Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro arctic white review: Keyboards don't look better than this

The tenkeyless Vulcan Pro is one really good-looking keyboard, here finished in arctic white. But it's just as easy on the fingers as it is the eyes.

If you've not tried the Roccat Vulcan Pro keyboards and want to know what all the fuss is about then, well, it's good news - because we've been gaming with this shiny model to bring you our thoughts. 

• Best gaming keyboards: The best quiet, loud, colourful and proud mechanical keyboards around

Now even better

• All keys remappable with integrated macro and settings memory
• Anodised aluminium shell with a low-profile design
• Compatible with Roccat Swarm software
• 1000Hz polling rate

The Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro is immediately striking for a number of different reasons. First of all it has a fantastically slimline low-profile design that sits wonderfully on the desk, bringing the added bonus of putting less pressure on your wrists and hands when you're gaming or working. 

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Roccat Vulkan TKL Pro arctic white review RGB off

Naturally being a TKL keyboard it has fewer keys than a full-sized 'board, so it takes up less room on your desk too. That means there's plenty of room for your favourite gaming mouse and plenty of space for flicking it about the desk in frantic fashion during a good gaming session. 

The second eye-catching part of this keyboard is its anodised aluminium shell. It features a brushed finish that not only sets it off with a premium look but also complements the RGB lighting.

The Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro also has a detachable USB-C cable, so you have the choice to swap the cable for a fancy custom one or just detach and replace it if you need to. So it's also upgradable, which makes it even more appealing. 

Like the keyboard itself, the keycaps are low profile - i.e. thin and raised higher than standard from the keyswitches - meaning there's a nice gap between the keycap and the keyboard, allowing for some fantastic light bleed. It should be easier to keep clean as a result too: some compressed air blown between and underneath the keycaps will far more easily keep dust and debris at bay. 

The keys are comfortable, accurate and satisfying whatever you're doing. They're concave keycaps here, which allow your finger to sit comfortably on each key. One downside, however, is the spacing: there's a gap between each key that can, at times, feel larger than that of other keyboards. Once you get used to it, though, it's not a problem - but you can still feel the edges of the caps and that might be an unpleasant experience for some. 

Speedy linear action

• 1.4mm actuation, 3.5mm total travel, 45gf operation force
• Roccat-developed Titan Switch Optical switches
• Ultra-light keycap design

The Vulcan TKL Pro has been built with Roccat's Titan Switch Optical switches. These are linear switches that have a smooth feel when pressed and a consistent keypress too. They're not loud or clicky and because they're optical, you can be sure they're actuating quickly and accurately. 

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Roccat Vulkan TKL Pro arctic white review keycaps and switches

These switches actuate at just 1.4mm. This means they only need a very short press before the keypress is registered. This is ideal for fast-paced gaming, but not as much for standard office typing. If you sit with your hands firmly planted on the keyboard when you're idling and not typing then that might be an issue, but if you're a gamer who wants fast action and reliability then these switches are fantastic. 

They're also tested and guaranteed up to 100 million keystrokes, so you can be sure they'll last and last. 

Glorious RGB and programmability 

• RGB illumination with 16.8 million colours
• Multiple lighting options

For RGB lighting fans, the Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro is a real joy, especially thanks to Roccat's AIMO intelligent lighting mode - which is a fascinating colour changing system that means the keyboard is always interestingly illuminated.

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Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro arctic white review swarm software

It changes regularly but in subtle ways. Sometimes that means reactive lighting that responds as you type, other times it's just pleasant colour changes that are easier on the eye. You can, of course, choose from various FX within Roccat's Swarm software - options include breathing, wave, snake, heartbeat, fully lit, ripple, fade, plus more besides. But the standard AIMO lighting is impressive enough and one we don't feel the need to tweak it.

As we've already mentioned, the RGB lighting is brilliantly complemented by the overall design of the keyboard. The raised housing, shiny backplate and white keycaps all help the Vulkan TKL Pro shine pleasantly in more ways that one. 

The Roccat Swarm software gives users access to a multitude of settings with every key on the keyboard being reprogrammable. Roccat's key-mapping functionality allows you to choose any key and assign an alternate keypress, macro or other setting to it. 

As with other Roccat products, you can assign an Easy-Shift function to many keys as well. This is a secondary layer of actions or keypresses that can be accessed by assigning a specific key to access that layer. That means that despite its size as a tenkeyless keyboard, you can still have a lot more keys, actions and macros than are first visible. You can also create different profiles for different tasks too, so the flexibility is incredible. 

Source : https://www.pocket-lint.com/gadgets/reviews/159622-roccat-vulcan-tkl-pro-arctic-white-review-keyboard