mechanical keyboards are a great choice for anyone who wants a more enjoyable typing experience
they offer a ton of customization in terms of look and feel
and they are more durable than the traditional membrane keyboards
in today's video we're going to be focused on brand new Redragon Caraxes Pro K644 special edition
now, if you're like me, you're probably a bit of a keyboard nerd
you love the feel of a good mechanical keyboard and you're always on the lookout for the latest and the greatest models
hi what's up guys my name is Adam and you're watching #FamilyPopTV YouTube channel
the Caraxes Pro special edition is definitely worth checking out
it's got a great built quality feels amazing to type on
and is packed with features that I'm really excited to check out
I'll be testing the customization of the hot swappable switches
RGB backlighting
and I'll test how it works with various devices such as PC, Mac, iPad and Android devices
let's take a look at what's in the box
we have here the Caraxes Pro itself which looks really compact and I like the color combination
there's the quick start guide
a gaming leaflet
a keycap and a switch puller
and a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and for the wired connectivity
and in this little black box we can find four red switches with two pins
let's start with the design
the keyboard is really compact which makes it perfect for taking on the go
it's also really well built with a solid frame and sturdy keycaps
the Caraxes Pro K644 special edition has a unique feature that I really like
a 1.2 times larger keycaps
this makes it much more comfortable to type on, especially for people with big hands
the keycaps are also made of high quality ABS plastic which is durable and resistant to wear
another thing I like about this keyboard is that it has three connection options:
Bluetooth
2.4 gigahertz radio control wireless and wired
this makes it versatile and compatible with a variety of devices
the Caraxes Pro is a great keyboard for customization
its hot swappable so you can easily swap out the switches to find your perfect typing feel
if you're unfamiliar with the switch types the blue red or brown come down to personal preference
if you like the classic clicky sound and feel you love the blue mechanical switches
if the speed is your consideration you should stick to linear red switches or yellow switches
and for mix of both go with brown - simple
the switches are plate mounted three pin designs
swapping keys and switches is very easy making this an inexpensive, easy-to-work keyboard
the switches are compatible with Cherry MX switches
there is a wide variety of options available
you can mix and match switch types or you can stick with a single type
the larger keycaps are ABS double shot designs with cross pattern connectors underneath
that are more durable than the standard keycaps and won't fade as easily
the only downside is that they are not widely available
so it might be a bit problematic to find replacements if you need them
however if you can find them, they are a great option for those who want a more comfortable typing experience
now let's test the keyboard's connectivity
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first, the wired connection which is the most reliable option but it's also a least portable
I've already connected it in wired mode and it's working great
the 1600 milliamp hours battery will charge while it's plugged in
and it should take around one half to two hours to fully charge
once it's charged you can expect to get around 8 hours of average use before it needs to be charged again
to quickly check the remaining battery level just hit [Fn1] and spacebar
the level will be indicated by highlighting the F1 to F9 keys
if the light green the battery has still enough power to run a few hours
we already hook it up in wired mode so now let's try the 2.4 gigahertz dongle
there's no software required to plug in as Windows and Mac OS detects the keyboard automatically
the RC Wireless mode with the 2.4 gigahertz dongle is okay
initial testing was done on my desktop PC
I found the keyboard worked fine within the range of four to five feet of the dongle
no missing key strokes and the connection was very stable
please note, the RC connection is slightly faster than the Bluetooth connection, which we're gonna discuss next
right, for the Bluetooth connection you'll have to switch it on the underside
I will try it with the iPad Air first
the keyboard was recognized straight away
the keyboard can be connected up to three Bluetooth devices at once
and you can switch between them quickly by pressing [Fn1] and Q, W or E
I'll explain the use of the function buttons in a minute
it all works smoothly, no missing keystrokes, no signs of latency
it should work the same way with any iPad on any iPhone
now let's plug my Android phone
following exactly the same steps as before and confirm the pairing on the phone
the keyboard was recognized straight away and I was able to type without any problems
now, let's try some racing game
as you can see the keyboard automatically connects to my phone and even shows me the key combinations I need to use
this is taking the Android gaming to the next level!
it also works great with Android tablets
the keyboard is being recognized straight away
now let's connect it to my iMac via Bluetooth
again it connects instantly and is very stable
the Windows key acts as a command key on a Mac
other than that I have no complaints, no missed keystrokes, everything just works like a charm
personally I prefer the Bluetooth connection over the wired or 2.4 gigahertz dongle
by the way, I found that the keyboard was accurate even from 14 to 16 feet away from my testing device
the function keys [Fn1] and [Fn2] are your gateway to the k644 hidden features
as mentioned earlier [Fn1] helps you switch between the Bluetooth connections
but also add extra functionality to the keys, such as page up, page down, insert and delete
all the special functions are printed on the keycaps, so you can easily identify them
there's also a second function button [Fn2] which is mostly used to switch the backlight modes
the keyboard offers 19 different backlight patterns
and these are selectable by pressing [Fn2] and F8
[Fn2] pressed with F10 turns on and off the keycap backlights
[Fn2] with F11 dims, and F12 turns up the brightness of the backlight
you can also customize the back lightning and colors for individual keycaps which might be super handy for gaming
you can highlight any key, which will be easy to identify
all you have to do is press [Fn2] and Backspace twice, which switches the keyboard into a learning mode
this is indicated by blinking caps lock key
now press the selected keys once or multiple times to achieve different colors of the backlights
to switch between your customized backlights and the pre-programmed RGB backlights
simply hit [Fn2] and F8
and to recall your customized layout hit [Fn2] and backspace
and finally the [Fn2] key can also be used to lock the Windows key
this is great if you're in the middle of the game and you don't want to accidentally hit the Windows key and minimize your game
to lock the Windows key simply press [Fn2] and the Windows key
to unlock it press [Fn2] and Windows key again
so there you have it - a quick rundown of the keyboard's hidden features
this is the keyboard that doesn't require any software to use
however, if you want to customize your keyboard to some degree
you can download the Redragon keyboard programming app from the Redragon website
the app is compatible with PC computers
only once you figure out the user interface, which is admittedly a bit daunting at first
it's reasonably powerful, allowing to reprogram all the key assignments and record the macros
overall, I think the software is a great addition to the keyboard and it makes it even more versatile
I recommend checking it out
the double shot keycaps have a nice scooped shape that's comfortable to use for both high-speed touch typing and gaming
the included switches have a decent feel and a quiet, unobtrusive sound
once I got the keyboard connected in wired mode the performance was solid and no keystrokes were lost
but if I use it in wireless mode I need to get used to tapping a key to wake it if I'm away for more than a few minutes
this is because the keyboard goes into a low power mode to save the battery life
and it takes a fraction of a second to wake up and reconnect
responsiveness is excellent and as you would expect the latency was undetectable in a wired mode
I also didn't notice any latency when playing games in 2.4 gigahertz or Bluetooth modes
competitive gamers might want to opt for the wire connection
but I couldn't detect any lag with any of the connections so I can't argue with the superb responsiveness of the K644's red switches for playing action games
okay guys that's it for today
I hope you enjoyed that video and found it pretty informative and useful
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