Drop CTRL Mechanical Keyboard — Tenkeyless TKL (87 Key) Gaming Keyboard, Hot-Swap Switches, Programmable Macros, RGB LED Backlighting, USB-C, Doubleshot PBT, Aluminum Frame (Kaihua White Box, Black)

I lovve this keyboard, except this keyboard is horribly dysfunctional. I have now bought it twice, and it simply doesn't work - it does multiple strokes of certain keys. For example, I'll always hit P and it does PPppp a few times. It's now started doing it with T, B, and V after a month of use as well though less frequenttly. I got another one with different keys in case perhaps it was just the keys (this is after all Halo switches). Nope! The other switches do the same thing and I had to return this one. I am deeply heartbroken about this purchase since I abbsolutely love the keyboard, but as I'm a person with an actual job and stuff, typos like Ppresentation and such get very old VVERY quick.Oh look itt's literally doing it for other keys now too.

I've used this keyboard for a week and I'm impressed. I've used dozens of keyboards (mechanical or otherwise), and this one has quickly become my main driver. Initially I was hesitant about not having a number pad, but I've found that the smaller size works much better on my desk and I don't miss the number pad nearly as much as I thought I would.The keyboard itself is an aluminum body which gives it a premium look and feel. The keys themselves have a slight texture to them which I found nice. The magnetic stands provide the ability to use different angles of incline. They attach quickly and are secure. The LEDs on the keys themselves and around the base are bright (and can be adjusted to your preferred level).Changing key strokes/LED colors/patterns is pretty simple. While the keyboard supports using QMK, I found it easier to use the Drop Keyboard Configurator on their website. QMK likely offers significantly more options, but the website tool allows me to change colors and key mappings. Additionally they plan to add macro support to their tool in the future (per their website), which will add even greater customization options.My main reason for getting this keyboard is the hot-swappable switches. I prefer to type on Cherry Blue switches (which is the version I purchased), but when playing an FPS I tend to prefer Cherry Red switches for a number of keys. Now instead of having to deal with my blue switches or switch to an entirely new keyboard, I can swap out the 10-ish keys to new switches in two minutes and be on my way. Maybe not an issue for most people but it's made the keyboard entirely worth it for me.The bottom line is this is a top-notch keyboard. It has tons of customization options (which will get even better when macro support is added). The hot-swappable switches are awesome. I will likely order another for my second PC.

I've had the keyboard for a few days now and I can say it's one of the nicest pieces of kit I've bought for my Rig. It's well made, has a USB C Hub built-in so you can daisy chain with it or charge your phone. The magnetic raisers are satisfying to place and extremely sturdy. Both The RGB Backlighting and under light is rich and the controls are intuitive (they all revolve around a FN (function) key)I'm moving from a more traditional plastic mass-produced mechanical to this. It's heavy and well built, this thing will easily outlast the computer it's connected to. The keycaps feel great and the key layout is nice and tight which allows me to type with more accuracy. Easily worth the premium over cheaper models.As an added benefit you are able to replace the Switches of the keyboard if down the road you want something else or to add a bit of customization.I've purchased other massdrop (Drop) products in the past and I'm constantly satisfied with the quality and attention to detail. this keyboard isn't any different.

It looks great. It feels great. It IS great. I originally bought it with the Halo clears thinking they would be good quiet tactile switches, but really didn't like them and swapped them with gateron blue switches. Obviously not quiet but they feel fantastic. When picking which one you want in this keyboard I highly recommend that you feel that switch in person whether it be on a friend's keyboard or a small sampler.The software for this keyboard could be more user friendly especially for how expensive it is. If it's important to you you should watch a video on how to configure it before buying it, but if you even know what QMK is you're more than likely qualified to configure it pretty easily.There are cheaper alternatives for hotswappable mechanical keyboards that are still very nice like the Tecware Phantom, but nothing that is this good. This keyboard sits at the top of if not out of the price range for most gamers but is more than reasonable for keyboard enthusiasts.This keyboard is not for everyone. You are buying a whole experience not just a hotswappable keyboard. You're paying for the sleek aluminum base, the keycaps, the hotswappability, the RGB, and the reliability since this thing is YouTubes golden child. My favorite part about this design is you can put it in just about any setup. It looks clean and professional but also can match an aggressive gamer setup just by adjusting the lights. A potential downside that I noticed is the keycaps are unreadable without some light under them. I actually like it because it makes any RGB effects where the lights go out more fun but see how it could get annoying.A tip if you've already bought it and are trying to change out the switches with the given tool, wedge in the tool under one of the grabbable sides of it and turn it to loosen the switch before trying to pull it out. Those contact points squeeze on the pins surprisingly hard.

