Who would have thought that something as basic as a computer keyboard can look so good? Yet here we are with the Black Diamond 75 Gaming Keyboard by Dry Studio, a gorgeous looking keyboard inspired by the Mansory Carbonado Lamborghini Aventador. We normally write about cars in general, but we couldn’t resist this keyboard inspired by a Lamborghini. Plus points for it actually having carbon fiber. (The Mithril version looks great as well)
If you haven’t noticed yet, mechanical keyboards have become a popular hobby, compared to probably less than a decade ago, where it was more of a niche hobby. As the hobby became popular, no thanks to the recent pandemic, keyboard manufacturers began producing limited and unique looking keyboards. These keyboards looked, felt, and sounded very different from the mass produced keyboards by popular manufacturers like Razer and Logitech. One of these boutique keyboard manufacturers that produced enthusiast keyboards was Angry Miao, the makers of the Cyberboard: a beautifully designed keyboard with an LED matrix display that you can customize. This keyboard was expensive, even among enthusiasts. Dry Studio, an offshoot of Angry Miao, aims to produce beautifully designed keyboards at a more affordable price. The Black Diamond 75 is their first keyboard that they produced.
The Black Diamond 75 Gaming Keyboard is a prebuilt keyboard designed with gamers in mind. It comes in two flavors, a carbon fiber version, and an anodized aluminum “mithril” version. Both versions have a built-in wrist rest, one of its unique features that distinguish it from a lot of the current keyboards out there. The built-in wrist rest has built in RGB LEDs as well if you purchase the advanced bundle of the keyboard. It is also a wireless keyboard with bluetooth and 2.4 GHz connectivity. The 2.4 GHz connectivity is what Dry Studio is proud of, with an “e-sports” level latency of 2ms. From my use, there was no input lag noticeable at all and was very responsive when used in 2.4 GHz mode. While I had an initial issue with 2.4 GHz connectivity, their technical team provided assistance through a software tool that they provided, and that sorted the issue. I have not had any issues with connectivity since, and have been using the keyboard as my daily driver.
As with any mechanical keyboard, it comes with switches. These switches are what is triggered when you press the keycaps to convert your typing input into what you see on your screen. The switches provided by Dry Studio are the DR Rapid Ice switches, a switch co-designed with Gateron with gaming in mind. They feature a 1.0mm actuation travel and a 40 gram actuation force for an ultra-fast response. This means that just a little force is required to press the keys. From my experience, initially I found them to be too sensitive for typing and daily use, but I got around to getting used to them. While the carbon fiber version came with these switches, the mithril version came with KTT Wine Red switches, a more sensible switch for daily use. I was able to try the mithril version out after meeting with another beta tester, and from what I was able to experience in a limited amount of time, there was a very subtle difference between the feel of the two, with the mithril version having a better typing feel.
Another unique feature of both versions of the keyboard are the leaf-springs. These springs provide flex when you type, and provide a better feel when typing. Comparing the feel to my work keyboard, the springs did provide a very subtle flex that did improve the typing experience for me. Other things to note for me where they battery life. As it is a wireless keyboard, it has a built-in battery to power it when used wirelessly. It is advertised to last about 60 days with 2.4 GHz with RGB off, but from my experience lasted a little over a week with RGB on.
As is, the keyboard looks, feels, and sounds great out of the box. It definitely sounds like a premium keyboard and not your mass produced gamer keyboard. I did not disassemble and modify the keyboard as most enthusiasts in the hobby tend to do. I really like the keycap colorway for both versions of the keyboard. Currently, the keyboard is available on Indiegogo, priced at $295 for the more premium bundle with the RGB lighting in the wrist rest, and wireless charging. Without the wireless charging and the RGB lighting in the wrist rest, it is priced as $240 for the base model. While the price may seem steep for most gamers, the price sounds more reasonable if you are an enthusiast, especially with how the keyboard looks and feels. If you are looking to upgrade your gaming setup at a reasonable price, look no further than Dry Studio’s Black Diamond 75.
For more information, visit the links below:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-diamond-75-gaming-keyboard-2-4g-2ms-latency–2#/
https://dry—studio.com/en/black-diamond-75/
