Drop, now owned by Corsair, just announced its latest custom mechanical keyboard, the CSTM80. I’ve been testing it for the better part of two weeks to see exactly what it has to offer in comparison to Drop’s other keyboards and the wider keyboard market. As you might have guessed from the name, customization is the name of the game, including a configurable typing experience, magnetically swappable cases, full programmability, and more for only $99 barebones or $149 for the fully built kit.
Having tried nearly every keyboard Drop has released (sans the recent V2 editions), I can confidently say that this is the best mechanical keyboard the company has released to date. That its pricing is so reasonable is icing on an already great cake. There are still some areas for improvement but the CSTM80 is a solid foundation for any keyboard builder or gamer interesting in elevating their PC experience.
Specifications
- Current Price:
- $99 - Barebones (Drop)
- $149 - Fully Built (Drop)
- $25 - Alternate Polycarbonate Cases (Drop)
- $59 - Alternate Aluminum Cases (Drop)
- $39 - Alternate Artwork Cases (Drop)
- Key Features:
- Gasket-mounted design with tenkeyless layout featuring a magnetically attached customizable case
- Per key RGB LEDs, custom ABS south-facing keycaps, PCBA mounted stabilizers, and 5-pin switch support (fully assembled keyboards come with a set of MacOS keys for Apple users)
- Polycarbonate color cases: white, black, Laser Purple, Skiidata orange, and Jasmine 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
- Switch Plates: Brass, Fr4, Carbon Fiber, and POM (available for purchase separately)
- Supports Drop’s keyboard configurator, QMK, and VIA (VIAL support later this year)
Drop CSTM80 - Customizing at Heart
The Drop CSTM80 is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard designed to match its user. From the ground up, it’s made to be easy to open, easy to change, and easy to tailor to your exact tastes. It’s also designed to be an entry-point to the hobby and launchpad into the wider world of Drop’s accessories, and succeeds at that. I’m already looking at alternate cases because I plan to keep this keyboard as part of my regular rotation.
(What, you don’t have a rotation of mechanical keyboards?!)
Its customization options cover the usual bases, but its most interesting quality is its swappable top case. The CSTM80 uses a two-part polycarbonate case, yet unlike the majority of mechanical keyboards, the top case can be removed simply by lifting it up and off of the keyboard. Drop has incorporated a middle layer to the case structure that utilizes strong magnets to hold the top case in place. This design allows you to swap the top case for another in seconds without the use of tools.
By default, the keyboard comes with a black polycarbonate case, but Drop has plenty of other options ready for your customization needs. For $25, you can choose between white, Laser Purple, Skiidata orange, and Jasmine Green polycarbonate cases. If you’re looking for something a little higher-end, anodized silver and black aluminum cases will be available for $59. There will also be themed artwork cases for $39, including two designed by OSHETART and Chasing Artworks. You can view one of those below:
Usually, alternate cases are a nice-to-have feature, but not something I find many people actually use. Here, however, it’s such a core part of the design and are reasonably priced enough that it feels like a core part of the experience that I could see lots of people actually buying in to tailor their experience.
I was sent the Laser Purple alternate to try, and I have to say that I was surprised at how great the color was. I love aluminum cases, but the use of polycarbonate allows for additional saturation. The purple is rich and frankly one of the best purples I’ve seen in a mechanical keyboard.
Around the back, the keyboard is quite simple. There are no tilt feet, which may be disappointing to some, but the default typing angle is quite comfortable. There’s also an aluminum weight set into its center. I’m not sure how much heft it actually adds, but it looks nice and makes the package feel a bit more “custom.”
Inside the keyboard, it uses an adjustable gasket mount structure and layers of sound dampening foam and silicone. Rather than adhesive PORON gasket strips, Drop opted for removeable silicone gasket tabs. These have a unique pole structure that fit into a hole in the bottom case to make sure the structure is aligned. By default, these line the top and bottom sides of the plate but the middle pieces can be removed for additional flex.
Drop CSTM80 - Impressive Sound and Feel
A full foam kit is at work here, too. There’s a layer of PORON plate foam to isolate typing sounds, IXPE switch foam to add pop and volume, and a layer of PCB foam that acts as acoustic tuning and case dampening to remove hollowness.