I've been using the DROP CTRL as my daily driver for over a year now and I'm very satisfied with it. It's pricey for sure, but I have some very specific asks from a keyboard and this nailed all of them perfectly and I've had no quality issues to speak of with it.Probably the major reason I wanted this model is the hot-swap keycaps. It's not exactly "easy" to remove the key switches, but after you do it several times, you can get the hang of doing it with the included tool. The Halo True keyswitches I received weren't really my thing, and I suspected that when I ordered. Personally I like linear quiet keyswitches like the Cherry MX silent. I bought some Gateron silent switches of various types off Ebay and swapped out all the switches with those, using lighter keyswitches for modifiers. For me, it's perfect, and the CTRL's hot-swap sockets made this easy.The included keycaps are lovely and a great design, I really like them. The one qualm I have about them is that I keep the lights off on the upper function row because otherwise they'd reflect off my monitor, and with lights off, the stock keycaps can be quite hard to read. This is a very minor nitpick, though, and is probably true for any dark keys with shine-through keycaps.I also love that you can easily customize the keyboard layout, using QMK to do this was fairly easy. I'm a developer so I even coded some specific tweaks I wanted. For example, I have the keyboard start up with a mid-brightness warm-white glow on all keys except the top row and spacebar (to avoid seeing the light from the edges reflecting off my screen). I also customized the Fn layer keys quite a lot and made Caps Lock an Fn key. I turned the "Ins" key into a Media Play/Pause key.I digress but the point is that if you want this sort of extreme customization, you've got it with the CTRL and I'd never buy another keyboard that doesn't have this sort of flexibility because now I'm hooked on my obscure, personalized keyboard layout.

Pros.1. It works, did a keyboard checker, and it works on both mac and windows.2. No repeated key entries ( the common QC complaint about this board )3. BEAUTIFUL board - nothing compares ( subjective )4. Silver Speed Switches are amazing.5. The build quality is 100%.6. Earth-friendly packaging.Cons.1. If you use a USB Switch, you have you to have a dedicated AC power for the switch/hub. The board draw > 2W I think.2. Default LED Colour scheme is too tacky for my taste, fun but too "gamery/tacky"3. Burns holes in your wallet.TLDR, good chance I would buy it again for work.Time to code boys

El cuerpo de aluminio le da una sensacion BASTANTE solida. Una construccion excelente. Esta pesado y no se mueve tan facil cuando lo quieres acomodar. Los switches Halo True son geniales para escribir, los uso en la oficina para programar y mi WPM ha mejorado sustancialmente desde que los uso. La iluminacion es bastante potente y se puede editar los valores y comandos de las teclas facilmente a traves de qmk, hay tutoriales en video en internet, busquenlos.La misma pagina de DROP te puede guardar y generar los perfiles para instalar al teclado. El 2do puerto USB-C se puede usar como hub. En general recomiendo bastante este teclado para todos los casos. El hecho de que sea hot-swappable significa que se adapta a todo: gaming, escribir, programar, etc...Pronto le pondre mis Holy Pandas :D

The quality of those is amazing. Solid aluminum, I love the Kailh Box Whites for gaming/typing, nice rough keycaps with a font that's to my taste. However, I do have a few complaints.The first thing that I don't like is that the light diffuser is not smooth enough, you can notably see where the bulbs are, as there are obvious bright/dark shifts between each of them. Secondly it does not have a easy to use software, its quite primitive although does have enough functionalities. Saving the profile and switching between them is also quite a hassle. The last thing that annoyed me is when I realized most after market cables will not work with this board because of how much power it uses. It's annoying because I really would have liked some coiled cables with aviator plugs.Great "end-game"esque keybaord but not perfect.

The build quality is wonderful. The keyboard has a nice heft to it, and the keys feel wonderful. It's a shame that it's not properly grounded. Any static, and the keyboard shuts down. You have to unplug it and plug it back in. This is a real disappointment - especially at the price point.