im trying to decide between the two of these and whether to get the backlit version of zero. are there also any other good boards the meet my requirements and are about the same price range?
Switches: most likely brown if not blue
Full sized
no backlighting or adjustable backlighting(can be turned off)
You should try both by yourselves.
Technically, Cooler Master XT and Ducky Zero are quite different.
You should focus on these points:
+ XT Made in Taiwan vs Ducky Zero Made in China
+ XT Costa stabilizers vs Ducky Zero Cherry stabilizers
+ XT removable cables vs Ducky Zero non-removable cables
+ XT keycap vs Ducky Zero keycap
+ XT case finished vs Ducky Zero case finished
However, Singapore now is dominated by Ducky. We can see Ducky everywhere from Sim Lim to Funan.
Personally, it's quite hard to find a Filco or CM XT with a reasonable price in Singapore.