Today we take a look at the Puri TKL Gaming Mechanical Keyboard from Cougar.
This new keyboard is the smaller version of the Puri series.
It offers a white LED backlighting (with four intensity levels of illumination), Macro support, full n-key rollover and Cherry MX switches in Black, Red, Blue, Brown or Speed Silver flavours. We’ve been provided with the brown keys for review, usually aimed towards typists and casual gamers. At this time, we were only able to locate the Cougar Puri TKL in retail outlets, but when news broke of these keyboards, pricing was offered as well. At the time they were publicly released, we were told that the Puri would be sold for $79.99, and the Puri TKL is to be sold at $69.99. What we find at Newegg, is that the Puri TKL is indeed retailing at just $69.99 for the blue or red switch variants, no signs of the other three options yet. We can only assume that with the Puri TKL listing at the MSRP, the same will ring true for the Puri and its full 104-key layout. With what we can recall, there have only been a few keyboards that released in this price range, and many are not as good as the Puri in either form. Even though we are still early in the review, we feel that the price will bring the masses to the door, and once they lay eyes on what is offered, it won't be long until you are clicking the buy button.
THE KEYBOARD
The Cougar Puri TKL's frame, made of plastic, is 150mm from front to back, 370mm from side to side, and without the feet extended, it stands 40mm tall. All told, without the cable in the mix, the Puri TKL weighs in at a mere 1.2kg.
One of the most notable feature of the Cougar Puri TKL keyboard is that Cougar has equipped the keyboard with a sturdy, plastic protective cover, which allows players to keep their keyboards out of the dust while not using them.
The Cougar Puri keyboards includes features like NKRO support, so that no matter how fast you press the Cherry MX switches, all presses will be registered.
Cougar offers multiple options of switches; you can find the Puri with red, silver, black, brown, and blue switch.
The keyboard has a 1.8 meters of braided cable, which is detachable from the keyboard.
Thanks of its 1000Hz or 1ms polling rate, the PURI is great for FPS, MMORPG, MOBA, and RTS games; unfortunately, we have, also, to say that there is not Macro programmability.
A CLOSER LOOK
The Cougar Puri TKL has eighty-seven keys, arranged in the standard QWERTY US layout.
The keyboard frame is devided in two-part, held together with eight metal screws on the frame edges
Along the top of the keyboard, we can see the multimedia keys (from F1 to F12).
On the right edge, there is a set of six buttons with LED icons on them.
1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 have four preset LED modes set to them, each, for a total of twenty. If we press Function and 5, it takes you to the custom programming, where numbers one through ten across the top, can be used as custom LED profiles.
A bit further down, we find the arrow keys, and on two of them are LED icons. Pressing up and Function will increase the intensity of the light, and pressing down will lower the brightness.
We have the keyboard extended to full height in the back of our look at the Puri TKL on the right side.
This smaller foot, with the rubber pad on the tip of it, will raise the back of the keyboard 8mm taller.
The largest feet to be used raise up 12mm the back edge of the keyboard.
The Cougar Puri TKL keyboard is a Plug-and-Play product, which means that you simply connect it when you use the keyboard.
Like all other plug-and-play keyboards, the Puri lacks of customization, effects and color features
However, the PURI TKL keyboard is equipped with the ability to adjust the effect of the LED, with 20 different types of effects installed and 10 types of effects that users can customize through operations with the function key.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Cougar did a good job with this Puri Tkl.
We can't denying that it is a bit limited in the features department.
However, the Cougar Puri TKL is a solid product, that will last for years to come. This keyboard can do everything, from software to gaming, without using any software to make it work.
Any gamer concerned with productivity should consider this essential but funtional keyboard, without all the fancy things to distract you.
It is possible to find this keyboard at a street price of 69.99$ (newegg)/ 69.90 € (Caseking); but, we have to say that, at this moment, switch selection is somewhat limited: only red and blue switch options are available.
If you have to have the number pad at all costs, you will add only $10 to obtain the 104-key Puri.
