I’ve been through a lot of keyboards ranging from $30 to $300. But I still use the $20 scissor keyboard. Every time I tried to get over to the mechanics, every time I stumbled and fell. And stumbled over a simple but dangerous thing.Over the height of the caps. I hate tall caps, they get in the way of my typing and the lower they are the better. So imagine how happy I was when they sent me the MSI Vigor GK50 TKL for review. Honest mechanics with low profile caps. This is the one that almost lured me to the side of mechanical keyboards. It lacked literally one thing, but this thing turned out to be important to me.
Market positioning
The price of the MSI Vigor GK50 TKL turned out to be not the most modest in the world – $90. This is one of the brand’s more expensive keyboards, but there are more expensive ones out there, in particular, the full-layout version.
What’s in the box?
And for a price close to one Benjamin, which is Franklin, in the box, in addition to the keyboard itself, you can also find tweezers for removing caps, and a couple of spare caps.
But that’s not all. Because there is also a manual with a warranty, a transport bag… and a detachable braided cable!
And not a simple one, but with USB Type-C at the end that goes into the keyboard! My respect, that’s the kind of periphery you need.
Appearance
The looks of the MSI Vigor GK50 TKL is very industrial and cool. The base consists of black plastic parts, but the main part is polished gray metal, with gray markings.
What’s outright interesting that I note are the Lock indicators located vertically above the arrows. The symbol of the dragon is next to them.
Which, by the way, is aldo present on the back. And there is also an inclined structure with a nameplate and legs for as many as three incline angles! The standard leg goes by 5 degrees, the first retractable gives you 8, the last one is 11.
The number of keys is incomplete Tenkeyless, that is, without the Num block, but with the Fn button, which is depicted as a dragon. The legend on the caps is nicely stylized in places, and the key combinations are given in the manul. I advise you to take a look, they are a little off-standard.
Specifications and backlight
Keyboard weight is 560 g, wire length is 180 cm, dimensions are 354×140×33 mm, rollover is supported up to 6+N buttons. By the way, there can be 87, 88 or 92 of the latter, depending on the localization language of the legend.
The backlighting of the keyboard is controlled, either through the combo-wombo buttons, as described in the manual, or through synchronization via MSI Mystic Light. But if anything, standard presets are enough. For example, my favorite at the moment is the RGB-radar, which ‘scans’ the buttons in an flowing wave.
Looks stunning.
User experience
Keyboard customization is also available, at least, key combinations setup through the MSI Center applications. I note with regret that it downloads exclusively through the Microsoft Store, but the program itself is quite good, pretty and functionally far from poor.
Read also: MSI Katana GF66 11UD review: a versatile gaming laptop
Well, the caps are not PBT, but ABS plastic, excellent quality, low, which allowed me to print on the MSI Vigor GK50 TKL as quickly as on my scissor. But there is one reservation.
And this reservation is called ‘Kailh White switches’. Don’t get me wrong, there are zero complaints about the switches themselves or Kailh manufacturer, they have excellent endurance, 50 million clicks. And in general, these are sonorous, elastic, juicy switches, the typewriter would be jealous!
And that’s the problem. I don’t know if there are linear or even silent lo-pro switches, but in my studio apartment they sound too loud. Listen to yourself in the video review and you will understand everything. And, it might be a trifle, but the fact is that the caps are incompatible with Cherry, the mount is different.
I’m not saying loud switches are bad. But in the person of myself I give you an example in which case loud switches may not suit you. Even if typing on the MSI Vigor GK50 TKL is almost an orgasm for the fingers… If you do not live alone, you will either distract or wake up your neighbors. If soundproofing does help.
Conclusions on MSI Vigor GK50 TKL
MSI has managed to create a great, one of the best keyboards I’ve ever seen. Hardly anyone lacks mechanics in one’s life more than I do, but high caps infuriate me to feebleness, so this would be a very good and beautiful choice.
But it’s a shame that the only thing that separates me from owning the MSI Vigor GK50 TKL is the loud clicking of the caps. No other keyboard has come this far. And that’s why I recommend it to everyone. Except myself.
I conclude on this melancholic note of Haruhi Suzumiya, and do not forget to write about whether the volume of caps is important to YOU personally in the comments, and what do you think about loud and quiet, silent models.
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