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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: spaz0z on Sun, 28 January 2018, 14:43:26
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Hello,
im looking forward to buy a 75% keyboard with this keycap set : https://shop.tai-hao.com/products/-pbt-104-c01rd201
as far as i know these only fit on Cherry MX (or maybe some cherry mx fakes too ?) so im in need of a 75 % cherry mx keyboard with preferably red switches.
I found the KBD75 But its slightly over my budget, does someone got a alternative ?
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A quick Amazon search turned up keyboards with mechanical switches from $30 - $200. What you spend in going to depend entirely on the quality you want from the board.
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Hmm, i only found a couple 75 % keyboards, even less with cherry mx red. Im just not sure if i should buy something like the DREVO Excalibur Tenkeyless 84-key.
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make sure that the keycaps will work with the keyboard, many 75%s use a shorter right shift
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Is there a huge need for the F row? If not I suggest maybe looking at 65% & 68 key boards like the Leopold FC660M - https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_list&c=358, Varmilo VA68M - https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_list&c=325, & Saber68 - http://www.kbdist.com/shop/saber-68, They are all great boards. There is also the more budget route where you can find the Drevo board you mentioned, the MK84 - https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_list&c=243, or the Magicforce 68 - https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Keyboard-GATERON-Magicforce-Qisan/dp/B01E57PXKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517179369&sr=8-1&keywords=magicforce+68+gateron+red. I believe Qisan made a Magicforce 82 also but nothing turned up on Amazon when I searched. 75% boards you can get assembled are pretty rare & not too cheap either, the KBD75 is the cheapest I can think of, so those would be most of the best alternatives I could give you.
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The 75% market is quite small compared to almost every other size. There are a few more than listed here, but this covers most you can obtain easily as of right now.
Cheap:
Ajazz, Drevo, etc..
Average:
Noppoo
High End:
Vortex Race, Deck
Chinese Customs:
KBD75, YMDK, XD84, EEPW84
Drevo and Noppoo do not work on Mac, they are most likely made by the same company. XD84 and EEPW84 are parts compatible, and can range from within your range to the upper end of things depending on the parts you pick (plastic, aluminum, stainless case, with or without plate...). There are other customs but they have extremely limited availability and are way out of your range anyhow. Note placement of FN key, as it can play a part in your enjoyment of the keyboard.
As Puddsy said, you need to be careful on keycaps, that set you want does offer a shortened shift key, but it does cost extra. Depending on the keyboard you pick you will also need some of the 1u R1 blanks (up to 3). These will also eat into your budget. You may want to look into the YMDK 75% thick PBT keycap sets on Aliexpress, they are really nice and also extremely cheap.
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I'm using an EEPW84 right now, and it's fine. The case is plastic and it's light weight, and doesn't look fancy, but it works great. However, this keyboard was a kit without switches.
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I'm using an EEPW84 right now, and it's fine. The case is plastic and it's light weight, and doesn't look fancy, but it works great. However, this keyboard was a kit without switches.
There is at least 2 plastic cases, a plex case, a stainless plate frame, a stainless plate case and at least one aluminum case as well that you can buy for it.
It's one of the most customizable keyboards made.
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I'm using an EEPW84 right now, and it's fine. The case is plastic and it's light weight, and doesn't look fancy, but it works great. However, this keyboard was a kit without switches.
There is at least 2 plastic cases, a plex case, a stainless plate frame, a stainless plate case and at least one aluminum case as well that you can buy for it.
It's one of the most customizable keyboards made.
Yeah, I think I only payed like ~$50 for the whole kit, and I had planned on upgrading the case later if I liked it enough. I may indeed do that.
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Can you tell me where i can get the EEPW84 Kit ?
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Can you tell me where i can get the EEPW84 Kit ?
Aliexpress, sec, ill track it down.
This is what I could find available at this time.
