Drop Sense75 review: a $350 keyboard without $350 of quality

Drop has become a popular retailer of keyboard components such as keycaps, but they also have a line of fully assembled models for those who want something that works right out of the box. These include $99 ENTR, $200 CTRL, and $250 SHIFT. Its latest model, his Sense75, is a little different.

With a gasket mount design, thick double-shot DCX keycaps, and compatibility with VIA keymapping software, Sense75 covers all the latest buzzwords as a premium keyboard for discerning enthusiasts. And its starting price ($349 for the fully assembled black version) leaves no doubt about the kind of customer Drop is targeting here.

Spending on a keyboard is a lot of money and gives you the right to scrutinize every detail of Sense75. However, the keyboard is under scrutiny for being totally unbearable.

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The muted Sense75 could almost pass for an office keyboard with RGB disabled, but that’s only half true. After all, the Sense75 offers a familiar mix of current mechanical keyboard design trends, including a 75% layout, gasket-mounted design, and, of course, the volume knob, an increasingly standard issue. Feature parity isn’t a bad thing, but it also means Drop has less work to do if you want to differentiate yourself from competing keyboards like the GMMK Pro and Keychron Q1.

We’ve been using the fully assembled black model of the Sense75, which Drop sells for $349, but there are several different versions available. A fully assembled white variant of the keyboard sells for $399, and a barebone model without switches or keycaps sells for $249 in black and $299 in white.

Considering the Keychron Q1 has an identical layout and almost identical features (gasket mounting system, RGB lighting, hot-swap sockets, etc.), it’s expensive, but at just under $180. When Keycaps and switches (our current recommendation for the best premium keyboards). There are arguments that Drop’s keyboards come standard with premium aftermarket components that can be used to upgrade Keychron’s keyboards, but only if you need the specific components Drop provides.

Visually, the Sense75 compares well with the Keychron Q1. Its look is crisp and well thought out and, like the Keychron, there is no annoying branding on the top of the keyboard. There’s no awkward square around the volume dial like you’ll find on most Keychron’s Q-series boards. At just over 3.1 pounds (1.42 kg), the keyboard feels heavy and solid. I am a big fan of this clean look.

This understated design extends to Sense75’s RGB lighting. Most mechanical keyboards offer some sort of he RGB lighting at this point. This usually shines upward around (and often through) the keycap. However, while the Sense75 has both per-key RGB lighting and exterior light strips, its keycaps are fully opaque and the exterior lighting faces downward, so you won’t see evidence of either when turned off. Good news for those who are not good at RGB.

As standard, the keyboard comes with a set of Drop’s DCX keycaps and sells as a standalone set for $99. We wrote about Drop’s keycap designs last year, but the short version is that he competes with GMK, who manufactures what many enthusiasts believe to be the gold standard for his keycaps in the aftermarket. It represents the company’s efforts. In short, Drop’s keycaps use thick, high-quality ABS plastic and double-shot construction with wonderfully crisp text. Those with a keen eye will spot minor discrepancies (my editor Nathan Edwards was quick to point out that the letter on the left Shift key almost reads “Shift t”), but they’re in Keychron’s inventory. Much better than the keycaps from , and one of the best you’ll find. with commercially available keyboards.

Keychron’s boards (even the affordable sub-$100 K-series models) ship with both Mac and Windows keycaps, while the Sense75 ships with just the Windows keycaps. . If you want to add Command and Option keys to your keyboard instead of Alt and “Super” keys (the Drop version of the Windows key), you can spend another $25 on the Mac Keycaps Add-on. The actual process of switching the keyboard between Windows and Mac compatibility modes is handled with keyboard shortcuts rather than the simple hardware toggle that Keychron uses. However, unless you regularly have to switch between two operating systems, it’s a rare problem.

A big advantage of the fully assembled Keychron Q1 being more affordable than the Sense75 is the availability of three different switch types. Sense75 has only one switch option. Drop’s Holy Panda X switch. There are no linear or clicky red or blue switches, or less tactile brown options. But if you buy a barebones version of the keyboard in black ($249), plus a set of his DCX keycaps in white on black ($99), you’ll end up spending the same amount as a fully assembled model. I have no cash left. for switch. It doesn’t seem like a big deal.

