Ever since I saw this keyboard at Computex, I’ve been drooling over it ever since. Why? Because #1 it’s an ASUS Product that comes with RGB lighting. #2 it’s a modular keyboard in where you can remove the numeric keypads by just sliding it off from the main keyboard. I know, it’s cool and it’s amazing
As expected, the ASUS ROG Claymore features a premium build which is by the way made with aluminum construction and along with the Mayan-inspired design pattern. You know, it’s really easy to know if it’s an ASUS peripheral because of the Mayan-inspired patterns.
The Claymore Core or the keyboard itself without the numeric keypads is small. It’s actually very portable and you can actually bring this mechanical keyboard everywhere as this one is small and lighter than most mechanical keyboards (But not all of them).
Again, it’s well-built with an aluminum alloy making it feel and look sturdy. At the front edge, there’s the clean ASUS ROG logo which is illuminated as well however the text “Republic of Gamers” on the spacebar that doesn’t illuminate, So yeah, you could still actually see that this is the Claymore from afar as this one features the logo of ROG.
The ASUS ROG Claymore can also be connected to the PC using the micro USB cable that has a braided cable. Oh and yes, that Micro USB cable on the ASUS ROG Claymore can be removed and replace in case you want to (But I don’t think that you’ll do that)
Another small thing to love about this keyboard the elevated keys shows the clear housing which makes the RGB lighting brighter and even more pleasing to the eye of the users. And speaking of that, we have the Cherry MX Blue on our review unit which is favored by people who are into typing.
The keys on the Claymore feels just right. It’s light to type on and the tactile feel of the keyboard is really great. Actually, I would love to type on this keyboard all day as I love the feel of the Cherry MX Blue switches. It’s really comforting and pleasing to my fingers especially when I’m typing a review like this. Oh and the clicky sound on this one? It’s pleasing, satisfying, and outright eargasmic. I love it.
The keycaps of the ASUS ROG Claymore doesn’t feel cheap. It features the Republic of Gamers font and texture of the keycaps are solid and you know that it’s really nice to feel and use. Speaking of keys, the ASUS ROG Claymore doesn’t feature too many extra keys on this one. But there are a lot of shortcuts that can be done on the keyboard.
Despite not having extra keys, the ASUS ROG Claymore does come with shortcuts to different functions such as CPU OC, RAM OC, ROG Sync and much more. But of course, you’ll have to have those ROG Motherboards that support that. Oh, and before I forgot, this one comes with NKRO too.
Oh and in case you’re not using the modular numeric keypads, you would also miss the volume wheel. The good thing about having a modular keyboard like the ASUS ROG Claymore is that you could actually place the numpad whether on the left or right side of the keyboard. It’s really comfy to have that feature when you have games that would prefer using the numpad too much.
The Ergonomics on the ASUS ROG Claymore was pretty good. The front edge slant might not accommodate my wrist but it’s still comfortable to type on despite using the keyboard for hours on playing and typing. It’s not the most comfortable one but it already feels alright in my use.
2016 was the year of RGB peripherals and ASUS didn’t fail us with the ASUS ROG Claymore. The lighting was really good on this one and it’s really bright and thanks to the Armoury app, the colors of the keyboard and the light patterns were very customizable. It supports ASUS Aura Sync so yeah, you could actually sync your other ASUS products with RGB lighting that supports ASUS Aura Sync. In the Armoury app, you could also adjust the different keys with a shortcut depending on the profile that you want.
Verdict
I really enjoyed using the ASUS ROG Claymore. I thought that the modular feature of this keyboard would be useless to me but it was not. Actually, I often remove the numpads when I don’t want to so that I can save space or I could place the numpads on the other side whenever I’m playing games and have different keymaps.
The ASUS ROG Claymore got the best features and probably all the features that I want on a mechanical keyboard. It’s comfortable to use, it has a portable and lightweight design and then it has the Cherry MX Blue keys. So would I recommend it? Well, it depends on the budget. If you have the money to spare then why not? but you should take note that there are also other keyboards that have Cherry MX Blue and RGB lighting at a lower price. However, If you’re a die-hard ASUS user or you want a really premium keyboard with a premium gaming design then the ASUS ROG Claymore is the right keyboard for you.
