Tesoro Tizona
If the Tesoro Excalibur Spectrum doesn't interest you at $100 and the standard Spectrum doesn't entice at $75, then maybe the Tesoro Tizona will be to your liking.
Once again Kailh switches are being used and the Tizona comes with either Black, Red, Brown or Blue switches.
Compared to the Excalibur, the Tizona looks more like a gaming keyboard and a lot less like something used in an office setting.
There is a fancy purple decal above the arrow keys that features a few status LED lights which gives the Tizona a certain flare.
Disappointingly the Tizona doesn't feature any kind of backlighting, but then it does only cost $70. However the Tizona makes up for its lack of illumination with a few other nifty features.
The Tizona is the only keyboard in our roundup to feature a USB hub allowing gamers to connect not just their mouse but also a USB headset to the keyboard. There is however another purpose for that extra USB port and that is to connect the optional Tizona Numpad.
At this point we should make mention that the Tizona is a tenkeyless keyboard, but by purchasing the $30 numpad the Tizona becomes very flexible. Both the left and right sides of the Tizona feature magnets which allow the numpad to span to either side and connect using the USB port. This is similar to how the Aorus Thunder K7 works, albeit a little cruder.
Providing the option to purchase the numpad separately is great, we just wish there was an optional wrist rest as well. Actually we wish the Tizona just came with a detachable wrist rest with the option to buy a bigger one with the numpad. I know this is only a $70 mechanical keyboard, but how much does that plastic wrist rest that Logitech provides with the G710+ honestly cost to make?
Another cool USB feature is the detachable cable, this is very similar to what CM did with the QuickFire TK. This means the cable can easily be replaced if damaged while being able to remove the cable can also help with transport. Tesoro has provided a second USB cable that provides the Tizona with additional power just in case you want to hang any power hungry peripherals off it.
Whereas the Excalibur didn't feature any dedicated macro keys there are three on the Tizona below the space bar. These thumb keys are quite handy, though they aren't nearly as easy to access as the thumb keys on the Roccat Ryos MK as they are much too close to the spacebar in our opinion.
Unfortunately the Tizona isn't fully programmable like the Excalibur so those needing macro keys have to rely solely on the difficult to reach thumb keys.
Underneath the Tizona there are two large feet though unless they are extended out there aren't any rubber pads to provide grip at the rear of the keyboard. That said, there are two large pads at the front. One issue we had with the legs was when extended out they would fold away quite easily, especially if the keyboard is pushed backwards on the desk, which was annoying.
As yet another keyboard without a wrist rest the Tizona was uncomfortable unless used with a third party wrist rest. Value-wise the Tizona is fine depending on which features you require. Perhaps the biggest issue is its limited one-year warranty, which might be a deal breaker given the use of Kailh switches.