Mechanical keyboards on the cheap with the Sharkoon Skiller Mech SGK2

Do mechanical keyboards have to be expensive? A couple of years ago, when they started gaining popularity, pricing was usually pretty high but these days we're seeing more and more mechanical keyboards that are entering the budget pricing territory. Sharkoon for instance reveals the SKILLER MECH SGK2, this tenkeyless model uses Kailh switches and is priced at 44.99EUR. It even includes white LED illumination and on-the-fly macro recording.

Sharkoon expands the lineup within their SKILLER series and introduces a new keyboard with mechanical switches from Kailh: The Sharkoon SKILLER MECH SGK2 is a robust keyboard in a 2-block layout, deliberately designed without a number block, allowing even more room on a gamer table. As a result, the SGK2 is particularly suitable for demanding use, such as in eSport.

Typical for the SKILLER MECH, the SGK2 has a reinforced metal surface, providing stability and torsion strength, and ensures stable, nonslip positioning on every table surface thanks its fold out, rubberized feet on the keyboard bottom.

As with all mechanical keyboards by Sharkoon, the SKILLER MECH SGK2 again relies on the tried and tested switches from Kailh, the micro-switch specialist from Asia. Users have the classic choice between blue, brown and red switches. The tactile blue switches are known to provide acoustic and detectable feedback. For those not needing click noise will enjoy the brown switches, which have a detectable switching point but no acoustic feedback. The red switches offer an undetectable switching point and click point. All three, however, offer the same operating force of 50 grams and a distance to actuation point of 1.9 mm. The operating life cycle of the built-in mechanical keys, according to the manufacturer, is at least 50 million keystrokes.

In addition to n-key rollover, anti-ghosting keys, gaming modes and function keys with preset multimedia actions, this gaming keyboard offers practical on-the-fly macro recording. This means macros can be recorded without software, by using a record key, in just a couple quick steps. Using the five macro keys on the side of the keyboard, the recorded macros can be easily launched at any time. Once again, just like in 2016 with the launch of the SKILLER MECH SGK1, each respective switch offers white LED illumination with an LED on every single key. The lighting is adjustable in three brightness levels, plus also offers a pulsating mode or completely turn off the keyboard illumination. The Sharkoon SKILLER MECH SGK2 connects via a textile braided cable with gold-plated USB plug.