UPDATE: After the review was published, the NAG team discovered a software version that functions with the Rapoo V700-8A. It enables all the standard features you’d expect when a keyboard is partnered with software. Things such as macros, profiles and changing LED effects (but not their colour for this specific model) are all now possible. Since this was the one major negative to this board, the score has been adjusted from 75 to 85.
Somehow or another, I became the keyboard connoisseur at the NAG offices. While it sounds like a fancy title that I definitely haven’t just given myself, no, not at all, what it means is that I’ve had my fair share of keyboards come across my desk, and I like to think that means I can tell a good keyboard from a bad one.
That was until I faced the Rapoo V700-8A.
The V700-8A is a 75% wireless mechanical keyboard from Rapoo, a brand not many may know but fairly popular in the local esports scene. At first glance, it’s quite easy to see why pro players enjoy Rapoo’s peripherals. The packaging is some of the most premium I’ve ever experienced, and this quality flows through to the hardware itself.
The keyboard has an aluminium alloy frame with a brushed metallic look and a decent weight to it. A simple light-up Rapoo logo can be found on the bottom left, and a USB-C port can be found on the top, near the middle. The feet at the bottom have an excellent rubber grip to them, and although there are only two available heights for the keyboard, the “feet out” option is just right.
This specific model comes with a Gundam-esque keycap design, which I will admit is very cool. The extra text on some of the keys plays into the role of making me feel like I am controlling my own mech, or battle station, if you will.
The keycap profile is OEM out of the box, but there is an included keycap puller that motivates cap changing if you wish. The switches, though, are a little more mysterious. They have the classic stem with the added dustproof walls around them and are grey in colour. At first, I would assume they would be silver, as silver switches are usually fast and responsive, with a relatively low actuation force, and are perfect for gaming. These switches are not like that. They won’t be pressed without a fight. This little bit of extra force and a quick spring back to the top means they have a very satisfying tactile feel to them. For gaming, I find them excellent. For typing, though, I do find my fingers tend to tire out.
Considering this keyboard is aimed at gamers, the key switches are perfect. That doesn’t mean you can’t change the switches should you want to, fortunately, the switches are hot-swappable on this model.
There aren’t any media keys or extra programmable keys on this board, but the added FN button allows you to have secondary functions for specific uses, like media or web browsing. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to change or reprogram any keys to other functions if that is something you tend to do with your keyboards. What you get out of the box is what you get. It’s a bit of a no-frills, no-fuss approach that not many keyboards on this level take, but it’s the one Rapoo has taken.
This is why I couldn’t quite make up my mind about this keyboard.
Thinking of all the features this board comes with, like multi-mode connections, including 2.4GHz WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0, a 200-hour battery life that I have yet to prove wrong, great switches that you can change should you choose to, and the funky keycap design, it seemed weird to me that something like a bit of software that would allow me to tap into the keyboard and its settings would be missing.
The lack of annoying software that everyone is always complaining about seemed to be the one thing that just didn’t allow me to enjoy this keyboard as much as I should have enjoyed it. Because, in reality, it’s a great keyboard.
It’s a great keyboard if you’re the type of gamer who just wants to open up a product and have it work right out of the box—no fussing about changing what-what’s and devising super macro combinations. Listed at R2,299, you might be hard-stuck trying to find something that has similar features and this level of quality amongst popular brands like Logitech, Steel Series or Razer, but that’s still quite the chunk of change to commit to something that might not be the whole package you’re looking for.