Introduction

The K8 Fire Dancing Kit is a budget themed mouse and keyboard combo package from 1^st Player. Its economy mindset is prominent from the get go, with the focus on minimising extras without impacting overall usability.

The keyboard has a standard layout of 104 keys, although one or two have been re-purposed from their original functions, such as a key that turns on and off the keyboard’s lighting effects. In addition, there are also 10 additional media keys placed at the top of the function keys, which include additional functions such as opening the calculator, opening the “this PC” window, as well as volume up and down functions. The keyboard also comes with a very nice rainbow backlighting which is not customisable and can only be turned on or off via a dedicated key on the bottom row of the keyboard.

The keyboard itself is of a standard size and comes with an integrated wrist rest – which I found to be too small to be of real practical use.

Also included in this kit is a 1^st Player gaming mouse, which has a 2400DPI Resolution and 4 adjustable DPI settings – (500,1000,1500 and 2000). It also has a colour changing LED input to indicate which setting it is currently on.

Packaging and In-depth look

The packaging itself is quite simple, as does seem to be 1^st Player’s trademark of a small black gloss box that is slightly larger than the keyboard itself. The top of the box is emblazoned with the K8 logo and a brief description of its main selling points. The reverse shows a stylised depiction of the layout of the keys.

Inside we find the keyboard wrapped in protective film, and a side section which contains the mouse.

Apart from that equipment, the only other item included in the box is a CD sized user manual with step by step instructions such as “Connect the Fire Dancing with USB Port” and “Its ready to use when setup is finished”.

The underside of the keyboard has 2 rubber feet to guard against slippage and 2 legs that can be raised or lowered to incline the keyboard. Oddly however there doesn’t seem to be any drainage holes on the base despite its “splash-proof” claims so whilst it might indeed be splash-proof, I would want to drain it upside down quickly if it did get accidentally soaked.

Gaming performance and General use

The K8 Fire Dancing keyboard is quite solidly built from thick grade plastic. Despite this however the keyboard can still flex quite noticeably under pressure. However during standard use you should not notice any movement unless you really like to hammer down hard on the keys.

The keys themselves are membrane switches, which is standard for keyboards on the cheaper side of the spectrum. They do have a good feel when compared to other membrane keyboards as the keys bounce well and don’t move around when you have your fingers placed upon them – so no chance of accidental key presses. However, don’t expect much of any audible feedback from them as they are quite quiet.

The keyboard features a 6 key rollover function, so it can handle up to 6 key presses simultaneously before it stops recognising any more inputs – which is where it gets its gaming tag from. Its rainbow backlight is another interesting inclusion – however, don’t expect any fancy patterns or indeed any form of customisation from it. The lights themselves are controlled through the re-purposed menu key on the keyboard that turns the lighting effect on / off and that’s all you’ll be getting out of it – it’s either on or off, nothing more. The lights themselves however are bright and do make the keyboard easier to use in low light conditions. The rainbow effect too is nice albeit pretty standard.

The included mouse is solid and well built, with a good click and tactile feedback from its buttons. The mouse wheel rolls well but lacks any built-in grip on the scroll wheel’s surface. It also has a very light feedback through a soft audible click when you spin the wheel. The mouse does not have any side buttons, but does have a small button below the mouse wheel – which is used to adjust the DPI settings. When changing DPI settings, it also changes the RGB 1^st Player logo on the mouse to give you a visual feedback of the current setting. The size of the mouse may also be a little small for some, as it’s quite smaller than most standard mice. It also favours those who prefer a finger grip as it did not sit well in the palm of any of the three people who tried it out.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember the price that this kit is aimed at – retailing at around AU $35 – which is super affordable & you DO get quite a nice package for the price. It’s a very decent membrane keyboard with decent construction and has a good tactile feel with bonus rainbow backlighting effect. The included mouse with adjustable DPI settings is also pretty good even though the mouse itself doesn’t have any side buttons.

Overall speaking, you would be hard pressed to find a similar product for the same price point anywhere. Plus, for the budget conscious out there – this is a pretty good option.

So, if you’re on a tight budget – there really is no disadvantages with the K8 Fire Dancing Keyboard + Mouse Kit. You will get a solid, well-designed keyboard with built in Rainbow RGB lighting and a mouse with adjustable DPI Settings. That being said, if you can stretch your budget a little further, there are better options out there.

On a shoestring budget, this may be THE kit for you, however you will come to notice its compromises.