A membrane keyboard capable of standing toe to toe with any mechanical switch type
We’ve already had the pleasure of testing and reviewing the Sharkoon Skiller, a keyboard that impressed us with its functionality, feel and above all else, price. Now it’s the turn of its elder brother the Skiller Pro, so we were interested to see what the extra Pro element had to offer to an already good keyboard.
There are quite a few differences between the Skiller and the Skiller Pro, as it happens. The Skiller features numerous multimedia keys, swappable gaming keys and limited illumination from just the Sharkoon badge. The Skiller Pro offers a more subtle layout, although it doesn’t necessarily lack in the feature department.
There are nine multimedia keys, arranged along the top of the keyboard in two sections, with a further three profile keys added to the end of the strip. Furthermore, you’ll find six macro keys lined up on the left-hand side of the keyboard, neatly stashed out of the way from wondering fingers but easily activated when needed.
This is a fully illuminated keyboard, with the lighting effect, an electric blue is the only colour, coming from under the keyboard as opposed to each key being individually lit. It’s a nice enough effect and one that can be brightened or dimmed by increments of 10%, or set to a pulse effect, by either pressing the additional FN key and Scroll Lock or through the accompanying software.
The Skiller Pro, like its sibling, is a membrane rubber dome keyboard. However, that doesn’t mean it lacks the tactile touch and feel of a mechanical counterpart. In fact, there’s a decent ‘clicky’ feel to the Skiller Pro that reminds us of a Cherry MX Brown switch type, but it’s responsive too and there's just enough travel in each key. The noise levels may be too much for the office, but at home that’s generally not too much of an issue.
The design is good too. Each keycap is well spaced, enough to ensure a fluid typing action across the QWERTY section, and the keyboard itself is a good size without too many flashy and non-relevant extras hogging the layout. It’s also fairly heavy, which we like, and you get included with the package a set of rubber feet to cover over the extended stands.
Sharkoon has done a great job here; we can see this being a keyboard of choice for any gamer, as well as the average PC user. It has a number of extra features too, beyond the normal gaming set. There’s multi-key rollover and a greater than ten million keystroke life cycle as standard, but you also have the ability to map most of the main keys and create three different profiles depending on the program or game you’re currently using. Plus you can record your own macros and store them in the internal memory of the keyboard.
We’ve been using the Skiller Pro as our main keyboard for the best part of a week now, and we’re impressed by how well it operates and feels. What’s more, the Skiller Pro is available for just £19.99, which makes it one of the cheapest and best gaming keyboards we’ve had the pleasure of using for quite some time. There's some room for improvement: more colours to choose from for the backlighting, perhaps, and maybe the addition of a USB hub or headphone/mic ports to plug your headset into would be a nice touch. That, though, would probably increase the price significantly.
All in all, we thoroughly recommend the Sharkoon Skiller Pro as your next keyboard of choice, particularly if you're on a budget. David Hayward
A great value, well designed and capable keyboard.