I am sure that most of you have heard of the brand Armaggeddon. For me it was new until I walked into an IT shop and saw this particular brand heavily promoted. At first I thought this is a local (Malaysia) product and kind of looked up to it for its design and price range. Of course after a bit of research via web, I got to know its from Singapore and made in China. My first review item from Armaggeddon is the Kalashnikov AK-555i Gaming Keyboard. This is an entry level gaming keyboard which is pretty basic and very affordable.

Introduction

This is a very basic gaming keyboard and is targeted to those who would not want to spend too much on having a gaming keyboard with Backlit LED. If you’re a person who fancy great features and mechanical keyboard, this is not the one for you. If you want something that has the stylish design, user friendly, and cheap price range, this is definitely the right choice for you.

Design

Compared to a standard full sized keyboard, this one looks huge although its the same size and very stylish. The design is aimed to have the gaming style as it is a gaming keyboard itself. Based on the photo above, you can see the lighting on keys alongside on the top and the sides of the keyboard itself. If you look at the back of the keyboard, you will realize the Backlit is present at one particular area. This serves as a very handy feature that I will talk about in the Features section. Otherwise, there’s nothing too fancy.

The Armaggeddon branding is placed on the middle top part of the keyboard and there’s standard keyboard stand placed on the left and right side of the keyboard. The USB cable that connects to the PC or Laptop is a non-removable type and lenghts 1.5M long. Although the cable looks like the one on any ordinary keyboard, Armaggeddon claims that the cable is durable and long lasting compared to those present in standard ones.

Features

The most notable feature will be the Backlit. The keyboard comes and surrounded with Blue LEDs and looks really cool. Do take note that there’s two colors to choose from when you purchase the Kalashnikov AK-555i, either you get the Blue one like I did or you can opt for a Red version. The Backlit can be set into two mode, either Static Light or Blinking Light. There’s Fn (Function) Key and Backlit Keyboard Key which enables you to use the following features:-

1. Backlit Keyboard Key only – Enables/Disables the Backlit feature
2. Fn + Backlit Keyboard Key – Switch between Static or Blinking mode.

The PgUP and PgDn Keys also serve as increasing and decreasing the Backlit brightness respectively.

Another useful feature which comes with this keyboard will be its Spill Proof Design. Well, this one really comes with a drainage system. Remember I mentioned earlier there’s a Backlit on the back of the Keyboard? Let’s say you spilled your drink, the water will be drained out via the back hole that has the Backlit. Pretty cool right? Well, it does serve its purpose as I have seen plenty of people spilling their drink during gaming.

Just in case if you wonder there’s any multimedia shortcut keys available, yes there’s all of them ranging from Audio controls, Email, Home, Enable/Disable Keyboard and Calculator. All of them work flawlessly with Windows 10 as I have tested them.

The Armaggeddon Kalashnikov AK-555i comes with Anti-Ghosting Gaming Clusters as well. This means you can press all of these keys at the same time during gaming and there won’t be any problem faced. For example, if you’re used to playing FiFa, you will need to press two arrow keys together in order to add Ball Spin. So in order to make this work without any problem, that’s when you need Anti-Ghosting Keys. As usual, the “WASD” and “Arrow” Keys are the only ones with Anti-Ghosting Gaming Clusters.

Full Specification

• Anti-Ghosting gaming clusters (WASD and arrow keys)
• Spill proof intelligent design with drainage for liquids
• Full size 3-segments multimedia and gaming keyboard
• 104 membrane silent keys stroke to more than 100000000 times
• 12 shortcut keys (Press Fn and F1-12)
• Blue/Red LED backlight improve gaming experience
• 1.5 meters of multi flex, ultra-durable wrapped cord and jack

Conclusion

This is definitely one of the best Basic Backlit Gaming Keyboard available out there. It serves its purpose and the keys are not as noisy as some other Basic Gaming Keyboards or Mechanical ones out there. As I said earlier, if you don’t care about the Branding and you’re not willing to spend too much just for a Basic Gaming Keyboard, this is your ideal choice. It gives you style and comfort with value-added feature such as proper Spill Proof design.

Pricing & Availability

The Armaggaddon Kalashnikov AK-555i is priced at RM69 inclusive of GST. You can get it in any major IT retailers out there such as those in Plaza Lowyat and Digital Mall. Alternatively, you can also purchase it online via Lazada or 11 Street. The Keyboard comes with 2 years of limited warranty which you can register HERE.