Use of BT 5.0 is no doubt a factor here, but also note that I am no longer in my old testing environment of my apartment in the USA. Battery life has been great too, with standby time of weeks past my testing period on a single charge, and use time of multiple weeks depending on usage and lighting. The 3000 mAh battery is larger than in most wireless keyboards even today, and there is no excuse for others to use a smaller battery on TKL/full-size keyboards when they clearly fit inside much smaller keyboards.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Redragon K530 keyboard sample at ~85 WPM as it comes out of the box. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile switches. I did bottom out more often than not given the relatively light springs, but the tactile bump in these has them trump linear switches if you want to train yourself to touch-type.