Drop Expands Fully Customizable Keyboard With The 65% CSTM65

A couple of months back, I reviewed the excellent CSTM80 keyboard from Drop. As I said at the time, a high-quality mechanical keyboard is a joy to type on. A good keyboard is for a writer, like a violinist having a Stradivarius to saw away on. Great tools make for a much more satisfying job.

Now Drop is launching its second premium mechanical keyboard, this time in the form of a desk-saving 65% layout that provides most of the keys you need while doing away with some of the keys you don’t. A 65% layout gives you all the alphanumeric keys you’d expect but excludes a row of Function keys although there is a function button to invoke a second layer on the keyboard.

Drop’s CST keyboards are highly customizable and feature an advanced construction to give the kind of typing experience that makes a day slaving in from of a screen much easier to bear.

The CSTM65 can also be customized with a range of colorful covers that simply latch on magnetically, making the keyboard easy to clean and offering quick and easy changing of switches and keycaps. The covers are available in polycarbonate or aluminum, depending on the look and feel you want.

The compact 65% layout of the CST65 is ideal for people who want a mechanical keyboard that’s smaller and more portable, which still offers full-height keys rather than a low-profile design. Designed to be easily removed and replaced, users can choose from a wide range of colorful cases as well as decorative cases featuring a range of artwork, enabling them to personalize the look of their keyboard. It makes sense that if you’re going to be tapping away at a keyboard for most of the day, you may as well have one that’s aesthetically pleasing.

As well as the customizable covers, the CST65 can be further tweaked with a choice of keycaps, switches, custom weight options, switch plated and cables. The design of the CST65 reminds me of the excellent range of Mode keyboards, such as the Solo, but at a more affordable price.

According to Lukas Mondoux, Director of Drop Studio, Corsair, enabling its customers to experiment with personal expression and customization is at the core of Drop’s identity and will remain a central focus for the brand throughout 2024. With the CSTM65, Drop wants to offer a more compact keyboard that can be fully customized.

A fully assembled CSTM65 keyboard offers a selection of enthusiast features including gasket-mount, ABS keycaps with shine-thru side legends, south-facing switches, PCBA-mounted stabilizers, 5-pin switch support, RGB lighting, plus a customizable weight by selecting from five different switch plate options.

In addition to these features, the keyboard is built with multiple layers of foam throughout to give it a beautifully solid sound and feel. There’s a choice between tactile Gateron Brown Pro 3.0 switches or the quitter linear Gateron Yellow KS3. As the switches are all hot-swappable, they can even be changed for other Gateron-compatible switches such as the ultra-clicky Blue version.

Just to be clear, like the CSTM80, the new CSTM65 is not a wireless keyboard, this is strictly USB and that means there’s no worry about running out of power when in the middle of work. Also, wired mode keyboards provide the lowest levels of latency, making them far more responsive for gamers than a Bluetooth keyboard.

There’s a lot to like about the Drop CSTM65. For a start, it’s a very easy keyboard to type on without many typos. The pitch between the keys is perfect for my medium-sized hands. The Gateron Brown Pro 3.0 switches have a nice click and a light feel that makes them ideal for touch typists.

The Gateron Red switches might be a better choice if you are working in a shared office. I am not overly keen on legends printed on the front of the keycaps instead of on the key surface, but each to their own and it’s very easy to replace the keycaps with another design or you could even order your custom CSTM65 with different keycaps.

Each of the Drop’s CSTM65 keys features RGB backlights which can be switched on or off simply by pressing Fn+Tab. There’s a range of animated lighting effects to choose from, enough to keep the average gamer happy and absorbed for hours. Furthermore, because the keyboard uses QMK firmware, all the keys can be customized and remapped using VIA software or through a browser. You can even customize the lighting patterns to suit your needs. Finally, there’s a Fn for setting the keyboard for Windows or Mac, plus Drop very kindly includes macOS modifier keys for those of us who prefer to work with Apple computers.

Verdict: The Drop CSTM65 is the ultimate customizable compact keyboard thanks to its 65% layout. Frankly, I didn’t miss having the extra row of function or media keys. For serious users who type all day, whether coding or writing, the 65% layout is ideal and keeps the focus on the job. The tactile feedback and deadening of the keys (thanks to all those layers of foam) make it a joy to type on. You can upgrade the keys over time and even ring the changes by ordering a new case which is currently available in white, black, Laser Purple, Skiidata orange, and Shinai Green. If you want to dip your toe into the rabbit hole of mechanical keyboard modding, the Drop CSTM65 is a cost-effective way to get started.

Pricing & Availability: The Drop CSTM65 mechanical keyboard is available on the Drop website in both barebones ($79 /£62.18 / €72.65) and fully assembled configurations featuring the keyboard, keycaps, switches, stabilizers, and black polycarbonate case ($129 / £101.53 / €118.79). Customers can also purchase polycarbonate color cases separately in white, black, Laser Purple, Skiidata orange, and Shinai Green ($25 each), as well as an upgraded forged aluminum case in anodized silver or black ($59 each). A decorative case designed by OSHETART is also available to purchase for ($35), with more designed cases and collaborations to come.

More info: drop.com

Features:

• Design: Gasket-mounted.
• Layout: 65%.
• Cover: Magnetically attached customizable case.
• Backlight: RGB LEDs.
• Keycaps: Custom ABS south-facing.
• Stabilizers: PCBA mounted.
• Switches: Hot swappable with 5-pin support.
• Apple support: Fully assembled keyboards come with a set of macOS keys.
• Polycarbonate color cases: White, Black, Laser Purple, Skiidata Orange and Shinai Green.
• Aluminum cases: Anodized silver and black.
• Custom weight options: Stainless steel with black PVD coating, stainless steel with chromatic PVD coating, and brass with clear coating (available separately).
• Switch Plates: Aluminum, brass, FR4, carbon fiber and POM (available separately).
• Firmware: QMK, VIA and Vial.