Conclusion:

In use, I am very impressed with the Cooler Master CM Storm Trigger gaming keyboard. The feel of the unit as a whole is very solid, and I am sure this could be a reliable keyboard for years longer than most other units I have used. Everything about the keys is nice too... from the feel and responsiveness, to the layout, and especially the back-lighting. The back-light intensity can be adjusted to different levels, and the option to have just the heavily used gaming keys illuminated was pretty cool to me.



Functionally, my only issues with the Trigger was related to the back-lighting, even though it did work very well when used by the book. I was annoyed that a power adapter was required to make allow for all modes of back-light operation, especially since a power adapter was not included. I don't think a keyboard should ever require its own power supply, so I would have preferred that those two modes be eliminated as well as the 5VDC power connection. Additionally, I happened to try the keyboard with other USB cables, and even though they seemed to be of decent quality and allowed the basic functions of the keyboard to work - the back-lighting only worked with the Cooler Master provided cable attached!

Shopping around find the Cm Storm Trigger for sale for close to $120 (US). To me, that is alot of money for a keyboard - and no matter how nice it is I would be hard pressed to justify that personally. My 'daily driver' keyboard is a Logitech G15 which cost about $40 less when it was new, and I thought it was expensive. But, the quality and customizable features of the Trigger far exceeds that of the G15 and any other keyboard I have used. In addition, the use of Cherry switches is going to add a premium price tag to any keyboard, so that also pushes the Trigger's price up.

The bottom line is that the CM Storm Trigger is a great keyboard for gamers, or for everyday users willing to fork over about $120 (US) for a keyboard. With that said, it earns the Bigbruin.com "Recommended" and "Gaming Approved" awards.



Pros:

» Very well built
» Excellent feel and responsiveness to the keys
» Back-lighting is very well done
» Highly customizable
» Software application is attractive and well done

Cons:

» Additional power adapter (not included) required for full back-light functionality
» Could only get back-lighting to work with included USB cable
» Price tag of about $120 (US)

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