REDRAGON Castor Pro 65% RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

With Hot-swappable Custom Linear Switches

Today, we will be taking a quick look at the REDRAGON Caster Pro 65% wireless RGB gaming keyboard. The REDRAGON Caster Pro is a compact, light-weight, 65% mechanical RGB wireless gaming keyboard that comes with a total of 68 keys.

It features fully hot-swappable, custom linear switches with a travel distance of 1.8mm, an actucation force of 37g and is guaranteed up to 50 million clicks.

The unique and exclusive design of the socket, allows you can mount any switch types on the market with ease … no matter 3-pin or 5-pin.

Redragon’s innovative tri-mode connection technology allows you to connect the keyboard using a USB-C cable, or BlueTooth 5.0, and of course the usual 2.4Ghz wireless via the USB dongle.

It comes with a crystal transparent PCB board and casing, allowing the RGB to shine through, making it look pretty amazing.

You can customized the keyboard, control the RGB lighting and program your macros, as well as creating shortcuts via the REDRAGON Pro Software.

Before we go further, I would like to thank Royal Kludge for supplying the review sample. For those who don’t who they are, here’s a little blurb taken from their website …

About REDRAGON

Redragon is a high-valued, highly reviewed, well-beloved and visually stunning brand for gaming accessories. But the thing people remember the most about us? Our beautifully lit, colorful keyboards, mouses and other products. That’s right…we’re not just a functional brand, we’re a sexy brand.

 

We’re leading the gaming peripheral industry by continuously providing our customers with high-performance gaming products. Redragon is constantly innovating with first-class industrial design, an excellent quality control team and customer service squad that keeps us above the rest. Redragon’s community has expanded across 30 countries and continues to grow every day.

Features

• 100% Hot-Swap Socket
• Free-Mod Plate Mounted PCB
• Dedicated Arrow Keys
• Wireless 68 Keys Layout
• Linear & Silent Hot-Swappable Red Switches
• Dedicated for FPS Gamer
• Vibrant Groovy RGB
• N-key roll-over

For more information about this product, visit Redragon’s website.

HOT-SWAP FREE-MOD PCB SOCKET

The transformative innovation with 99.8%+ switches compatible free-mod hot swappable Redragon keyboard is available now. The unique exclusive structure design of the socket makes the switch mounting easier and less wobbling.

HOT-SWAPPABLE CUSTOM LINEAR SWITCHES

Hot-swappable with almost all switch types in the market no matter 3-pin or 5-pin. Quiet custom linear mechanical switches and the softer key travel makes every click easy and faster to register. Easy to mod or update it with your wishing preference, no forum researching is required.

3-MODE CONNECTION

Geared with Redragon’s innovative tri-mode connection technology, USB-C wired, BT 3.0/5.0 & 2.4Ghz wireless modes which make the user experience upgraded to another level in all fields.

TRANSLUCENT BASE & USB-C & USB-A IN ONE

Innovative crystal transparent board, let the light shine through the keyboard and makes the RGB effort more fabulous. K631 SE upgraded the standard USB-C to USB-C wired cable to a 2 in 1 wired cable (with both USB-C/A jacks). Make the wired connection more easier and convenient with your devices.

PRO SOFTWARE SUPPORTED

Expand your options using the available software to design your own new modes and effects. Macros with different keybindings or shortcuts for more efficient work and gaming.

Overview

Specifications

Box and Packaging

Inside in the box, you’ll find the keyboard, user manual, keycap extraction tool, switch extraction tool, USB-A/C Cable, and some Redragon stickers.

A Closer Look

The first thing you’ll notice are the blue key-caps which are located on the far left and right side of the keyboard, as well as 4 keys on the top – numbers 5,6,7 and 8. The enter, shift, funtion and delete keys are also in blue.

The entire keyboard is encased in a transparent/translucent casing which allows the LED to shine through, which adds character and an unique look.

The keyboard comes with hot-swappable custom linear switches which offers quiet operation and a smooth typing experience. You can use the included keycap/switch extraction tool to modify your keyboard to your liking.

The REDRAGON Castor Pro is 65% keyboard, so it is pretty compact and weighs in at only at 470g. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to take an unique-looking, compact mini keyboard while they’re travelling.

On the left of the keyboard, you’ll find a switch which allows you to select between 2.4GHz wireless, OFF and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s also the USB-C connector for wired connection and 2 LED indicators.

Underneath the keyboard, you’ll find 2 retactable foot mounts for adjusting the angle of the keyboard, and there’s also a magnetic notch for safely storing your wireless USB dongle too!

Caster Pro Action!

As soon as you select Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless or plug in the USB cable, the RGB illumination kicks comes on. The colors are bright and glows all around the keyboard thanks to the transparent/translucent casing. It may be too much for some people and not everyone will like it. For me … it looks fantastic and I really like the RGB colors. If you don’t any RGB, you can always turn it off using the downloadable software from REDRAGON.

The Redragon Pro Software

You can control the RGB lighting effects, program your Macros and Profiles using the downloadable software from REDRAGON here.

Verdict and Conclusion

I’ve always had my doubts when it came to 65% keyboards. I blindly considered them too small to be of any use. Well … I was wrong!  Becasue of the 65% size, all the function keys normally found on most standard size keyboards are gone. Mind you, I can’t remember if and when I actually used the function keys LOL!

With all the functions keys and numberpad gone, you’re left with a compact minimalist keyboard that’s light-weight and most importantly, a small footprint.

The REDRAGON Castor Pro features hot-swappable custom linear switches which are responsive and extremely quiet, with no audible clicks. These custom linear switches have a travel distance of 1.8mm, an actucation force of 37g and is guaranteed up to 50 million clicks.

You can replace the original keycaps and/or switches with your own custom ones using included keycap/switch extraction tool.

I particularly like the 3 connection modes, allowing me to connect via Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless or wired USB-C cable. I also like the transparent/translucent casing which allows the RGB lighting to shine through, it gives it a unique look and adds great aesthetics too.

The only negative in my opinion is the low 1600 mAh battery capacity, which means it would probably only last at most, 2-3 days of continuous usage. If you’re ok with that … then that shouldn’t a problem.

You can buy the REDRAGON Castor Pro 65% RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard for around USD $59 from Amazon – https://amzn.to/3JLdkWk

Final words

If you’re after a decent 65% keyboard, then take a look at the REDRAGON Castor Pro. It’s a compact 65% RGB mechanical gaming keyboard that offers 3 modes of connectivity, full RGB illumination, quiet operation and hot-swappable linear switches. You get all this for around USD $59. So what are you waiting for?

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