Drop Sense75 Mechanical Keyboard US$163.90 (A$242.70) Delivered @ Drop

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• 

  simontadaa on 13/06/2023 - 02:03

  Hows this compared to keychron q1? Better or worse at this current price?

  • 

    iridiumstem on 13/06/2023 - 02:18

    +1

    It's bit difficult to say (since I don't own a Sense75). I am leaning towards Sense75 though. This is a keyboard that used to cost far more than Keychron Q1. While it was a terrible value proposition with its original price, I think it's a good value with current price.

    What is good or bad in a hobby I think is more preference thing, so I cannot really say.

    I personally think this is a better value proposition as Holy Panda X and DCX keycaps are probably more expensive to get compared to what's given with Q1. Whether you would like those more would depend on your preference, but I would personally lean towards those that comes with Sense75 over what Keychron provides.

    Also, compared to Keychron Q1, I think Sense75 look at least unique enough with LED diffusers on the bottom. RGB underglow would at least look unique when you are typing.

    Ultimately, it's a hobby and it's going to depend on your preference, but if I didn't have a Q1 with me, I personally would have gone with Sense75 instead. At $250 USD + Shipping, I think I would've saved the money for something else or gone with something cheaper, but at USD $150 + Tax, I think it's really good.

• 

  Masticccc on 13/06/2023 - 06:40

  +2

  As a person who spends 5 digits budget in custom keyboard hobby, I kinda refrain from buying Drop keyboards at the original price (obv a rip off). But at this price, it's okay if you aware the following things:
  1. Holy Panda X: it's Drop "enhanced" version of the original Holy Panda, but there are mixed reviews about it. In general it's noticeably different from og HP so watch some soundtest and reviews to get your own judgement
  2. Stabilizers: Drop stabs are meh, if possible switch to Durock/Everglide as a safe choice (there many good stabs in the market if you do your research, Durock is just a widely sale one)
  3. Typing experience: Drop keyboards in general feel stiff when typing, and this one is not an exception. Just a personal taste, not a good-or-bad thing but if you buying this board thinking "it's a gasket mount so it will be bouncy" then no this is not the one.
  4. Limited options/customization: only Black/White cases. Look at Keychron Q1, Monsgeek M1 colors, there more options like orange, blue and purple. Keychron Q1 even have ISO layout option though I doubt anyone use that layout in Aus lol. And Keychron kit is easier to mod than Sense75 imo.
  5. Customer services: Overseas vs domestic vendor, obviously more hassle and time-consuming. But they still do their job well (at least with my experience).

  Tldr: If you want a try for Drop keyboard as a beginner, and don't care much about customization + only want a plug and play mech keyboard, Sense75 is good at this price. Alu case, gasket mount, quality keycaps + switches (suit your taste or not, do your research), QMK/VIA ready, rgb lightings, 75 exploded layout which is the trend currently, knob availability, hotswap south-facing pcb…. it ticks all the box. But if you can and want to customize the kit, Keychron Q1 and Monsgeek M1 are better imo.

  • 

    iridiumstem on 13/06/2023 - 07:00

    Frankly speaking, if you are looking at M1, I think you would be looking at barebone model. I think it's more costly when you add everything up compared to going with a full kit that includes switches and keycaps. If you are happy with going with AKKO switches and GMK clones, you might be able to make this budget? Otherwise I think it would not be that easy to get a keyboard with switches and keycaps at this budget. That said, it would definitely give you more flexibility.

    As with Holy Panda, eh, I kinda see this more as a tactile switch that they stuck Holy Panda naming to. Both GMMK and Drop wanted to join the hype, which I think is more of a past thing given how many tactile switches are available nowadays. That said, I feel like this switch would be more interesting than brown switches if you are looking at getting Q1. Plus, Gateron Browns are probably something you can easily grab from Aliexpress, local vendors or second hand/

    As with modding… hmmm, probably? I am not sure whether there are any other modding that you'd do with the keyboard that would be more difficult with this keyboard. PE foam mod, tempest mod and changing gaskets I assume would be similar as long as you can pull the keyboard apart. Q1 did come with bunch of gaskets and I guess it's much easier to get additional plates rather than to wait for another free shipping events from Drop (as their shipping rate is ridiculous at $20 USD).

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 13/06/2023 - 07:04

    +4

    Bro over $10,000 on keyboards?

    • 

      Masticccc on 13/06/2023 - 07:40

      "Average" custom keyboard price is 300 usd ~ 500 aud, expensive ones are 1000 Aud. You can check Daily Clack, an Australia vendor for mechkey. Also GMK keycaps are 150-200 aud per kit, and I have like 10-20 of them. Not to mention artisan keycaps, each of them cost from 50 aud - 200 aud depends on the brand.
      All the price above is just the original price, assuming you can get it at that price. Most of the time you will get the products from other buyers, and they can ask for a hefty price depends on the rarity. Type TGR Jane on reddit r/mechmarket and you will be surprised lol

      • 

        OzBargaincreeper on 13/06/2023 - 08:45

        +1

        As our local keyboard enthusiast, do you know of any keyboards like a keychron but have low latency ?

