Introduction

A little over an year ago, Drop decided to get serious about it's interests in the keyboard and audio hobby space, and sent us its CTRL and ALT keyboards for review. The keyboards were well built although overpriced for what they offered at the time, and admittedly that wasn't on Drop given these keyboards had been out for a while already, so I was looking forward to see what was next to come from Drop. As it turns out, a whole overhaul of the pre-built lineup combined with new licensed IP was the end result. Drop introduced its new Icon collection of keyboards that comprises of the Expression, Signature, and Paragon series, going from more affordable to more premium/expensive. The licensed IP includes heavy-hitters such as Marvel and The Lord of the Rings, in addition to PC-relevant brand Noctua, and we will take a look at some of these over the next few weeks.


I'd be remiss if I did not confess I am a massive Tolkien fanboy. I have all his published work—some in multiple forms (to collect and to read)—and can probably win most pub quizzes on the subject. For example, I recognize that the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Elvish keyboard seen above, which I will henceforth shorten to Drop + LOTR Elvish for convenience, uses the Tengwar script as adopted by the high elves although it's not in a 1:1 latin translation when it comes to placement. Indeed, the keycap creator Matt3o intends for these to be used for a more logical typing of actual Sindarin, should there be LOTR nerds who study the language, although for most others here the basic appeal of the keyboard would be aesthetics and an homage to a beloved fantasy universe. This keyboard released recently alongside another one going the Dwarven route, to no doubt be part of the LOTR: The Rings of Power show hype at the time, and both products use keycaps from previously released keycap sets/kits alike. Thanks to Drop for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp, as we begin our closer examination of the keyboard with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Themed keyboards typically come with matching packaging, and the Drop + LOTR Elvish keyboard is no different. The product box uses a two-piece packaging with an external sleeve that uses a map of middle-earth printed on the front and sides. I won't claim it's authentic to the time, but it calls out the relevant locations people who have read the books or watched the movies are familiar with. In that regard it does the job of associating this keyboard as a product come about from the officially licensed IP. This gets confirmed on the back with the Middle-earth Enterprises logo, so you know this is not a rip-off or clone of any sort. The Drop logos show up on the inner box itself where we also see a sticker with more details about the exact SKU inside.


The inner box is all black without much to see outside of the thicker cardboard employed for further protection and the various aforementioned Drop logos. There's a single seal and a double flap on the side to help keep the contents in place during transit. Open the box to see the keyboard placed inside a cardboard layer and a quick instruction guide above it to let you know of the pre-programmed functions on the keyboard. The accessories are found in a bottom layer snugly packed in a foam sheet with machined cutouts.


Drop includes here the expected detached USB Type-C cable itself, in addition to a metal wire-style keycap puller. The absence of a switch remover tool suggests the lack of hot-swappable switches on the keyboard. Rounding off the unboxing section is a set of replacement keycaps for space bar, enter, and the arrow keys. These are some of the "Autumn in Rivendell" add-on kit that was part of the original Drop + LOTR Elvish keycap set release from last year. The keycaps are made of thick PBT plastic in a brown base color, and the legends/designs are dye-sublimed in black so as to not fade over time.