darkFlash DLX21 Mesh Mid Tower Case Review
Final Thoughts of the darkFlash DLX21
darkFlash did a good job overall with the darkFlash DLX21 Mesh. The case is spacious and generally well laid out, with a good amount of thought put into ease of use and hardware compatibility. The front I/O offers a good selection of ports and buttons, the interior of the case feels spacious and open, and the case’s magnetic and tool-less parts make certain elements of building in the case a breeze. It does feel like darkFlash’s designers put a bit less thought into the cable management of the DLX21 than the V22 though, but the end result is by no means bad. To improve the cable management, I would like to see better access to the bottom of the motherboard, more clearance for daisy chained SATA power cables and some sort of latching system or thumb screw on the right side panel in a future revision of this case. I’ll add another one of those nifty expanding drive trays and improved dust filters to my wish list while I’m at it. The hinged magnetic dust filter from the V22 would be right at home over the front and right side vents of the DLX21, and a slide out tray would make cleaning the underside of the case easier. That said, the DLX21 Mesh feels like a competitive modern case and is practically just begging for a full custom loop with its ample radiator mounting options. Considering how popular mid-tower cases have become for water-cooled builds, this is likely to be a strong point in favor of the DLX21.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to work in | The right side panel will not close if cables are not well managed |
| Plenty of space for large parts | No front dust filter |
| Water cooling friendly | Cable routing to SSDs is not as good as in the V22 |
| Clean aesthetic | Cable routing to the bottom of the motherboard is a little restrictive |
| USB 3.1 Type C support | Some small adhesive parts not aligned properly |
| Magnetic and tool less parts simplify parts of the build process | |
| Supports add on vertical GPU brackets natively | |
| Hinged and magnetic side panels are easy to work with | |
| Excellent packaging | |
| Comes with standoff driver, dust covers, and cleaning cloth |
In total, I am quite pleased with the DLX21 and feel confident recommending it for those who are looking for a mid-tower case to build a custom loop in, or for those with an AIO cooler and one or more hybrid cooled graphics cards. It can be used for air cooled builds and single radiator water cooled builds as well, but for those use cases I prefer the V22 (reviewed of the V22), which I believe to be a somewhat more refined case.
