The Gamdias Hermes E1A 3-in-1 gaming combo is part of this budget keyboard round up because its main component is the Hermes E1A keyboard – so while it is technically cheating, the judges will allow it. The bundle includes the keyboard, a Zeus E3 mouse, and a Nyx E1 mousepad – and all for the low price of R499. But does that make it worthwhile?
The problems start with the keyboard. It has mem-chanical switches which are designed to combine the benefits of a membrane switch and a mechanical switch. The result is a switch that doesn’t suck as badly as a membrane switch but isn’t as great as a mechanical switch. Typing this review out feels akin to poking a soft fruit with a pencil. Its very weird, frankly, and I am reminded how much I dislike membrane keyboards. However, I must argue that the response to my poking has been reliable and this keyboard has not faltered once since I started reviewing it. The sound is thankfully more like a very quiet mechanical keyboard which delivers some reassurance to those who can touch type.
Touch typing is a skill you should either have or acquire quickly if you buy the Hermes E1A, since the backlighting isn’t very bright which makes it difficult to see the lettering in a well-lit room and equally as difficult in a dark room. In my review of the Marvo KG909, I lamented the fact that the lighting options were very limited. With the Hermes E1A, you’ve got three – on, heartbeat, and off. It’s very frustrating when only a few weeks ago I was reviewing a mousepad which had more lighting options than this keyboard.
The Zeus E2 mouse has an optical sensor with four pre-programmed DPI settings (1200, 1600, 2000, 3200) which can be changed on the fly with a DPI switch. If I wanted to nit-pick, I could say that the mouse is too light and neither the lighting nor the DPI settings can be adjusted to suit your needs, but this is a mouse that only costs R199 – if you lower your expectations to match that price then you won’t be disappointed. The little Nyx E1 mousepad, while small (think old school mousepad size) has a good cloth surface with a pattern ideal for optical tracking. As a pair, the Zeus E2 and Nyx E1 don’t suck.
