There is something alien about GravaStar designs. Whenever I pull out my earbuds case (GravaStar Siruis Pro) or introduce a friend to the GravaStar Mars Pro speakers it never fails to impress. I expected GravaStar to follow up with a keyboard after the release of the GravaStar Mercury M2 gaming mouse and GravaStar has delivered! I’m writing this review on a brand new GravaStar Mercury K1 – a keyboard just as alien and wonderful as the rest of their products.
GravaStar Mercury K1
I’m getting used to the keyboard, which means my typing speed is suboptimal but I already can appreciate GravaStar Mercury K1 for its build quality. It’s a 75% (compact layout with a function row) mechanical keyboard with minor layout adjustments.
Extras include a volume rocker which sadly isn’t programmable, a mirror tile which turns into a GravaStar logo when powered on and toggles to enable Windows and Mac layouts. The keyboard offers Bluetooth mode and wireless mode for high performance, low input lag gaming and a massive 8000mAh battery that will last weeks.
It’s a gaming peripheral, which means each key comes with individually addressable RGB highlights, MX-style GravaStar x Kailh linear switches (replaceable) and an aluminium chassis which makes the GravaStar Mercury K1 the most sturdy keyboard I have ever used.
It’s compact, looks high quality and matches perfectly the GravaStar Mercury M2 mouse!
Not so unifying
Unfortunately, if you own a GravaStar Mercury M2 mouse and use it with the receiver, you must make extra space for a dedicated USB adapter (in wireless mode). I’d love a single GravaStar dongle to connect to both devices in a high-performance mode without taking up multiple USB-A ports.
This isn’t going to happen, so be prepared to use Bluetooth or sacrifice some USB-A ports on your machine.
Layout and switches
It’s the first keyboard I own that has the keycap labels on its sides. I worried at first, about how would this affect my ability to find all the keys at my fingertips, but I quickly realised that this was not a problem. Once my hands were placed in the right position, the muscle memory kicked in, and the only thing I had to get used to was the US keyboard layout.
Keycaps and switches are replaceable. GravaStar was kind enough to include the keycap removal tool and 3 spare switches to keep you covered. It means that you can customise specific switches for that ultimate gaming feel, swap ones that need replacing or completely alter the way the keyboard feels to suit your needs without the need for buying another keyboard.
The switch swap takes about 10 seconds and any MX-type switches would be compatible.
Having the US layout in the UK, I found it slightly disappointing that GravaStar doesn’t offer spare keycaps (for now) to customise your layout. It would be nice to buy alternative caps from them to complete the look (you can use 3rd party caps).
GravaStar Mercury K1 is for life!
Typing experience
I love using mechanical keyboards for productivity tasks, but when it comes to typing out a 3000-word review, I prefer the membrane-based flat keyboard of my laptop. I feel like my fingers can move more effortlessly from letter to letter without making as many errors.
GravaStar Mercury K1 mechanical switches are great for editing as the ergonomics of the keyboard work well for me. The 75% size may not play to this use case due to the limited number of keys.
I don’t miss the ScrLock, but not having PrtScn is a pain in the neck, as I refuse to use the shortcut for Windows Snip Tool. That aside, I appreciate the sizes of Enter, Backspace and Shifts which play right into what I know and like.
My first day of using this keyboard didn’t see amazing results but muscle memory takes time to adjust:
Gaming on GravaStar Mercury K1
What I really like about the gaming range from GravaStar is that it’s not just fancy design! Both the keyboard and the mouse offer excellent response times when used corded or via a USB dongle, while casual gamers can enjoy the simplicity of Bluetooth.
The keyboard takes up little space leaving your desk clutter-free. While dealing with productivity tasks made me miss some keys and the number pad, the 75% layout is perfect for gaming.
I played a couple of rounds of Helldivers 2 to prove the point, but I’m a filthy casual at heart who would take the comfort of my bed, a projector hooked up to a PS4 and a Dualshock controller instead. My skills were not inhibited but the keyboard, but by my infrequent gaming itself.
The most important aspect of GravaStar Mercury K1 is that it looks the part without being too obnoxious. And it has plenty of RGBs to make the statement too.
Software
Now that I touched on the RGBs, let’s talk about software. It includes everything you need to customise your GravaStar Mercury K1 further. From visual changes, RGB settings allow custom colours and effects to be set for each key and create profiles that can be switched on the fly.
If setting your patterns and colours is too tedious, you can pick from over a dozen animations offered by GravaStar software. If that’s not enough, then the software can use the system sounds to create responsive animations in 10 different styles. Whatever your gaming mood is, GravaStar Mercury K1 can match that.
Similar customization is available for key functions. Each key can be mapped to another key, a macro or special media functions or even mouse actions. To aid the user, settings also include custom debounce time.
TAP
I had to Google this, if you bind keys to this layer, you can trigger mappings based on how quickly the key is tapped again (set the threshold). It will result in the keystroke registering different buttons/functions from a quick double tap.
Unfortunately, there are no options to bind the profiles to applications, so you’ll have to rely on your memory to do just that
Variants
GravaStar Mercury K1 isn’t the only variant of the keyboard available on GravaStar Store. The basic model will set you back $129.00 but if you want to express yourself more (or save money) there are other variants available:
- GravaStar Mercury K1 (black and white) – $129.95
- GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite (black and white) – $89.95
- GravaStar Mercury K1 Pro Cyberpunk ed – $179.95
- GravaStar Mercury K1 Pro Concrete Gray – $149.95
Pro editions come with funky keycaps and very familiar keyboard support legs seen on GravaStar Mars Pro, while the Lite series will save you an extra $40 without taking away too much from the awesome experience.
Get GravaStar:
Buy your own GravaStar speaker and earbuds and enjoy 15% off!
NET15
(valid for GravaStar Store)
Final thoughts
GravaStar slowly takes over my desk, one peripheral at a time. I’m quite happy to add the keyboard as my permanent fixture at the editing station. I will still prefer my laptop for writing long reviews but for anything else, GravaStar Mercury K1 feels like a perfect compact companion to boost productivity. Go ahead, I can assure you it will make for an eye-catching choice among your friends and coworkers. Let me know your thoughts in this Reddit thread.
🆓📈💵 – See the transparency note for details.
