Jun 5, 2018 - The Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo is one of the best gaming keyboard we've ever used. It's a joy to game and type on, and it has a stunning design.
Roccat's Leadr gaming mouse recently became my daily driver after reviewing it along with Roccat's Sova lapboard. Since then, my Leadr has spent most of its time alongside Roccat's Vulcan 120 Aimo gaming keyboard. Now that I've spent considerable time with the Vulcan 120, I'm back to report my findings.
The Vulcan's chassis is composed of black plastic topped by an anodized aluminum plate. The top plate on this particular model is a silver-ish color, but the cheaper Vulcan 80 comes with a black top plate. Regardless of color, the top right of the aluminum plate is decorated with a fairly subtle Roccat logo. Of course, the Vulcan 120 wouldn't be a gaming keyboard without the obligatory RGB LEDs embedded into the switches and accompanied by key caps with shine-through legends. All of these elements are put together into a pretty sturdy package. The board doesn't bend or creak when picked up or used. The center of the board will flex inward slightly if you put significant pressure on it, but this behavior doesn't arise during normal use.
Three rubber buttons sit below the Roccat logo. The first of these is a mute button. The other two buttons modify the function of the adjacent knob protruding from the board. The knob can be used to adjust LED brightness or system volume. The knob has a well-weighted feel punctuated by detents that correspond to individual changes in volume or brightness. This knob provides the tactile feedback that recent smooth-scrolling Corsair volume wheels lack.
If I can draw your attention away from the knob, I'd like to direct it toward the scroll lock key. You can put the keyboard into Game Mode by pressing the function and scroll lock keys simultaneously. As you might suspect, Game Mode deactivates the Windows key, but it can also be customized in Roccat's Swarm software to change the function of keys of your choosing. This means you can set up macros that are active only when Game Mode is active. Roccat has put numbered macro labels on the six keys underneath scroll lock to encourage people to these keys for custom macros. More on that later.
The F1-F12 keys have alternate functions that can be accessed by pressing them in conjunction with the function key. The first four keys switch the keyboard between four configurable profiles. The F5-F8 keys open This PC in File Explorer, a new webpage, the system mail app, and the system calculator app in that order. The final four act as media keys. Roccat may have the superior volume knob, but Corsair keyboards still have dedicated media keys going for them.
The Vulcan 120 comes with a wrist rest that attaches to the keyboard magnetically. Thick rubber pads running along the bottom of the wrist rest also help hold it in place. Besides the rubber pads and the magnets, the rest is made of sturdy black plastic. The top isn't padded, but the plastic is smooth and feels nice to the touch. I've found it to be quite comfortable, even over extended sessions at my desk. However, if you don't think you'll use the wrist rest, you can save $10 by getting the otherwise identical Vulcan 100.
The bottom of the keyboard, like the wrist rest, has long, beefy rubber pads to hold it in place. Even the flip-up stands have rubber pads. The stands smoothly flip up and down and reliably prop up the keyboard. This board isn't going anywhere during use.
A single braided cable terminated with the obligatory USB connector comes out the back of the Vulcan. It's just flexible enough to be bent into and retain whatever shape is needed for cable management. Unfortunately, the cable is not detachable.
© Expert Reviews Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo review: A stylish performerRoccat is a German-based peripheral manufacturer better known for its erstwhile participation in major eSports tournaments, namely the League of Legends European Championship. Team Roccat disbanded in late 2018, however, leaving many questioning where the company would go next.
The development hasn’t stopped Roccat producing high-quality gaming peripherals, however, and its new flagship gaming keyboard, the Vulcan 120 Aimo, is a little bit special.
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Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo review: What you need to know
This is a gaming keyboard unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Roccat’s Titan mechanical switches protrude from a brushed-aluminium plate; a stark contrast from conventional keyboards with switches that sit inside the frame. Aside from making it look great, this also makes it a lot easier to clean, as crumbs aren’t lost in the keyboard’s nether regions. It’s extremely sturdy, too, and exhibits zero flex when you twist it.
© Provided by Dennis Publishing LimitedThat’s not the only thing that catches the eye, though. The keyboard’s low-profile keys also help it stand out from the competition. The keycaps have been specifically designed to complement the keyboard’s design; they’re effectively a third of the size of regular Cherry MX keycaps, giving the keyboard a sense of minimalism. Aesthetically, it’s the best-looking keyboard I’ve seen.
