How does the new Vulcan II TKL Pro perform in the test?

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Turtle Beach has introduced the Vulcan II TKL Pro, its first gaming keyboard of the post-Roccat era. Will everything stay the same or will there be some useful improvements? MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann has tested the keyboard and explains in the test whether the model is worth it.

With the Vulcan series, Turtle Beach (formerly Roccat) offers a popular range of gaming keyboards. The Vulcan II TKL Pro is the successor to the old Roccat TKL Pro. On paper, the company wants to score points with various improvements:

  • Linear (red) Hall-effect switches that are supposed to be faster and, above all, more durable than the old switches. Turtle Beach promises an increase of 50 million keystrokes (from 100 million to 150 million compared to the Vulcan TKL Pro).
  • Analogue instead of optical switches, which are intended to provide an adjustable pressure point on the keys.
  • The Vulcan II TKL Pro also comes with a foam palm rest, which the predecessor did not offer.

    • In the test, I will focus on the old predecessor, which I was already able to test for MeinMMO. The Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro performed very well in the test and that was mainly due to the very good workmanship and the great switches.

    Test overview

    Technical details

    Here you can find the technical details as a table (click to expand):

    Design/InterfaceWired, TKL designKey typemagnetic Hall-effect switches, linear (red)programmable keysYeslightingYescompatibilityPCscope of deliveryKeyboard, USB-C cable, palm rest, manualparticularitiesTKL design with volume wheelPrice (RRP)229.99 euros

    What does the scope of delivery look like? In the box you will find the keyboard, a USB-C cable, a foam palm rest and a manual.

    How is the keyboard constructed? The keyboard offers you an official TKL design. The keyboard offers you arrow keys on the right side and a few function keys above them. However, the TKL design does not have a number pad. On the top right edge there is a rotating wheel with which you can make the sound louder or quieter or mute the sound completely by pressing the head. The predecessor had a separate button for “muting”.

    What does the keyboard look like? The keyboard comes in either a black or white design. I used the black model in the test. The keyboard also offers fully adjustable RGB lighting with some nice effects that you can configure via the software.

    Turtle Beach and Roccat: Both keyboards look very similar: There are innovations, especially on the inside.

    processing

    Like its predecessor, the Vulcan II TKL Pro has an anodized aluminum top plate. The old Vulcan also used a similar plate. The rest of the keyboard is made of plastic. In direct comparison to its predecessor, the successor does not appear to be any less valuable or well-made.

    Apart from the palm rest. When I opened the keyboard box, I was hit by a stinky, chemical smell. The smell didn’t come from the keyboard, but from the foam palm rest. That thing doesn’t make a good impression on me either.

    The foam palm rest of the Turtle Beach Vulcan II TKL Pro. Doesn’t make a good impression on me.

    Turtle Beach continues to use ABS keycaps on the Vulcan II TKL Pro and they wear out incredibly quickly. The keys get very dirty and look terrible after just a few days. And that’s for a keyboard that costs 159.99 euros.

    At least the keycaps can be replaced with keys from another manufacturer. But then the stylish design of the keyboard is lost.

    software

    When it comes to software, Turtle Beach is using the brand new “Swarm II” software. This completely moves away from the old “Roccat Swarm” software and offers a completely new software suite.

    At first glance, the software is fine and offers all the important functions. The software is also scalable and can therefore be adapted to large screens. In each area, tooltips are also displayed that explain points.

    Also commendable: The entire keyboard is offered in good German.

    The new Turtle Beach Swarm II: Streamlined compared to the old Swarm, but still confusing.

    ergonomics

    The TKL design makes the keyboard ergonomically better than full-size keyboards. Vulcan keyboards have a relatively high body but low keys. The keyboard is comfortable to use with the palm rest, once the smell of the palm rest has gone.

