Vanguard K08 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Introduction

With a history of creating many of the most popular desktop audio products over the last few decades, Creative has a long history of working with PC gamers for all their acoustic needs. From their soundcards to their modern-day DAC and headset products, they’ve got something for everyone. Now the audio company is breaking from its routes to put their high-end engineering knowledge to the test in the peripherals market, with the release of their first ever keyboard, the Vanguard K08.

Ditching the common Cherry or even Kailh mechanical switches, Creative have gone for the well-known OMRON for their switches, the same company that make the most popular switches we often find in gaming mice!

“Co-designed with OMRON, PRES (Perceive-React-Execute Switches) are custom mechanical switches professionally developed for high actions per minute gaming and typing comfort with a centered light guide for a brilliant RGB backlighting experience. Built for durability and reliability, each switch can withstand over 70 million keystrokes and feature double cross-point technology for fail-safe contacts.” Said Creative. “PRES allows you to reach your full potential, offering quick input action and instantaneous rapid-fire keystrokes while minimizing typos and mistakes – giving you the perfect balance of speed and control.”

The keys are designed with a shorter actuation than most mechanical keyboards, at 1.5mm its 25% shorter than the common 2mm travel distance, which can cut your response times while gaming, while also requiring less force to trigger the switch.

Unlike normal mechanical switches with single connectors, OMRON implemented cross-point technology for fail-safe contacts in PRES. With dual connectors in each switch, each PRES is guaranteed to fire off even in the event of one connector failing due to oxidation or dirt particles.

Specifications

• Product Color: Black
• Dimension (HxWxD): 215mm x 465mm x 37.6mm
• Dimension Without Wrist Rest (HxWxD): 149mm x 465mm x 37.6mm
• Lifespan: 70 million actuations
• Mechanical
  • Actuation force: 45g
  • Actuation distance: 1.5mm
  • Total travel distance: 3.5mm

Packaging and Accessories

The box features a nice large image of the keyboard on the front, showing off the lovely RGB lighting, as well as the detachable wrist rest and an icon showing that it feature Omron switches.

Around the back, a quick breakdown of the features, as well as a few details about the benefits of the new Omron switches.

In the box, you’ll find the keyboard, which comes hard-wired with an extra-thick black braided USB cable. There’s two USB headers on the cable, one for the keyboard, one for the USB pass-through. There’s also an optional plastic detachable wrist rest included.

A Closer Look

The keyboard is full-size, with a nice slim bezel around the sides to help limit how much desktop space it consumes. The build quality feels excellent from the moment you take it out of the box too, its rigid, had a sturdy weight to it and the matte finish feels as good as it looks too.

Down the left side, you’ll find five dedicated macro keys, which can be set to anything you like, but they’re pretty great for work, gaming, or just a few program launchers.

My favourite feature? Dedicated multimedia controls! So few keyboards have these recently, and you’ll find Windows Key Lock, Lighting, and a dedicated volume scroll wheel thrown in for good measure too. Flicking through songs while you’re working or gaming couldn’t be easier with these in easy reach.

Overall, the keyboard design is pretty slick, and the angular design on the corners gives it a nice futuristic look too. There’s a small K08 branding on the right side too.

The key caps have a nice and clear fonts right in the middle of the key cap and have a nice coating that gives them a soft and smooth feel.

Around the back, you’ll find the hard-wired cable fixed off-center on the right side of the keyboard, as well as high-speed USB port pass-through port on the edge of the multimedia control section; perfect for hooking up a headset, mouse, phone, or anything else for that matter.

On the base of the keyboard, there’s plenty of durable rubber grips, which keep the keyboard very firmly locked in place while you’re mashing at the keyboard.

Another welcome bonus is the two extra wide and durable kickstands, giving the keyboard added stability when raised.

Performance

The keyboard looks stunning, there’s no doubt about that, but the overall weight and feel of it are everything we would expect from a premium grade gaming keyboard too. The detachable wrist rest is a welcome addition too, and easily clips into place when you need it, giving you a comfortable typing angle and helping during those long gaming sessions.

The RGB lighting is exceptional too, easily on par with any other high-end mechanical keyboard on the market and with a dizzying ray of equally dizzying effects for those who love their rainbow discos or just want to pick their favourite hue of purple. Hey look, the M04 mouse has snuck its way into this shot too, and the two make a lovely pair for RGB fans.

There’s a nice backlighting effect between each of the keys, and that huge central font on each key cap allows plenty of light to shine through, even in a well-lit room.

The top row of multimedia keys are backlit too, albeit in white and not RGB, but a nice touch is that the BlasterX “X” is also RGB lit in the top right corner.

It’s really nice to see a gaming keyboard that has dedicated multimedia keys, especially given how many now only use Fn-Shift keys to do this. It’s quicker and easier to skip songs, control volume, turn your lighting off and more. The addition of that infinity scroll volume wheel is nice too, and few brands outside of some Corsair products bother to feature this.

The Omron switches are easily the biggest surprise here, and their shorter actuation and extremely high build quality certainly pay off. The keys are fast and light, which is fantastic for touch typing and frantic gameplay, but they also have a light tactile bump and click to them, similar to that of an MX Brown switch. They’re actually similar in performance to the new Razer Ornata, but much quieter at the same time. It’s a unique feel, but one that mechanical keyboard fans will quickly fall in love with, and the short action won’t have membrane fans feeling unfamiliar either.

Dedicated macro keys are another welcome bonus. I personally love them for working in Photoshop, but you can easily setup profile for your favourite games and MMO gamers will especially love the extra bank of complex commands being just one button away.

Overall, the Vanguard has all the features you would expect of a modern flagship gaming keyboard, and while it may be the first one from Creative, we can’t imagine any way they could have made it better.

Final Thoughts

Price

The Creative Sound BlasterX Vanguard K08 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is available on pre-order directly from the Creative website. It’s currently priced at $99.99, and compared to other equally equipped mechanical keyboards on the market, we think that’s a freaking bargain.

Overview

Creative may be new to the keyboard market, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re doing. They’ve been one of the leading brands in the peripherals market for many years, with a wide range of award-winning headsets that have been loved by gamers around the world. They’ve also been a strong supporter of the eSports scene, with sponsored gaming teams of their own, who are perfectly positioned to give them all the feedback they need to make great peripherals.

The Vanguard K08 hits the market with its arms swinging, and the competition better watch out! The performance on this keyboard is absolutely perfect, and while I was a little sceptical of what Omron switches would be like compared to something like Cherry MX, I’m completely sold on their capabilities and have no doubt that gamers will love them.

Equipped with all the high-end features you would expect for a flagship keyboard, the Vanguard is rocking full RGB per-key lighting, anti-ghosting, N-Key, dedicated macro keys, dedicated multimedia controls, USB pass-through, a detachable wrist rest, and high-quality mechanical switches. We couldn’t ask for much more from a keyboard, and that’s even more true when you consider the very competitive price.

Build quality is rock solid throughout too, and that shows in the aesthetics, as the K08 looks stunning from every angle. If you’re looking for something new, a little bit different, and without a doubt cool, then the latest from Creative is the way to go.

Pros

• Excellent build quality
• Fantastic Omron mechanical switches
• Dedicated macro keys
• Dedicated multimedia keys
• USB pass-through
• Low switch actuation
• Full RGB lighting
• Competitive price
• Trusted brand name

Cons

• None

“The Vanguard K08 may be the first gaming keyboard from Creative, but they’re already able to stand tall, as this is easily one of the best keyboards we’ve seen in a long time. Great build quality, flawless design, and excellent performance throughout.”

Vanguard K08 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review