Disclaimer

Redragon sent me the BS-8773 mechanical keyboard and mouse combo to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinion. This will be my honest review. Make sure you also check out my reviews for the Wyvern K761. I’ll also be using my Amazon Affiliate link where possible. It really helps me out if you use it before buying anything.

Table of Contents

What’s in the Box?

  • BS8773 Mechanical Keyboard
  • Wireless Mouse
  • Wireless Dongle
  • USB-C to USB-A Cable

Unboxing

Features

If you’re a gamer on a budget but don’t want to sacrifice performance, Redragon might have the kit for you. The Redragon BS8773 comes to us with a few features that will help you stay competitive, even through those long sweaty team fights.

Design

This 78 key keyboard has been designed to give users access to all the keys they need in a compact and optimized package. This thin and ultra light keyboard comes in four colors: Black, White & Grey, White & Purple, and Blue. I got mine in Purple and love the color scheme.

The thin switch design makes the keyboard compact without sacrificing on any of that mechanical keyboard goodness. Most importantly, this wouldn’t be a gaming keyboard without RGB and the BS8773 has a very pretty blue backlight that will give your cave the flare you crave. The RGB can be turned off easily if you don’t want a light show.

Performance

If you’re looking for a keyboard that can handle you at your most intense, the BS8773 promises the performance to do just that. While the keyboard does not have Bluetooth, players can enjoy a low latency wireless connection through the attached dongle. Coupled with the keyboards impressive battery life (about 10-12 hours with all the lights on), you are getting a very reliable package for fantastic price.

The Mouse

The wireless mouse requires a AA battery, but it is ready to earn all those headshots as soon as it is installed. With 5 adjustable DPI settings (800/1200/1600/2000/2400 DPI), ergonomic design, and low latency connection, there is no task this combo can’t handle.

Sound Test

Review

If you are looking for a cheap, low profile keyboard/mouse combo for your daily grind, the BS8773 is fine for what it is. Don’t expect the most comfortable or luxurious experience, you’re getting a functional compact keyboard that does what it needs to. My favorite aspect of this keyboard is the mouse. The mouse is awesome and almost makes up for they keyboards drawbacks.

Quality

Out of the box, users might feel some initial disappointment. The keyboard has a cool, simple modern aesthetic, but the font on the keys already look faded. Picking up the keyboard I realized that the box it comes in is heavier than the actual keyboard. This is ideal for those who travel with their kit, and fine for those who don’t. There is some flex to the board which makes me anxious about traveling with the keyboard. I heard some odd cracks when I was testing the flex, but luckily nothing broke. The keyboard itself is made well enough. Everything is cleanly manufactured, although it does feel like cheap plastic. If you’ve never used a more expensive keyboard or keycaps, its fine for 40$. You can definitely do worse.

Aesthetic

The BS8773 has a very cool design. It is a very modern looking keyboard and the compact layout is ideal for the user who wants a full sized keyboard that doesn’t take up so much desktop space. The flat design makes it low-profile which is in step with its modern aesthetic, but I prefer something a bit more raised for comfort. The keyboard does have kickstands to adjust the height, but it isn’t tall enough for my tastes. This is a personal issue, but something to consider if you’re crazy like me. I love the color scheme, purple is my favorite color, but I can’t read the font on the keys. I know how to type without looking at the keys, but the font messes with my dyslexia and it is too faded looking for these tired old eyes. The BS8773 does have a very pretty blue backlight, and it isn’t the worst looking keyboard you’ll pull out at the LAN party.

Performance

All in all, I was very impressed with how well this little keyboard came to play. I noticed no latency, ghosting, or any other issues. Everything hooked up on the first try, and nothing malfunctioned in my week of vigorous testing. It was a solid workhorse for writing, but I found the layout a bit of an adjustment for gaming. I needed to relearn a lot of the muscle memory and it all felt too cramped. The experience got better the more I used the keyboard, but I had a rough couple of days getting used to the new echo system. I also didn’t like that keyboard connected through the dongle. I switch between devices constantantly for my workflow, so it was a little annoying to have to transfer the dongle. If you don’t need to move from one device, it isn’t an issue. The battery life is fantastic though, and honestly the best part of the whole package.

Comfort

It took me a couple days to get used to the Redragon BS8773, and in that time I almost gave up on the keyboard. Everything felt so cramped it would trigger my repetitive stress injury to the point where I needed to take breaks. However, once I got used to the layout, it was fine. For writing, this keyboard is solid. It works as intended and I could knock out long meaningful sessions without issue. For gaming, I constantly found myself fat-fingering the wrong key and messing up crucial combos. This is honestly a skill issue, and your millage will vary. I think this keyboard would be better if it didn’t include the function bar behind the macros. That said, it was comfortable enough to be worth the $40 as a daily workhorse.

The Mouse

The mouse in this kit is fantastic. Are there better mice out there? Of course there are, but for the price, you get a sleek comfortable mice that works well enough for what you need it for. My only complaint is that the thing is battery powered. I never seem to have batteries when I need them the most, and that scares me. You can buy rechargeable AAs (and I recommend you do) so I guess it isn’t a huge deal. This is probably one of the few times where the mouse messed up my hand less than the keyboard. I recommend it.

Conclusion

Look, times are tough and you shouldn’t be punished if you are gaming on a budget. The kit isn’t the high end devices the pros use, but most of us aren’t performing at that level anyways. If you are looking for something cheap that works well enough to get through your next game or that next essay, the Redragon BS8773 is a great value at $40. You can pick up the Redragon BS8773 directly from the Redragon shop, or on Amazon through my affiliate link.