Review: Tesoro Excalibur RGB (Brown Switch) Keyboard

Review: Tesoro Excalibur RGB (Brown Switch) Keyboard

The Tesoro G7NFL Excalibur RGB is an entry-level RGB mechanical keyboard with a number of capabilities like macros, built-in memory, game profiles, and adjustable LED backlighting with a number of backlighting schemes and colors. The keyboard is available in Blue and Brown mechanical Kalih (yes Cherry clones) switches.

Keyboard Design & Feel

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First impressions didn’t disappoint. The Kalih switches operate similarly to their Cherry MX counterparts. The layout of the keyboard is standard, no frills really, with an additional Fn button next to the right-alt key for media options and to toggle the rest of the function keys, which are your function keys (media control, profile switching), numpad 2 / 8 (illuminiation control), N-Key Rollover and Gaming / PC toggles. There’s no extra USB ports, audio pass through. It’s what you are paying for, a no-frills RGB mechanical keyboard.

I picked the brown switch option (blue was too noisy for my liking). The Kailh switches seem decent and felt as responsive and robust as their counterparts.

tesoro excalibur rgb

With the Tesoro Excalibur RGB powered up, lighting comes up automatically and you can change the colours through the associated Excalibur app. You can subsequently toggle them through the profiles. There are six predefined lighting modes for you to choose from. These modes can be switched by holding down the FN (Tesoro) key and using 2 & 8 on the number-pad.

  • MODE 1: Off
  • MODE 2: Fully backlit (low brightness)
  • MODE 3: Fully backlit (high brightness)
  • MODE 4: Breathing
  • MODE 5: Gaming (Mode 1) – WASD, Space, F8-F12, Enter, Cursor Keys, Num-Pad 2,4, 6, 8 & Enter
  • MODE 6: Gaming (Mode 2) – 0 – 9, Tab, Caps, Left Shift, Left Ctrl, Left Alt, WASD, Space, Right Alt, Right Ctrl, Right Shift, F8-F12, Enter, Cursor Keys, Num-Pad 2,4, 6, 8 & Enter

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Unfortunately, as a RGB keyboard, options are severely limited. You can change the backlight colours, but changes are applied to the entire keyboard. You can only choose one colour on keyboard an any given time. This is specified in fineprint on the box art, under a deceptive multi-colour lit up keyboard. In addition, colours only work under Gaming Mode, where the Windows key is disabled. Under PC mode, the backlight defaults to Blue. There’s a workaround though.

excalibur set windows button gaming mode

Under the app, switch to your desired profile. Click on the LWin button and Key Assignment. Press Fn+Pause to switch back to PC mode, and press the Windows key to save the key assignment. Apply and your Windows key will now be working.

Price and Availability

I bought it at one of the Lazada sales at $115, before applying a $30 coupon. Although it is now marked at $159, is occasionally discounted down. There are two sister models available, one is the basic blue backlight model (Tesoro Excalibur G7NL Backlit Mechanical Keyboard – $109) and the full RGB model (Excalibur Spectrum RGB – $169) which addresses the limited backlight options on the basic RGB model.

Verdict

The Good

  • Price
  • RGB Illumination
  • Decent switches
  • Classic look

The Bad

  • Low backlight customisation
  • Non-Braided Cable
  • No USB, Audio Hub

The Excalibur RGB is a basic mechanical keyboard with a classic solid look. Thus, it won’t look out of place with a gaming rig or on an office desk due to its straight and strong lines. Although the backlight adds a little more individuality, it pales in comparison to other RGB keyboards. No other stand out features too, but for the price, I ain’t complaining – probably one of the cheapest full back light mechanical keyboard in Singapore.