SteelSeries Apex 7 Red Switch TKL Review (featuring Razer White PBT Keycaps)
This is the first of my tech reviews that I plan to create, so I hope you enjoy reading it!
After using my Corsair K95 Platinum with Cherry MX Browns for some time, I wondered to myself what using other switches would be like, as I bought the keyboard during the first COVID-19 lockdown, and didn’t have an opportunity to test any switches, so I went on a whim and bought browns. After some time, I was curious as to what red switches felt like as they were popular with gamers, not that I had a problem with my brown switches. Fortunately, my brother already had an Apex M750 TKL that I borrowed for the day, and found that red switches suited me a lot better for me in terms of the typing experience. This is when I decided to make the switch from browns to reds.
When searching for a new keyboard, I thought about a few factors that I wanted to see. The first of which was being TKL, as I already have a quite minimalistic setup and wanted to simplify it even more, and I never used the numpad on my K95 anyway. I did think about buying a 60% keyboard, but most of them have US layouts, which doesn’t help me as I study business, and need to type the £ sign often, which the US layout does not feature. I also wanted dedicated media controls, as sometimes when in-game I don’t want to have to go all the way back into Windows to pause my song or reduce the volume. The last was a USB passthrough for my mouse (a review on my Harpoon Pro Wireless is set for the future)
After searching for several hours, I would end up going for the successor of my brother’s own keyboard, the Apex 7 TKL. I purchased it for £149.99 on Box.com and with next day delivery. The website has excellent customer service, a price-match guarantee and the delivery was smooth and trouble-free. The price was similar to that of the Ducky One 2 TKL and the Corsair K70 Mk.2, which also both featured red switches.
Upon receiving my new keyboard, the box contained the keyboard, instruction manual, warranty information, and a magnetic wrist rest, which I will talk about shortly. The packaging was suitable to protect the keyboard during delivery and was easily recognisable with SteelSeries’ modern design language. What was easy to notice straight away with the cable was that it ends in two USBs. This is to help power the USB passthrough on the back. Despite being a TKL board, this can add a bit of weight and the cable is not detachable, which could produce problems if you plan on taking the keyboard to LANs often, which I don’t really plan on doing.
The build quality of the keyboard is outstanding, and looks as if it will last for a long time. The body is made from aluminium, which is good to find in keyboards nowadays compared to plastic bodies, which are likely to break after some time, even though they are generally cheaper. There was no bending of the metal and the slim design compliments a minimalistic layout that would be a good fit on r/battlestations, especially with the excellent quality of the RGB lighting. The Apex 7’s RGB lighting is in a bulb near the top of the switch, which allows more light to shine through and give the keyboard more vibrance. Just be aware if you are changing the keycaps, you will need a bit of force to push them down into the switch due to the blub, but it is not a major issue.
One of the problems I encountered with the M750 was the ABS keycaps, and while the font and feel of them were nice, it wasn’t long before my hands started to sweat, and the oils were making my finger grip on the WASD keys slightly slippy. The Apex 7 uses the same keycaps as the M750. It was for this reason I decided to also buy PBT keycaps, specifically Razer’s white PBT keycaps, which I purchased for £41.16 on Amazon. Whilst expensive, most peripherals and accessories were in short stock at the time of purchase, so I understood the increased price. This also came with next-day delivery, and arrived shortly after my keyboard the same day.
The included keycap puller with the keycaps was a life-saver for my fingers, as my nails started to bleed when pulling all the keycaps off of my K95 to clean the keyboard. I learnt my lesson that day. The keycaps included support for both US and UK layouts, and are compatible with all Cherry MX style switches, as well as Razer’s own optical-mechanical switches found on their Huntsman series. While I purchased them in white, the keycaps are also available in black, green and pink.
The packaging for the keycaps was simple to understand, with UK layout keycaps placed together in plastic trays, which I don’t believe are recyclable, which is something I would like to see more in gaming-equipment packaging, and especially with Razer’s Sneki Snek action for climate change and tree planting. I decided to keep the SteelSeries keycap on my keyboard as a small contrast and a reminder of the brand, as I personally love the SteelSeries logo.
The switches on the Apex 7 themselves feel amazing and butter smooth, whether I’m slamming them down quickly, or gently and slowly pressing them. The SteelSeries switches are the same as Gaterons as I have heard, which are very similar to Cherry MX Reds. They have an actuation force of 45cN (45g of force needed to fully press down the switch), they actuate at 2.0mm and fully bottom out at 4.0mm. The Apex 7 is also available with tactile brown and clicky blue switches.
One thing I was surprised about was the loss of the print screen key on the Apex 7 TKL, but can be reconfigured in the SteelSeries Engine to use the home key to print screen, for example. Took me a while how to find out to do that, and I hated having to use the snipping tool.
The keyboard also came with an included magnetic wrist rest. It is easy to pull on and off, and does not come off with mild movements of the board when playing games or typing. The smooth surface also provides good grip for the wrists, and I never felt that my hands were sweaty or aching, even after gaming for hours or typing a long essay.
The PBT keycaps definitely made typing a louder experience as compared to the ABS keycaps, but I am thinking about purchasing O-rings to lessen the problem. It’s not really a problem for me with music or gameplay blasting through my headset, but it is when you have a sister trying to sleep in the room next to you.
The media controls are limited to a volume wheel and single button, which also control the OLED screen. I would not have known how to navigate the menu without the included instruction manual that came in the box, but with some time I have learned how to use the menu, and have learned the controls off by heart.
The OLED screen on the Apex 7 is something that never really crossed my mind when purchasing it, but after looking at its features, it seemed like a good addition. It can provide notifications from Discord, show what song is playing (only in Tidal, which I don’t use), and features for other games such as Minecraft and CS:GO. I will admit that I do not use any of these features and just use it to play a GIF of D.Va from Overwatch (gotta rep your main)
The SteelSeries Engine was one of the more disappointing aspects of the Apex 7 in my opinion. The RGB was very hard to control and would often reset or not do what I tried to make it do, especially when compared to using iCue on my K95. The same applied for applying the GIF on the OLED screen.
My final thoughts:
The Apex 7 TKL is a great choice for those looking for a red switch TKL keyboard that provides good value for money, a sleek design, and extra features packed into such a small package. For those not experienced with the Steelseries Engine, you may want to find a tutorial online if you want to change the RGB lighting, especially if it’s highly customised to your preferences. You may also want to think about buying PBT keycaps if your hands get oily or sweaty easily or often.
The Razer PBT keycaps are a great choice for people looking for a slimmer font on their keyboard, more finger grip, and a bit of a louder click when it comes to typing on the keyboard, but if you are thinking of picking these up perhaps wait for a discount on Amazon, as these are some of the more-expensive keycaps on the market.
Pros: (Apex 7 TKL)
Excellent build quality
Good price point
Handy USB Passthrough
OLED screen (subjective)
Media controls simple to use
Cons: (Apex 7 TKL)
ABS keycaps aren’t good for those with oily or sweaty hands
No print screen key
No detachable cable for a TKL keyboard
SteelSeries Engine extremely complicated to use
Pros: (Razer PBT Keycaps)
Cool-looking font
Excellent feel and quality
Support for both US and UK layouts
Cons: (Razer PBT Keycaps)
Extremely expensive, wait for these to go on sale
Packaging not environmentally-friendly, lots of plastic
