The Corsair Skiff 100 Plus's rubber domes bring smooth silence to the membrane market | Review

Membrane gaming keyboards are some of the cheapest available, but they often have a hard time defending themselves against the budget end of the mechanical market. The Corsair Skiff 100 Plus sits at the usual $59.99 / £59.99, but its typing experience, extra macro keys and vibrant RGB lighting combined with a healthy propensity for discounts falling at around $49.99 / £39.99 mean this deck really can give some of those cheaper mechanical clackers something to think about.

It's only going to make sense if you're looking for a super silent gaming keyboard, and the best gaming keyboards at the top of the market have nothing to worry about, but even if you're on the fence about losing that thwack sound the smoothness of these rubber domes is enough to keep those with tired hands coming back.

I always find membrane keyboards troublesome on the old fingers. Their caps often need far more pressure than mechanical options to actuate, often with a mushy, almost-stuck, feeling to them. While I haven't exactly been dancing across the keys during my time with the Corsair Skiff 100 Plus, it's certainly the best membrane gaming keyboard I've tested so far from a typing feel standpoint.

Corsair Skiff 100 Plus design

Corsair isn't doing anything revolutionary with the design of the Skiff. This is an all-black plastic chassis illuminated by a bold set of bright LEDs. Yes, there's a little flex when pushing particularly hard on that top plate, but the plastic underneath feels sturdy and durable and hammering down on the keys themselves never presented a single bounce in my testing.

ABS keycaps can feel a little sticky under the fingertips, but are par for the course at this price. It should be noted, though, in the race against Amazon's collection of budget mechanical decks, that these clackers can't be replaced. Once they shine up, you're stuck with them.

That's one of the main drawbacks of membrane keyboards, though one the Glorious GMBK 75% manages to overcome particularly well. If only the Corsair Skiff 100 Plus combined its far preferable typing feel with Glorious's swappable caps.

Otherwise, we've got a full-sized layout here, with comfortable spacing between the main deck keys and plenty of space in the top right corner for that volume dial. Corsair hasn't skimped on this aspect either, while it's seemingly plastic on the top it still has that brushed aesthetic regularly threaded through this brand's keyboards.

My only real gripe with the design here is in the cable. It's permanently plugged into the deck and it's that old cheap rubber material that keeps its kinks no matter how flat you try and straighten it out.

The permanent connection will make travel a little squeakier and that cable construction makes for a pretty messy desktop experience before it's properly managed or tucked away.

Corsair Skiff 100 Plus features

Corsair uses standard rubber dome switches under each of its ABS keycaps, which means you're not getting the speed or smoothness of a mechanical clacker or the additional actuation controls of a Hall effect keyboard. Still, you're paying less than you usually would for a mainstream brand's gaming keyboard using either of those clackers, and getting more additional features in the process.

Membrane keyboards may sacrifice typing feel but they're still loved by players on a budget for their sturdy feature sets compared to comparably priced mechanical options. You're getting six additional macro keys lined up along the left side of the chassis here, for example. While they can only be configured with recorded macros, rather than system features, it's certainly more than you'll find from most budget mechanical options.

The volume dial on the top right also has other membrane keyboards like the Roccat Magma beat, though dedicated playback controls can only be accessed when holding the function button at the same time. That's neater than having to squeeze extra buttons onto the deck, but some may prefer track skips to have their own controls.

Surface-level customizations like basic RGB lighting effects and macro settings can be configured in Corsair Web Hub, but you'll need to download iCue to go deeper into each of those ten lighting zones and configure Win-Lock conditions. PS5 and PS4 compatibility mode can also be toggled with Fn+Windows, held for five seconds.

The Corsair Skiff 100 Plus also comes with a wrist rest in the box, which is always appreciated. In this case, the pad isn't quite as plush as you'll find on other, more expensive, models, but it's perfectly raised to provide a more comfortable angle for the keyboard itself and keeps the brand's soft-touch covering as well. It handles temperature particularly well, staying cool to the touch after longer sessions unlike some of the more pillowy options out there.

There's one 'but' here, and it's a little hidden in the spec sheet. The Corsair Skiff 100 Plus doesn't feature full N-key rollover, instead we're back to 12-key selective rollover here. That's not going to hurt most of us too much, though.

Corsair Skiff 100 Plus performance

Onto how the Corsair Skiff 100 Plus actually feels to use, and I will say I was surprised here. I'm normally warming up the hands when I prepare for a membrane keyboard review. Those heavier switches can take their toll on the joints.

While there's still more actuation force required here compared to a mechanical deck, though, the Corsair Skiff 100 Plus feels relatively breezy. Only the hybrid mecha-mechanical SteelSeries Apex 5 beats this one for typing feel among its peers. Every keystroke is smooth, and even manages to maintain a nice sense of tactility at the bottom of each press. Some keys feel a little lighter than others; main alphas are a little heavier, while larger keys like the backspace, space, and enter have a little more give to them.

In-game, repeat keypresses feel a little sluggish compared to a mechanical deck, but side by side with heavier switches that don't have this level of smoothness they're nearly sprightly. I was still able to zip across arenas in Doom: The Dark Ages, even if my CS:2 performance was a little more cumbersome than usual.

Crucially, keypresses are recorded as quickly as casual players will need them, and feel comparatively comfortable when they are.

Should you buy the Corsair Skiff 100 Plus?

Casual gamers looking for a keyboard to run their everyday Steam library will be happy here, while I'd still recommend typists opt for something more mechanical under the hood. That $59.99 / £59.99 full price is set a little awkwardly against cheaper mechanical decks, but if you value additional macro controls and a wrist rest more than a lighter typing feel the Skiff 100 Pro is well worth keeping an eye on. With discounts settling early in this keyboard's life, I'm hopeful this one will find itself at $40-$50 soon enough - and that price it's an easy recommendation for membrane keyboard fans.

How I tested the Corsair Skiff 100 Plus

I used the Corsair Skiff 100 Plus for all my daily work and play for a period of one week, while testing alongside some alternatives for a second week. That was a busy few weeks of typing, but I also took the Skiff out for a spin in my usual roster of Doom: The Dark Ages and CS:2 as well as some Planet Coaster 2 and High on Life 2. For more information on how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

We're also rounding up the best hot-swappable keyboards and the best wireless gaming keyboards for more options.