Redragon has a lot of different models and variations of mechanical keyboards available in their website and on Amazon.
Out of the Redragon mechanical keyboard line-up, the the K582 Surara offers the most value. The K582 is a solid mechanical keyboard for under $50. The keyboard has RGB and comes with Outemu Silent Red switches and is a better deal than the K551 and K552.
We’ll go more into the details of each Redragon keyboard we reviewed and talk about why we chose the K582 over the other options. We’ll also give some other budget mechanical keyboard recommendations that we feel do much better than the Redragon models.
All of these articles were featured in our favorite mechanical keyboards under $50 post.
The Keyboards we Reviewed:
We purchased and reviewed three different Redragon mechanical keyboard variations. Redragon has a TON of different product offerings on Amazon, so to avoid spending our time reviewing 50+ mechanical keyboards that are only slightly different, we ordered the 3 most popular Redragon mechanical keyboard variations. We also avoided their non-mechanical keyboards, since we are only interested in their mechanical keyboards.
The three keyboards we picked are the Redragon K551 Vara, K552 Kumara, and the K582 Surara. They were all under $50, which is a very affordable price for mechanical keyboards. They all have good reviews on Amazon, but we feel that those numbers are inaccurate because Redragon most likely sent those products to people for free so they would review them. This can lead to an inflated star rating, when in reality the product isn’t quite that good.
3. Redragon K551 Vara
What we Liked About the Redragon K551 Vara
The K551 Vara mechanical keyboard came with Outemu Blue switches and RGB backlighting. Overall, the keyboard wasn’t too bad, the legends were decent, the stabilizers worked well enough, and it is an aesthetic looking keyboard. We thought it was “OK”, nothing about it really stands out. It’s a relatively cheap keyboard, which is nice, and it has a gamer aesthetic to it. It would make a good starter keyboard someone who is into gaming and is looking for a budget setup.
What we Disliked About the Redragon K551 Vara
There were some issues we had with this keyboard though and there is a reason it ranked last. The main issue is the amount the case rattled and tinged when typing on the keyboard. This is pretty standard for cheap mechanical keyboards with cheap plastic cases, but it felt extra bad on the K551. When ever you enter a keystroke the entire keyboard rings which is very uncomfortable on the ears and is a sign of bad build quality. The rattling is especially bad as well, the Outemu Blue switches were already loud, but the rattling really amplified all of the sounds.
Another issue we had was the keyboard would slide around a lot when typing. The bottom of the keyboard lack rubber feet, so there is very little friction to keep it in place. You have to engage the 10-degree kickstands to be able to keep it from sliding. If you don’t feel comfortable typing on a 10-degree incline, you’re stuck with a keyboard that will slide around on you.
This is really a complaint we had with all three keyboards. They all have non-detachable power cables, so they are not easy to unplug and take on the go. We would have liked to see a detachable USB-C cable, it would have really brought this keyboard to the next level. You can’t always expect features like that on budget keyboards though, so we weren’t too disappointed by it lacking the detachable power cable.
A small nitpick we had the was the non-centered arrowed keys on the cluster. They were all left-aligned which looked a little goofy and sloppy looking. It probably won’t bother most people, but we we’re a fan of this design choice.
2. Redragon K552 Kumara
What we Liked About the Redragon K552 Kumara
The Redragon K552 Kumara was very similar to the K551 in a lot of ways. It has Outemu Blue switches and RGB lighting. This keyboard comes in the compact 87 key (TKL) size and features a high-profile design with a slight lip around the edges. We ranked this keyboard above the K551 because we enjoy the 87 TKL layout, the compact design is nice and the overall keyboard design looks sleek.
What we Disliked About the Redragon K552 Kumara
Some of the main issues we have with this keyboard is the protruding Redragon branding above the arrow cluster. It stands out in a bad way and does not fit into the overall design of the keyboard. The arrow cluster itself does not have the arrows centered on the keycaps, which is a bit of a nit-pick, so it may not bother other people.
The keyboard tends to echo and rattle a lot when typing, we don’t recommend using this keyboard with anybody in the same room as you because you’ll drive them crazy. The full plastic case does not dampen the noise very well, but if you enjoy a loud and clicky keyboard, this may be a good fit for you. It also runs into the same issue where it slides around when the keyboard is flat. There is only rubber when the kickstands are up, so if you don’t enjoy typing on slight incline, your keyboard will be sliding around.
1. Redragon K582 Surara
Why the Redragon K582 Surara is Ranked #1
Coming in at number one is the Redragon K582. This was our favorite of the Redragon keyboard lineup and was the most satisfying keyboard to use from Redragon. This keyboard is full-sized with lots of RGB lighting options The silent linear switches were nice and smooth, although they weren’t actually that quiet. The keyboard was still pretty loud even with the quiet switches due to the plastic case making everything rattle and flex a little bit.
That being said, this keyboard was a lot more quiet than the other Redragon keyboards because the metal base plate makes the build more stable and rigid. The stabilizers were pretty nice too, considering the cost. This keyboard comes with four rubber feet, unlike the other two, so it does not have the issue where is slides around when typing.
In the box they also included a keycap puller, switch puller, and extra switches. Not sure why they included the switch puller and extra switches, because the keyboard is not hotswappable and you can’t remove the switches unless you desolder them from the PCB. The keycap puller is also difficult to use, it seems like it would scratch the surrounding keycaps because of how wide the keycap puller is. It’s probably best to ignore all of the accessories that come with the keyboard because they’re not very useful.
Overall the K582 is very good for the price and is great for someone looking for a budget full sized mechanical keyboard. We would recommend this to someone who is into gaming and wants the full RGB mechanical keyboard experience.
Other Mechanical Keyboard Recommendations
We really enjoyed reviewing the Redragon keyboard lineup and they have a lot of solid choices for someone looking to get a budget mechanical keyboard. We feel there are a few other budget mechanical keyboards that are better but go for the same price. Our recommendation for someone looking for a budget keyboard is the Tecware Phantom, available on Amazon for a great price. This keyboard is better than the K582 in almost every way. The keyboard sounds and feels much better and has hot swap features built into it.
Hot-swapability allows you to change out the switches to whatever kind you like. If you want a niche switch that doesn’t come standard with any keyboards, you simply pull the switch out and replace it. This is great because there is no soldering required and anyone can do it.
Conclusion
Overall, we are pretty impressed with the Redragon mechanical keyboards and think they are a solid buy for the price. Our favorite keyboard was the K582. We found it has the best build quality and had the best feel when typing. We preferred the silent red switches to the blue switches as well. Overall, we like the Redragon keyboards but would like to see a detachable power cable and less rattling and ringing when typing.