Usage & Final Thoughts
So I have been using the Excalibur Spectrum for about two week now and I really enjoy it. The Kailh Blue switches are great and have to be my favorite type of mechanical switch as they give me the best of both worlds for typing and gaming. I do have to say though that the Cherry MX Blue’s have a better feel to them and if I was to choose I would go with the Cherry MX switches over the Kailh switches.
Beyond just the mechanical switches this keyboard has a lof great gaming features. You have 5 different profiles that allow you to completely remap the entire keyboard, set up macros and much more. What is even better is that all of your settings and macros are saved on the keyboard’s onboard memory so you won’t lose anything if you take this keyboard with you to an even or over a friends house. The keyboard itself has a very simple design and many gamers will appreciate that. Since there are no extra keys many of the keys have a second function that is enabled by holding down the function key.
The keyboard does have a very solid feel no doubt, but at the same time it did not feel as solid as some of the other keyboards we have tested lately.
Tesoro’s software is quite easy to use and allows you to quickly set up different functions and change the illumination on the keyboard. The keyboard is fully-backlit and has RGB lighting. That means that you can have any color that you want and even better you have per-key illumination so you can set each key to a different color if you like. Tesoro has also added different lightning effects like ripple, firework, rainbow wave, etc. These really show off the keyboard and its great to turn one of these on when you are at a LAN party.
Overall I think that Tesoro has a very solid keyboard in the Excalibur Spectrum. Right now it is selling at my favorite online retailer for $139.99. That price seem about right for the mechanical switches and full RGB per-key illumination. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Tesoro Excalibur Spectrum Gaming Keyboard a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Mechanical key switches
– RGB per-key backlighting
– Different illumination modes and effects
– Can easily remap the entire keyboard
– On-board memory stores all of your settings and macros
Cons:
– Kailh switches do not feel as good as Cherry MX switches
– Keyboard does not feel as solid as others we have tested lately