    In older models, Roccat used an uncomfortable but stable plastic palm rest – for example in the Vulcan II MAX or the old Roccat Vulcan 120/121. The predecessor didn’t come with a palm rest at all. So this is actually an improvement. But the unpleasant smell and the foam put me off.

    The button’s

    Underneath the keycaps of my keyboard are magnetic Hall-effect switches that have a linear function. They are similar to red switches. Hall-effect switches are currently popular with many manufacturers because they are considered to be less prone to errors.

    According to Turtle Beach, the Hall Effect switches are designed to withstand 150 million keystrokes. The predecessor offered a theoretical durability of 100 million.

    How do you play and work with it? The magnetic switches take some getting used to and I don’t even mean that in a negative way:

  • Both mechanical switches sound metallic and quite high. Sometimes with a slight “ping” after the key is pressed. You have to like that, but it never bothered me with the Vulcan.
  • The magnetic switches therefore initially sound quite hollow and much duller than “normal” mechanical switches. The advantage: They are much quieter and barely audible.
  • The magnetic switches also “feel” different in everyday use. At the beginning, I made a lot more mistakes and sometimes I hit keys that I hadn’t even pressed. I can’t say whether that’s my fault or the new switches.

    • Being able to adjust the height of the keys within a certain range using the software is a cool feature: you can use it to set how deeply you have to press the keys so that your keystroke is registered on the PC. You have to experiment a bit until you find the perfect setting for you.

    My settings: I more than doubled the keyboard travel height from the standard (1.2 mm) to 2.5 mm for a combination of typing and gaming. This means I make fewer typos and the keys are still very fast. I usually need more force when typing than when I’m just entering short commands for a game.

    Practical: In the Swarm software you can test the key trigger point before setting it.

    How loud is the keyboard? Compared to the old Vulcan keyboard, the Vulcan II TKL Pro is significantly quieter. The mechanical “ping” is no longer there and the overall noise level is a little duller and quieter. Typing and gaming have become quieter, but you have to like the new dull sound.

    Compared to mechanical or opto-mechanical keyboards, the Vulcan II TKL Pro is surprisingly quiet. You can hear the sound of your fingers hitting the keycaps and barely the keyboard itself. My partner finds the Vulcan II TKL Pro much more pleasant to the ears than its predecessor with its linear switches.

    The Turtle Beach Vulcan II TKL Pro with active lighting on the PC.

    Conclusion: Good gaming keyboard that gets a “very good” rating with keycaps and palm rest

    Is the keyboard worth it? With a RRP of 159.99 euros, the keyboard is not exactly cheap, but it is in line with the competition, which also costs around 160 euros.

    Basically, Turtle Beach offers good hardware with the Vulcan II TKL Pro and also sensible improvements compared to its predecessor. Unfortunately, I find the palm rest anything but successful and the ABS keycaps simply look cheap compared to the competition. After just a few days, the keyboard looks terribly worn. The competition, especially the Ducky One 3 TKL, simply offers more for the money.

    The Vulcan II TKL Pro is a great keyboard if you can overlook the small flaws (palm rest, keycaps, switches that take some getting used to). Otherwise, it is “just” good, but still recommendable.

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    What alternatives are there?

  • The Ducky One 3 TKL (for testing) is currently the best alternative: It costs only 20 euros more, but offers PBT keycaps, hot-swappable switches and excellent workmanship. It is still my best recommendation.
  • The Akko 3068B-Plus is my insider tip under 100 euros if you are looking for an excellent gaming keyboard for under 100 euros with many premium features. However, the keyboard is even smaller than TKL.
  • Logitech’s G Pro X TKL Lightspeed (for testing) is unfortunately very expensive (around 200 euros), but offers PBT keycaps, lots of accessories and a wireless connection with very good battery life.

    • Other gaming keyboards: Are you looking for further recommendations in the peripherals area? Then take a look at the following buying guide on MeinMMO. Here we explain which keyboards are currently the most worthwhile: The best gaming keyboards you can currently buy

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