I just tested a keyboard that's so bright it could help land planes — but its performance is killer

Mechanical keyboards don’t get much louder than the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite — and no, I’m not talking about the sound profile. This keyboard sports transparent shine-through keycaps that show off its per-key RGB lighting in all its glory. It’s the brightest keyboard I’ve tested, and it could probably serve as a flashlight if you don’t have your phone at hand.

The Mercury K1 Lite is fitted with responsive linear switches that are lovely to type on, and it’s good for a spot of casual gaming, too. It comes with user-friendly companion software that lets you easily customize RGB effects and remap keys. But its divisive design may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and you’re limited to linear stock switches.

Does it make the cut to be considered one of the best mechanical keyboards? Read my full GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite review to find out.

GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A mechanical keyboard with a 75% TKL layout
• Who is it for? Serious typists and casual gamers looking for a loud-looking keyboard
• How much does it cost? The GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite is available for $89 / £89
• What do we like? The sturdy build, great typing experience, good gaming performance, big 4,000mAh battery and user-friendly companion software
• What don’t we like? The divisive design because of the very transparent keycaps, and limited stock switch choice

GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite review: Specs

GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite review: The ups

From its sturdy build and great typing performance to its user-friendly companion software, the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite is an all-rounder.

Sturdy build

Much like its pricier sibling, the GravaStar Mercury K1 Pro ($149), the Mercury K1 Lite is built extremely well — you can tell the brand has put a lot of thought into its sturdy construction. Considering this keyboard costs just $89 / £89, color me impressed. If you’d like another striking (but less divisive) deck for similar money, check out the NuPhy Kick75 ($89).

The K1 Pro’s metallic chassis is enclosed within a PVC case, which gives the Mercury K1 Lite its light weight. The keyboard weighs just 1.87lbs, so it’s light enough to carry in your backpack. It’s fitted with two hard plastic feet that not only help lift the keyboard for added comfort, but their rubber lips keep the Mercury K1 Lite firmly in place. So, even though it’s lightweight, you don’t have to worry about accidentally knocking it about.

Several layers of acoustic foam and sound dampening contribute towards the Mercury K1 Lite’s lovely and clacky sound profile. The keyboard also utilizes a gasket design, providing a cushioned typing feel and reducing vibrations from key presses. All of these combined work very well, as I didn’t hear any unwanted pings during testing.

Overall, the Mercury K1 Lite is built really well — although I can’t extend the same compliment to its design, which I’ll get into soon.

Great for typing

I’ve tested so many keyboards now that tapping a few keys before getting my hands dirty can tell me whether the board will be good for typing or not — and I instantly knew the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite was going to be a winner.

First of all, the keyboard is hot-swappable, so you can use any 3- or 5-pin mechanical switches without de- and re-soldering them to the PCB. This means you can fit your favorite switches with little hassle.

But the stock GravaStar x BSUN linear switches are fantastic. They are light, requiring just 40g of force to activate, and they have a pre-travel distance of 2mm (and a 3.6mm total). This means that you don’t need to press them all the way down for a command to register, resulting in faster typing speeds and responsive inputs when gaming.

The stock switches feel similar to the 42g Icy Creamsicle switches in the McHose X75 V2 ($89), but they’re heavier than the 35g Sea Salt switches in the Epomaker RT100 ($115) — currently my daily driver in the office.

Regardless, I’ve loved typing on the BSUN linear switches. It also helps that the Mercury K1 Lite is fitted with PBT keycaps that are resistant to oil and wear and tear. These are far better than ABS ones. It’s also nice to see that GravaStar has included PBT keycaps at a sub-$100 price tag when expensive keyboards, like the Razer Pro Type Ultra ($159) and the Corsair K65 Plus for Mac ($179), don’t.

I took a typing test at 10fastfingers.com to see how the Mercury K1 Lite fared against other keyboards I’ve tested, and you can see the results above. I’m rather pleased with the keyboard’s performance.

