Closer Examination

The Redragon K599 is basically a TKL keyboard without the top row—that's the best way I can put this weird 70-key, 65% keyboard. Another way is to think of a standard 60% keyboard with a key less on the bottom row for 10 more in return. We have the expected dedicated arrow keys, of course, but also every single key of the Ins-Pg Dn cluster. The R.Shift is not terribly shortened as with most such implementations, and even the bottom row past the space bar has standard 1.25u sized keys, though only three rather than the four that would have fit had Redragon gone with 1u key spacing. What this ends up as is a keyboard with fantastic aftermarket keycap compatibility, which is the first time I've said that about a 65% keyboard.

Redragon does so by going slightly longer than the typical 65% keyboard, which is how that extra column fits. But it's not really that different in practice owing to the minimal bezels. If anything, there is more room between keys than outside of the bank of keys. Given this is still not a TKL or full-size unit, we see plenty of additional keycap legends for layers to give back some of the missing functionality, as well as some extra functions, also for volume control and media playback. This makes for a pretty busy-looking keyboard, and the somewhat aggressive font doesn't help. All general secondary legends are placed alongside primary ones, with the keyboard-specific ones below. Branding comes in the form of the dragon logo on the space bar keycap, and this is more of a gaming keyboard by being juvenile, bold, and aggressive.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the usual certification information in the middle. There are four rubber pads on the corners to add friction against the resting surface and prevent scratches to the ABS plastic case. The top two pads are actually integrated into the keyboard feet, which is certainly efficient. The feet can be raised up for an additional elevation step, and there are additional rubber pads on the bottom of the feet to help prevent the keyboard from sliding around and the feet from collapsing.


A cutout on the back hosts the low-profile USB dongle that enables 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity with the Redragon K599, which is similar to what we saw with the K596 Vishnu. There is an on/off switch for the wireless connection, placed on the same side as the Type-C port for wired connectivity. This makes for a cable that will likely interfere with anything on the left of the keyboard, such as a mouse for left-handed users, and is directed away from where most users tend to have the PC. There is a battery-level indicator LED, which is also weirdly positioned since no one is going to be comfortable bending over to the side to look at it.


A look from the side shows the tall profile of the keyboard, which is a potential problem for those not used to typing without a wrist rest. Relative to the base, the bottom of the keyboard is still quite tall, and your wrists will dangle down at an uncomfortable angle if you don't have your hands hovering above the keys when typing. The keycaps themselves are alright, adopting an OEM profile with the five rows sculpted accordingly, but some alignment issues mean the keycaps are not as securely held in place as I'd like. Generally, thick PBT plastic with doubleshot-injected legends is used, so there is good longevity even with the older looped doubleshot injection. But all the keyboard-specific legends are laser-etched and will wear out sooner rather than later, as well as opaque.


The Redragon K599 only comes in a single switch option in the form of the Outemu Red. These are Redragon branded and have the name printed on them as seen above. The switches are identical to those we saw on the previous page, with the walls on the side making these the "Dust-Proof Red" switches, which was marketed on other Redragon keyboards but not here for obvious reasons, being these are not actually dust-proof. The larger keycaps use a plate-mounted stabilizer without any lubrication, making for a mushy, somewhat rattly typing experience.


The keyboard is compatible with a few other switches, and the CIY (Outemu) socket makes swapping switches easy. The included switch remover is no different from any other of the same design and works well enough in practice, though the upward force that has to be applied may have you doubt the switches are removable. Hook into the middle notches on either side of a switch and wiggle it sideways while pulling upwards. Removing a switch also clearly shows where the associated RGB LED is placed, which confirms the use of top-centered legends for backlighting on the keycaps. It also provides a closer look at the used switch, which is a linear 3-pin switch based on the Cherry MX Red. The pins on the socket are too thin for most custom Kailh/Gateron switches, so sticking with Outemu is for the best.