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Drop ALT High-Profile Mechanical Keyboard

$129

~~$230~~

Build and Save up to 15%

overview

details

reviews600

photos406

q&a32

discussions1.7K

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... / 65% KEYBOARDS / FULLY-BUILT KEYBOARDS / DROP

Drop ALT High-Profile Mechanical Keyboard

Name: Drop ALT High-Profile Mechanical Keyboard
Brand: Drop
SKU: drop-alt-high-profile-mechanical-keyboard
Price: 129 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.423333 (600 reviews)

600

$129

~~$230~~

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Product Highlights:

3 pin

Hotswap Sockets

Plate-mounted

Plate-mounted Stabilizers

QMK Compatible

Frequently bought together:

Drop Phantom Plate-Mounted Stabilizer Pack

Custom Keycap Set

Drop ALT Keyboard Soft Carry Case

overview

details

reviews600

photos406

q&a32

discussions1.7K

Customer Reviews

4.4

(600 reviews)

92% would recommend to a friend

By Feature

Sound

SilentLoud

Feel

StiffFlexible

Build Quality

5.0

(3)

ActivitiesPopular among reviewers

Paired SwitchPopular among reviewers

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BeefMan

Keyboard Club Member

May 19, 2023

Paired Switch:Tactile

Keyboards Owned:20

Verified Buyer

Pretty good in High Profile

It’s a good keyboard, but requires modding to make it great, in my opinion. Stabilizers aren’t lubed and needed foam for my taste.

Recommends this product? Yes

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Grunkle

Apr 25, 2023

Activities:Gaming

Paired Switch:Linear

Keyboards Owned:2

Verified Buyer

Excellent quality case

High profile is king!

Recommends this product? Yes

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ShunLegend

Keyboard Club Member

Mar 21, 2023

Verified Buyer

High quality

Great heft to the board and solid to build in

Recommends this product? Yes

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Y-o-s-h-i

Keyboard Club Member

Mar 14, 2023

Verified Buyer

drop alt customized

edit: drop alt high profile with cherry mx silent red lubed and everglide stabs. stupidfish foam for alt. noctua mat and cablemod custom coiled ceratoke cable. excellent

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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index.html

Mar 3, 2023

Verified Buyer

The world of mechanical keyboard is a vastly different place than when the Drop ALT High Profile first launched in 2019. When I wrote my initial review for the Laser version of this keyboard back in beginning of 2020, I was just getting into the hobby and the landscape was very different. In-stock keyboards were few and far in between, 75% keyboards hadn't been popularized yet, and NovelKeys NK65 Entry Edition launch was still months away. So ALT series keyboards were a decently competitive back then albeit with flaws like stabs that rattled and firmware that didn't have VIA support, other minor annoyances like RGB light settings that didn't persist when cable was reconnected. Not anymore. It's 2023 and in-stock keyboards are increasingly becoming the norm. So I'll keep the comparison to other in-stock keyboards. Drop ALT High Profile vs Budget In-stock Custom Keyboards If you're looking to get started in this hobby for dirt cheap and you don't care about the aluminum build, the discounted price of Drop ALT at $179 (down from $230 at the time of this writing) is still ALMOST double the price of NK65 Entry Edition coming in at $95. And for almost half the price, you gain: a proper south-facing 5-pin hotswap sockets so you don't have to mutilate your expensive switches and worry about switch interference with Cherry profile keycaps, thick silicone dampener to tune the sound profile, and a firmware that works with VIA out of the box instead of jumping through hoops to gain support (which can't be understated how important this is for beginners). These are features that are missing in Drop ALT. Both keyboards get per-key RGB but Drop ALT gets the case RGB around the perimeter (but is that worth almost double the price?). With NK65 being a barebones kit, you'd have to add the keycaps and switches anyway but then you can customize the look of this keyboard to your liking from the get-go. But unless you're happy with the included slate Drop Skylight keycap set, you'll most likely be getting custom keycaps anyway and add to the $179 (or use Drop's Build and Save feature with most configs coming in past $200 mark). Okay, so NK65 is phenomenal value at $95. What about if we pay a little bit more? Well, for additional $54 (still coming in under the price of Drop ALT at $149), you can pick up Bakeneko65 from CannonKeys. This keyboard was notable in 2021 for making the O-ring gasket mount, for that pillowy typing experience, accessible to the masses. While the case finish is not CNC anodized aluminum, nor does it have RGB lighting like the Drop ALT (it's cast aluminum and only has white LEDs), you get to experience putting together a keyboard that has a USB daughterboard, introduction to separate switch plate material like FR4, real Cherry stabilizers that doesn't rattle, wider variety of colorways, and a carrying case. The keyboard comes disassembled so it's an excellent platform to start learning about building custom keyboards and how the novel mounting style changes the typing experience. Drop ALT High Profile vs Similarly Priced In-stock Keyboards Once we're at $170+ price range, we're now in direct competition with other in-stock keyboards like Keychron Q1. For just $10 more than Drop ALT, you now get a 75% form factor with the included function row (which is must for software engineers like myself), a knob, gasket mounted PCB/plate, various foams for tuning the sound profile, wireless connectivity, support for screw-in stabilizers etc. Even browsing from within Drop's inventory, you're just better off picking up Idobao ID80 which is very similar with the integrated plate, per key south-facing RGB, additional function rows, screw-in Cherry stabilizers, and aluminum body for $179. So even at this (reduced) price range, Drop ALT doesn't offer much compared to competitors. They developed SENSE75 to compete with similar featureset but at a price reduction of $299 (originally $349), you're now entering Mode Sonnet territory, which is a benchmark for 75% keyboards above $300 price range. Conclusion These past couple of years have been very transformational for the mechanical keyboard market. For similar featureset, other keyboards have come down drastically in price. Otherwise, if the price is similar, they offer more features and customization options. This is what happens when there is a healthy amount of competition in the market. Prices come down and manufacturers have to differentiate by continuously innovating their product. Ultimately, that's a good thing for us consumers. But then I can't help but wonder whether Drop has been coasting on their keyboard lineup. EDIT: Proper QMK support from Drop is most likely abandonware at this point so avoid this keyboard if continued QMK support is important to you.

(Edited)

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edesk67

Feb 15, 2023

Verified Buyer

Very good keyboard

It is an excellent keyboard. Solid and functional. It would have 5 stars but one of the USB-c inputs is faulty. I just reached out to customer support. Hopefully it will be resolved in a timely manner. It is many times better than any of the plastic big brand gaming keyboard.

Recommends this product? Yes

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KingArthur01

Feb 14, 2023

Verified Buyer

A decent board for entry into the custom keyboard scene

I think this is a rather decent board for it's price and considering it's readily in stock. Sounds good and feels decent. I highly recommend picking this up over a razer board or any other "gaming keyboard" for that matter.

Recommends this product? Yes

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