Good for gaming

You know what’s funny? The fact that the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite isn’t advertised as a gaming keyboard, yet it’s what I’d imagine on a gamer’s desk (at least, a gamer from the early 2000s).

GravaStar doesn’t specify the polling rate, but I still found the board responsive enough for latency-free casual gaming. So if you, a serious typist, like to play a couple rounds of Counter-Strike 2 between tasks, then the Mercury K1 Lite should be right up your street.

Again, the stock linear switches are highly responsive, since they don’t require a lot of force to activate, and I could quickly switch and hit keys. If I wanted to access my inventory in Hitman when sneaking up on an enemy, I could easily do that and quickly knock out the NPC.

If you want a great typing keyboard with a 1,000Hz polling rate, I’d recommend the McHose X75 V2 or NuPhy Halo75 V2 ($149). Or the NuPhy Air75 V2 ($119) or Kick75 ($89) if you’d prefer low-profile. For the ultimate gaming/typing hybrid, you’ll want a magnetic keyboard like the Keychron K2 HE ($130).

User-friendly companion software

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If you want to personalize the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite, you’ll need to download the GravaStar Mechanical software on Windows (sorry macOS fans, there isn’t an Apple version so far). This serves as your one-stop shop for customizing all GravaStar keyboards. You can use it to customize the per-key RGB lighting, update the Mercury K1 Lite’s firmware, program macros, and more.

If you’re a macOS user, you can change RGB effects via key combos, thankfully, which is handy in case you’re traveling or don’t have access to a Windows laptop.

GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite review: The downs

There aren’t many things wrong with the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite, but its divisive design may not be for everyone, and you can only get one set of stock switches.

Divisive design

Looks like GravaStar has made itself a name by creating computing peripherals with divisive designs — like the Mercury K1 Pro keyboard and the Mercury M1 Pro mouse ($139). And the Mercury K1 Lite is no different. It comes in two colorways: transparent black and snow white.

The transparent black variant — which I tested — is fitted with completely transparent shine-through keycaps. Now, I’m personally not a fan of these. While you can appreciate the RGB lighting in all its glory, it’s too loud for me. You can always get the snow white colorway, though, which has translucent keycaps.

I’m also not a fan of the words and symbols on some of the keycaps. For instance, the function keys are adorned with emotes, so unless you have the keys’ functions memorized, you may have a hard time figuring out which is which. The backspace reads “Be cool with it” and the spacebar has “Game over” plastered across it, which, again, I don’t understand — much like the MelGeek CYBER01 ($149).

I suppose it’s the cyberpunk aesthetic GravaStar is going for, and this is all down to personal preference, but it falls flat, in my opinion. And my coworkers’. And my manager’s. But you might like it!

Limited stock switches choice

If you aren’t a fan of linear switches but like the look of the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite, I’ve got some bad news for you. At the time of writing, GravaStar offers only one set of stock switches, regardless of whether you’re buying directly from its official website or Amazon. This means that if you want to swap these out for tactile or clicky switches, they will incur an additional cost.

A set of any of these usually costs more than $10. For instance, 108 pieces of Kailh Box White clicky ones cost $34, while 108 pieces of Kailh Pro Purple tactile cost $28. Good news is that there are many more to choose from, so you’re spoilt for choice.

GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite review: Verdict

There’s a lot to love about the GravaStar Mercury K1 Lite. Its responsive linear switches offer fantastic typing and casual gaming performance, and the keyboard itself is built really well. I’ve loved using the Mercury K1 Lite for work. Its user-friendly companion software makes it easy to customize the board, too.

If you’re a fan of RGB lighting, you’ll be able to appreciate it properly because of the keyboard’s shine-through keycaps — but not everyone will be a big fan of them. I’m not particularly fond of them, but it comes down to personal preference. Also, you’re limited in terms of stock switch choice, but at least the keyboard is hot-swappable.

As mechanical keyboards go, the Mercury K1 Lite is one of the finest out there. If you can look past the garish lighting — or grab the snow white variant instead — this could earn a permanent spot on your desk.