I saw your doc in a thread last week.
It's an interesting read. But I'm reading it from the perspective of somebody who has owned numerous boards:
1) Keychron V1
2) Cycle 7
3) Mode Envoy
Previously, I had Drop Alt and a 10 year old KUL-ES87 which was a bog-standard TKL. I like my Mode Envoy the most. My preference is for the 65% layout. I have a polycarbonate case and I love the aesthetic flourishes and finishing of the overall package. I love the way they design their keyboards.
***What keyboard do you already own and use?***
Honestly, if it was between those four keyboards, I would just recommend the Zoom 75. There's a marked step up in quality between a prebuilt/barebones and the entry level aftermarket customs. The Zoom should be a great board if you just build it up as is but also offer a lot of flexibility when it comes to modding.
There's a real undefinable quality to a keyboard you've built from a kit that's rather hard to describe. Most people who do it really enjoy the experience and there's a connection to the peripheral you're using day to day. If you're talking about practicalities, then it means you're well versed as to what makes a keyboard tick, what might go wrong with it and more confident when opening it up to do mods.
My next recommendation is something like the Monsgeek M1. It does looks boxy to an extent but it's not that high at the front. It's a fantastic board and could easily conceivably be an endgame keyboard for most people.
In a relatively small friend's circle, we've tried a lot of keyboards between us too. I'll name a few here: Mode Sonnet, Mammoth 75, Keychron K Pro series, Epomaker TH80, Luminkey 80, Akko 5075S, Monsgeek M1. Honestly, if you've never had a pricey keyboard that costs anywhere near £100 before, then they're all great options. And you're picking at minutiae. Even something like the AL75 could be as good for many years as something a lot more expensive too, it's just a matter of simple mods that elevate the sound signature.
>
but it feels like the market is heating up and there might be better options by the time it arrives
Yeah, but that's the case with all the keyboards in this list. There's always going to be the feeling that there's something better for less money or did you get the right layout etc. The sub-$100 keyboard market has seemingly got this race to the bottom attitude.
Sorry, lots of waffling. Not sure if that helps!
Yeah, those are some good points. I've currently got an unmodded base model Keychron K2 v2 with brown switches so all of these would be a significant step up. I've only had it for about a year and a half though and I'd like this new one to last longer, so maybe I should just go with the Zoom 75. Are there any other competitive options in that price bracket?
Also, how high's the risk with the group buy? Presumably they have a good track record at this point? Is it true that Prototypist still covers when things go wrong?
>Are there any other competitive options in that price bracket?
There are plenty of options at that price point. It depends what you mean by competitive. There are options like the Neo series, Qwertykeys with the QK series. But Zoom is stepping up by making a lot of boards and there is good availability.
>Also, how high's the risk with the group buy? Presumably they have a good track record at this point? Is it true that Prototypist still covers when things go wrong?
There's always a risk with group buy. But that's mostly because you pay up front, they keep your money, and there's no chance of a refund. If you're buying from a good vendor, I say the risk of not receiving the product is low. But I actually think the real risk is in the opportunity cost. In the months between ordering and receiving, your taste and wants/needs may change and you may come to regret making that decision.
Having said that, Prototypist is a great vendor and they will help you out if there is an issue. Jae, the owner is very active on their discord and they are very transparent about a lot of things. They are the go-to vendor in the UK for group buys I would say. Good practice is to build your keyboard relatively soon after receiving it and testing the PCB beforehand anyways.
Cool, thanks for your help. I need to research the Zoom 75 a bit more but I'm mainly just wondering if it's worth considering any other options if it meets all my requirements (which it probably will).
>I'll name a few here: Mode Sonnet, Mammoth 75, Keychron K Pro series, Epomaker TH80, Luminkey 80, Akko 5075S, Monsgeek M1.
Of the few that you've tried, would you be able to rank in preference order?
These are keyboards my friends have owned, so I've tried them but haven't used any of them extensively:
1. Mode Sonnet - oozes class and quality, from unboxing to finish etc.
2. Mammoth 75 - the most expensive of all boards I've listed. The sandblasted bottom is really nice, really nice aesthetic, finishing is on point. The big knob is really nice and not something you often see. The sound is a little muted in my view.
3. Luminkey80 - solid board if you don't want a keyboard kit, but slightly pricey I feel. Can sound really nice once modded, but I do think there are better keyboard kit options out there at this price.
