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- Verified Buyer
I've had this Tesoro Durandal G1NL keyboard for about a month. I am not a pro typist by any means, but I do type a bit, for reviews like this one. To be fair I'm writing this on my iPad, ironic. Back to the Durandal, it is one fine keyboard. As listed in the specs it uses Cherry Brown switches. There are numerous websites that will fully explain the differences between the different Cherry switches. The color coded switches each have different feedback. The colors are Red Blue Black and Brown. Google it and you will find lots of information on this topic.I haven't had a fully mechanical keyboard since my original IBM PC with it's classic keyboard. That one had "bucking springs" technology. The Model M from the IBM Model AT is the holy grail of classic keyboards. Given the long life of mechanical switches, 50 million keystrokes is claimed, it's not uncommon to refurbish classic old keyboards.The Durandal is well built and heavy, about three pounds. It sits on the table solidly thanks to good rubber pads on its underside, the flip up rear legs have a rubber base too. It doesn't have extra macro or multimedia keys so the footprint on you desk is neat and tight. The multimedia function are via the Fn key in combination with some function keys. Since this is considered a gaming keyboard the Windows Key can be toggled vis Fn-F12. Unlike some gaming keyboards the Windows Key is present with the Flag legend, and is on by default, you decide to disable it. (I'm talking to you CM Storm!) there is included some software to create macros and profiles to download into the keyboard. I don't really game and haven't test this out yet. If I do I'll amend this review.The backlighting feature works very well. I previously had a CM Storm Trigger If you read one line from this review it should be this"give tesoro a shot."After Old reliable, a stock dell keyboard that was shipped with my old XPS back in 2005, became un-serviceable I decided that I was going to spring for a mechanical keyboard. After doing my research and realizing that keyboards like the G19, while fancy and packed with features, would not suit my needs I turned to the internet to find a good mechanical keyboard that wouldn't completely break the bank. At first I compared this to another keyboard I had found the nighthawk, however I decided to go with the tesoro due to its cheaper price point.Im not disappointedThis is my first mechanical keyboard and I have to be upfront with it, A mechanical feeling is unlike anything i've ever felt before. Being born and raised on membrane keyboards can skew your thoughts on typing, anyone who is buying their first mechanical keyboard take it from me... Typing will never be the same and really you'll begin to look forward to being able to really type out a novel (kinda like what im doing right now). So on to the keyboardSo you've decided to buy a mechanical keyboard and you're interested in tesoro's G1NL LED Backlit mechanical keyboard well let me describe what is you will receive if you buy this FROM AMAZONthe LED's will be Red [apparently you can get in a variety of colors but here they are red and will always be red]the switches are Cherry MX Brown [The keys]An English style setup with a separate enter and slash keyNow that that is clear, the keyboard functions well. I needed my keys to be backlit due to the low lighting near my computer and even though they are red they are very clear and vibrant. The keyboard has a bit of weight to it but nothing too bad and the threaded cord is definitely a nice touch.However these are the reasons I cannot give this product a 5 star rating...The plastic on the right side of the keyboard that simulates a grate patter feels cheap everything else though is solid, I'm not too sure but it almost felt like the keyboard was ghosting at one point, and the last thing while its nice that they include a rest for the keyboard but honestly the thing is the cheapest piece of plastic i've ever seen... dont even bother using it. Then again I dont really need it in the first place so its not that big a deal. The software that comes with the keyboard is simple however setting macros is not as straight forward as it would seem, not a complaint but definitely something to look out for.Bottom line is that this is a great starting mechanical keyboard. It functions as it should and ive had no issues with it in the 4 days that ive had it. I'm very impressed by this brand, so much so that i've decided to give their mouses a shot. Overall while the keyboard isnt as well known as other brands its not bad and for what I paid I feel like I got what I should have.With its current price of $109, it definitely deserves 5 stars. As others have said, the keys feel great and the whole keyboard is built very solidly. The positioning of the plugs (front right corner) works perfectly for your mouse and headphones. I have personally preferred typing on keyboards considerably tilted upward, to the point of propping up a few, but the Durandal is angled just enough to not need it. Be sure to read Spiegel Joe's review for full details, but I would like to add that I have put this keyboard in my backpack (Keep the foam end guards!) and taken it to the computer lab when I need to get 4+ hours of coding and other class work done. It is a really smooth keyboard.Caveat: If you are familiar with the cherry switches, you know that browns make a good bit of noise. If you use a desktop mic or one that you would call sensitive, be aware that it will pick up your keys pretty much all the time. It is not loud enough to ruin the purchase, but if you have a sensitive mic (again, 90% of headset users should be fine) you might want to look for a keyboard with red or black cherry switches to avoid the noise.Edit: Almost **six years later** and this beast is still going strong. Those USB ports that face away are much more important than I realized. On many Razer keyboards they face to the sides meaning anything plugged into them will be in the mouse danger zone. It was bad enough that when I got a Razer Chroma for a dollar from a promotion, I had to stop using it and put it back in the box, I just kept almost breaking my mouse.I consider this keyboard one of the best purchasing decisions I've ever made. This thing survived all the abuse of college without so much as a single glitchy key.Keyboard itself is good, but model differs to the one shown (I just can't be bothered to find the packaging out of the bin and return it)The keyboard layout received is AZERTY instead of the QWERTY shown on the images. This doesn't affect the typing if you select UK/US layout, but for non-touch-typists it will be a bit of an issue. Additional key caps provided but these do not allow updating to QWERTY.Each row has a different angle on the caps, so moving the keys around will make the surface uneven.The keyboard itself is great to type on, braided cable looks like it will last, just disappointed that the layout is not as advertised.The keyboard I received direct from amazon was a UK layout, with genuine cherry MX Black Switches. A fully mechanical keyboard for this price is a steal. The keyboard itself is basic, with very little additional functionality (although it does have media keys on the function buttons, which is a nice touch). The black switches are nice, noticeably stiffer than reds or browns. I am going to do the usual o-ring modification to provide a softer landing for the keys. The styling is a little iffy, with a rather ugly tesoro face logo that illuminates in the top right corner, but otherwise fairly inoffensive. Bought this as a mech for work, so not too fussed by the styling, and o-rings should keep my colleagues happy!It came in the azerty layout instead of the advertised qwerty. I would have returned it if it I didn't get such a good price on an amazon warehouse deal.Other than that its a great quality keyboard, very nice to type on and comes with a lot of accessories.The fake brushed metal finish looks good if you don't look too closely but the metal accent on the right side looks very tacky.As stated in other reviews, the keyboard layout is incorrect (AZERTY format), though typing on it was definitely felt better than compared to my current Logitech G11.Would've been OK if just for my own use, but as quite a few other people share the computer I had to return it.Great keyboard for the price, full uk layout in case anyone was wondering :) can't do better for £40 :)
