Redragon K586 Brahma
9.80 / 10 Read ReviewsThe Redragon K586 Brahma is an affordable mechanical keyboard that offers top-of-the-line performance. It features ten macro G keys, fully customizable per-key backlighting, and hot-swappable switches. It also has a full N-key rollover, ensuring that the keyboard does not miss any of your keypresses.
It's well and solidly built, weighing in at 4.3 pounds. It only offers minor, almost negligible deck flex, and it has a thick and durable USB cable. While the keyboard's app can be challenging to familiarize, it offers many functionalities once you get the hang of it. Furthermore, you can create custom lighting layouts quickly and easily with its utility software.
If you're new to mechanical keyboards and balking at the investment cost of premium brands, why not try the Redragon K586 Brahma? Its performance and features let you enjoy the feel of premium peripherals without having to break the bank.
Key Features- Comes with ten macro G keys
- Offers up to 22 color profiles
- Hot-swappable switches allow you to customize the keyboard's sound and feel
- Brand: Redragon
- Wireless: No
- Backlight: RGB
- Media Controls: Yes
- Battery: N/A
- Num Pad: Yes
- Switch Type: Outemu Blue
- Replaceable Keys: Yes
- Number of Keys: 104 + 10
- Keyboard Description: Full N-Key Rollover
- Double shot keycaps for extended durability
- Spill-proof design
- Includes a magnetic detachable wrist rest
- Only two switch options from the factory
- Difficult to use software
For many typists, writers, and gamers, a good keyboard enhances the experience of using their PC. That's why the mechanical keyboard market has been slowly increasing over the recent years. As work from home became more and more popular, people wanted to have a better experience and started investing in their computer equipment.
However, mechanical keyboards, especially those with many features, are expensive. But Redragon begs to differ with the K86 Brahma. This hot-swappable full-sized keyboard with ten macro keys aims to put a mechanical keyboard in front of every gamer's computer.
So, is this mechanical keyboard worthy of your attention and cash? Read on and see it for yourself.
Redragon K586 Brahma: What You Get in the Box
As soon as the keyboard arrives in the mail, you get a rather heavy black box featuring a glossy print of the device. Inside that box, you'll find the following items:
- The Redragon K85 Brahma keyboard
- A detachable magnetic wrist rest
- A keycap puller
- A switch puller
- A printed manual
- And a Redragon sticker
You also get a tester box that includes two each of the following Outemu switches: Blue, Brown, Red, and Black.
You only have the option to choose between two switches: the Brahma K586 comes with Outemu Blues, while the Brahma K586-PRO comes with Outemu optomechanical Blue Switches. So, if you prefer a linear or tactile experience, you'll have to purchase your desired switches elsewhere.
The keycap prints are generally professional and legible—except for a few characters, like O, B, and the numbers 6 and 8, where the stylized gamer vibe shines through.
Build and Typing Quality
Once you lift the keyboard from the box, your first impression would probably be the device's weight. It comes in at a relatively heavy 4.3 pounds, giving it quite a bit of heft. This weight is surprising given that both its faceplate and chassis are made from plastic.
Nevertheless, the keyboard is solidly built, with minimal or no flex in the middle. You can also try twisting it about, but it will barely move. This weight ensures that your keyboard won't move around when you're in the middle of an intense firefight. It is further secured with four rubber feet at its base, with a pair of folding legs to let you elevate it a bit.
It also includes a non-detachable USB cable. This cable has a thick woven experience, making it resistant to damage. Furthermore, it includes a ferrite ring near the USB plug, helping prevent errors and interference.
The Outemu Blue switches you get with the keyboard offer a tactile and clicky experience, which most gamers want. However, if you tend to bottom out your keypresses, you might hear a subtle metallic pinging sound that might annoy you, especially if you're working in a quiet room.
The Redragon also K586 comes with black double-shot keycaps, meaning your keys will never fade with time.
Switch and Keycap Options
If you don't like the clicky Outemu Blue switches that come with the keyboard, you can try the other options included in the box. The Outemu Blacks offer a linear feel but require around 65 grams of force to actuate. Lighter typists might prefer the Outemu Reds, which also has the same liner feel but only needs 50 grams for actuation.
Lastly, you can try the Outemu Browns, which are almost the same as Outemu Reds when it comes to actuation force but offers a tactile bump when pressed.
In the video below, The letter Q uses the Outemu Red switch, the W key uses the Outemu Black, the letter E is equipped with the Outemu Brown, while the letter R has the stock Outemu Blue switches.
Redragon also offers various Bullet switches on their website as switch replacements. You have the following options with this switch brand:
- Bullet-B: Cherry MX Blue equivalent
- Bullet-F: Cherry MX Blue equivalent
- Bullet-QT: Cherry MX Brown equivalent
- Bullet-S: Cherry MX Silver equivalent
- Bullet-QL: Cherry MX Quiet equivalent
- Bullet-R: Cherry MX Red equivalent
Aside from the hot-swappable switches, you can easily customize your stock keycaps. That's because the Outemu switches on the keyboard are essentially clones of the popular and widely available Cherry MX. Because of this, any keycap that fits on the Cherry MX will definitely work on the Redragon K586 Brahma.
