DREVO Tyrfing 88 Key V2 UK Layout RGB Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Tenkeyless - Programming Macro- Media Control - Software Support - Outemu Linear [Brown Switch, Black]

The media could not be loaded.  Hey folks, welcome to another budget keyboard review, I’ll get one thing out of the way first, this is not my first Drevo Keyboard. I was already swayed by the high quality and compactness offered by the Drevo Calibur last year which re-introduced me to the world of welcome of mechanical keyboards and In short, I loved it. So, when I heard that Drevo had recently released a new 88-Key RGB Backlit TKL mechanical keyboard I had to check it out!The new product is called the Drevo Tyrfing V2 and to say it impresses is an understatement. It comes with the option of 4 different Outemu switches, Brown, Blue, Black and Red. I have the Brown Switch option of the Tyrfing V2 which is a much quieter option than the Blues I have on my Calibur. This does mean a less satisfying clickity click but still offers a better feel than any membrane keyboard by orders ofTaking the Keyboard out from the nicely laid out box the first two things that were immediately noticeable were firstly the braided cable and brushed effect on the metal plate behind the keys. It looks and feels very premium and is a nice touch on such a value-oriented board. The second thing was how sturdy the board is. The metal backplate doing its job by adding just the right amount of heft and rigidity which again only re-enforces the fact that the peripheral feels like a much more expensive item.But a keyboard review would not be worth its salt if we didn’t hook it up and actually use it and thankfully, the Tyrfing V2 continues to impress when actually using it! In both typing and gaming, the V2 feels excellent with just the right amount of feel in each key press to give you confidence that its going to do what you want. Now I know that might seem like an obvious point, but there have been so many keyboards I have used over the last decade or so which simply miss the mark here, opting to focus on fancy gimmicks rather than first and foremost create a really good keyboard. Not so with the Tyrfing V2. We get great accuracy and it allows for a pretty quick typing, in fact handing the keyboard over to my wife to try out left her impressed too which is always a good sign in my book as she can type much quicker than me.Comparing it to my original Drevo Calibur there are a few things to note, there has been a definite bump up in quality with the Tyrfing V2 in terms of keys, with a different texture on each. The characters on the keys also appear in a different font which on the whole looks much clearer and makes the RGB lighting pop even more.On the topic of RGB here is one of the main differences between the older Drevo Products. The RGB simply looks amazing here and now also comes with a great software utility to control the functionality. For purists who don’t like installing 3rd party software on their machines, you can still cycle the lighting effects and create custom profiles via the keyboard itself but the software is intuitive to use, uses practically no PC resources and speeds up the journey to getting to RGB perfection nicely.So all in all typing on the Drevo Tyrfing V2 has been and will actually continue to be a great experience as this will be replacing my Calibur as the daily driver. In my book, that’s always something which says a lot about a peripheral. Whether its gaming, working or typing this very review, the Tyrfing is a great companion.At its price, its amazing value thanks to its choice of mechanical switches and impressive RGB functionality. The fact we also get incredibly high-quality feeling materials thrown into the mixer too is just a mighty impressive cherry on an already tasty cake and I’d thoroughly recommend considering the Drevo Tyrfing V2 when you buy your next keyboard.Drevo might not be the first name you think of when you say mechanical keyboards... but if they keep bringing out crackers like this, they may very well be!Summary:• Ergonomic TKL form factor saves your desk space yet still allows comfortable positioning of your hands and keyboard.• Genuine Outemu mechanical switches (black, blue, red and brown)• ABS keycaps to maintain a great feel, should resist fading and allow you to enjoy the great RGB lighting.• Sturdy metal base• 14 different lighting modes and 9 main colours offer you superior RGB effects.• Beautifully braided Nylon USB cable looks the part and feels very premium• Customisable key configuration through new Drevo Software.• The light of each individual key can be easily changed on keyboard if desired.• 5 macro keys to record your key-bindings for quick actions at work or in game.• Ability to disable the Windows key to prevent accidental pressing while gaming.• Dedicated Media keys.

My first keyboard, with brown switches, has been excellent but see my experiences below of two identical models with blue switches that have had quality control issues. The design is neat, compact and rigid. The keycap illumination and font are excellent as are the rear feet and the cable management. The four spare switches are handy and the software useful.The Outemu brown switches are very similar to the Cherry X brown switch tester that I purchased and are a good compromise for feel and sound. A little clackety but this can be improved with 1.5mm O rings.A few slight niggles;- the backlighting on the main key symbols is great but the lighting of the lower row of shifted functions is poor. At first I didn’t realise that they were backlit at all but actually they are - just. Being translucent light grey they are hard to see at all in daylight. The Amazon photos are misleading as the top three photos show a version with white printed letters on the lower row. The fourth photo down is the version that I received.- being a touch-typist I need the tactile marks on the F and J keys but these are too subtle and almost impossible to feel.- you can’t re-define 2 key combinations with Shift, FN etc. in the Drevo Software. This has been confirmed by Drevo Support.- a saved custom lighting template doesn’t always work when returning from Sleep mode, but it can be kick-started manually with Fn +- the letter ‘j’ stuck on once but this hasn’t happened again (yet). Assuming that it’s the switch, I do have four spares….Having purchased the above keyboard I decided to try one with clicky blue switches. It seems to be a slightly different generation of keyboard. Firstly the keycaps are different underneath – they do not have webs to support the central stem. This could make them weaker and means that if you are going to fit O rings, you are going to need a lot of them – about 5mm per keycap before there is any effect. This contrasts with my brown switch version that has webs and only needs about 1.5 mm of O rings.Secondly and most disappointingly, the LED under one of the keys had no red component which meant that it could not generate any colours requiring a red component and also white. I returned this keyboard and ordered another. Unfortunately this had TWO defective LEDs!Quality control would seem to be an issue with this product and I am left disappointed with what I feel is fundamentally an excellent keyboard.I love the product despite the faults so I currently plan to keep both brown and blue versions with the potential to cannibalise one for the other. As a touch typist the blue keys with 2 x 2.5mm O rings are a thing of beauty to type on; minimal key travel and a sharp little click. A tasteful static backlight colour scheme adds to the pleasure.