When it comes to cheap mechanical keyboards, there are many options, but finding the one that offers the best bang for the buck can be pretty difficult. So, to make things simpler, we decided to compare all those keyboards that come in the same price range and then choose the best one among them.
DREVO claims to have made the best affordable keyboard on the market – the DREVO Gramr 84.
Well, how good or bad is the DREVO Gramr 84 Mechanical Keyboard? You might be wondering. That’s precisely what I’m here to tell you.
In this article, I’m going to talk about the DREVO Gramr in detail. I’ll be talking about the build and design of it and the features, specs, pros and cons, and everything in between. So, without wasting any further time, let’s get into this in-depth review of the DREVO Gramr 84.
In a hurry? Get the DREVO Gramr 84 at amazon.com!
Table of Contents
DREVO Gramr 84-Key 75% Keyboard
The DREVO Gramr 84-Key Mechanical Keyboard is a 75% keyboard with white LED backlighting, customization options, and many other high-quality features for a very affordable price.
This keyboard has made quite a reputation in the market because of how much it offers at such a reasonable price. So, of course, seeing how popular this keyboard is, I had to get it for myself as well, so I did.
What’s In the Box?
The DREVO Gramr 84-key Mechanical Keyboard comes in a nice-looking, minimalistic kind of box. This box doesn’t have any instructions or anything on it. Only the type of switches is highlighted.
Upon opening the box, I found a plastic dust cover over the keyboard for protection. This was really great. Under that, there was plastic sheet wrapping. Here’s what I found in the box:
- DREVO Gramr Keyboard
- Instructional Manuals
- Complementary Keycap Puller
One of the best things about these affordable keyboards is that they always offer something to the users as a complementary addition, like the plastic keycap puller included in the DREVO Gramr’s box.
Excellent Design and Build Quality
Let’s get to the review. First off, let’s talk about the design of the DREVO Gramr. The keyboard is a very compact and naturally inclined keyboard with a top-shell design. The bezels of this keyboard are very slim, and the overall look is pretty nice even though the price of this keyboard is low. The build of the keyboard is mostly plastic.
On the back of the keyboard, there are four rubber feet. There are also a couple of kick feet with rubber ends that make sure the keyboard doesn’t slide when they’re kicked up. There is also a plastic wire holder and a few cable routing options as well.
The switches are mounted on a steel back-plate. The keyboard, in terms of build quality, is very high. There’s no flex to the keyboard whatsoever. This keyboard will last you a pretty long while.
Overall, the design and build quality of the DREVO Gramr keyboard is pretty excellent for the price it comes for. So, we can say so far; there’s nothing terrible in this keyboard.
ABS Keycaps with Double-Shot Legends
If we take a look at the keycaps of this keyboard, they’re made of ABS plastic which isn’t the best material out there, and the texture of the keycaps is also a bit rough. But there’s one redeeming quality about these keycaps on the Gramr keyboard that they’re double-shot. This basically means that the legend imprints are completely fade-free.
However, the type-face used for the keycap legends is not the best. It is supposed to be very techy, and that doesn’t look pretty great or decent. On the other hand, they are shine-through, so you’ll be able to see the backlight through these legends.
So we can say that in terms of the ABS keycaps and the double-shot legends, the situation for this keyboard is average. But given the price of the keyboard, I’d say the ABS keycaps can be justified, not the cartoonish typeface, though.
Outemu Blue Clicky Switches
When it comes to the mechanical switch of the DREVO Gramr, they’ve used the first choice of budget mechanical keyboards, the Outemu mechanical keyboard switches. However, the DREVO Gramr has a lot of options in terms of switch types, so you can get whichever you want. My keyboard came with the Outemu Blue Clicky Switches, though.
A bit about the Outemu Blue Clicky Switches is that they offer excellent tactility, high noise, and a more significant actuation force requirement to be pressed. Each keypress gives a clicky sound. These key switches are the best for typing requirements. The heavy click on the blue switches makes it the best for precise and accurate typing. Overall, for the price, Outemu blue clicky switches are an excellent choice for sure.
White LED Backlighting
One of the best features of the DREVO Gramr 84-Key Mechanical Keyboard is the White LED Backlighting that it comes with. The keycaps are shine-through which showcase the LED backlighting. The elegant LED backlighting is pretty cool. Along with that, we have a bunch of patterns and customization options that you can cycle depending upon your liking.
You can even choose to switch off the LED backlighting or reduce the brightness of the LED backlighting depending upon how you like your keyboards. So, that’s another great thing about this budget keyboard.
5 Foot Braided Detachable Power Cable
The power cable of the DREVO Gramr 84-key Mechanical Keyboard is braided and detachable, meaning you can swap it out with a custom USB cable if you wanted to. This Keyboard uses a USB-C type connection.
