Closer Examination

The Drop + LOTR Elvish keyboard is a tenkeyless (TKL) form factor keyboard in the standard 87-key US ANSI layout, do not expect to see the keyboard itself available in other layouts/languages. It uses the Drop Entr keyboard as the base that is heavily modified as we will see. Indeed, the Drop Entr is part of the company's original keyboard lineup that includes the CTRL and ALT we covered before, and is a less-expensive keyboard with arguably dated features. The lower manufacturing cost makes it apt to be used for Drop's Impressions series of keyboards that allow users to purchase different color keyboards to better suit their needs, and this LOTR version is a specific upgraded keyboard. The Elven design is clearly seen here in the form of pad-printed case artwork from Olivia Shetler (OSHETART) on the light green plastic top cover, including the Two Trees of Valinor around the arrow key cluster. The colors are no doubt meant to invoke elves in their forest kingdoms, but admittedly I would have liked to see more artwork around the sides and on the back too. This is where the likes of Akko and Varmilo go further, with the latter also etching in the designs for a tactile experience in addition to the visual one.

The biggest contribution to the theme comes from the keycaps themselves. We saw on the previous page how the keyboard comes with six spare keycaps that belong to the popular Drop + LOTR Elvish keycap set, and this keyboard is intended to be the natural culmination of that set on a keyboard specifically made with them in mind. The majority of the keycaps here are from the "Training Elvish" base kit and there are some novelties from the "Elvish Extras" kit, including on Esc and the bottom row. The script used is one that J.R.R. Tolkien came up with as part of his world-building, and I previously mentioned how the actual legends are logically placed to allow people to type in a whole new language—not that anyone will publicly mention this lest they be judged! Consider it like the Hiragana equivalent we see on many just keyboards and keycap sets coming out of Asia, whereby it's pretty much an aesthetic choice. The English legends are either located on the front of the keycaps or in the bottom right corner in green. This does mean that typical secondary legends do not have space on the keycaps, and I must admit that putting these keycaps back together after disassembly, as we shall soon see, did take longer than usual owing to the less-practical nature of the keycaps.


Turning the keyboard around reveals a green anodized aluminium case that wraps around the sides and is still fairly low in profile. It has a metallic lustre to the finish and is cool to the touch too. The Drop + LOTR branding is seen here along with the various certification logos. There are rubber pads on the corners to help lift the keyboard so as to not scratch the case, while also adding friction against your desk. Two pop-out feet, also with rubber pads on the bottom, help optionally elevate the keyboard beyond what you get with the case design.


There is a flush-mount USB Type-C port on the side facing away from the user and placed towards the left corner so as to not interfere directly with a mouse cable for right-handed users. The keyboard is thus compatible with aftermarket cables, should you wish to jazz up your desk further with perhaps a green coiled cable. The provided stock cable in white doesn't really fit the aesthetics all that well, although it is completely functional, the usual 6' in length, and goes to an available USB Type-A port on your PC where USB 2.0 will suffice for power and data alike.


A look from the side shows the built-in elevation of the keyboard, which I would classify as a flat low profile without the keyboard feet used. At 32 mm in height here, this comes in handy with the tall MT3 keycap profile used here that has become quite popular with custom keyboard enthusiasts, and you can read more about it on this page. The six rows are sculpted and contoured to where you can very easily identify them simply by touch, and the top surfaces are curved and molded to naturally position your fingers in the middle to minimize wobble when pressing down. The provided keycap puller can be useful to help remove the keycaps for closer examination without risking scratching their sides as with a cheaper plastic ring-style puller, although I will say that sometimes I found it easier to simply use my fingers to pull out the keycaps, since there isn't much room between the plastic top cover and the keycaps themselves to fit the metal wires through. These keycaps are also made the exact same way as the replacement ones we saw before, with thick PBT plastic and dye-sublimed legends making for long-lasting and nice-feeling keycaps, although being opaque, thus not supporting any backlighting.


The Drop + LOTR Elvish keyboard gets Drop's own Holy Panda X switches instead of less expensive Gateron switches on the base Entr keyboard, and this is the only switch option available both here as well as on the Dwarven version. The switches are placed in a north-facing PCB, with an associated SMD LED poking through the recess in the switch housing. These are tactile, Cherry MX-style switches that are unfortunately soldered in place so you can't easily swap them out for an alternative you might prefer. Another upgrade from the Entr is the use of Drop's Phantom plate-mount stabilizers with their UHMWPE stems and PA12 housings. This might well be the best plate-mounted stabilizers I have used to date in being quiet, smooth, and consistent all together! I don't see any lube applied here, however, and that's an opportunity for further improvement.


Seen above is the Drop + LOTR Elvish keyboard with the replacement keycaps installed. I was already slightly miffed with the Ring and the Eye present on the stock keycap set, and this combination adds in Black Speech to make it a weird hybrid that might sully purists, as well as those who perhaps think the brown keycaps clash with the green and off white color scheme going on. It's not for me, although now you can have the famous "One Ring to Rule Them All" ring verse on your keyboard.