The moment the Gravastar Mercury V75 HE lands on your desk, it’s obvious this isn’t just another gaming keyboard chasing esports trends. It looks like something pulled straight from a sci-fi film set — angular, industrial, and unapologetically bold. But beneath the striking exterior sits a keyboard that’s trying to push input forward, thanks to Hall Effect magnetic switches, deep customisation, and a genuinely premium feel under your fingers.
After spending several weeks daily driving it for work and copious amounts of CoD Black Ops 7, the Mercury V75 feels like a keyboard made by people who genuinely care about how a board feels to use — not just how it looks on a product page. That said, it also makes a few puzzling decisions that stop it just short of greatness.
In Australia, the Gravastar Mercury V75 HE typically lands around the $280–$300 AUD mark, depending on retailer and configuration. That firmly places it in premium territory, rubbing shoulders with enthusiast favourites like Corsair Vanguard 96, Wooting’s Hall Effect boards, and higher-end custom mechanical kits once you factor in switches and caps.
Where Gravastar differentiates itself is design and tactility. This isn’t trying to be a minimalist slab or a safe esports rectangle. It’s a statement keyboard, aimed at enthusiasts who want something visually dramatic without sacrificing performance. The challenge is that many rivals at this price now offer wireless connectivity alongside wired performance — something the Mercury V75 conspicuously lacks.
Design and Build Quality
The Mercury V75’s moulded chassis is easily one of the most impressive parts of the entire package. It feels dense, solid, and confidence-inspiring, with zero flex and a reassuring heft that keeps it planted during intense gaming sessions. Gravastar’s industrial design language is on full display here, with sculpted lines, layered surfaces, and integrated lighting zones that make the keyboard feel more like a premium object than a peripheral.
RGB lighting is baked directly into the personality of the board. You get both per-key illumination and ambient chassis lighting, which together create a striking glow across the desk. It’s tasteful without being subtle — exactly what you’d expect from Gravastar. The lighting is bright, evenly diffused, and genuinely impressive in a dim room.
However, there’s a frustrating design misstep with the black model’s key legends. They’re difficult to read even in good lighting, and bafflingly, they don’t support passthrough lighting. That means the RGB can’t help improve legibility at all. For touch typists this may be tolerable, but for everyday usability — especially at this price — it feels like a miss that could have been easily avoided.
Switches and Customisation
This is where the Mercury V75 HE truly earns its keep. Gravastar’s Hall Effect magnetic switches feel exceptional — smooth, consistent, and noticeably different from traditional mechanical switches. Because actuation is sensed magnetically rather than through physical contact, key presses feel frictionless and incredibly refined.
The standout feature is adjustable actuation, allowing you to fine-tune how far a key needs to be pressed before registering. You can set ultra-shallow triggers for fast-paced shooters or deeper actuation for typing accuracy. Rapid trigger functionality also allows keys to reset the moment you lift your finger, making movement and strafing in games feel more responsive and fluid.
Customisation is handled through Gravastar’s web-based software, which is refreshingly intuitive. No bloated desktop app, no forced logins — just open your browser and tweak actuation points, lighting profiles, and key behaviour. It’s clean, fast, and far more pleasant than most keyboard software ecosystems. For enthusiasts who like to experiment, this level of control is deeply satisfying without being overwhelming.
Gaming and Typing Performance
In actual use, the Mercury V75 HE feels fantastic. For gaming, the magnetic switches provide an immediacy that’s hard to ignore. Inputs feel instantaneous, and the ability to fine-tune actuation genuinely translates into better control in fast shooters and competitive titles. Strafing, counter-movement, and rapid directional changes feel sharper and more deliberate.
Typing is equally enjoyable. Despite its gaming-focused feature set, the V75 doesn’t feel fatiguing during long writing sessions. The switches strike a nice balance between smoothness and feedback, making them comfortable for extended use. The compact 75% layout saves desk space while still retaining dedicated arrow keys and essential navigation buttons, though there is a brief adjustment period if you’re coming from a full-size board.
The only real functional limitation is the wired-only connection. While wired performance is flawless — stable, fast, and reliable — it feels increasingly outdated going into 2026. Many premium keyboards like the Asus ROG Azoth X now offer low-latency wireless modes without compromising performance, and the lack of flexibility here is noticeable, especially for mixed work-and-play setups.
Verdict
The Gravastar Mercury V75 HE is a bold, character-driven keyboard that delivers a genuinely premium experience where it matters most. The Hall Effect switches feel outstanding, the chassis is beautifully crafted, and the lighting and software show real thought and restraint. It’s a keyboard that feels exciting to use, not just impressive to look at.
At the same time, a few decisions hold it back from true greatness. The illegible legends on the black model are a usability oversight, and the absence of wireless connectivity feels like a missed opportunity at this price point. Even so, Gravastar deserves credit for delivering something distinctive in a crowded market.
The Mercury V75 HE is a great keyboard — one that pushes design and switch technology forward — and with wireless connectivity added in a future revision, it could easily become an enthusiast classic. As it stands, it’s a confident recommendation for gamers and keyboard fans who value feel, design, and customisation above all else — just be prepared to live with the cable.
Gravastar kindly loaned the Mercury V75 HE to PowerUp for the purpose of this review
