CORSAIR - VANGUARD AIR 99 WIRELESS Optical-Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Pre-lubed, ultra-responsive OPX Low-Profile Switches - Black

I have a MacBook Pro for work and PC to game. For work, I like this keyboard very much. It is a great typing experience because the keys are not incredibly thin (like the butterfly keys) and they are not overly thick like most gaming keyboards. The ability to adjust actuation makes this a great combo for really quick typing for me. For gaming, it is solid but I prefer my ASUS Rog Falcata and others that I have tried. Mainly because I like the more defined curvature on those keycaps and texture. You can swap those things out I believe, but that isn't something I want to do. The battery life is excellent and the new Corsair web-only iCue is really great so you don't have to download or run actual software anymore. Overall, it fits my use-case for now. I like it, don't love it.

This keyboard is initially great. It feels nice to type on, it's quiet, it's light to respond, but there are some QA/QC issues that never should have allowed this to release yet First and foremost, it doesn't support iCue yet. If you have other Corsair products that you keep unified lighting, this won't talk to them yet Second, this is the first item to use their new Slipstream tech. It's unstable, and only supports one device per USB plug, versus the old Slipstream supporting up to 3 devices per USB. Old devices also don't register on the new one, so you need a dedicated USB port for this. There are also some bugs, like occasionally taking a few seconds after waking up to communicate with your device, or rarely repeating a single key press a dozen times in a split second. The battery is decent, but seemingly worse than most Corsair keyboards The features are nice, there are lots of options for customization, including uploading personal images to the screen. Overall, the bugs and issues happen rarely enough that it's not a massive ding against the keyboard, but for Corsair's standards, it's subpar. They should have ironed out the issues and unified the iCue experience with this, and it would have been a 5/5 for me

I’ve always wanted a keyboard that strikes a balance between wireless typing freedom and comfort as well as gaming prowess. Finally, that keyboard has arrived and I love it. I used to have two keyboards, a Logitech for typing and work, and then a conventional loud clicky gaming keyboard that I had a love/hate relationship with because of the noise and size. The Corsair Vanguard Air types even better than the Logi it replaces yet still has enough key distance to make for a solid gaming experience while remaining quiet and comfortable. It can sync via Bluetooth, the slipstream wireless dongle, or by plugging in the included USB cable. You can also easily change between the 3 options with a switch right next to the USB port. In addition, it can sync 3 different devices simultaneously via Bluetooth and yet another with the dongle plugged in. It is compatible with PC or Mac and even Xbox or PlayStation and has a set of keys in the box for Mac and for the row of keys that can be used for stream deck functions as well. Easily customized via the Corsair web hub or the on-board screen which gives you several status points such as battery life, connection mode, key locks, volume, and can have a custom background set to it. The resolution is good and the overall brightness for the lighting is adjustable and has lots of combinations available right out of the box. The main chassis is metal, and the kickstand on the underside has two heights available. It feels like a super premium device and well worth the investment in my opinion. I love typing on it, and the feel while gaming is also exactly what I prefer with just the right balance between them. This is what I was looking for, thanks Corsair for making the dream a reality.

