DREVO Blademaster TE Review: Excellence in Keyboard Form
Drevo is a brand you may have not heard of — but if you are a keyboard enthusiast, hardware enthusiast, or just in the market for a fancy new typer — you should pay close attention to them. They’ve released a wide variety of keyboards so far, ranging from ultra-slim mechanical to full-sized RGB gaming ones. Today I’m reviewing the Blademaster TE: the younger brother of the new Drevo flagship. It’s full of features and iterates nicely on their previous keyboards. But is it the right keyboard for you?
You can find the BladeMaster TE for sale here, for $90.
Packaging
Specs and Features
Switch Options
The BladeMaster TE is available with either Gateron RGB Black, Blue, Brown, or Red switches. Gateron switches are compatible with all Cherry MX keycaps, so don’t worry about whether or not your custom set will work with the Blademaster. My unit was outfitted with Reds.
Connectivity
This keyboard is outfitted with a standard, non-removable, USB cable. It has a regular plastic sheathing, but doesn’t skimp out on thickness. I have no real durability concerns here.
The BladeMaster TE has a piece of companion software called the Drevo Power Console. It serves a similar function to that of the companion applications for popular brands such as Razer and Logitech though, to be fair, it is much lighter (uses fewer resources, smaller on disk).
Features/Programability
If the terrific looks and RGB weren’t enough to sell you on the BladeMaster TE, then its features will be. It is jam-packed with functionality. So much so that I was genuinely surprised while messing around with the Power Console.
Within the Power Console, you can find a smattering of options and modes for the BladeMaster TE’s RGB backlighting. You can adjust color, speed, and for some options, effect orientation. I was able to set a static layer of a custom pattern, but was surprised to see that I could not apply “Aurora” on top of it like I could on the Calibur. Now it is important to note that the Calibur is not using the Radi-RGB system. Unlike the Calibur’s lighting, which Drevo actually has little control over, the Radi-RGB system looks to be more of an in-house system and can likely be changes to implement the features the community asks for. Since it’s still in the early stages of development, I think that Drevo intends to add much more robustness over time.
Additionally featured in the Power Console is Game Mode, a feature that lets you configure various gamer-centered options such as disabling Alt-F4 functionality and the Windows key, adjusting the USB polling rate, and more.
The BladeMaster TE can also have each of its keys remapped to pretty much anything you can imagine. You can map said keys to launch macros, or even start a Batch file!
It's very easy to create and manage profiles. They, essentially, are different configurations which can be flashed onto the keyboard. It can store up to three at a time, enabling you to theoretically switch between different profiles based on the game you intend to play, program you intend to use, and so on. I, for one, use the system to switch between a general gaming profile, which has a couple nifty macros for launching Steam and combos in MMORPGs I play, a Photoshop profile which has macros for common operations I make use of, and a programming profile which employs several custom Batch files and complex macros that simplify my processes and alleviate much of the repetitive drawling that one must go through when fixing bugs in code.
Additionally, the BladeMaster TE features what’s called the “Genius Knob”. It’s essentially a rotating circle, exactly like volume-adjuster. It can be freely rotated either forwards or backwards, clicked, and double-clicked. Each of these actions can be mapped, just like a key, to an action. Be it launching an application, a Batch file, a macro, or a Windows function, you can do with it what you want. I have mapped mine to adjust my volume on rotation, fast-forward my music when double-clicked, and pause/play when single-clicked.
There’s plenty more to see in the Power Console, but I’ve covered all of the major points. Now, as for the Power Console as a whole I do have some reservations. It is still early-phase for the software’s development. As such, there some bugs and quirks, along with the somewhat uncommon crash. I’ve been cataloging and each and every crash, along with notes on how to re-create it, in an effort to assist Drevo in fixing some of these issues. With any luck, most of them will get fixed up within the next month or so. That said, the software is still plenty useable. In fact, I’ve switched over from my Brown-switched Calibur to the BladeMaster TE full time.
Build Quality
Drevo opted to go with a matte-black plastic build for the majority of the BladeMaster. The seams between the panels sit nice and flush, and the RGB side-glow is attractive and evenly-lit. The per-key RGB lighting is similarly competent, easily lighting each legend.
The Genius Knob, as pictured above, is made out of metal. It is finely machined and feels really nice to rotate. There’s no wiggle or pull on mine at all, as its potentiometer is firmly secured to the BladeMaster’s chassis. The premium look and feel of the Genius Knob helps tie the BladeMaster’s build quality together in a satisfying way.
The bottom of the keyboard has four DIP switches which can be used to modify and configure the layout of the keyboard. In addition to the regular US layout, the BladeMaster TE can be switched to the Dvorak, Colemak, and Minimak layouts.
Accessories
The BladeMaster TE comes with a basic wire keycap-puller, fairly par for the course. Inside the box you can also find a little brush, likely intended to be used to clean up dust and Cheeto crumbs. Pretty standard stuff, but there’s not a whole lot else that you can accessorize a keyboard with OEM-wise.
Summary
Flowery language and cutesy phrasing aside, the Drevo BladeMaster is a darn good keyboard. For $85, I have a hard time thinking of many keyboards, even from large brands, that can compete with it. Sure, its companion software needs a little help here and there, but I’ve already gotten three software updates and two firmware updates in the week since I’ve received the BladeMaster, so clearly Drevo is on top of it. Excellent RGB controls and color reproduction, reasonable weight, solid construction, and good keycap legends all come together to make the BladeMaster more than sum of its parts. If you’ve been looking for a great value-based keyboard that doesn’t compromise on aesthetics, functionality, or build quality, definitely take a look at the BladeMaster TE.
