ROCCAT - VULCAN 120 AIMO Wired Gaming Mechanical Keyboard with Back Lighting - Black

I purchased this because my Thermaltake X1 is ok, but just wasn't completely satisfied. The ROCCAT Keyboard is one of a kind and is now my main keyboard on my home workstation. The product is packaged very well, everything was covered in a plastic film bag keeping it in perfect condition. The installation went without a single issue, minus I had to restart after the ROCCAT Swarm Application recognized and installed the drivers and update. Once completed it requested a restart and after restarting a New Firmware notice popped up. Firmware installed with no issues. The application is organized very well and finding my way around was easy. Under General Features I was allowed to add Sound Feedback and wasn't expecting this feature. I set mine to a click sound and adjusted volume till it was a nice click and not an annoying click sound. Key Assignment seems easy and organized with a Keyboard or List View. I dont use any macros or just dont have a need or desire to change anything in the key assignments. Key Illumination has 8 predefined selections and a Custom Mode. I like the AIMO Intelligent Lighting that matched my ROCCAT KONE Mouse. The keyboard keys are well layout for my comfort and typing is as expected. One thing I like is the ability to easily clean between the keys, cleaning is super easy because of the design. From the 3 RGB keyboards I have owned, this is my favorite and choice of keyboard.

Very tactile but not extremely loud clicks very responsive and worth every dollar. With the swarm app it is completely customizable. You can change each individual key to whatever color you want.

First of all, start displaying Roccat items again. They easily deserve the space. I've seen best buys with 2 razer displays - move that stuff over because Roccat is dominating again. This keyboard feels extremely sturdy, and well.. it is. I tried using other keyboards in house, and they're all very cheap looking. Not sure how someone drops well over $100 for loud plastic boards - this one has a metal inlay, which makes for easy cleaning and makes it feel robust The lights are amazing and you can pick EXACTLY how to light it up... You can make single keys different colors with Swarm. Ignore all the hate other people put up on the software, its extremely unfounded. I've no problems with it as of yet. The keys, when pressed, make a sound, but not blaringly loud like Razer. They feel great to use for lengthy periods of time either in excel or playing games (I use mine for work and games). There are macro keys that you can switch on using a game mode key, so ignore other reviews saying "No macro keys" because its untrue. The volume nob works for the brightness of the keys, or your computer volume. Its really handy actually. All in all, I give a 5. I plan on buying a roccat mouse too soon, as I've heard great things about those too. Don't hesitate, buy this keyboard!

Pro - Very solid feel overall and brushed aluminum plate is a great look, one of the reasons it got my attention - Caps have very little wiggle when up but not when pressed down - Magnetic hand rest remained connected well enough when I was picking keyboard up to position it - Raised caps also make it really easy to clean - LED lighting effect does not blind me while sitting in front of it in the dark and they are still bright even in full daylight, LEDs themselves are only visible viewing from the side - Keys are very responsive, I have gotten used to only slightly swiping my finger over the top of keys or lightly tapping to activate them, no need to bottom out Con - A bit expensive at regular price (bought mine on sale at BB for $119.99+tax) - Would have preferred the volume dial be a bit flatter and also aluminum - The white buttons in the top right corner don't match the rest of the keyboard design but are not terrible Some people have had issues with the Swarm software installing. I had absolutely no issues at all installing it so either it's been updated or those people just had user error. The only thing I don't like about it is the custom lighting options and UI for custom effects. I ended up just leaving it on AIMO setting which makes an "organic" movement, an ebb and flow as if carried on water, of various colors and the "hotspots" created by button presses add to it nicely by also alternating colors themselves and not matching colors already being displayed. The "hotspots" grow depending on the length of button presses and number of buttons pressed in the same area. Instead of colors moving in one direction, they come from any point on the keyboard and move like water back and forth to any other random point. Best effect I've ever seen. No more boring rainbows. My previous keyboard was a Razer Deathstalker and coming from that you might think the Vulcan is too loud. It's not to me. Not sure if it's just the way I type on them but the Deathstalker was not much quieter if at all since the keys wiggled a lot and they rubbed on the plastic frame when not pressed in the exact center straight down. I did have to get used to the raised caps though because I had the habit of resting my left hand on the side of the Deathstalker frame which was not far below the keys. Probably would have preferred a linear switch instead of tactile since I think some of the Vulcan's noise is from the tactile bump although it's not clicky. Spacebar is easily the loudest key. This keyboard definitely stood out to me compared to all those other boring, similar looking, RGB keyboards and it does not disappoint.

The light from the keys, even at dim settings, is much too harsh on my eyes! This happened with a mouse I purchased too : ( I actually have stopped using the keyboard and will probably give it to Goodwill, or just trash it. I have not had this problem before or since with other lighted keyboards and mice. The product otherwise worked but is unusable because it's painful to look at!

I've had a lot of keyboards over the years, probably 5 in the last 2 years. This is by far my favorite that I've ever typed on. The key travel is great, comfortable to type on, and the illumination can be dimmed or turned off for those that don't particularly care for it. Build quality is where this thing shines, it's heavy (with a plastic and metal frame), but it's very sturdy and a solid build. Cleaning the keyboard is easy, keys can be removed easy as well. The price tag is a bit daunting, but it is truly one of the finest keyboards I have ever used, and the build quality certainly justifies the price tag.

I love that the Roccat software that syncs other Roccat devices with AIMO support and creates some splendid RGB effects if that's your thing. Technically speaking, the tactile response of the keys is fantastic and the only thing I would forewarn is that it is easy for animal fur to get between the keys if you have a cat that likes to soak in the monitor rays. Nothing a small brush and canned air can't take care of though.

I bought this keyboard to replace my second Logitech keyboard that couldn't handle the everyday use. I'm not a gamer, but I find that gaming PC hardware works best for my IT work and this is no exception. The mechanical keys are extremely sturdy and, so far, have held up to hours of typing code/emails. Customizing the backlight colors is a fun bonus, too.