Just when you thought Full Size Keyboards with Numpads were gone forever with the trend toward TenKeyLess, HomeKeyLess and even ArrowKeyLess 60-70% keyboards, Corsair comes back with a 100% Full Size Keyboard that not only brings back the Numpad, but also a series of programmable "SD Keys" while mixing in some familiar and novel features as well. What you'll notice immediately after plugging in the Vanguard Air 99 is the outstanding looks and build quality. There's a styling that is new and distinctive but beyond that, you'll see it blends familiar mechanical RGB gaming keyboards with some popular laptop features. - Keys are hybrid low profile so they actually have lower key travel with almost NO WOBBLE, which is outstanding. Beyond the lower travel, this actually makes the top of the key caps LARGER and Corsair also made them oval with rounded edges. Look closely, the caps are just different and you will notice this as your fingers have more of a landing pad on each keypad. The switches are also gasket mounted with 5 layers of sound dampening, so while these are linear mechanical switches that are fast to press, they don't fully bottom out and hit some resistance and sound dampening, 5 layers to be exact according to Corsair. This manifests in a confident, but very quiet typing experience along with the larger key cap heads makes for an overall very pleasant typing experience especially in an office or shared space. - The body of the keyboard is chiseled in ways I haven't seen before. While the switches aren't quite flush with the top face, they also aren't totally in a "well" and slightly depressed. This makes it easier to clean the switches but also makes it so you can see the RGB in the mechanical switches better. - The F keys are secondary function similar to a laptop keyboard, with the top row defaulting to brightness, media, microphone, media forward/backward/volume etc. as you would expect to see on a laptop. There's also a game mode button and a Stream Deck button that enable those features. The media dial button is also there which is awesome for quickly adjusting volume or muting sound by pressing the dial. - SD or Stream Deck keys allow you to customize macros for games, but also use the Stream Deck software to create Stream Deck custom function keys and map them directly to the Vanguard Air. The IPS display will also give info accordingly. - The Vanguard Air 99 has 3 ways to connect, wired mode, wireless Slipstream via dongle, and wireless 3xBluetooth. What's new is that the BT connectivity has 3 different connection profiles you can cycle through. This is amazing for anyone who works from home or has multiple devices they want to connect to. You can connect your work laptop, your personal laptop, and your desktop or phone/tablet all via BT and cycle through them and still use your keyboard. I love this feature as it saves me both money and desk space as I can use the same keyboard instead of having multiple or needing a wired keyboard and KVM which can become a mess of wires. - Full arrow keys and Numpad are so back! I am personally not as reliant on the Numpad any more since I have a BT 10-key I use if I need to do a lot of number entry, but some games are made easier with the numpad and some people are just used to using the 10-key. The arrow key spacing and size is also preserved, although they are not separated like a true 100% keyboard used to be, which is probably why this is a 99% keyboard. The Keyboard space is constantly evolving and innovating and the Vanguard Air 99 mixes a lot of old with a lot of new to create something that is familiar yet innovative. I think a lot of people will find this keyboard hits that comfy spot they've been missing with full size keyboard with numpad, but new features like Stream Deck integration, LCD and media keys with the newer OPX low profile quiet keys.

The layout took a little getting used to, but this is an outstanding wireless keyboard on all fronts. The build quality is outstanding, the keys are responsive, and the knurled metal knob and color LCD screen give it that extra drip. But what really sets this keyboard apart is customization. Not only with the keycaps and lights, but the Corsair Web Hub app makes it easy to reprogram keys, record keystrokes, and even record macros. Not enough custom for you? How about a completely reprogrammable Fn Layer that changes every key when holding the FN key? You can even assign a key to customize your mouse buttons! And while I can’t comment on the functionality, the Vanguard Air 99 integrates with the Elgato Stream Deck, which is another area where recording custom macro sequences could be useful. I don’t know what the battery life is supposed to be, but one week into using it and I’m still near 100% on the original charge. The only downside I can offer is that the key layout feels a little cramped for being a full sized keyboard. Long story short, if you like silent keyboards, use an Elgato Stream Deck, or just want an amazing keyboard with a plethora of easy to customize functions, you’ll love the Corsair Vanguard Air 99. PROS - Excellent build quality - Quiet keystrokes - Responsive mechanical switches - 8k polling - FlashTap - Elgato Stream Deck integration - Caps easy to change - Corsair Web Hub App easy to use - Easy to record macros and program keys - Can program almost the entire keyboard - Long battery life - LCD screen is pretty neat - Wired, bluetooth, and usb dongle connectivity - Knurled metal volume knob - Decent preprogrammed lighting effects - Built-in USB dongle storage CONS - Key layout feels a bit compact