Category: Input Device
Manufacturer: Deck Keyboards (TG3 Electronics)
Product: Deck Ice 82-key
Gallery: Click Here
Price: $120

Deck Keyboards is perhaps the most laid back gaming peripheral company I have ever come across. You won’t find advertisements all over the web and you probably won’t see them at many if any big gaming events. Truth be told, this is not a product that they want to push onto the gaming market. Their reasoning may differ, but my belief is that this is due to the fact that they are a subsidiary of TG3 Electronics, a company whose primary business is in the Industrial realm. It is my thought that they created the Deck keyboards because they could, not because they had to. The product primarily exists for the purposes of people being able to order them if they want the best there is to offer in terms of modifiability, build quality, and tactile feedback. They are comfortable with the product they have created and the customer base they have built. Originally, Deck produced an 82-key keyboard that had all your essentials without all the extras; a no-frills, all-gaming keyboard. A few of their customers cried out for a full-size keyboard and their cries were answered with the Deck Legend. For those of you who don’t like this format of keyboard, they do offer another solution and you can look forward to a review of that keyboard in the future.

Deck’s claims to fame are a solid keyboard with only top of the line parts, the ability to completely modify the keyboard however you see fit, and the fact that they buy only the best LEDs available for maximum performance. I will revisit these points later, but rest assured that Deck isn’t looking to create a keyboard for everybody, or a keyboard that is used by the majority of gamers, but a keyboard that is superior to all other in performance, reliability, and modifiability for those looking to have the best money can buy.

Packaging & First Impressions
Deck sent the 82-key version in a nice big box. The product packaging is nothing to impress, but is sufficient to secure and protect the product. As most of you know, I appreciate when an item is marketed well through the presentation and the product itself. On occasion, we will deduct or add points based on packaging, but only in extreme circumstances where this is warranted in either direction. In this case, I believe that the product is sufficiently packaged and secure. Additional Note: The cardboard used in the packaging is thicker than most retail boxes so as to protect your investment while shipping and such. Deck recognizes that their keyboards are already of a higher cost than most and do not want to have to additionally raise that price for the sake of fancy packaging.