© Provided by Dennis Publishing Limited Image of ROCCAT Vulcan 120 - Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard, AIMO LED Per-Key lighting, ROCCAT Titan switches, durable design (aluminum top plate), multimedia wheel, detachable wrist restROCCAT Vulcan 120 - Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard, AIMO LED Per-Key lighting, ROCCAT Titan switches, durable design (aluminum top plate), multimedia wheel, detachable wrist rest
£119.68 Buy now © Provided by Dennis Publishing Limited Image of ROCCAT Vulcan 121 - Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard, Aimo LED Per-Key Lighting, Titan Switches, Durable Design (Aluminum Top Plate), Multimedia Wheel, BlackROCCAT Vulcan 121 - Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard, Aimo LED Per-Key Lighting, Titan Switches, Durable Design (Aluminum Top Plate), Multimedia Wheel, Black
$159.99 Buy nowThey’re practical, too, as they feature a Cherry MX stem. You can replace the low-profile keycaps with the widely available regular-sized keys at any point, as sourcing Roccat’s original keys or Cherry MX low-profile keycaps can be a tough ask. It goes without saying that Roccat’s Titan switch also has a large role to play – it provides far greater flexibility than Logitech’s Romer-G or SteelSeries' QX2 switch.
© Provided by Dennis Publishing LimitedRoccat’s Titan switches are tactile and silent, and a 1.8mm actuation point and 3.6mm travel make them among the fastest mechanical switches available – Cherry MX stand at 2mm and 4mm, respectively. To draw a comparison, it’s a bit like the Cherry Brown MX switch. The combination of low-profile keycaps, responsive switches and a sturdy frame all make for an excellent typing and gaming keyboard.
© Provided by Dennis Publishing LimitedEach switch also houses an RGB LED that can be customised to your liking via the Swarm software suite. The desktop interface isn’t as polished as some of its competitors, but it provides plenty of customisation options and macro-recording capabilities. Another function enabled through the software is Aimo synchronisation, so you can match your RGB LEDs across different Aimo-certified devices, from mice to headsets.
Elsewhere, the full-sized QWERTY keyboard has dedicated media controls and a detachable plastic wristrest. The latter isn’t overly practical, as it provides very little padding for your wrists. Instead, I’d advise buying the Vulcan 100 Aimo and adding your own wristrest separately. It’s exactly the same keyboard otherwise.
I’m also slightly disappointed not to see a removable cable or an extra USB socket on the keyboard for connecting USB thumbdrives or other peripherals. There are no dedicated macro keys either, although it is possible to assign macro functions to the six-key document navigation cluster just above the cursor keys.
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Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo review: Price and competition
The Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo is on the pricier side at £120. The identical-but-for-a-wristrest 100 Aimo is £110. If you don’t mind missing out on RGB lighting and media keys, the 80 Aimo is a little cheaper at £100.
Its biggest adversary is the £145 Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile, which doesn’t look exactly the same but has slimmer keycaps than a normal gaming keyboard. Scrap the low-profile design and there’s the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 at £110, the HyperX Alloy Elite RGB for £114 and the Logitech G513 RGB at £100. The latter doesn’t have dedicated media keys and uses Logitech’s own Romer-G switches, but it’s a great keyboard nonetheless.
© Provided by Dennis Publishing Limited Image of ROCCAT Vulcan 120 - Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard, AIMO LED Per-Key lighting, ROCCAT Titan switches, durable design (aluminum top plate), multimedia wheel, detachable wrist restROCCAT Vulcan 120 - Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard, AIMO LED Per-Key lighting, ROCCAT Titan switches, durable design (aluminum top plate), multimedia wheel, detachable wrist rest
£119.68 Buy now © Provided by Dennis Publishing Limited Image of ROCCAT Vulcan 121 - Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard, Aimo LED Per-Key Lighting, Titan Switches, Durable Design (Aluminum Top Plate), Multimedia Wheel, BlackROCCAT Vulcan 121 - Mechanical RGB Gaming Keyboard, Aimo LED Per-Key Lighting, Titan Switches, Durable Design (Aluminum Top Plate), Multimedia Wheel, Black
$159.99 Buy nowRoccat Vulcan 120 Aimo review: Verdict
All of which makes the Vulcan 120 Aimo pretty decent value. It’s only £6 more than the regular-size HyperX keyboard and £25 cheaper than its main rival from Corsair and, for that money, you’re getting a keyboard that both performs well and looks fantastic.
All round, then, it’s a superb keyboard. Traditionalists might scoff at the low-profile keys and unusual looks, but there’s no denying that this is one of the best keyboards money can buy.