Below that is a silicone pad that adds weight and solidity to the case. This pad fine-tunes the acoustics of the keyboard but I didn’t find it to be as necessary as the PORON foam to its overall sound. You can remove this to add more movement to the typing experience if you prefer.
This whole structure can be mixed and matched to match your preferred taste. I think it sounds best with all of the foams and silicone (which is also how it comes stock), but you’re encouraged by its very name to experiment and find out what you like best.
The two confirmed switches are Gateron Brown (tactile) and Gateron Yellow KS3 (linear). Both are pre-lubed for added smoothness and are better than their Cherry counterparts. My sample came with browns, and created a light, poppy typing experience that I found to be very nice in both sound and feel. The switches are also south-facing for wider compatibility with aftermarket keycaps sets.
The stabilizers are also the screw-in sort for added stability. It didn’t disassemble the keyboard to the level of stabilizers but there was no rattle to my ears, so it’s safe to say they’re pre-lubed.
All of these elements work in concert to deliver what I consider to be Drop’s best typing experience yet. While most of the biggest custom keyboard projects over the years have embraced aluminum for their case designs, polycarbonate can be a bit of a cheat code to good sound and that’s definitely the case here. There isn’t any hollowness to the experience, even without the silicone insert, and the way sound moves through the material creates a softer, more rounded typing experience that is simultaneously quite clean.
I was honestly surprised at how good the Gateron Browns sounded here. It may be the best I’ve ever heard them. The CSTM80 is a remarkably good platform for building on because the layers of dampening and acoustic foam draw the best from switch sounds. I experimented with quite a few: Akko Cream Yellow V3 Pros, Bolsa Laguna Blues, Gateron Oil Kings, China Joys, WS Morandis… there wasn’t a single switch I found that didn’t sound great on this keyboard.
The feel of typing is also quite nice. There isn’t a ton of movement by default, but the experience is soft under the fingers. I should note that my sample also had an aluminum plate, and POM, FR4, and Carbon Fiber could easily add a bit more softness (another key area of customization). The gaskets and foam do good job of adding cushion to bottom-outs so keystrokes don’t feel harsh.
As you might imagine, this is also very good for gaming. As a wired keyboard, it has imperceptibly low latency. Paired with VIA for programmability, you can also map multiple layers of keys, including key combinations and macros, and have keysets for individual games.
Drop CSTM80 - Is There a Catch?
The Drop CSTM80 is a great keyboard and there’s no real “catch” that makes its reasonable price feel like a trade-off. Still, there’s a couple things to know going in. The first is that you shouldn’t look to this keyboard for lots of flex. It would be capable of it if you remove the silicone pad, but the integrated USB-C port bumps up against the bottom case and prevents it — at least in that corner.
The other thing to be aware of is that you may want to replace the keycaps sooner rather than later. They’re made of laser-etched ABS plastic and pretty quickly begin showing smudges from the oils on your fingers.
They’re not thin, like most keycaps of this type. The sound you can get from them isn’t plasticky like most keycaps of this type. That puts them somewhere in the middle between typical laser-etched ABS and better PBT or ABS keycap sets. The smudging and inevitable wear-down will make these the first thing I, and I suspect most others, will want to upgrade. They show the RGB beautifully through their side-lit legends, however.
It’s hard to shake the feeling that the CSTM80 is made to be a gateway drug to the rest of Drop’s keyboard products. Don’t like the keycaps? There’s a wide array of to choose from only a click away and wouldn’t these DCX keycaps look great on your new keyboard? It’s also selling replacement top cases, plates, switches, and stabilizers. Before long, this $150 keyboard could turn into a $300+ investment if you’re not careful.
I don’t see that as a problem, though. None of those add-ons are required and you’ll still get a very nice keyboard at a good price. If you’re having fun with it, Drop is removing the guesswork out of finding upgrades and mods that will be compatible with your keyboard. Quite the contrary, I think that’s a good thing.
Final Thoughts
The Drop CSTM80 is a very good value and perhaps the best sounding, best feeling keyboard Drop has ever produced. It’s not perfect, but it is well-priced and a great entry point into the hobby. Whether you care about that doesn’t really matter because it’s also just a very good upgrade for gaming and typing, even if you never plan to invest in its customization options. At $149 pre-built or $99 barebones, the CSTM80 is a safe buy and leaves me excited for Drop’s next moves.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