The length of the power cable is around 5 feet. This cable is great because you can easily use the keyboard from a distance without tugging on the keyboard’s wire.
DREVO Gramr Included Features
In terms of design, build quality, and keycaps, this keyboard is pretty neat for the price it comes with. It’s high time that we looked at the features and the specs of the DREVO Gramr keyboard to see what it offers.
- N-key Rollover – One of the best features of the DREVO Gramr keyboard is that it comes with an N-key rollover. This basically means that you can press as many keys as you want on the keyboard simultaneously without experiencing key ghosting.
- Ergonomic Design – The natural incline of the keyboard, the top-shell design, raised keycaps, as well as the height adjustment capability of the DREVO Gramr 84-key keyboard makes it a very ergonomic and high-quality keyboard perfect for long-term usage.
- Backlighting – Another great thing about the DREVO Gramr Mechanical Keyboard is the tasteful White LED Backlighting it sports. You can take advantage of multiple patterns and customization capabilities, which is a pretty epic thing to see in a keyboard that comes for such an affordable price.
- Outemu Switches – Outemu switches are Cherry MX clones, but they do an excellent job at imitating those mechanical switches. They’re high quality and offer excellent tactility in their Blue clicky form. We can safely say that Outemu switches are a good fit for this keyboard.
- Fade-free Legends – Even though the keycaps aren’t the best, the legends are double-shot onto the keycaps, and they’re shine-through as well so, you’re going to be able to see the backlight shining through the legends which are fade-free themselves.
Pros and Cons
Are you thinking of buying this keyboard? Well, before you do, make sure you take a look at the pros and cons that the DREVO Gramr 84-Key Mechanical Keyboard comes with. Then, let’s check them out.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Durable Construction – One of the best things about this keyboard is that the switches are mounted on a steel back-plate that really ties in the whole plastic frame and provides it with a lot of durability and structure. | ABS Keycaps – One thing I’m not a fan of in this particular keyboard is the use of ABS plastic for the keycaps. The texture of the keycaps is actually quite rough if you compare it with PBT keycaps and keyboards with those keycaps on them. |
| Compactness – The DREVO Gramr 84-key Mechanical Keyboard comes in a 75% layout which is much smaller than a TKL keyboard but has many more keys than a 60% keyboard. This makes it compact yet very functional since the bezels are pretty thin as well. | Only Outemu Switches– While it’s nice you can choose from a handful of switches, you are limited to Outemu only which aren’t the best switches out there. They are decent but I’d prefer Gateron, Cherry, Kailh, etc. |
| Multiple Key switch Options – Along with multiple color options, you can also choose the colors and kinds of key switches you want to use in the DREVO Gramr 84-key Mechanical Keyboard. The switches are going to be Outemu varieties, though. |
Is the DREVO Gramr worth the hype?
Finally, the million-dollar question is, is the DREVO Gramr 84-Key Mechanical Keyboard worth the hype? Well, I’d say it definitely is. It is one of the better budget mechanical keyboards I’ve reviewed, and the features and options in this keyboard are pretty unique. So, you’re going to have a good time with it.
But if you have a larger budget, you don’t have to get this keyboard. There are better options for larger price tags. So it all depends upon the kind of requirements you have and the budget you can allot to getting a keyboard.
Interested? Get the DREVO Gramr 84 at amazon.com!
Frequently Asked Questions
Many people seem to be discussing the DREVO Gramr 84-Key Mechanical Keyboard on the internet, and there are a lot of unanswered questions there as well. So, I thought of answering some of the most frequently asked questions on my own. So, let’s take a look at them.
Q. Is the DREVO Gramr compatible with Mac?
A. Yes, indeed, the DREVO Gramr is compatible with the Mac OS, and you can plug and use the keyboard on a Mac device without thinking twice or installing any excessive drivers.
Q. Can I game and type on the DREVO Gramr?
A. That depends upon which switch you’re using. The best switch for both these activities will be tactile. However, you can game and type using linear or clicky switches on the DREVO Gramr depending upon your choice.
Q. Can I fit Cherry MX compatible keycaps in the DREVO Gramr?
A. Yes, you can fit cherry MX compatible keycaps in the DREVO Gramr. However, the keycaps need to be OEM compatible because that is the supported layout in this keyboard.
Conclusion
The DREVO Gramr Mechanical Keyboard is a pretty nice keyboard for the price that it comes for. However, it is meant for budget gamers and typists. If you have a larger budget, there are better options available. I hope you learned a lot from this article and that you’re going to make the right decision and get this keyboard as long as it satisfies your requirements. Please have an excellent keyboarding experience with it.