PCB:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/xd84-75-eepw84-Custom-Mechanical-Keyboard-Supports-TKG-TOOLS-Underglow-RGB-PCB-programmed-kle-Kimera-core/32819790747.html
Case:
(Plastic)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/xd84-eepw84-plastic-case-black-white-case-for-xd84-70-eepw84-pcb-and-plate/32820056805.html
(Aluminum)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Anodized-Aluminium-case-for-eepw84-xd84-custom-keyboard-acrylic-panels-diffuser-can-support-Rotary-brace-supporter/32837583257.html
(Bent Steel)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/stainless-steel-bent-case-for-xd84-eepw84-75-custom-keyboard-enclosed-case-upper-and-lower-case/32821807795.html
Plate:
(Steel)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/75-Aluminum-Mechanical-Keyboard-Plate-support-stainless-steel-plate-for-eepw84-xd84-pcb/32819844552.html
(Aluminum)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/75-Aluminum-Mechanical-Keyboard-Plate-support-xd84-eepw84-75-pcb/32819778857.html
All in one kit:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DIY-KIT-keycool-mechanical-keyboards-cherry-mx-compatible-tkl-87-PCB-keycool-84-compact-keyboard/32844894887.html
This kit is eepw84 PCB with a plastic case, a steel plate and horrible keycaps(basically thrown in for free). Remember to select the 2nd or 3rd option for the eepw84, I have NO IDEA what the 87 key tkl PCB is. The case with this kit is a screwless snap together type, but it doesn't sound half bad with pale blue box kailhs.
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You can also get the XD84 (EEPW84) PCB and other parts from https://kprepublic.com/products/xd84-xiudi-70-custom-keyboard-pcb
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You can also get the XD84 (EEPW84) PCB and other parts from https://kprepublic.com/products/xd84-xiudi-70-custom-keyboard-pcb
Looks like the same vendor :) Didn't know about that site, so thanks :D
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No problem!
KPrepublic is also a member here on Geekhack
https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=profile;u=68999
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I was really excited when I stumbled upon KPRepublic, I was like a child in an exotic toy store - It was admirable how for the Chinese market has progressed, just 2 years ago, all of these were a dream
However, unluckily, I had a very bad experience, ordered XD84 parts and a lot of stuff a month ago, requested DHL, paid extra, all was going great, but the Yanwen tracking provided never showed the package as actually picked up, waited 3 weeks, no progress or proof of pickup, disputed everything today, even if the refund process goes without a hickup, I'll probably lose like ~$15 in fx fees :(
I don't know whether it was a lost package or something else, but it's just a sad situation for me, as I'd have likely ordered the hell out of KPRepublic's stuff otherwise, now I can't do it tho, all those beautiful aluminium keyboards and cherry keycaps out of reach (in the keyboard scene, something else's are a frequent thing, otherwise I really don't fancy blaming sellers without definite proof, If it's actually a lost package, I suspect a sad situation for the seller too)
My .02 - Keep your order simple, don't pay extra for express shipping, keep your costs and expectations low
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i like the kbd75 pcb better than xd84. gmk is pretty easy to use. but i think one edge xd84 has is the ability to connect external led strips.
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I was really excited when I stumbled upon KPRepublic, I was like a child in an exotic toy store - It was admirable how for the Chinese market has progressed, just 2 years ago, all of these were a dream
However, unluckily, I had a very bad experience, ordered XD84 parts and a lot of stuff a month ago, requested DHL, paid extra, all was going great, but the Yanwen tracking provided never showed the package as actually picked up, waited 3 weeks, no progress or proof of pickup, disputed everything today, even if the refund process goes without a hickup, I'll probably lose like ~$15 in fx fees :(
I don't know whether it was a lost package or something else, but it's just a sad situation for me, as I'd have likely ordered the hell out of KPRepublic's stuff otherwise, now I can't do it tho, all those beautiful aluminium keyboards and cherry keycaps out of reach (in the keyboard scene, something else's are a frequent thing, otherwise I really don't fancy blaming sellers without definite proof, If it's actually a lost package, I suspect a sad situation for the seller too)
My .02 - Keep your order simple, don't pay extra for express shipping, keep your costs and expectations low
I would be more keen to blame DHL. Nothing but bad experiences from them the last 5 years. This is assuming you are in the US. Worst US shipment service. Two different times my packages arrived so mangled the box was empty.
Edit: Oh and I agree about the KBD75, best 75% on the market IMO, as far as build quality goes. Not so much value per dollar, though. The XD84 has the primary advantage of customization, the LED strips you can add is just yet another mark in that column.
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It wasn't DHL, there was a Yanwen tracking info created, but the shipment was never picked up - I maybe ordered 1000 things from China to this day, none of them were lost
I consider myself scammed, I received the money back from Aliexpress, but the FX fees etc. are lost, I also lost more than a month
I suspect the seller didn't have the item in hand, and this is why all these happened, the seller also proposed doing things with Paypal at one point
All in all, I suggest to proceed with caution (reminding that the seller never provided any proof that he delivered the package to Yanwen)
(You also can't leave bad feedback if the order goes to dispute, so don't take the lack of negative feedback a positive thing)