CONCLUSION

   When we received the 700k mechanical gaming keyboard by COUGAR a few months ago we were quite impressed, if not with the cherry MX mechanical keys (many have used them so they are not something new) then with the how good the first attempt by COUGAR to enter the gaming peripherals market was. Well the 500k can't really compete with the 700k not only because of its build quality (plastic vs aluminum) but also because it uses membrane switches (instead of mechanical ones) and lacks a couple of features found in the 700k. Still we did like using it and i personally found its weight (or lack of since it weighs less than a kilo) to be very good if you want a keyboard which can be easily moved around your desk. Unfortunately the others here felt that consumers may come to think that its weight could reflect on a bad build quality and although I’d probably think the same having used it for a couple of weeks nonstop i really doubt anyone will have a problem with it for years to come. The small "issue" some people may have is with the lack of tactile and audible feedback since unlike the S.T.R.I.K.E.7 by MadCatz and its "custom" membrane switches the ones used in the 500k are too soft. However if you haven't used a mechanical gaming keyboard in the past this will most likely go unnoticed.

   Overall the 500k gaming keyboard by COUGAR is a very good product aimed at casual gamers but leaving aside everything else how well does it do in terms of cost? Well it actually costs roughly half of what its brother the 700k does and that's a really good thing if you don't want or simply can't afford to spend much on a good gaming keyboard. To be more specific as we finish our review the 500k retails for USD79.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 84.48Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). The only downside with this is that there are quite a few mechanical gaming keyboards in the market just a few bucks/euros away and so serious gamers will most likely look that way instead. However for casual users and gamers the 500k offers a much more familiar experience which is why it comes highly recommended by us.

PROS

- Design
- 5-Step Backlight Illumination
- 6-Key/N-Key Rollover
- Repeat Rate Adjustment
- UIX Software
- Powered USB Port
- Braided Cable / Gold Plated Plugs

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Membrane Switches (For Some)
- Short Feet (For Some)