The latest craze in mechanical keyboards is RGB backlighting, which started when Corsair revealed its full lineup of RGB keyboards. Razer and Logitech have revealed their own RGB keyboards, which gave customers some additional options. Tesoro joined the game last year with the Excalibur keyboard, and now it's adding the Lobera Spectrum to its RGB keyboard lineup.
The keyboard measures 183 x 498 x 25 mm (L x W x H) and weighs a little over three pounds. It comes with nine different LED effects, five brightness settings, and five profiles to store each backlighting setup. However, you can still customize each key individually to suit your preferences. For music aficionados, the Lobera Spectrum also features Audio Mode which allows the LEDs to activate along with the beats of any song, which is a nice little touch for having a party at your desk.
It also comes with two USB 2.0 ports, a DC-in jack, and audio/mic ports, making it a hub for in-game audio as well as for charging portable devices. It also boasts a 1000 Hz polling rate in addition to NKRO and USB 6-Key Rollover, so gamers shouldn't have an issue when playing fast-paced games like Dota 2 or Starcraft 2.
One of the most important factors for any mechanical keyboard is the switches. Corsair uses Cherry MX, Logitech has Romer-G, and Razer uses its own mechanical switches. For the Lobera Spectrum, Tesoro used Kailh switches, which the company claims has a lifespan of 60 million keystrokes.
The switches themselves are made by a company called Kaihua Electronics. Just like Cherry MX switches, there are four Kalih switches: black, blue, brown and red. Compare that to the Excalibur, which doesn't feature the black switches. But don't assume that the color corresponds to the same standards as the German-made Cherry MX switches. The Kailh Black switch is considered to be the "rookie" switch, providing no clicks and no feedback. The blue switches feature the click and clack, just like Cherry MX Blue, and what Tesoro calls "perceptive feedback."
The Kailh brown switches are similar, but they don't have the same audible sounds as the blue switches. The Kailh Red switches are considered to be the high-end choice. Like the black switches, they don't feature any tactile feedback or high audible clicks, but they do feature a lower actuation force, according to Tesoro.
The Lobera Spectrum will cost you $149, putting it in direct competition with the Corsair K65 RGB keyboard. Even though Tesoro gives you two choices for an RGB keyboard, it's apparent that the Lobera Spectrum is the superior choice. The new features, such as the additional key switch option and a charging and audio hub can be attractive to a few customers.
If anything, it's Tesoro's way of telling people that not only can it provide the RGB-backlit keyboard at a competitive price, but it can also throw in a few more features that make it stand out at its price point. The Lobera Spectrum is but one of the many contenders in the market, but what it offers at its price will keep companies thinking about making further improvements to the RGB keyboard.
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