Whirlwind FX Element Keyboard Review

The Whirlwind FX Element keyboard follows the company’s main goal of trying to provide the highest levels of immersion to the gaming experience. At $100, it’ll have to provide much more than just flashy lights to be considered good value for money. 

Gaming keyboards have come a long way over the past couple of decades. However, one area that has yet to be fully explored is reactive RGB – a feature that showcases a true representation of your gaming experience through vivid coloring. Well, that might all be about to change thanks to the Whirlwind FX Element keyboard.

Whirlwind FX has marketed the Element keyboard as one of the most immersive keyboards available in today’s market. It offers up some exciting new RGB implementations that could potentially take your gaming experience to the next level.

Today, we’ll be putting the Element keyboard through its paces to see how it performs against similarly priced alternatives. We’ll be looking at how it stacks up in build quality, gaming performance, and overall immersion.

So, with that being said, let’s waste no further time and dive straight into it!

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Pros

• RGB – Uniquely pleasing RGB that you won’t see on other keyboards (not even Razer’s)
• Solid Construction – Designed using high-end materials that feel fit to stand the test of time
• Customization – Pre-purchase, users get the option to choose between a number of different switch types and keycap styles

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Cons

• Value – Just teetering on the edge of expensive

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Keyboard Size & Weight

• Weight: 1.22kg
• Size: Full Size- 104 keys
• Length: 445mm/ 17.50 inches
• Width: 137mm/ 5.39 inches
• Height: 36mm/ 1.41 inches

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Keyboard Tech

• Switches: Kailh red switches
• OS Support: Windows 7,8,10
• Media keys: Accessible via function keys
• RGB: Full RGB
• Passthrough: N/A
• Connection: Wired
• Cable length: 1.8 m

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What’s In The Box

Like all keyboards today, the Element Whirlwind FX keyboard comes in a fairly standard looking box featuring a picture of the keyboard on the front. Information regarding the keyboard wraps around the side and the back, with key features being explained on the rear. Inside the box, the keyboard sits inside a thin layer of plastic and inside a small cardboard housing.

Inside we get:

• Element Whirlwind FX Keyboard
• Keycap puller
• User Manual
• 2-year warranty card

Additional Extras that do not come with the keyboard but have been sent for review purposes:

• Whirlwind FX matte keycaps
• Padded gaming wrist rest

Design

From a design point of view, I have to say, the Whirlwind FX Element keyboard really does look the part. It comes equipped with an all-black design that is accentuated nicely by flashes of RGB (which we’ll touch upon later) and a subtle carbon fiber edge.

The keyboard’s backplate is low-profile in design and offers up a brushed aluminum style that is similar to that of the Corsair K95 XT Platinum. Actually, if I’m being honest, there’s plenty about this keyboard that reminds me of the more expensive Corsair alternative.

As far as branding goes, Whirlwind has kept it fairly simplistic for the Element keyboard, utilizing the top right-hand corner of the keyboard for a small logo. I’d probably have preferred to see the LED indicators positioned here, but it’s really no big deal.

The keycaps that come with this keyboard are full-height and glossy in finish, something that, at first, I was not a fan of. I’m still not sure I’m sold on the idea of glossy keycaps, mainly because they don’t provide nearly as much grip as the matte alternatives, but they are starting to grow on me for general typing purposes. We did receive a sample of the matte keycaps and I can safely say, they feel much better for gaming.

Like many of today’s keyboards, the Element comes with two retractable feet which can be used to adjust the height and angle of the keyboard in order to suit the user’s needs. Unlike other keyboards of this price point, the Element’s feet only offer one height profile. It would have been nice to see a two-height system used, but it’s again, no big deal.

The cable that comes equipped with this keyboard is braided and feels extremely robust. It’s 1.8 meters in length and does not detach for ease of storage and travel. Unfortunately, there is no USB passthrough feature with this board, nor is there reroutable cable options underneath. That said, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I have to give credit where credit is due. The Whirlwind FX Element keyboard ticks a lot of the right boxes.

Features

Features are hugely important in keyboards that range around the $100 price point. A good set of features can be the difference between an expensive keyboard and one that showcases good value for money. Fortunately, in this scenario, the Element has a lot going for it. So, let’s take a look at some of the standouts:

Switches

As you would expect, the Whirlwind FX makes use of mechanical switches – Kailh red switches to be precise. Kailh reds are a Cherry MX Red clone made by Kaihua in China and offer up a linear style that is, well, not everyone’s cup of tea. Unlike tactile switches that provide touch-sensitive feedback, the same can’t be said for Kailh Reds.

That being said, they are much less audible than other switch types which makes them great for typing and general-purpose use. These particular switches have a 50cN actuation force and a 2mm pre-travel distance – making them easy and rapid to press.

That being said, consumers do have the option to choose between these and clicky blues, giving you a bit of versatility during the purchasing process.

You can read our full Switch guide here.

Anti-Ghosting

Anti-ghosting is a great feature and one that we see in gaming keyboards across the market. Anti-ghosting is a feature that allows you to press several different keys at the same time with every keypress being registered. Whilst this might sound pointless, before its arrival on the gaming keyboard scene, people that played “button bashing” games were experiencing missed keypresses in crucial situations – a factor that esports players simply could not tolerate.

