Cougar 700K Mechanical Keyboard & 700M Gaming Mouse Review

Conclusion

As with all peripherals that we review, the 700K and 700M were in use for several days for testing. The quality and sturdiness of the 700K Mechanical keyboard was immediately apparent – the aluminum plate increases the feel of solidity and the plastic parts are of excellent quality. The keys are very sturdy and the cross supports reduce wobble down to a minimum. Cherry, the most renowned manufacturer of switches, supplies their MX series products for the main keys. Our sample came with the soft and linear MX Red switch but the 700K is also available with MX Brown switches that provide quiet tactile feedback. Cougar installed very good switches beneath the media/mode keys as well, similar to those used for the main buttons of a mouse, which have a very short actuation distance and a strong click feedback. These buttons are very firm and their feel is excellent.

The design of the 700K mechanical keyboard is very good, both aesthetically and functionally. Cougar's idea to split the Spacebar key is innovative and can be very practical, and it improves the force distribution. The Spacebar key is the most problematic key of any mechanical keyboard, as its length and weight creates a much different feel than the rest of the keys. By splitting it in two and using two switches, which also are much closer to where the thumb hits the key, Cougar vastly improved the feeling of the keyboard without having to use a different switch under the Spacebar. MMORPG users might complain that the number of macro keys is relatively low, but every key of the 700K is programmable; as such, the user can create gaming modes where, for example, the numpad or function keys are repurposed to perform macros.

Although the 700K mechanical keyboard is exceptional, the 700M gaming mouse does not fall behind either. In terms of design, working with the mouse for just a few hours makes it easy to see how it earned two awards in a single year. It is not only about the looks, but it's also about the user comfort and functionality as well. The 700M is very comfortable to grip and use, while its low weight increases long-term usage comfort – if you are right-handed, that is. The ability to change the palm rest and adjust its height increases the user's comfort even further, allowing a perfect fit for virtually anyone's hand. FPS gamers will especially love the presence of the Sniper and Fire buttons. It is not very suitable for complex MMO gaming though, as the number of keys is low and advanced gamers will almost certainly want more, regardless of the number of macros that can be programmed on the keyboard.

The quality of the 700M is excellent as well, although not because of its aluminum frame. The aluminum frame may improve the robustness of the mouse, but any change is both imperceptible and unimportant to the end user – besides, all of the components that are attached on the frame are plastic. However, the quality of these plastic parts is very good, as well as that of the switches. The metallic "muzzle" that supports the braided cable minimizes the chance of ripping it off after long and violent gaming sessions. Of course, if you are this violent when gaming, a good book on self-control would probably help more than a mouse that is built like a tank.

As for the UIX System software, it is relatively simple and very user-friendly, providing a wealth of options and customizability without scaring away the less advanced user. It is not without problems – in fact, the early versions that were supplied to us when we first received the samples were littered with bugs and had serious stability issues. Cougar's programming team however seems to be working very efficiently, as the vast majority of those bugs are gone in the most recent version of the software that we tested (v1.14 and v1.17 for the 700M and the 700K respectively). It could be further improved and more options can be introduced, yet the UIX System already is one of the better software packages that accompany advanced gaming peripherals today.

Both the 700K mechanical keyboard and the 700M gaming mouse are exceptional products, of very high quality and offer great functionality. Their only true enemy is their high retail price, which places either of them against numerous other similarly excellent products. At the time of this review, the 700K retails for $150 including shipping, a price that is fair for a keyboard of this level but there are numerous other options near this price range. For example, $20 more can bring you the Corsair K70 RGB, a keyboard with no macro keys but fully programmable and with RGB lighting, or the Razer Chroma, a keyboard with RGB lighting and macro keys but Razer (Kailh) switches instead.

The 700M gaming mouse retails for $70 including shipping, dangerously close to the similar Corsair M65, the popular Mad Catz R.A.T.5 and the wireless Logitech G602. Cougar's offerings are neither worse or overpriced, but they're not an astonishing deal that would drive us to recommend them blindly. However, if you are looking for advanced gaming peripherals within that price range, they are definitely worthy of consideration.