About a year and a half about we took a look at Tesoro’s Gram Spectrum mechanical gaming keyboard. This keyboard was extremely solid, offered mechanical key switches, and a slim keycap design. The new Gram SE Spectrum from Tesoro features Tesoro’s new optical switches, the same ones we saw on the Excalibur SE Spectrum. These switches use infra-red technology, which is twice as fast as traditional mechanical switches and offers advanced dust and spill resistance. Also since these switches do not have metal components, like traditional mechanical switches, there is no regular wear and tear from constant contact, which allows for a longer switch lifespan. Are you looking for a faster response than your mechanical keyboard to enhance your gaming skills? The Tesoro Gram SE Spectrum might be for you! Let’s take a look…
Special thanks to Tesoro for providing us with the Gram SE Spectrum Gaming Keyboard to review.
Specifications
Model number: G11UXL
Switch Type: Tesoro Optical switch – Blue and Red options
Keyboard Colour: Black/White
Processor: 32bit ARM Cortex Processor
Memory: 512KB
Optical Sensor Lifespan: 100,000 hours
Material: Metal / Plastic
Ultra-polling rate: 1000 Hz
Connection: USB
Key rollover: 6-key / N-key options
Backlit: 16.8 million RGB
Lighting Effects: Per key customizable illumination
Special keys: Profile Reset, Keyboard Reset, Profile Switch, Multimedia, Color Mode Switch, Rollover Switch, Instant Macro Recording, Instant Lighting Recording, Keyboard Lock, FN Lock, Win Key Lock
Multimedia keys: 6
Cable: 1.8 meter detachable braided cable
IP56 Certification: IP56 *passed test for protection against dust and powerful water jet streams, when keyboard not in operation
MSRP: $119 USD
Packaging
The Gram SE Spectrum comes in a nice retail package with a photo of the keyboard on the front. Many of the main features are listed on the front of the box as well.
On the back of the box you have a layout of the keyboard showing the different keys and what they do. There is also a list of features on the back.
Opening the box up and getting everything out you have the Gram SE Spectrum keyboard, USB cable, keycap puller, switch puller, four red switches, and a quick start guide. One thing that is really cool about this keyboard is that the switches can be removed and swapped out pretty easily.
I did find it odd that the included USB cable has a mini-USB (not microUSB) connector. Almost everything we use these days has a microUSB connector. I do like that the cable is white to match the keyboard though.
