Everglide DKTBoard Hands-On Review

With the continuing selection of “gaming” labeled keyboards, it's tough to find a simple, minimalistic board. They seem to all go for the huge, complicated, button drenched concepts (I'm looking right at you G15). I kept an eye out for such a keyboard many years in a row to replace my old Logitech Elite keyboard I got from Walmart 7 years ago. I was getting frustrated with the size and having my mouse run into it anytime I wanted to look left in Left 4 Dead. With it's compact form, aluminum top, sexy blue back light and very minimalistic approach, the Everglide DKTBoard was tempting enough to get.

This minimalistic ideology even applies to the packaging and software. The box consists of itself, the keyboard and the plastic bag covering the keyboard. I was expecting a CD with some lame bloatware I would have to install to use the media keys, but there wasn't! GOOD BYE iTOUCH!! So literally, everything about this board is meant to be as streamlined as possible. No extra software, no extra keys, no LCD screens, no extra girth, and no F-Lock (thank God). Mission accomplished on the down sizing!

While the DKTBoard is very spartan with its size and features, there are a few creature comforts that are welcome in my book. First, the media/www/email buttons. You get next track, play/pause, stop, previous track, volume up, volume down, email client, and web browser buttons. The media keys were recognized by Winamp just fine, except I had to tweak the Play/Pause button in Winamp's settings to work properly. The E-mail and WWW buttons open their corresponding default programs. The other nice feature on this board is the back lighting. While there are other gaming keyboards that serve up the sexiness of back lit keys, many fall short due to weak or uneven lighting. Not so with the DKTBoard. It has some fabulous, VERY even back lighting that you can see in the photos. Also, there's only on and off settings for back light, but I think it's set just right for your average room. The lighting glows up the letters on the keys as well as in between the them.

Quality and finish seem to be very good. The attractive aluminum top has no sharp edges or blemishes. As you can see in the photo, they left a lovely brushed look on the metal. As for the typing, it's not going to blow your mind, but it's certainly good enough for the average user such as myself. If you're looking for the best typing, most ergonomic board, look elsewhere. I can type just as fast if not faster than my old Logitech. This is possibly due to the fact that the keys are a bit more slim and flat. Another review described them as being right in between a regular keyboard and a laptop; and I can see why. They don't feel planted like a Microsoft board, but they have a lighter feel which makes you a bit more confident to type faster.

Obviously, there are some criticisms I have with the keyboard and they're not in any particular order. The keys have some sort of textured coating on them. They aren't glossy like most keyboards. It takes a bit of getting used to and it wears off a little bit once you start using it. I personally would have preferred the glossy keys. Secondly, as mentioned before, the back lighting illuminates both the lettering on the keys and in the spaces between them, but the light coming in between the keys is brighter than the lettering on the keys themselves. I kinda wish it was the other way around or if it just lit up the letters similar to the Razer Lycosa. The space bar has a glowing Everglide logo on it, but after removing the space bar and looking underneath it seems it's possible to block it off. Finally, the slightly lower quality feel when typing as previously mentioned..

I am truly happy with this keyboard. It's the perfect solution for the budget conscious gamer searching for a great looking, back lit, no frills, high quality keyboard with a very small foot print. At $50 + shipping, I think it's a great deal. While it does have issues, they're the kind of problems that you won't even notice after a few weeks with it. Because of that, I highly recommend the DKTBoard from Everglide.