Functional usage
The Vigor GK50 Elite TKL comes with Kailh
Red mechanical switches. An actuation force of 50 cN is required for the 1.9mm pre-travel.
The overall travel distance is 4.0 millimeters. They should strike a good balance
between typing and gaming sessions. It’s not the quietest keyboard, although
there’s no clicking (so that’s good). The keys can be reasonably quiet if you press them softly,
but it’s not the easiest thing to do, and
getting used to typing this way takes time. A quiet keyboard might be
useful for some users, especially for typing or gaming at night, but you’d need
the MX Silent RED or Outemu Peach Silent. Luckily, my computer is far from the
bedroom (on a different floor) because the Vigor GK50 Elite TKL can get a bit
noisy in the heat of the moment.
We have tested the Vigor GK50 Elite TKL over many hours of typing and gaming. In games like Starcraft 2,
PUBG, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: WW2, or DiRT: Rally, the keyboard responded
quickly and accurately to my actions. Precision is one of the reasons why
people buy mechanical keyboards, and there’s no shortage of it here. The option to record macros may come in handy in several cases.
Overall
experience was good. The keyboard passed the N-Key rollover test without any hiccups. The anti-ghosting
technology serves its purpose greatly. I didn’t get any missed keystrokes when typing,
either. The quality of the chassis is good, as it’s made of
aluminum, not plastic.
The ergonomics are overall nice, but one thing missing here is a palm
rest (yeah, this keyboard should be small, I know, but still, the habit is
strong once you get used to something like that for daily usage). There’s also the fact that
you need to use the Fn to access F-buttons, and that can be a struggle
sometimes (but it’s a thing you can get used to). The media keys are also “hidden,”
making them less likely to be used than a dedicated set. The lighting is vivid, visible, and not
annoying in the dark (you can disable it or bring it down a notch – it’s a bit
too intense in the default state).
There’s no USB pass-through here, but you can’t have it all in this form
factor. Yes, this is a small keyboard, but it does offer a lot.
