Cougar 500K Keyboard Review

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICKY CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLACK. Chances are this series of “clicks” and “clacks” have become nothing more than a zoned out part of your life. No, I do not mean the noises coming from under the hood of your car, which yes, you should get checked. I am referring to the the new standard among PC enthusiasts which is the mechanical keyboard. The new great debate when it comes to the mechanical keyboard is what colored switches do you use: Reds? Browns? Blues? Each one has its purpose and since gaining popularity in the past few years, it seems that the days of the membrane keyboard are a figment of the past. Or are they?

Review Sample Provided by: Cougar
Price at the time of review: $79.99
Product Name: Cougar 500K Keyboard
Product was given in exchange for work done to produce this review

Cougar has been on a roll with the release of several different mice and keyboards which all take advantage of their UIX software. One thing that can be immediately noticed about the 500K is how similar it is the the 700K that was reviewed here at Modders-Inc a few months ago. Fact is, this is the membrane version of the 700K with the same features but minus the audio pass-through and aluminum plate.

As always Cougar has delivered by offering an extremely high quality and sturdy method of packaging. I say this because the box that it was shipped in looked like the postal service decided it was the perfect substitute for their long lost soccer ball. Enough about that though, as you can see, Cougar is rather thorough on giving the full details of their products on the packaging. This is great for letting the potential customer know what they can look for when considering this as a purchase. Normally we will see just a basic description of the features on the packaging but Cougar has added some nice screenshots/illustrations to the back of the packaging. Again, this is a nice touch as I have personally been questioning myself when looking at peripherals wondering what certain features mean when they are referring to proprietary features exclusive to the brand are described.

The packaging is opened by cutting through two sections of tape that secure the top section to the back of the packaging. Once the tape has been cut, simply lift the flap towards you and pull up. As you can see the the keyboard and accessory panels are very nicely protected by thick packing foam cut outs. To add to the level of protection, Cougar has also added a section of padding that is secured to the top of the box to keep the keyboard from getting damaged from possible drops or other methods of impact. Once the padding that is holding the keyboard and palm rest is taken out you can see that the classic Cougar instruction manual is sitting in place. This is something Cougar does with all of its products and is a nice touch compared to other companies that simply throw in a piece of folded paper.

I must admit I am impressed with how well the keyboard and palm rest are fitted into place as I had to dig into the foam to get them out. This is not a bad thing as it tells me the product was securely held in place to protect it from the wilds of retail and the post office.