SteelSeriesApex 350 Gaming Keyboard, 5 Zone RGB LED Backlit

This is as good a keyboard as I have ever used.. The action is really smooth, fast and sensitive, The back lighting is awesome--I can control the color in 4 separate clusters of keys. There are 22 additional buttons to create macros with and they operate in 4 different ranges, giving 88 marco capacity.. I do not use the keyboard for gaming at all, but it is wonderful for my application productivity. I have one configuration for Microsoft Office, another for Programming, and a tird for Photo Management and Editing. I plan to use the 4th for Video / Audio editing.The way of recording Macros is a little counter intuitive but I got the hang of it after a while with the help of very good support. The user manuals could be better however. There are very few examples.I particularly like the oversize space bar and the full keyboard with the 22 Macro Keys, 12 Function keys, number pad, directional keys and media control keys. There are even 2 USB sockets on the back of the keyboard for easy use of ThumbDrives or other accessories. For me the easy integration between the keyboard macros and the Microsoft Macros in Office is the best feature and that has increased my productivity with Office programs by about 5%..Given all these Macro keys, if you use them as I do, remembering which ones perform which functions is daunting. One negative is the lack of a labeling system for the Macro Keys --- M1, M2 etc doesn't really cut it. I invested a few hours and created my own in Word which I print, cut with scissors and use a glue stick to past onto the keyboard. However if would have been better if the manufacturer had slots for these and provided a templateConsidering the programming capability and the other features and components, the price is I think very good and well woth the investment.

This keyboard is pretty good. I love that it has so many extra programmable keys and media keys. The lighting is relatively good but the colors do bleed over between sections a tiny bit and some sections are not as bright. The software is pretty self explanatory but some things are hard to find. For example, I had trouble at first figuring out how to make a key enter a text string. Also, sometimes the changes that are made, especially to configuration sets, like renaming the configuration, duplicating it, changing the layer number, don't take effect until the software is reloaded or the keyboard is disconnected and reconnected to the computer.So, software could be a bit more user friendly and more powerful, lighting could be a bit stronger and sealed into the sections a bit better, but all things considered, for the price, it's definitely worth it, especially for the great price.In the attached picture you can see how the purple is discoloring the white out the front a tiny bit.

I have had my Apex 350 for only 2 weeks, but my experience so far has been wonderful. The keyboard is solid and does not slide around on my desk, thanks to the provided rubber feet (2 sizes for different angle of tilt). The look and layout are excellent. The 5 color zones are just enough - I personally use the fifth zone (the Steelseries logo area) to identify the layer I am currently using and have the other 4 assigned permanently to the left, top, right, and central key areas.There are two major "macro" areas - The 14 keys on the left(4 for the layer choices) and the 12 "m" keys on top, arranged over the standard function keys. That said, ANY key on the keyboard except the extreme right column (playback/volume keys) is programmable! The Steelseries Engine 3 software is extremely flexible and easy to use, and provides more functionality than any other I am familiar with (including Logitech, which I use a lot and also like, but this is better). There is no need to use the Layer keys for their assigned purpose if you would rather have them as extended macro facilities, for example. This is easily the most flexible keyboard I have ever encountered.This is a membrane keyboard, NOT a mechanical one. That said, it is nearly silent, and very responsive. The true FPS purist may find a good mechanical keyboard better suited to that class of gaming, but this keyboard is more than adequate for anything else and is ideal for MMO gaming - which is how I use it.The keyboard and the macros I have written have worked perfectly and reliably since I installed them. Programming macros is easy and intuitive, with a couple of exceptions. Not all keys (especially those designated as macro keys as compared to the standard letter/number keys) seem to react the same way to "press and hold" macros. It's hard to explain - I won't try here - but not a major problem as other keys can be chosen which do work as desired.All in all, this is the best keyboard I have ever seen for gaming. That it uses membrane instead of mechanical keys is, for me at least, no problem at all, and a lot quieter!

I like SteelSeries products, I use their mouse (Rival 310) and their headset (Arctis 5) and their gaming mouse pads. I love the mouse and the headset, and I figured the same would be true for any SteelSeries product...I purchased this keyboard to keep with my traditional SteelSeries peripherals. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed. Within 30 minutes of gaming my hand was cramping on the keyboard. The layout was terrible, the wrist support was terrible. Also, the build quality seemed poor, the keyboard flexed in the middle!!! Flexed! I was shocked, it was not a pleasant experience to use at all! I was so surprised to be having a terrible experience with a Steel Series product. SteelSeries needs to go back to the drawing board with this keyboard... the Apex is certainly not the apex of keyboards within its price range.... I returned the keyboard through Amazon, and I took the refund money and purchased a Razer Blackwidow Chroma v2, now yes the Razer was slightly more expensive, but it is a pleasure to type and game on. I look forward to SteelSeries launching new keyboards, I am a brand loyalist, and I would like to have a Steel Series keyboard.