On the other hand, buying the barebones version of the Keychron Q1 and adding the same Holy Panda X switches and drop DCX keycaps that come standard with the Sense75 will set you back around $365. The keyboard is $161 and the keyboard is $99. Keycaps and switches are $105. (But the last number is a bit misleading. Drop is the only vendor for Holy Panda X switches, and they only sell in packs of 35 at $1.00, which means they cover 75% of the board. You’ll have to buy a pack of three to do this, which is almost comically hostile to users, but there are plenty of better switches at much cheaper prices.) With this setup, you’ll find very similar keyboards can’t get you for that much money.It will be reused for future boards.

In all fairness, if you had to pick just one set of switches to ship with your keyboard, you could end up doing much worse than the Holy Panda X. There’s a thunk you don’t get with brown or linear switches, and the keyboard combined with the aluminum case and plate is thick and solid to type on without the high-pitched ping you sometimes get from metal. In the case, thanks to the free use of the cushioning material.

Still, alongside Keychron keyboards, I much prefer the Keychron Q1. Both are gasket-mounted, but the switch plate is suspended between strips of squeeze foam, giving it a little give-and-bounce when typing, while the Drop’s keyboard lacks about the same amount of flex. , giving the Sense75 a stiff feel compared to the Keychron, which doesn’t exactly scream “gasket mount.”

The Drop’s PCB-mounted stabilizers (mechanisms under long keys that stop rattling) are also much more rattled than out of the box Keychron. The Q1’s spacebar sounds pop, but the Sense75 isn’t exactly a “$349 keyboard.” Overall, that means the typing experience only feels “so-so” rather than “great,” and I prefer the feel of his Keychron’s sub-$200 Q1.

Not only is there no choice of switches, but there is no option to get a European ISO layout keyboard. This is an ANSI (read: US-) only board. The Sense75’s switches are oriented south for better compatibility with aftermarket keycaps, and the socket on the PCB is 5-pin for maximum compatibility. Opening the keyboard is relatively easy, just loosen six screws on the underside of the case.

Sense75 also supports remapping, but it’s a little weird to set up. The good news is that you can remap keyboard keys, set macros, and adjust keyboard lighting using the excellent VIA software. The bad news is that the keyboard needs to be flashed with special VIA-compatible firmware before it can support VIA apps. This is because the keyboard’s stock firmware is designed for use with Drop’s own configurator tool, which is currently incompatible with Sense75. Support is expected to begin next month, but we were unable to test the feature as part of our review.

A final note on accessories: The Sense75 box has keycap pullers, switch pullers, and a USB-C cable next to the keyboard. The pull is nice. The switch puller has a much larger grip than Keychron’s, so it won’t strain your hands if you want to remove the Sense75’s dozens of switches. The cable is oddly short at 100 cm (about 40 inches) in length, and I had to use an extension cable to make it look neat with my desk setup. For comparison, the cable included with my his Keychron Q2 was 180cm long (about 70 inches) and much more comfortable.

The Drop Sense75 sits in a somewhat awkward part of the mechanical keyboard market. It’s not the most expensive keyboard ever sold. But with a starting price of $349, it competes primarily with DIY models that you build yourself at home. Most people are expected to make some tweaks and mods to get the exact sound and feel they want.

Keychron’s Q1, on the other hand, offers very similar specs to the Sense75 for under $200, and we think it’s a better typing experience than you’d reserve. Not really, but with the money you saved, you still have money left over to buy a set of Drop DCX keycaps, or a GMK or MT3, or really an aftermarket set of keycaps. If you’re ready to sacrifice quality but still want VIA programmability, you can spend less than $100 on Keychron’s V1 (the current pick of the best keyboards available to most people) Alternatively, you can get a wireless keyboard from Epomaker or Ajazz for under $200.

With a nice clean design, high-quality genuine keycaps, and classy underglow RGB lighting, the Sense75 looks as good as its price suggests. That means it will never feel perfect, and enthusiasts will still need to do some tinkering to get the exact feel they want. It works, but I can’t say it feels or behaves like a $350 keyboard right out of the box.

Photo by John Porter/The Verge