Software

With all functionality hardware based, there are no software drivers for the Sharkoon SKILLER SGK50 S4. As such, I have chosen to combine this section with the performance section below. This was a surprise given there was software support for the older SKILLER SGK30. Regardless, the omission can hurt adoption from those who care about software configuration and profiles, but also means every customization option is available on the keyboard itself and therefore works regardless of your OS.

Performance

The SKILLER SGK50 S4 supports NKRO out of the box, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. No key chatter was detected on all the keys using Switch Hitter. The image above also shows the base layer on the keyboard is as far as dedicated keys go. As with most keyboards these days, there is no right Windows key here and it has been substituted by an Fn key instead.


Given there are only 61 keys here, the Fn layer will be your best friend as you get about using the keyboard for typing. Seen above is the pre-programmed Fn layer on this keyboard that not only brings back the functions associated with a tenkeyless keyboard, but also gives you volume control and on-the-fly macro recording and playback. The macro recording can be janky and will involve more trials and errors compared to easier software-based recording on screen, but at least it works fine once you have it set up. It's just the absence of profiles that makes this less useful since you can't associate the macros with applications/games or even on a different layer. Surprisingly, there is no media playback functionality here which feels like a missing opportunity.


You would have noted that the onboard functionality includes LED controls in the form of overall backlighting brightness and toggling through preset lighting effects. You can also change the color of each effect, so it came in handy not only to set the keyboard to the usual dynamic effects such as the rainbow wave mode seen above, but also to test the keyboard for color bleed with a mixed color static effect. There is some light bleed at the edges, but less so owing to the non-floating keycaps here. Setting all the LEDs to white helps test for color fidelity and I was left impressed with the mostly accurate white put out here—it comes off whiter in person than it does in the photo above.


My sample of the Sharkoon SKILLER SGK50 S4 came with the Kailh Red switches, based off the Cherry MX Red that is the ubiquitous mechanical switch even today. This is a highly popular linear switch marketed first at gamers that don't want to deal with a tactile or clicky feedback experience and simply want a quieter and faster multi-tapping action. The Kailh Red is also not a new switch, with the advent of the BOX versions that do actuate and bottom out sooner compared to this more traditional 4.0 mm total travel switch, so typing on them feels very familiar indeed. It's a medium force switch with rated actuation force of 50 gf at ~1.9-2.0 mm and the only demerit I have is that the molds are not as smooth. There is also no from factory lubing of the stem/housing/springs here, to where you can certainly find better feeling switches to type on which are less stiff and not as scratchy at times. It's a budget switch these days, and arguably the SKILLER SGK50 S4 is a budget keyboard too.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Sharkoon SKILLER SGK50 S4 keyboard sample at ~75 WPM as it comes out of the box with the Kailh Red switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out constantly here, and that doesn't matter as much here given the two foam sheets present which dampen the keystrokes and minimizes pinging and any case reverberations. You still hear the switches bottoming out, as well as the occasional ping off the steel plate but it goes to show how much the simple addition of foam improves the overall sound signature to where this is a keyboard which certainly sounds better than otherwise indicated by the type and cost. The stabilizers are uneven though, and this could be to do with the non-uniform lube application in addition to the relatively cheap plate-mounted stabilizers themselves.