By Meng Vang
Manufacturer: A4Tech / Bloody Division
Product Name: Bloody B820R Light Strike RGB Animation Gaming Keyboard
Model Number: B820R (Black/Strike Red)
UPC: 4711421926997
Price As Tested: $99.90 (Amazon | Newegg)Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by A4Tech.
Optical key switches provide fast response time and performance without compromising build quality. They use infrared sensors as a replacement for metal contacts, making them more durable when compared to a standard mechanical key switch. With the Bloody B820R Light Strike RGB Animation gaming keyboard, it uses LK (Light Strike) Optical switches built exclusively for Bloody keyboards. The B820R comes in two variants; one with blue switches (Machine Gun) and one with red switches (Silent Gun). Benchmark Reviews already tested the B820R with LK Optical Blue switches, so our friends at A4Tech sent us the red variant for this review. Let’s take a look at a quick overview of this product in the next section.
- Light Strike Technology
- No Double-Click
- Lightening Speed Response
- LK Optic Switch
- The Power of RGB Lighting
- Self-Customize RGB Animation
- Preloaded 6 RGB Lighting Effects (without drivers)
- Favorite List of 10 RGB Lighting Effects
- Share The Customized RGB Animation
- Spill-Resistant Nano-Coating
- Smart Water Flow System
- Screw Enhanced Space Bar
- Gunmetal Aluminum Alloy Panel
- 7 Color Indicator Backlit
- Anti-Ghost Gaming Mode
- Connector: USB
- Key Style: Optic switch
- Key Response：0.2ms
- Anti-Ghosting Key：100% Anti-ghosting key
- Gaming Keycaps：8 convex silicon keys
- Hotkey：Multimedia Hotkey
- Backlit：Customize RGB Animation
- Backlit Brightness: Adjustable
- Space-Bar: Screw enhanced space-bar
- Memory Backlight: 6 Free driver RGB lighting modes
- Key Lifetime: Up to 100 million keystrokes
- Report Rate: 1000Hz/1ms
In terms of performance, the LK Optic Red switches make a great switch for gaming and general purpose usage. They are very quiet and feel similar to the Cherry MX Silent Red switches. Because they have no metal contacts, each press of the switch feels smooth to the bottom without feeling any metal on metal grinding. This also prevents that annoying double-click effect seen on some standard mechanical switches.
The B820R looks very simple and elegant with its minimalistic design. Given the aluminum alloy panel, they keyboard looks like a premium product with solid build quality. The LEDs are very vibrant and are much brighter than a few keyboards from larger companies. In the white LED test, the whites were a bit on the purple side, meaning the red and blue LEDs overpowered the green LED. Of course, the KeyDominator2 software is available to correct this.
When it comes to construction, the B820R feels very solid throughout. The aluminum alloy panel with the tough plastic bottom prevents the keyboard from flexing under intense use. The LK Optic Red switches have a keystroke life cycle of up to 100 million strokes, which is twice as many compared to a standard Cherry MX switch. The absence of metal contacts in the LK Optic switches means no rust or corrosion, so I can spill water all over it if I wanted to… but I am not going to. Even if I did, the smart water flow system is there to drain the water safely out the keyboard.
Functionality wise, the keyboard works great as a gaming keyboard and a daily driver. The KeyDominator2 software does have some flexibility for customization, but seems a bit unorganized in some areas. RGB animation is one of the selling points of the B820R, and the software allows for some very creative ideas. There are six built-in lighting effects on board the keyboard, but custom lighting effects will require the KeyDominator2 software to run in order for them to work. Just remember to install the KeyDominator2 software and import your lighting settings to another computer when moving around.
As of August 2017, the Bloody B820R Light Strike RGB Animation gaming keyboard with LK Optic Red switches sells online for $99.90 (Amazon | Newegg). It includes a lot of features from other mechanical gaming keyboards, such as RGB lighting, macro recording, and n-key rollover. The LK Optic switches have no metal contacts, which means no corrosion or rust to worry about. If water spills on the keyboard, drain holes are present to control water flow and the switches remain rust free. At 100 million strokes on the LK Optic switches, the B820R is a good choice to look at if you want a long lasting keyboard.
+ Good value
+ Premium build quality
+ Good RGB color accuracy
+ LK Optic Red switches with 100 million clicks
+ Spill and rust resistant design with LK Optic switches
– Fn functions are not printed on the key caps
– KeyDominator2 software must run for custom lighting effects to work
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Performance: 9.50
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Appearance: 8.75
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Construction: 9.50
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Functionality: 7.50
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Value: 8.50
