I am utterly in love - enough that I bought a second one!
The media could not be loaded. UPDATE (two months of ownership): Still utterly loving this keyboard. Currently swapping between it, and the GravaStar Mercury K1 in pink (yes, I now have a second Gravastar keyboard - I requested it as an anniversary gift!) that I purchased to go with an MAO profile "Pixel Meow" keycap set sold here on Amazon. Both keyboards are just too good, both stock, and after a keycap change!!! UPDATE (two weeks of ownership): I have TRULY reached keyboard nirvana! This keyboard sparks SO much joy for me, it's kind of ridiculous. Typing Experience: 6 stars out of 5 Yes, I - subjectively - find it's THAT good. I love, LOVE the looks, the sound, the feel (matte case finish AND typing), and the battery life. The keyboard also looks like it will be easy to disassemble (hex head screws), so servicing the battery at some point should be trivial, AND I don't have to worry about wimpy Philips screw heads being stripped. Software: 4 stars out of 5 It's unfortunately proprietary, but I bought the keyboard knowing that. It's pretty easy to navigate if you've used keyboard configuration software in the past. Unless I'm missing something, you can't customize the lighting on the outer edge, or for the logo screen (minus one star). There IS apparently a firmware update so you can DISABLE the backlight, but I haven't installed it at this time, as the RGB isn't a deal breaker, it's just not my preference. I scanned the software using Malwarebytes Pro and Windows Defender, and nothing was detected. Just wish they'd offer SignalRGB support (hint, hint). GENERAL COMMENTS: I cannot adequately express how much I LOVE this keyboard. This is now my favorite mechanical keyboard in my entire collection. For me, it's END GAME good. I've had zero issues, and it feels and sounds SOOO satisfying - and I say this as someone with dozens of mechanical keyboards, by a wide variety of manufacturers, in a variety of layouts, case and plate materials, switch brands and types, keycap profiles and keycap materials. I DID switch out the stock keycaps (which are honestly fine IF you like pudding-style keycaps), but I'd originally ordered this keyboard with a "Pastel Goth" vibe already in mind. I own Kiiboom's Sweet Rebel keycap set, as well as a small set of coordinating polycarbonate keycaps picked up here on Amazon. I thought they'd be amazing on the K1 Pro, and I was right! To optimize the appearance of the see-through polycarbonate keycaps, I DID change out the wonderful stock switches for MMD Aqua King 37g linear switches, but ONLY for those keycaps. The MMD Aqua Kings coordinate surprisingly nicely with the stock switches from a feel and sound standpoint, at least to my senses, while the clear housing and stem make them nearly invisible underneath the see-through polycarb keycaps. I've updated my review to include two still photos, and a video with full rainbow RGB, but the keyboard truly looks better in person. Battery life has been simply amazing, making it feasible to enjoy the wonderful RGB. If you disable RGB, however, this is going to run for a very, VERY long time between charges. I currently have the backlighting set so keys light up in white as I type (photo two), and it feels like the battery STILL never drains. GravaStar also somehow tweaked sleep mode perfectly (I'm using it in 2.4GHz mode), so it wakes up as soon as you start typing. So many keyboards I own skip the first character you type if there's ANY pause, and it's incredibly frustrating, especially when typing passwords! May I also add how cool it is that even the wireless dongle is textured to coordinate perfectly with the keyboard? I will NEVER mistake which keyboard this goes to, unless I buy a second one - which is a possibility, given how much I love this! I still have not downloaded or tried the configuration software, as I thankfully haven't felt a need to take that risk, however small. I do still wish they'd gone with VIA support instead of their own proprietary offering. If you like the looks, PLEASE give this a try. You will thank me later. If you love the "Pastel Goth" vibe, this is a fantastic choice to stylishly enhance the dark and twisty (yet adorable) vibes of a pastel goth keycap set! ORIGINAL REVIEW: I collect mechanical keyboards and accessories. Mostly sub-$150 boards, although they range up to $450ish. Since I already have a nice assortment of "standard" keyboards, I'm starting to go after more novelty/niche items. I chose the GravaStar Mercury K1 Pro as my birthday gift from my husband, taking advantage of the Prime Day sale. It just arrived about an hour ago, and I'm so VERY pleased! The construction is beautiful, and gives me a very futuristic, "Aliens" biomechanical vibe - one that I think H.R. Giger would appreciate! I love that the funky rear legs actually serve a purpose, and they click into one of two positions with such a satisfying sound! They even have built-in RGB, amazingly enough. Some might be concerned that the bottom of the keyboard case is plastic, in a keyboard at this price range, but this is still a hefty keyboard, so I consider it a good thing. GravaStar also spent a lot of time and attention designing the case bottom to enhance the futuristic, biomechanical vibe of the keyboard, and it truly looks amazing. SO well done, including the addition of built-in dongle storage. As an older mechanical keyboard hobbyist, I have long avoided Kailh switches. In the early days, they were seriously lacking compared to Cherry or even Gateron. Clearly, times have changed, as these GravaStar-Kailh switches are SO GOOD. So much so that I'll actually be leaving them in the keyboard. I had been impressed with how good the keyboard sounded in reviews, and I'm happy to report that it also sounds wonderful in person. Very thocky, nice feel, and solid quality stabilizers that I don't need to tinker with. I went with the Galaxy Black model, and I'm pretty pleased with the keycaps, but I'll still be swapping them out eventually. Pudding keycaps are a bit much for me, plus I bought this keyboard with a particular keycap set in mind. Minor criticisms are as follows: While the RGB is very bright, and I love how the ambient case RGB can be controlled separately from the keycaps, the keycap RGB is still glaringly bright *for me* on the lowest allowed setting. I wish it could go dimmer before your option becomes zero RGB at all. My other nitpick is that the LCD for the logo is such wasted potential, especially when there are much less expensive keyboards possessing fully functional screens with GIF support - albeit usually with janky configuration software to make it work. It's like the screen exists to tease us with its unfulfilled potential. If memory space on the keyboard allows (and it probably doesn't, sadly), I would love to see a firmware update that increases the functionality of the screen. Apparently there is a firmware update that allows you to disable the lighting, but I haven't downloaded it, yet. I'm hoping it also lets you pick a static color, as I'd prefer to color coordinate the backlight with my keycaps, vs. rainbow cycling. Software Concerns: While the default layout and FN layer are actually thoughtfully designed, IMHO software needs better treatment. QMK/VIA compatibility with Signal RGB support would have been the ideal, but GravaStar at least needs to make their proprietary software feel safer to download. While they are far from the only company to do so, they use Google Drive to host their software. Google Drive explicitly warns that the driver software installer may be dangerous, and cannot be virus-checked before download. Given there are a few reviews here reporting problems with being hacked and blame GravaStar, that can't help but make you paranoid. One customer implied it may have been from just the dongle, however; did they even install the software? Realistically, it's likely a coincidence that these three people regretfully ran into issues. I even set ChatGPT on the topic, and they saw nothing to indicate there is a concern, and indicated that purchases direct from the manufacturer, or a major seller like Amazon, should be perfectly safe. I would feel better, however, if GravaStar at least provided version information with MD5 checksums, and/or a passing Virus Total report. Read more