        I'm looking for a gaming 65-75% form with a budget much smaller than yours of ~$150

        I'm trying to avoid the all black with RGB style that most gaming boards are in, such as the HyperX Alloy Origins 65

        Thanks !

        • 

          Sleepycat3 on 13/06/2023 - 09:08

          @OzBargaincreeper: The ones without a programmable layer seem to have the lowest latency. I guess it is because it doesn't have a general purpose controller processing the keystrokes and instead have a fixed ASIC specific to the keyboard, which makes sense if you are mass producing a larger number of the same keyboard type and the development cost of the ASIC is amortised across the entire keyboard sales volume.

          Here is a list of the keyboards with the lowest tested latency, and Keychron doesn't score well.
          https://www.rtings.com/keyboard/tests/latency

          Personally, I'm using the Monsgeek M1 in red with Gateron milky yellows and an AKKO black and rose ASA keycap over USB.

          These custom keyboards are not designed for the lowest latency for fps gaming. Even the use of mechanical switches add significant "latency" from the key stroke travel before recognising an input. The fastest keys should be those keyboards with low travel electrical contact film, i.e. all the cheap ones.

        • 

          Masticccc on 13/06/2023 - 09:09

          @OzBargaincreeper: Unless you are using bluetooth/wireless mode, I don't think keychron keyboard is bad in latency? And tbh "gaming keyboard" is not my forte, if not to say custom keyboard hobbyist hate gaming keyboard the most (logitech, corsair, razor…..). Custom keyboard hobbyist emphasize on typing experience (feel and sound), they also prefer minimalist aesthetic. On the other hand, gaming keyboard usually have the gamer look and focus more on gaming experience (software, macro keys) which us hobbyists normally don't care.
          If you dont need "gamer looking" keyboard and dont mind plastic case keyboard then you can have a look on Akko keyboards

        • 

          iridiumstem on 13/06/2023 - 10:38

          @OzBargaincreeper: Asus Rog falchion? They are on special right now from Pccg, going for 100 bucks.

          • 

            OzBargaincreeper on 22/06/2023 - 23:27

            @iridiumstem: After running into a lot of dead ends of keyboards I liked sold out and discontinued, I ended up buying the falchion so thanks for the suggestion

        • 

          OzBargaincreeper on 13/06/2023 - 11:22

          @OzBargaincreeper: Thanks for the replys, I'm on a wait list for a akko board now and am scouring that latency list for some other options

          You might be right about the wired latency on keychron being ok, not in the <4ms range but not too far out at 6.5ms👍

      • 

        beet on 13/06/2023 - 22:43

        Not to derail the post, but I've just preordered the Zoom75 for $378 AUD (hopefully its a good price?). Do you have a recommendation for some switches and keycaps that are on the budget side but can still get a nice thock?

        This is will be my 2nd ever mechanical keyboard, with the Durgod K320 being my first.

        Also, is there a good way to try out different switches? Trying to find those switch testers, but they are either sold out or have random switches I've never heard of before.

        • 

          Masticccc on 13/06/2023 - 23:05

          +1

          @beet: Zoom75 for that price is fine, I think the gb price is 220 USD so tax + shipping include it's the same thing.
          For thocky keycaps, general rule is that PBT is thockier than ABS and tall keycap profiles (KAT, SA, MT3) thockier than the others (cherry profile, OEM, DCX….). Either wait for Drop weekend discount, they usually have 50% sale or buy one get one for MT3 profile, or get SA Domikey from aliexpress/kprepublic), should be <100 aud for base kit.
          With the switches, cheapest ones that still thocky are Jwick and Gateron Milky Yellow. If you have more money then Boba U4T and maybe Novelkeys Cream. Honestly just search for "budget thock switch" on Youtube and check the soundtest to buy the best suit for you. Remember that thockiness is different with each keyboard and soundtest quality, so buy x10 switch as a test first before order for your whole kit. All the switches above are available in Aussie mech key vendors so you dont need to dive too deep.
          For try out different switches, again with no money Youtube is your friend. I usually dont go with switch tester since they dont have the better switches in the market recently (usually just Cherry, Gateron, Kailh, Outemu… those big brand). Join mechkey community on Facebook, Reddit and Discord and you can find helpful advices from the members

  • 

    Bacons on 13/06/2023 - 12:57

    what customs do you have

    • 

      Masticccc on 13/06/2023 - 15:46

      Owlab Spring, Satisfaction75, Fuji75…. to name a few