4. Monsgeek M1 - I think this is the best option at $100 (maybe a little above). Fully supports QMK too (a dealbreaker for me personally). Slightly boring aesthetics but everything else is great; sound, feel etc.
5. Akko 5075S - We gifted this as a hand me down to a friend, and even with other unwanted parts; this punches well above its weight. Again, it supports QMK, but most surprising is that it sounds fantastic for its pricepoint. Biggest downside is that it inevitably feels cheap being a plastic board.
6. Keychron K Pro series - yeah, wasn't a fan to be honest. These sound a bit crap, really muted and aren't worth buying over the V series which sounds great in comparison. Fine if you've used gaming mechanicals before but there are so many better options out there.
7. Epomaker TH80 - actually sounds pretty good without much modding. But two in a row had their PCB crap up on my friend, so from anecdotal evidence will tend to avoid recommending this one.
Feel free to ask more specific questions. But I generally think that there are great $100 keyboards out there that most people can dip into the hobby, buy once and be done for a very long time. If you want more expensive, mid to high end boards, there are still options like the Mode keyboards etc. They tend to offer just that little je ne sais quoi over the prebuilts.
So I was also under the exact same dilemma that you are in a week ago and I went forward with the Zoom75 with Screen Module and FR4 plate while a friend of mine got the Tide75.
I just finished the build yesterday after everything including the keycaps and switches arrived. I can tell you the number of positives in building a keyboard yourself outweighs buying a prebuilt cheaper keyboard. The did an unhealthy amount of research before deciding my plate and switches, flex cut vs no flex cut and what not. Finally, after a gruelling but fun 5 hours of building the keyboard when the sound profile matches exactly how I have always wanted my keyboard to sound was such a satisfying feeling.
Now to make myself feel better or worse I tried the same switches and keycaps on my friends Tide75 and the sound profile is not even close. The exact same switches and keycaps produce a far different sound profile and that is when I felt that all the research and the extra 200$ became worth it.
I am also well aware of my keyboards internals now, learned how to lube switches and stabs and what not as this was my first ever keyboard I built from scratch.
Hope that this helps you make the decision even though it's biased towards custom builds as I love it!!
I saw your doc in a thread last week. It's an interesting read. But I'm reading it from the perspective of somebody who has owned numerous boards: 1) Keychron V1 2) Cycle 7 3) Mode Envoy Previously, I had Drop Alt and a 10 year old KUL-ES87 which was a bog-standard TKL. I like my Mode Envoy the most. My preference is for the 65% layout. I have a polycarbonate case and I love the aesthetic flourishes and finishing of the overall package. I love the way they design their keyboards. ***What keyboard do you already own and use?*** Honestly, if it was between those four keyboards, I would just recommend the Zoom 75. There's a marked step up in quality between a prebuilt/barebones and the entry level aftermarket customs. The Zoom should be a great board if you just build it up as is but also offer a lot of flexibility when it comes to modding. There's a real undefinable quality to a keyboard you've built from a kit that's rather hard to describe. Most people who do it really enjoy the experience and there's a connection to the peripheral you're using day to day. If you're talking about practicalities, then it means you're well versed as to what makes a keyboard tick, what might go wrong with it and more confident when opening it up to do mods. My next recommendation is something like the Monsgeek M1. It does looks boxy to an extent but it's not that high at the front. It's a fantastic board and could easily conceivably be an endgame keyboard for most people. In a relatively small friend's circle, we've tried a lot of keyboards between us too. I'll name a few here: Mode Sonnet, Mammoth 75, Keychron K Pro series, Epomaker TH80, Luminkey 80, Akko 5075S, Monsgeek M1. Honestly, if you've never had a pricey keyboard that costs anywhere near £100 before, then they're all great options. And you're picking at minutiae. Even something like the AL75 could be as good for many years as something a lot more expensive too, it's just a matter of simple mods that elevate the sound signature. > but it feels like the market is heating up and there might be better options by the time it arrives Yeah, but that's the case with all the keyboards in this list. There's always going to be the feeling that there's something better for less money or did you get the right layout etc. The sub-$100 keyboard market has seemingly got this race to the bottom attitude. Sorry, lots of waffling. Not sure if that helps!
