DROP - The Lord of the Rings TKL Wired Speech Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Black

I really like the feel of the halos, might be my new favorite switch. Also this keyboard enables invisibility in all games, 10/10

Product excellent and very good for you guys and your team

You have probably never heard of Drop. But if you examine the box a little closer you'll discover the mention of Corsair being the manufacturer behind these highly customizable keyboards. This should inspire confidence in these products as the company has been creating gaming components and accessories for a long, long time. The DROP + The Lord of the Rings TKL Wired Black Speech Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a fascinating piece of hardware whether you're a LOTR fan or not. Let's have a look at what's good and what could've been better. This Drop keyboard comes with a custom paint job reminiscent of Sauron. The caps are printed in elvish (there are tiny little letters for those who still need to look at the keyboard to type) and it really looks gorgeous. It comes with additional key caps (red) which can replace the keys that are pre-installed. There are some more keys and accessories available to purchase, but in my humble opinion, it's pretty cool looking as it is. The box also contains a USB cable (Type C to USB-A) and a keycap puller. I would have loved a braided cable instead of the regular cable, but you have to buy it separately. If you've been around long enough, you'll realize that the keys feel more like an old-school keyboard from the '90s, which is very cool. I really like the circular indentation which helps to keep your little fingers on the right keys. The keyboard is mechanical and it sounds fairly well. I find it a bit loud but I'm also using opto-mechanical switches on my other keyboards. Now, the box says that the switches are Holy Panda X Tactile and respond without any lag at all. The housing of the Drop is aluminum, which spells quality and sturdiness. It's got a nice weight to it. After a week of using this keyboard, I found it to be very comfortable to type and game with and it gives off a lot of flair. But not everything is fine in the Shire and Drop has (and I apologize for this pun in advance) dropped the ring. The biggest issue comes in form of the app used to control most features. It wouldn't detect the keyboard no matter how or which USB port I plugged it in to. This led to hunting down tutorials and videos explaining how to flash the firmware. This is a problem and I hope that Drop will fix their app soon. It simply isn't great. You can use the function key to adjust many settings, but a software option is always the better choice. The next one is more of a personal gripe. The keyboard features lighting, but the keycaps are opaque. It would have been so much better to see the elvish light up. I game a lot at night and I rely a lot on the keyboard to offer enough light to see the keys. As I mentioned before, it's just a minor thing but if you're like me, you kind of expected to see the elvish symbols light up in a classy, shimmery style. All in all, the DROP + The Lord of the Rings TKL Wired Black Speech Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a hit and miss. It is great looking, it works and feels great. The price is justified by the quality of the build and the content of the box. Alright, now back to play Return to Moria.

