ideazon merc stealth illuminated gaming keyboard

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-24
Good, but not Great
I bought my first one of these keyboards, and the gamepad WASD keys would lock every few minutes, so my character would just run forward or sideways until I hit a wall. Not fun. Makes you really look like a noob. I had to bang on it or unplug it to make it work again.

I brought it back and got a new one, which didn't have that problem. Instead after a few days the lighting got screwed up and it won't change blue or violet anymore. I press the color button and I get either red, off, or red again. I don't even like red that much. The weird thing is that sometimes it will change color for a few minutes, and then blink back to red. So it's not completely broken, it just has attitude...

Also as one reviewer said, the paint or whatever lets the light come through the keys does rub off. Not easily though. My WASD keys on the gamepad are starting to blur, probably because of finger sweat, but it's hardly noticeable.

The best thing about this keyboard is the built in gamepad. There are no other keyboards that I have seen with both the gamepad and the backlighting. The built in feature is great, as I have a separate gamepad which is a real pain with some games because you have to export a profile, remap all the keys, etc. I originally got a gaming keyboard to play WoW, which it is GREAT for. Now I play Half Life 2 and Portal which it also works well for with a few minor key remaps (like suit zoom, last weapon, flashlight, etc.)

The USB, headphone and microphone jacks built into the keyboard are convienient too.

So buy this. But be sure to keep your receipt.

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-20
Just because it looks cool
Doesn't mean it is.

I was, on first impression, OMG this rocks! You can change the colors to match your mood. The side gaming pad was wonderful; everything was at your fingertips, fantastic for PVP, and the extra USB ports I found very helpful.

I tried to use it as a normal keyboard for word processing. /sigh don't bother. It would be better to have a back up keyboard that you can switch to if you need to do any type of that work.

After one month of use, the key paint started to rub off, now after four months of use I am sad to say the home keys are now only glowing dots of color, and 10 key pad is no longer functioning. This leaves me in the market for a new keyboard and about $100 USD down the tube. Thumbs down with a slice of /fail from this WoW player.

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-19
Great product -- for some people.
Summary: Excellent gaming keyboard, if the angle of the left-hand pad works for you. Not so great for normal typing / office applications. Very high quality and good feel overall.

Pros:
1) Works exactly as advertised.
2) High quality manufacturing impression.
3) Excellent tactile feedback.
4) Very attractive and functional backlighting system.
5) Versatile programming software.
6) Nice gaming keypad (but see below)

Cons:
1) Non-standard numeric/functional keypad on right. This takes a LOT of getting used to, and it has proven impossible for me to re-train my touch typing reflexes. My productivity has slowed way down due to always having to visually search for the keys. To Ideazon's credit, I don't know how else they could have kept the footprint this small. So I understand, but I don't like it.
2) The angle of the gaming keypad is fixed. It will either work for you or it won't.
3) The gaming keypad offers less functionality than the original Fang it was derived from, and the default software template (at least for World of Warcraft) did not put the same functions in the corresponding locations as the Fang software.

My bottom line is that I gave it to my spouse. It is intrinsically an excellent keyboard, and she is delighted with it.

As an aside: My personal solution was to buy the original Fang standalone keypad from the same company (Ideazon) and reinstate the conventional keyboard I was accustomed to touch typing with. This solution does have two drawbacks: The Fang is not backlit, and the footprint is obviously larger. The upside is that the Fang can be angled to anyone's preference, and it offers more functional buttons.

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-12
Actually, it's perfect!
I really stressed over buying a new keyboard, and did extensive research first. I wanted something that I could type on (I'm in college) and would be great for gaming (I also write gaming articles). My other big problem is that I'm ambidextrous. I constantly switch hands while using the mouse. Many keyboards are definitely geared for right-handers. I wanted customization options. And finally, I wanted a lighted keyboard, but orange or red weren't really doing it for me.

I ordered the Merc Stealth, and must say it has been great!

First, it's comfortable for all applications. I can set it up customized for either hand, since you can customize any buttons and there is the number pad on the right, and the gaming pad on the left. It's fast and easy to customize and switch customizations for various applications.

I was worried about the size, but it's not overly huge by any means; actually it's much smaller than I thought it would be, and nicely so. I have a small frame and small hands and this works well for me.

The lighting feature is awesome! You have a choice of three colors - red, blue, or purple; and several intensity settings. I'm glad I went with a keyboard able to do purple, since that seems to be the clearest to read at night; but the other colors are nice too. The keyboard lights up very well, including the characters (not just underneath the keys), so everything is very easy to read. I also was worried whether the lighting would be irritating, but it's not - it's just right!

The gaming pad is comfortable and utterly configurable.

Something I didn't really appreciate until I got it was how nice the pre-designed keyboard schemes are. The keyboard comes with software that allows you to select a pre-designed scheme that maps the keys for specific games etc. You can visit the company website to download more. And you can create your own custom schemes.

So, it is super-easy to switch between games. If I play WoW, I just click the button on the keyboard itself that opens the software and select the WoW scheme, then play. If I then want to play Crysis, it's just as easy - push one button, click one default scheme, and away you go. You can create your own macros using the software easily too. That's good for all kinds of things, not just gaming (i.e. if you are a screenwriter or college student you can find plenty of uses for that).

Also the multi-media keys are handy for adjusting speaker volume etc.

The keyboard seems nicely made and sturdy, but it's not problematically heavy.

Overall, I really am so satisfied with how much this keyboard offers that I can really use, and use easily and seamlessly. That's the way to design a product. It truly offers a lot more usefulness than a regular keyboard, making the extra cost a bargain. It's something worth springing for.

Rating:
Date: 2008-05-29
Great Keyboard!
I've never used a keyboard better than this one! Besides the great look of this kb (the multi-colored LED back lighting evenly illuminates every key, and, let's face it, it looks COOL!) the functionality of it far surpassed my expectations. The Gamepad on the left side is well placed, angled, and designed. The included software includes keyboard layouts for most of the games out there- and they are always adding more! Not to mention you can open the program and customize the keys to do just about anything you need them to do, including macros. I definitely recommend this board for the true gamers out there...Counter-Strike, WoW, Quake, any game seems to be more fun to play with this kb. Great Product!*****

List Price: $18.98
Lowest Price: $9.95

New Items Remaining: 43

List Price: $59.98
Lowest Price: $37.98

New Items Remaining: 45

List Price: $119.95
Lowest Price: $109.99

New Items Remaining: 24

Lowest Price: $34.29

New Items Remaining: 1

List Price: $19.99
Lowest Price: $19.88

New Items Remaining: 18