Anti-ghosting technology comes in a variety of different forms that vary in the number of keys that can be pressed at the same time. Where some keyboards only offer up to 10 simultaneous key presses, others offer full key rollover – the ability to press every key on the keyboard whilst all being registered.

To the Element’s credit, it comes with the latter of the two options, providing infinite accuracy in games that require multiple keypresses or intricate key binds.

RGB Lighting

RGB lighting has split the market over the years; being classed by many as a cheap feature that doesn’t provide enough to the overall gaming experience. Whilst this statement might be true, Whirlwind FX has implemented a few cool RGB features that might just flip that ideology on its head.

We’ve left RGB until last as it’s the standout feature of this keyboard, bringing new levels of immersion to your gaming setup. It’s also the number one marketing tool the Whirlwind FX guys have used in selling this product – categorizing this keyboard as a reactive RGB experience.

Like many keyboards of this price, the Element offers up individually backlit keys for an infinite level of customization. Downloading the Element’s software (Whirlwind Engine) will allow users to access a whole host of impressive features and presets. This is where things get really interesting.

Because Signal is an open-platform software package, it offers extensive customization, including 16.8 million colors per-key and the ability to use basic HTML5/canvas skills for customized lightscripts.

It already offers a bunch of reactive RGB presets for popular games such as PUB:G, Fortnite, CS:GO, and more. The RGB will interact with your game, changing color when explosions or gunfire goes off nearby. It’ll also change when your health is running low or action is occurring. It might be some of the most immersive RGB I’ve seen and definitely added a little something to the gaming experience.

Gaming aside, you can also make use of an Audio Spectrum preset, enabling your keyboard to synchronize with the beat of your music. For me, whilst many of the presets feel a little gimmicky, the audio spectrum and gaming reactivity options definitely set this apart from the competition.

Whirlwind FX Matte Keycaps

We were also sent a secondary set of ABS keycaps (for review purposes) which can be purchased alongside the keyboard if required. The original keycaps that come with the Element have a glossy finish which can become quite slippery – especially if you have moist hands. That being said, you can pick up a matte finish set that does offer much more in the ways of grip.

For gaming, I’d definitely recommend going for the matte keycaps, but we’ll discuss that in more detail shortly.

Hands-On Results

That leads us nicely onto the performance section of this keyboard. Overall, I actually felt a little disappointed by the performance the Element offered me. I was expecting a much better gaming experience, especially with all the hype that surrounded the RGB of this board. However, it feels like gaming performance has been compromised to accommodate the former.

I started off by playing a couple of fast-paced first-person shooters, the kind of games that can be impacted by the quality of your peripherals. So, as always, we loaded up CS:GO first of all and played through some deathmatch to see what the Element had to offer. Whilst the keypress actuation was rapid, I felt like missed keypresses were definitely more frequent. I felt like I was over-strafing and peeking in crucial areas, something that could be fatal at the top end of the competitive ladder. After debating this for a while, I came to the conclusion that it was the linear Kailh switches that were the problem.

Because this keyboard doesn’t offer any tactile feedback what so ever, it’s particularly difficult to stop yourself pressing the wrong key – if that makes sense? The smooth nature of the keypress meant that you could easily slap the wrong key and you wouldn’t even realize. On one hand, the switches are great, allowing you to react quicker than your opponent. However, if you’re a little clumsy around the keyboard, the linear switches can be particularly problematic. The 100% anti-ghosting feature doesn’t help with this outcome either – albeit useful in other scenarios!

As mentioned above, the 50cN actuation force paired with the slender 2mm actuation travel distance makes this keyboard very fast indeed. I can definitely see how competitive esports players that were incredibly accurate would like this design feature.

Moving onto RGB, I have to be honest, I actually really enjoyed how it performed in-game. I decided to play both PUB:G and CS:GO and it was really quite nice seeing the keyboard change color when a grenade explodes right next to your head. It also added nicely to those nerve-racking moments in PUB:G where health is low and you need a med-pack to stay alive.

The audio spectrum feature was also a personal favorite of mine, being used regularly during daily activities. Whilst it isn’t 100% clear what’s going on when using this feature, you still get the sense that the RGB is dancing to the beat.

Ultimately, I’m a little hit and miss with the performance this keyboard provided. That being said, users do have the option of choosing between a couple of different switch types before purchase. I can definitely see a different switch type adding a tonne of value to this stunning keyboard.

Our Verdict

So, there you have it, our full rundown of the Whirlwind FX Element keyboard. I wasn’t sure what to make of this keyboard before using it. I mean, it’s a gaming keyboard that’s marketed around its RGB. That’s the sort of thing that always sends alarm bells off in my head. However, it wasn’t as bad as I’d first imagined.

Whilst gaming wasn’t as good as the Ducky Miya Pro Sakura I use on a day-to-day basis, it still offered up some good pros none the less. For me, the switches weren’t my favorite thing in the world, but they did provide rapid actuation and limited audio output – two factors many individuals crave. The RGB pretty much speaks for itself, I haven’t seen many keyboards that offer this kind of functionality – even amongst premium offerings in the market. I tip my hat to Whirlwind for doing a great job in this department.

Overall though, would I recommend this keyboard at its current pricing of $100? Well, it’s tough really. I suppose it comes down to this. If you’re the kind of person that likes gaming but prioritizes visual effects and immersion, then I’d say this keyboard could be exactly what you’re looking for. However, if your main goal is gaming performance, there are probably better value for money products out there.