Usage & Final Thoughts
I have been using the Cascase Slim for the past week or so as my daily driver and I have to say I really like it. Low-profile keyboards are always great for typing and daily tasks. This keyboard with its low-profile design, low-profile mechanical key switches, and low-profile keycaps is extremely comfortable to type on. I do feel the keys are a little crunched together, which does take some time to get used to. The first day or so using the keyboard I would accidently hit the wrong button. But overall the keyboard is a joy to use and the Gateron low-profile brown mechanical key switches are not all that loud. Here is a typing test…
The 75% form factor is actually one of the my favorites out there. With it you are basically getting a tenkeyless (TKL) layout, just with everything sort of pushed together. This gives you a smaller overall footprint, but you don’t lose things like arrow keys or your function row. Even with its low-profile design the Cascade Slim feels very solid and there is absolutely no flex in the keyboard at all. The Bronze chassis looks great, but if that is not your thing AZIO also has a Space Grey option. The keycaps also help complete the unique colorway and I think they really set this keyboard off and make it look like something really custom.
I really like that this keyboard works both wired and wireless (via Bluetooth). This means I can use it at home on my main PC wired then when I am traveling or at the office I can just slap it down and connect it wirelessly. In our testing we really did not notice much of any input lag, but I would suggest plugging in if you are going to be doing any gaming.
The RGB lighting on the keyboard is a nice addition, but is not really all that impressive. This is because the keys are so close together and this is a low-profile keyboard. I also was pretty surprised that there is not any software that comes with this keyboard. So you can only cycle through a few effects when it comes to the lighting and you really can’t do any type of per-key designs like you would be able to do with software. Also no software means you can’t reprogram the keyboard or set up macros, which might be a deal-breaker for gamers.
If the low-profile design is not your thing, remember that AZIO will be offering a normal Cascade that a typical form factor, normal-sized switches and keycaps. AZIO is opening up a Kickstater campaign for these keyboards. For Early Birds (limited quantity) the keyboard will be $89. After the Early Bird’s sell out the Kickstarter Pledge will get you the keyboards for $109. After the Kickstarter campaign is over the keyboards will be $159.99 retail. I think the Kickstarter prices are great, but the actual retail price is a bit high, especially since the keyboard has limited lighting modes and no software. Overall ThinkComputers gives the AZIO Cascade Slim Mechanical Keyboard a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Low-profile design
– Mechanical key switches
– Awesome colorway & keycaps
– Very comfortable
– Wired & Bluetooth connectivity
– Hot-swappable switches
– Kickstarter prices
Cons:
– No software
– Limited RGB modes
– Retail price seems a bit high
