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CM Storm Novatouch TKL

CM Storm Novatouch TKL Review – The mechanical keyboard craze that started some time ago has people spending quite a lot of money for a more comfortable and convenient typing experience. CM Storm, the PC accessory arm of Cooler Master has announced yet another keyboard in their arsenal but this time, they have something a little more special with the CM Storm Novatouch TKL.

At first look, the Novatouch TKL does not look like anything special. In fact, besides the standard multimedia keys such as play, pause, volume controls and winlock keys, there is nothing much that stands out for the keyboard in terms of aesthetics. The key spacing is great, spread apart enough to avoid any accidental presses, and yet close enough that it doesn’t feel awkward when you’re touchtyping.

As its name implies, the Novatouch TKL is a Tenkeyless keyboard, which means that it is a keyboard without a numpad, making it a pretty compact keyboard, perfect if you’re always on the move, either for work or LAN parties.

Which brings us to the one reason why this keyboard is quite an amazing keyboard to use. Instead of Cherry MX keys, Cooler Master has decided to go with Topre switches with this one. In easy to understand terms, Topre keys are kind of like a hybrid between the mechanical Cherry keys and membrane/rubber dome keys.

If you’re wondering why this matters, this is because while Topre switches have roughly the same actuation force as a Cherry key, it has a lower actuation point than them, at 1mm into the key press, in fact. This means that as far as input speed is concerned, the Novatouch TKL is one of the fastest keyboards around.

In terms of touch typing speeds, it’s certainly a very fast keyboard, and is as comfortable as a Cherry MX Brown or Blue keyboard, without the noise. Gamers will also enjoy playing games with the Novatouch TKL, especially those who are obsessed with APMs, as the keys are extremely easy to actuate.

That being said, we need to note that for the price of this one keyboard, you can also purchase two mechanical keyboards, or one fully-spec’d gaming keyboard so it really is up to you if you feel that this keyboard is the one for you.

If money is no object, the Novatouch TKL definitely is one of the most comfortable keyboards you can buy for typing and gaming. Its high price point and lack of features and numpad may be a dealbreaker for some, but if comfort and performance is all you care about, you can’t go wrong with this one.