You have to be careful removing the keycaps with the included keycap puller, though. That's because it has the tendency to lightly scratch the keycap's sides, especially when you're removing the keycap from the puller.
Macro, Media, and Extra Keys
One of the biggest features of the Brahma is its ten macro keys. You can easily program these to a maximum of 64 keypresses, as long as you can press the key combinations in thirty seconds. This is perfect for both gamers and professionals, as you can record your most commonly used commands and execute them with a single keypress.
You also get four media keys on its upper-right corner, with a button for fast-forward, play/pause, rewind, and the volume/backlight scroll wheel toggle. Above these media buttons, you also get a wide scroll wheel to adjust your computer's volume or the keyboard's brightness.
Aside from these, you also get four memory keys and a memory recording key. You can use these buttons to light up specific keys on your keyboard. So if you're into different types of games, you can highlight the keys you use for a particular genre and keep all other keys blanked out.
The keyboard also has an Fn key to access apps and change lighting effects. Each F key has a unique function when pressed in conjunction with it. These are the apps/commands that you get with this feature:
- Fn + F1: Opens your computer's default media player
- Fn + F2: Lower sound volume
- Fn + F3: Increase sound volume
- Fn + F4: Mute
- Fn + F5: Stop
- Fn + F6: Previous Track
- Fn + F7: Play/Pause
- Fn + F8: Next Track
- Fn + F9: Opens your default email app
- Fn + F10: Opens your default browser
- Fn + F11: Opens your computer's calculator
- Fn + F12: Opens your search bar
- Fn + Scroll Lock: Adjust the speed of the keyboard's side LED lights
- Fn + Pause: Switch the keyboard's side LED lighting modes
- Fn + -: Reduces keyboard's backlighting speed
- Fn + =: Increases keyboard's backlighting speed
- Fn + Insert: Activates the following backlighting modes: The Trial of Light, Breathing, and Normally On
- Fn + Home: Activates the following backlighting modes: Ripple Graff, Pass Without Trace, and Fast Run Without Trace
- Fn + Page Up: Activates the following backlighting modes: Hurricane, Accumulate, and Digital Times
- Fn + Delete: Activates the following backlighting modes: Go With the Stream, Clouds Fly, and Winding Paths
- Fn + End: Activates the following backlighting modes: Flowers Blooming, Snow Winter Jasmine, and Swift Action
- Fn + Page down: Activates the following backlighting modes: Both Ways, Surmount, and Fast and the Furious
- Fn + Left Arrow: Changes movement direction for active backlighting effects
- Fn + Right Arrow: Changes backlighting color to the following: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, dark blue, violet, and white
- Fn + Up Arrow: Increases backlight brightness
- Fn + Down Arrow: Decreases backlight brightness
- Fn + Windows Key: Locks out the windows key to avoid accidental keypresses during gaming
Keyboard Software
While the box and the manual do not indicate that there's software available for the keyboard, you can download the Redragon K586 RGB Keyboard driver from the Redragon website to help you manage your hardware.
However, you must be careful when choosing which app to download. Each keyboard model has its own toolset and firmware, so be sure to download the correct driver for your device. If you choose the wrong download, you might lose some functionality.
The Redragon K586 RGB Keyboard utility program allows you to store up to three profiles. Furthermore, you can use it to assign different keys or macro commands to a keyboard button. Interestingly, you cannot use the app to program the ten G keys on the keyboard—you must use the physical Rec button instead. Nevertheless, these three profiles mean you can record as many as thirty macro commands on the K586.
You can also set lighting modes when you click on the Light checkbox. You'll see a preview of the effect on the keyboard on the right, so you don't need to guess which one you want. In the dropdown menu that appears, you can pick Coastal to set each individual key's color manually.
The biggest drawback with the Redragon K586 RGB Keyboard app is that it's not user-friendly or intuitive. You have to spend a few minutes discovering how it works before confidently using it to set up your device.
However, once you've found your way around the app, you can use it to customize your color design fully, set advanced macros, and install up to three different profiles for your use.
Macro Keys, Hot-Swappable Switches, and Full-Size Layout at Around Half the Price
When you compare the Redragon K586 Brahma to other similar models from popular brands like Razer, Logitech, and Corsair, you'll find that this keyboard is an absolute bargain. Other keyboards with similar features will usually cost you between $150 and $200 or more. But this hefty keyboard falls below $100.
If you're worried about durability, its solid build with minimal flex and no rattles gives you the confidence to go all out during your matches. And while its Outemu switches aren't rated for 100 million presses, unlike the original Cherry MXs, its 50 million-keystroke testing should be more than enough for most users.
Redragon offers a compelling mechanical keyboard with the Brahma at an affordable price. Whether you're on a budget or willing to go all out on your rig, this should be on your list.
