Tesoro Gram SE Optical Review
Category : Keyboards
Published by Luca Rocchi on 21.11.17
Quite some time has passed since we've last reviewed a Tesoro keyboard. With the Gram SE Optical, Tesoro offers a combination of optical switches and RGB backlight. Apart from that this keyboard is available either in black or white. The Gram SE Optical features a simple and sleek design and at this point we're getting curious to find out whether this product is capable of convincing us or not.




Today we are going to have a close look at the new Gram SE Optical keyboard from Tesoro. This model features low profile optical switches with RGB backlight. On the following pages we will have a detailed look at this keyboard and tell you what it can and can't do.


Page 1 - Introduction
Page 2 - Photo Gallery / Delivery
Page 3 - Features
Page 4 - Closer Look
Page 5 - Software
Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Preview

   


   


   


   



Page 1 - Introduction
Page 2 - Photo Gallery / Delivery
Page 3 - Features
Page 4 - Closer Look
Page 5 - Software
Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Features



Model number Gram SE Optical
Keys Optical switches
Keycaps ABS
Materials ABS
Interface USB 2.0
Cable 1.8 m
Dimensions 445 mm x 136 mm x 24 mm    
Weight 1.20 Kg





Page 1 - Introduction
Page 2 - Photo Gallery / Delivery
Page 3 - Features
Page 4 - Closer Look
Page 5 - Software
Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Closer Look

  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical
  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical
  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical
  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical

The Gram Spectrum was one of the new products Tesoro presented during Computex 2017. This keyboard comes with a low profile design and RGB backlight as well as new optical switches. The layout is quite simple and there are no additional macro or media keys, however, there are a few dual-function keys available, which has become a trend on gaming keyboards lately. This simple trick allows multimedia functions that can be used through an “Fn” button, which in this case has been placed next to the space bar.

The first impression the Gram SE Optical leaves is very good, since it appears that the company is moving away from the flashy design towards clean and sophisticated lines. There is an aluminum faceplate carrying free standing optical switches. As we already mention this is a low-profile keyboard including RGB backlight. Thanks to the fact, that the switches are free-standing makes the illumination clearly visible. The keycaps are made using the so called double shot injection process, which means that the legend is not printed but injected with differently colored plastic. In this case the legend is transparent, which allows the backlight to illuminate it. Typing on the optical switches feels linear and predictable. The key-travel measures 4mm but actuation happens after pressing the switch down by 2mm. An infrared barrier brings additional possibilities such as individually setting the response time to as low as 0.1ms. Apart from that the endurance of those switches is higher since they’re spilling liquids over the keyboard almost can’t damage them. If you for example flood the keyboard with Coca Cola you can take it and clean it using tap water. After letting it dry and it works again. Compared to other switches the body of the Tesoro optical switch is transparent which allows for clearer lighting.

On paper this all sounds great but what about in daily usage? We used the Gram SE Optical for a whole week and we liked it very much. We are aware that comfort in the case of keyboard is, at least to a certain extent, down to personal peripheral. However, thanks to the low-profile design there is no need for a wrist rest for instance.

Back

  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical
  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical
  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical


The back of this keyboard isn't particularly special. There is the usual label showing the serial of the product and there are four rubber feet - one in each corner. Obviously there are two small feet, also with rubber ends, which allow for tilting the keyboard to a certain angle.


Page 1 - Introduction
Page 2 - Photo Gallery / Delivery
Page 3 - Features
Page 4 - Closer Look
Page 5 - Software
Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Software

 


If you want to install the software ther eis no installation media included in the delivery and you have to download the latest version of the software. A manual is always useful but not necessary, just connect the keyboard and then start to use it but if you want use the macros, you should definitely check out the manual. The user interface is a little bit different compared to older Tesoro's products. Also this part of the product is more mature and it perfectly matches the keyboards sleek style. A nifty little feature is the possibility to imported and exported settings.

  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical
  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical
  • Tesoro Gram SE Optical



Page 1 - Introduction
Page 2 - Photo Gallery / Delivery
Page 3 - Features
Page 4 - Closer Look
Page 5 - Software
Page 6 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Conclusion

General + -
Our verdict on the Gram SE Optical gaming keyboard is more than positive as the company managed to create a very solid, almost perfect high-quality product. We definitely like the fact that this a heavy keyboard, with an attractive but not over-the-top design, which would have been typical for gaming peripherals. Thanks to the sleek looks and low-profile design this keyboard is also suitable for office use. The backlight is clear, precise and since you can change its intensity it's never too bright. Writring on this product is very nice, due to the new Tesoro optical switches.   - Weight
- Lightning effects
 
 
Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics   + -
Tesoro is using high quality materials for the Gram SE Optical, which makes this keyboard look and feel very nice. Apart from that the it's very comfortable to use, the keys are well placed and they're also easy to reach. The comfort of a keyboard is always a very subjective matter, but despite that there isn't a big palm rest in the delivery we believe that the comfort is still on a good level, which is due to the low profile design. The key travel is precise and linear, the response is always immediate and simply perfect.   - Build quality
- Backlight
- Switches

 
 
Software   + -
The software was always a downside of Tesoro's products, since the graphical user interface was simply not up-to-date in terms of layout and design. With Gram SE Optical there is finally a clean ans simple user interface, while the main structure has been kept as simple as possible. Therefore you'll find the different settings intuitively.   - Easy to use
 
Recommendation / Price   + -
The starting price of the Gram SE Optical is about 129.90 euro excluding shipping costs. Although the price is rather steep it can be justified by the quality of this product as well the RGB backlight and the optical switches. This keyboard is not only suitable for gaming but also for typing.   - Price is a bit steep
 
Rating
We gave the Gram SE Optical from Tesoro 4 out of 5 stars.
 





Page 1 - Introduction
Page 2 - Photo Gallery / Delivery
Page 3 - Features
Page 4 - Closer Look
Page 5 - Software
Page 6 - Conclusion