TESORO Excalibur RGB Edition – Hardware Review
It’s been quite some time since we last featured a TESORO product on the site, but luckily we’re able to change that at this very moment. Recently we received their latest keyboard model, namely the Excalibur RGB Edition, for us to try out. With a name as legendary as this one, it will have to live up to many standards in order to be called a true weapon in your digital arsenal.
Design
Design wise it’s still clear that it’s a TESORO product, with the fun logo on the Fn key and escape key, and the overall sturdy design. That being said, the keyboard looks quite a bit like the CM Storm QuickFire Pro, as it also lacks any extra bells and whistles. This basic design palette for the Excalibur actually looks quite good. It’s simple, yet sturdy looking and it certainly looks good enough for the job at hand.
The font used on the keyboard is fairly thick, but thanks to this the LED lights will shine through a tad brighter and the thicker letters, numbers and symbols add up to the overall sturdy design.
Other TESORO products often opt for braided cables, but the Excalibur has a normal rubber/plastic cable. Of course this is not a real issue, but the cable itself is not that flexible and it will start shaping itself when you keep it lying around in the same position for longer periods of time.
Sadly, for some reason the manufacturers used the same ‘frame’ of the keyboard as certain other models. Whilst TESORO has certain keyboards that have USB ports or audio plugs, this one does not. The frame used on the Excalibur is the same frame as those that have those mentioned plugs, and thus the designers filled up the holes with plastic. Even though it is hardly noticeable, it’s a small touch that could have been prevented.
Comfort
Just like the design, the comfort features are fairly basic, but still very much present. Everything works like a regular keyboard except for the overall sturdy feeling. The matte keys feel pleasant and the LED lighting shines bright through the thick font on the keys.
The function keys are marked in a proper fashion and nearly everything points out itself, even to those for who this is their first actual gaming keyboard.
Extra comfort features like on the Durandal Ultimate G1NL eSport such as the palm rest, were not implemented on the Excalibur. That being said, the overall feeling of comfort is still present.
Specs
- 6-key/n-key rollover
- Built-in memory
- Kailh switches
- Wide range of colors (LED)
Overview
When you wish to start gaming with the Excalibur RGB Edition, it’s a simple matter of plug and play. You will simply need to connect the device with an empy USB port and you’re good to go. If you’re happy with the basic settings of everything, that will also be pretty much everything you have to do.
Those who want to access more options will have to download the right software, in order to access several nifty options to customize the device to your liking. Key assignments and macro’s are pretty much standard these days and thus you will be able to mess around with these settings.
TESORO is a brand that loves presenting their users with a lot of options when it comes to LED lighting and this time they manage to do it again. You will be able to choose from a hefty sum of different kind of colors in order to find the LED color of your liking. Sadly, the colors don’t always match the selected color in the software. That being said, you will still be able to choose between enough colors to find one that suits your fancy.
Other than that, the keyboard does not have that many extra features. You can use the media buttons and the lighting settings by pressing the Fn key, in combination with certain keys that have a second function appointed to them. Whilst you can add macro’s and other fun things with the software, the keyboard itself does not have any special extra keys. That being said, it’s not annoying at all to have a keyboard that promotes the ‘back to basics’ feeling.
The version of the Excalibur we tried had brown Kailh switches, which are basically the same as the red ones, except for a click that’s a bit louder and more clear. For gaming purposes, both brown as well as red switches prove to be the most sensitive, with the quickest activation points. This allows for greater responsiveness as well as extra comfort, seeing you will not have to push the button that hard in order for it to activate whatever it is you wish to do.
Conclusion
TESORO’s Excalibur RGD Edition proves to be a fairly simple, yet sturdy and qualitative keyboard. You will have a lot of fun messing around with the different colors, whilst guaranteeing you with grade A quality switches for quick response times. Simply put, the Excalibur is a great mechanical keyboard.
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