Yeah, those are some good points. I've currently got an unmodded base model Keychron K2 v2 with brown switches so all of these would be a significant step up. I've only had it for about a year and a half though and I'd like this new one to last longer, so maybe I should just go with the Zoom 75. Are there any other competitive options in that price bracket? Also, how high's the risk with the group buy? Presumably they have a good track record at this point? Is it true that Prototypist still covers when things go wrong?
>Are there any other competitive options in that price bracket? There are plenty of options at that price point. It depends what you mean by competitive. There are options like the Neo series, Qwertykeys with the QK series. But Zoom is stepping up by making a lot of boards and there is good availability. >Also, how high's the risk with the group buy? Presumably they have a good track record at this point? Is it true that Prototypist still covers when things go wrong? There's always a risk with group buy. But that's mostly because you pay up front, they keep your money, and there's no chance of a refund. If you're buying from a good vendor, I say the risk of not receiving the product is low. But I actually think the real risk is in the opportunity cost. In the months between ordering and receiving, your taste and wants/needs may change and you may come to regret making that decision. Having said that, Prototypist is a great vendor and they will help you out if there is an issue. Jae, the owner is very active on their discord and they are very transparent about a lot of things. They are the go-to vendor in the UK for group buys I would say. Good practice is to build your keyboard relatively soon after receiving it and testing the PCB beforehand anyways.
Cool, thanks for your help. I need to research the Zoom 75 a bit more but I'm mainly just wondering if it's worth considering any other options if it meets all my requirements (which it probably will).
>I'll name a few here: Mode Sonnet, Mammoth 75, Keychron K Pro series, Epomaker TH80, Luminkey 80, Akko 5075S, Monsgeek M1. Of the few that you've tried, would you be able to rank in preference order?
These are keyboards my friends have owned, so I've tried them but haven't used any of them extensively: 1. Mode Sonnet - oozes class and quality, from unboxing to finish etc. 2. Mammoth 75 - the most expensive of all boards I've listed. The sandblasted bottom is really nice, really nice aesthetic, finishing is on point. The big knob is really nice and not something you often see. The sound is a little muted in my view. 3. Luminkey80 - solid board if you don't want a keyboard kit, but slightly pricey I feel. Can sound really nice once modded, but I do think there are better keyboard kit options out there at this price. 4. Monsgeek M1 - I think this is the best option at $100 (maybe a little above). Fully supports QMK too (a dealbreaker for me personally). Slightly boring aesthetics but everything else is great; sound, feel etc. 5. Akko 5075S - We gifted this as a hand me down to a friend, and even with other unwanted parts; this punches well above its weight. Again, it supports QMK, but most surprising is that it sounds fantastic for its pricepoint. Biggest downside is that it inevitably feels cheap being a plastic board. 6. Keychron K Pro series - yeah, wasn't a fan to be honest. These sound a bit crap, really muted and aren't worth buying over the V series which sounds great in comparison. Fine if you've used gaming mechanicals before but there are so many better options out there. 7. Epomaker TH80 - actually sounds pretty good without much modding. But two in a row had their PCB crap up on my friend, so from anecdotal evidence will tend to avoid recommending this one. Feel free to ask more specific questions. But I generally think that there are great $100 keyboards out there that most people can dip into the hobby, buy once and be done for a very long time. If you want more expensive, mid to high end boards, there are still options like the Mode keyboards etc. They tend to offer just that little je ne sais quoi over the prebuilts.
So I was also under the exact same dilemma that you are in a week ago and I went forward with the Zoom75 with Screen Module and FR4 plate while a friend of mine got the Tide75. I just finished the build yesterday after everything including the keycaps and switches arrived. I can tell you the number of positives in building a keyboard yourself outweighs buying a prebuilt cheaper keyboard. The did an unhealthy amount of research before deciding my plate and switches, flex cut vs no flex cut and what not. Finally, after a gruelling but fun 5 hours of building the keyboard when the sound profile matches exactly how I have always wanted my keyboard to sound was such a satisfying feeling. Now to make myself feel better or worse I tried the same switches and keycaps on my friends Tide75 and the sound profile is not even close. The exact same switches and keycaps produce a far different sound profile and that is when I felt that all the research and the extra 200$ became worth it. I am also well aware of my keyboards internals now, learned how to lube switches and stabs and what not as this was my first ever keyboard I built from scratch. Hope that this helps you make the decision even though it's biased towards custom builds as I love it!!