Recently, the nice people at Redragon very kindly sent me one of their K631 Castor Pro SE keyboards to try out.
The K631 is a 68 key / 65% keyboard. It’s ANSI layout only and is compatible with Windows OS only, because the K631 is primarily designed as a gaming keyboard. It has a Del key, which is always necessary in my book. Connection options are wired via USB-C, Bluetooth 3.0/5.0, or 2.4 GHz wireless (dongle stashed in a little niche under the board). There’s a three-way switch on the left side of the board, next to the USB port, which allows you to select the mode. Upto three Bluetooth connections can be stored and cycled through using FN2 + Q, W, and E.
The K631 comes in a choice of two colourways: Mint & White, and Mint and Black. I got Mint & Black, which immediately had me craving a very specific kind of mint choc chip ice cream from the 1990s which they definitely don’t make anymore. The K631‘s Mint & Black keycaps are made of ABS and are classic OEM profile.
The K631 comes with its own custom switches which have an incredibly low operating force of 37g. That’s lower than your average linear switch, meaning that the keys on the K631 are very sensitive and “soft” feeling. In terms of gaming, this is going to be a good thing for many users, but I have to admit that they are just a little too “soft” feeling for me when it comes to typing. The K631‘s switches are fully hot-swappable, however; meaning that they can be easily swapped out for any other 3 or 5-pin switches with no need for soldering or unnecessary messing about. A unique Redragon socket design makes switch mounting new switches easier and less wobbly.
The base of the K631 is made of dark translucent plastic which, in Redragon’s own words “let[s] the light shine through the keyboard and makes the RGB effort more fabulous”.
The K631‘s “Vibrant Groovy” RGB backlights are indeed both vibrant, groovy, and also fabulous. 20 multi-coloured backlight effects can be cycled through using FN1 + PgDn. There are no in-built static light modes, sadly. So, while you can pick and choose your colours, you can stop them from pulsing. Well, actually, you probably can, because you can use Redragon’s own free software to design your own effects, as well as creating and editing Macros for shortcuts. I always worry I’m going to somehow irreparably damage a keyboard by messing with this stuff, however, so I steer clear.
The K631 weighs just 0.47 kg, so it’s genuinely a lightweight keyboard whose 65% form and wide functionality make it very, very portable and useable. The in-built 1600 mAh battery takes around 6 hours to fully charge, will last around 30 hours of continuous use with the RGB lights on, and 120 hours without.
Some people would doubtless call the K631 Castor Pro SE a “budget keyboard” and intend that as some kind of slight or insult. However, I think that the K631 is actually a great example of a really affordable, portable, useful, fun and functional mechanical keyboard. Gaming keyboard for the kids, or on the go? It does the job. A lightweight portable keyboard to connect to your Windows laptop? It does the job. The K631 has just as good a look, feel, and functionality as plenty of keyboards twice, or even three times its price.
The K631 Castor Pro SE keyboard is available now direct from Redragon for $59.99 USD