Overall and Final Verdict
So at the end of the day how does the Dezimator X perform? Well as far as the build goes I loved that they went with an all metal design. Using the backplate as a main design piece is a nice touch as well, this is a lot like how Corsair designed their keyboards as well. The metal design did make the keyboard weigh a LOT, more than any other keyboard in the office. This along with a crazy amount of rubber feet keep it from sliding around. But the weight does become an issue if you are looking for a keyboard that is even remotely portable for LANs. The large size of the keyboard hurts that the most though. I had issues with adjusting to it on my desk, if you have a more limited desktop space you will have even more trouble.
All in all the performance of the keyboard was good but considering the all metal design it is clear that Epicgear was going for high end performance and I feel like they missed that mark slightly. I also feel like the Corsairs with their similar aluminum design feel more solid and take up less space. I have a feeling that cutting down on the bezel would actually cut out the pingy sounding space bar and improve the overall quality perception of the keyboard. While the Epicgear branded switches do have a longer expected life span and shorter actuation distance when compared to Cherry MX’s, I think that Epicgear is going to have a long road to change the public perception. Razer and a lot of other manufactures have fought with the enthusiast crowd for a while now in this same front.
The design of the Dezimator X is unlike anything else on the market and with that I have a feeling it is going to be very polarizing. I’m not saying it isn’t an attractive keyboard, but I know personally I would prefer it to be a little less “aggressive” in the styling. I said the same thing about the G910 from Logitech and it is one of the most popular keyboards on the market, so take that with a grain of salt. Flashy is still in demand. If Epicgear cut down on the bezel around the keyboard and dropped the plastic on the back they could potentially have a keyboard to compete with the top manufactures in the gaming keyboard market. Being one of their first keyboards I think they did a good job, they didn’t just use one of the OEM designs and they put a lot of work into the design.
We were lucky enough to check out the Dezimator X ahead of their US launch and as of today they have the Massdrop group buy live. The Dezimator X has an MSRP of 159.99 but in the group buy it can be picked up for as low as 129.99. It is unusual to see a new product launch and offer a discounted price right away but I am not going to complain. At its MSRP the Dezimator is going to have a hard time competing in a market filled with already known names, especially with some of them (namely the Corsairs) having a similar metal design. At the Massdrop prices I still think it is a little tight, I really think $119 would position it better but maybe we will see that in the future. Sadly the all metal design puts Epicgear at a disadvantage, raising the production costs; in addition by not using Cherry branded switches a lot of people assume that the quality is lower. In the end I would only recommend this keyboard to gamers looking for a little more flash and who also want a solid all metal keyboard.
