The Redragon Dark Avenger is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard with rebranded Outemu blue switches. It comes with full RGB backlighting and a metal frame. The Dark Avenger is very similar to the impressive K552 Kumara, so I was quite curious to see if it’s a worthy alternative.
What I immediately liked about the Dark Avenger was the font. It features a clean medium font, giving it a more a professional appearance. Personally I’m not a big fan of the stylised font you’ll find on boards like the K552 and K580. Redragon opted for a bigger case design, extending the frame at the top to make room for a silver logo, and adding an aesthetic downward curve at the bottom. It also sports a beautiful matte black finish. Even though I prefer compact frames, this is an attractive design and the Dark Avenger has a unique style and flavour. It could’ve done without the two screws on the top corners though.
The Dark Avenger is only available with blue switches, and it’s the usual 60g Outemu blues with the Redragon branding. This is a clicky and tactile keyboard. I’ve never had a bad experience with Redragon boards as far as typing experience, and the Dark Avenger continues that trend. The Outemu blues give that nice tactile and clicky feedback, and the stabilisers are surprisingly good. I also love the smooth and non-sticky finish on the keycaps. There is some metal ping, but you get that on most mechs these days. I reached a maximum speed of 126WPM on the Aesop typing test, which is quite high for me with a clicky keyboard. I was really impressed with the typing experience.
The Dark Avenger has full RGB with ten different colour modes. Some modes allow you to choose from seven single colours. You’ll also find five gaming presets that can be accessed with Fn + 1-5. There are presets for games such as Call of Duty and League of Legends. You can also record your own lighting profiles, which will override whichever gaming preset was selected. You can always revert back to the default RGB with Fn + Esc. There are four brightness levels, and just note that you can’t turn off the RGB by lowering the brightness, as this is done with Fn + Prt Sc. Furthermore, you have the ability to adjust the speed of most RGB modes. You’ll find the usual multimedia functions and quick access on F1-12 and a Windows lock option. These are all the features one would expect from a good gaming keyboard. A few more RGB modes would’ve been nice though.
The Dark Avenger has laser engraved keycaps with a glossy finish on the sides. This adds a bit of style and flavour to the overall look. The legends look very clean, and I’m so happy to see a Redragon keyboard with a neutral font. Overall the keyboards looks very good, and Redragon manages to pull off the bigger frame design. The gaming experience was solid. Outemu blues (60g) are a bit heavier than my preferred Cherry MX reds (45g). You feel a tactile bump with each keypress in addition to the click sound. Just make sure everyone around you is okay with the noise of these blue switches. This keyboard is loud!
As per Redragon’s specifications, the Dark Avenger has a metal frame. The keyboard feels surprisingly light and doesn’t have much heft to it. Not the most robust build ever, but it doesn’t feel flimsy either. Some frame bend but nothing to be alarmed about. The frame has a beautiful matte finish and the keyboard features a raised key profile. On the bottom there are rubber-tipped fold outs, and it sits firmly in place. Some cool looking artwork on the bottom as well.
The Dark Avenger is another solid offering from Redragon. You simply cannot go wrong with this keyboard: excellent quality at an affordable price. It’s hard to choose between this and the K552, as they’re both very good keyboards. The main difference is the aesthetics and design. You’ll get a good keyboard regardless of the choice you make.
headtr1p 