I wanted to get the perfect surprise gift for a Lord of the Rings fan friend, who also just recently built their first PC and has yet to take the jump into the endless void that is mechanical keyboards. The DROP + The Lord of the Rings mechanical gaming keyboard was a must try for them. Pros: - Unique Lord of the Ring keys. - Feels good to type on. - No Software Needed. Cons: - Backlight Brightness & Non-Transparent Key Caps. - No key mapping or macro ability. Out of the Box: As soon as you take the keyboard out of the box, you can feel the heft and quality of the keyboard. DROP made sure this keyboard felt solid and good on the hands. With the Aluminum bottom and detailed cover, the keyboard just feels good. Included in the box with the keyboard are some alternative keys, which are different colors for customization, along with a key extractor tool and cable. One of my favorite features about the DROP + The Lord of the Rings keyboard is the complete lack of software. There is nothing that is needed to be using the keyboard. Though, at the same time, this is a bit of a drawback as there is no customization, lighting controls besides brightness, or key mapping. Though, for my target gift receiver, this is perfect as they are a simple type of user. Typing On It: Initially, I was a little worried about this keyboard for a few reasons, which was why I “tested” it out beforehand to ensure it wasn’t a dud. One was the ability to read the keys, as the script is easy to see, but not many can read this except for the hard core LotR fans. The little English text in the bottom of the key is so small, that reading it is basically impossible unless you have perfect vision. But honestly, I found out very quickly that the other ergonomic features were more than made up for this and I rarely if ever needed to look at the keyboard to hit the right key. This might be due to my constant use of a keyboard, but anyone looking at a keyboard like this will probably have more than enough practice typing. Another odd thing I wanted to test out was the curvature of the keyboard and keys themselves. The keys are aligned in a way that creates a small curve from the bottom keys to the top ones, like a stretched out “U”. This made typing more comfortable and accurate, but you do need wrist rest to set your hands at the optimum angle. Unfortunately, DROP did not include an arm rest, but you will need one for any long duration of use. The other odd curvy thing DROP did was the tops of the keys, they are domed down, which kind of catches your finger and makes typing easier. I’m not quite sure how to best describe it but I easily found my typing speed and accuracy improved greatly on this keyboard compared to a standard flat keyboard. The switches on this keyboard are the Holy Panda X, which feel amazing though I’m disappointed that they are not swap-able. Though, I doubt the intended recipient will be messing with any switches at this point so I’m not holding that against DROP. The Holy Panda X keys are perfect for typing, with more tactile than speed switches but almost no noise that is found with many of the clicky types. This is preferable in this case as well, as the space this will be used in is shared with a partner and I don’t want to start any fights over clicky noise. Lighting: Honestly, this is where the keyboard fails the hardest, no it is not because it doesn’t do RBG or add additional lighting options. I’m happy with the simple white lighting. The failure is that even at the brightest level the backlighting is just visible in a darker room, if you have any amount of light coming down on to the keyboard you will only see a faint glow at the highest level of brightness. Additionally, the key caps are not transparent, or at least the script should be transparent, so it shines like it was magic! That would have been so cool and given off LotR vibes, but nope. DROP missed out here. Conclusion: DROP did a great collab with Lord of the Rings with this keyboard, creating a simple solid keyboard that is feels amazing too type on. You won’t want to let go of it once you touch it! But sadly, DROP did miss out on some possibly cool and useability features by their choice of maximum brightness and key cap material. Any hard-core Lord of the Rings Nerd will appreciate this keyboard, but they will need to use it in a well lit room.

This TKL keyboard certainly delivers on the TLOTR feels. I have an all-black setup (desk, mouse pad, speaker set, and monitor) so this Black Speech edition is right at home. The keyboard feels premium and due to its anodized aluminum case is quite heavy. I appreciate the adjustable height back feet. The Training Black Speech kit printing is very clear, although the common writing is very tiny, and in some cases, such as with CAPS, ctrl, Alt, functions, etc., the description is at the bottom which is almost impossible to see. I love all the references, especially the Eye of Sauron on the board, the red Shards of Narsil enter keycap, and the One Ring inscription on the spacebar keycap. I wish they would have included a translation for the other keys. Hopefully the printing will last for a long time. While this is not marketed as a gaming keyboard, I would’ve liked to have a different set of WASD keycaps included. The great thing is that there are custom sets available out there (I am looking at those beautiful artisan keycaps!). The MT3 Dye-sublimated PBT keycaps seem to be well made and feel good to the touch. The keys are concave which is great for people who have trimmed nails, but not so much for long nails. Originally, I was confused as to why there were no f and j markers, but soon realized that these keys are much deeper than the others, which I ended appreciating. This concave design is taking me some time to get used to, as I noticed my accuracy and speed have suffered, but somehow still enjoy the typing experience. The typing experience is highly subjective. This keyboard features yellow Holy Panda X Switches, which are very linear with no “bump”. While this is not my preference (I prefer brown linear), I am warming up to them. They have a more “bassy” thud sound. The Drop Phantom Stabilizers work well, as I noticed no wobble at all. They also feel well-lubed. I would have liked a bit more dampening and a softer feel, though. While the typing experience is decent, it is unfortunate that the switches are soldered, which takes away from it being an enthusiast's keyboard. It is worth mentioning that there are no media controls, such as a volume rocker. My main complaint is that the LED backlight is terrible. It is weak, north-facing, and is obstructed by the caps. It would have been nice if the light would come through the lettering. It is also disappointing that the white lighting cannot be changed to say, red, as this would have immensely added to the Mordor aesthetic. Overall, this is a plain mechanical keyboard with minimal features that performs well. However, as a LOTR collector item, it is gorgeous and any enthusiast would certainly be proud to have it on display.