I’m planning on buying a new mechanical keyboard. Budget at best can be 8K.
TL;DR - Read the considered keyboard list/Questions list and please drop your opinions on them.
Long version -
Why am I changing? - My existing mechanical keyboard - The Archer Tech Lab M200 has started having faulty key presses. I’m looking to upgrade to a better board now.
My requirements -
My must haves are wireless, Volume Knob and per key RGB.
Good to have would be Hotswap.
Nice to have would be QMK/VIA and openRGB support.
I have no clue about the different switch types, other than blue for click, red for silence and brown for thock.
I’ve used only a 100% keyboard to date and haven’t really considered a smaller size keyboard.
I do tend to use the Page Up/Down and Home/End keys quite a lot while typing.
I initially considered a 96% Keyboard but then felt it was too similar to the 100% and not much of a difference in footprint.
75% feels right, but I haven’t yet tried it physically. I do use the numpad quite frequently, but I felt it would be easier if I could use layers on a 75% keyboard instead of lugging around a full size keyboard.
What I’ve considered until now:
- Aula F99 Pro - Fits everything I want, but is 96%.
- Aula F75 - Fits everything I want,is 75%
- Roy Kludge R75 Wireless - Leaning most towards this at this point.
My questions:
- How do both these companies fair for a long term use case? (Say 5 years)
- 75 or 96%? Consider my usecase to have some numpad usage, but mostly just the letters, Pg Up/Down, Home/End and WASD/gaming.
- Is a 4000mah battery enough or is more required?
- The 75% keyboard is quite lighter compared to the 96% keyboard. My research shows heavier keyboards better. Is this true here also?
- What is the difference between the cream and beige switches on the wireless version of the Royal Kludge R75?
- Should I even be looking at non Chinese brands?
Thanks for all the help folks..!!
Cheers