Massdrop x Zslane Mercury Rocketeer Keyboard Reviews | Drop

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Massdrop x Zslane Mercury Rocketeer Keyboard

Mech Keys

FULL DISCUSSION

cmhamm

Aug 17, 2019

Verified Buyer

Don't understand all the negativity.

I read the generally poor reviews, but I thought that the keyboard looked so beautiful that I purchased it anyway, with the Halo True switches. I have to say it exceeded my expectations. I think that there were some people who compared it to the typewriter that it was modeled after, and were disappointed that the colors didn't exactly match. While that may be the case, I didn't have that expectation. To me, it looked more like the color of a 1940s refrigerator, and in that respect, it's perfect! The build quality of the unit I received is exceptional. The paint job is flawless, and I love the feel of the board. Nice and heavy, and the keycaps are very comfortable. I spent a couple hours lubricating my switches, which was easy with the included switch puller, and a really nice stainless steel keycap puller. The only thing I haven't attempted yet is the custom programming. I want to set it up the same way as my other 60% keyboards, so I'm going to wait until I get it to work before attempting. I suppose it's possible that might be challenging, but I work in technology, and I don't expect that it'll be all that much trouble. All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase. I mean, if you're into the aesthetic (which I very much am) then I would say not to hesitate to pick one up. The pictures that are currently on the page are very representative of the actual product. (And again, I never saw the pre-renders that were posted prior to it being manufactured.)

EDIT: The firmware update process is a little daffy, but I did get it to work, without having to compile the updater myself. I used the provided configurator to create a custom .bin file, and I was able to use mdloader_windows.exe, which is available here. (https://github.com/Massdrop/mdloader/releases) Not the most straightforward process, but I got it working. I sincerely hope that they can get this wrapped into the regular QMK configurator. The most annoying part is that I can save my configurations, but only within the browser. (The regular configurator allows you to download a .json file, so I can use it from any computer.) Still, annoyances aside, I was able to get everything working to my liking, and I'm happy with the product. I was also able to find two different USB-C cable at my local Staples which match perfectly. The one on the left is a metal-covered cable, which I hadn't seen before, but looks really sweet. The one on the right is a weird, high-grade feeling rubber, and the plugs match the style of the keyboard perfectly. I haven't decided which one I'm going to use, but they're both super cool looking.

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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johnxy888

Keyboard Club Member

Aug 27, 2019

cmhammVery cool that you were able to find those cables!

Aug 27, 2019

reywood

Jun 3, 2021

cmhammFor comparison, this is what people were told there were getting. The case should match the mods along the bottom and the brighter keycaps should not be neon toothpaste minty green. I understand that color matching is hard, but I expect Drop to also know this and have the requisite experience to make it happen. This is why people were upset.

(Edited)

Jun 3, 2021

Sail4sea

178

Jun 4, 2021

cmhammI use regular QMK to update keyboard firmware. It is kind of ridiculous that the board hasn't been added to the main QMK repository. ALT and CTRL have, but not this keyboard. You can find it on Massdrop's own repository though. I got my layers to work and even have arrows on a layer. I was disappointed by the color, but my numbered unit was 0005. I added potatowire's SA Vim caps.

Jun 4, 2021

hypersprite

151

Sep 27, 2021

cmhammYou said it in your post, us early suckers expected it to match the pictures we were shown, it did not. The green key caps were gross, mine lives in Box Royal under SA Oblivion now.

Sep 27, 2021

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