Drop, a company known for manufacturing and selling enthusiast keyboards and audiophile products, adds another mechanical keyboard to its line of peripherals licensed by The Lord of the Rings. Today is the mark drops the new and aptly named Black Speech keyboard which, as the name suggests, is based on Sauron, the Dark Lord himself.
This pretty cool look keyboard Features keys featuring characters from the fictional language Black Speech and a color scheme reflecting the darkness and fires of Mordor. Don’t worry if you can’t read Black Speech as there are regular English letters on the keycaps as well.
Famous iconography from the series is also present on the device, such as the Eye of Sauron on the Escape key, the Shards of Narsil on the Enter key, and the Inscription of the One Ring scattered across the spacebar. To complete the look there is another rendering of the Eye of Sauron at the top of the tower (custom drawn by artist OSHETART) sitting just above the arrow keys.
Customization is somewhat limited with the Black Speech keyboard as it isn’t Hot swappable. However, just like the rest of the Drop + LOTR range, you can at least mod the keycaps, and Drop has several LOTR keycap sets (opens in new tab). One kit has no English letters, just black language, perfect for hardcore LOTR fans, while another has a fiery Magma Orange colorway for that hell of a look. Remember that each set is a separate purchase overall.
Consistent quality
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Previously, Drop released two other mechanical keyboards depicting dwarves and elves from Tolkien’s world. TechRadar checked those Drop + LOTR Elvish keyboard just recently and, spoiler alert, we really enjoyed it.
As it stands, the Black Speech version will be of a similar quality. It features a similar ENTR anodized aluminum body that will survive a lot of wear and tear, except it’s (obviously) black. Additionally, the keyboard features the same Holy Panda X switches combined with Drop Phantom Stabilizers, just like the Elvish model. So you can expect the same great performance. Even something as mundane as typing will feel really good because of these components.
The only really negative aspect of the Black Speech keyboard is that the whole package is quite expensive. It’s currently available for pre-order alongside Drop’s website for $199 Keycap sets for $130 (opens in new tab)together they add up to about $330.
You’ll have to wait a while to get the Black Speech keyboard as it won’t ship until the end of March. We recommend acting quickly if you’re thinking of picking this up, as Drop has a large following. The BMR1 Near Field Monitor Loudspeaker (opens in new tab)which we will review soon are completely sold out by July.
And while we’re on the subject, be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated list The best PC speakers.
