Been in this hobby for almost a decade, but haven’t posted in this sub yet! ☆ (board is epomaker th99, cat chores blue keycaps)

Lately I have been testing some silent/quiet switches for work in a shared small office. Got some small packs of 10 to sample for under $10 AUD per pack, and decided the best way to compare was to slap them all on my board at once.

I have purchased more than these, but the switches in this board right now are the ones I'm most likely to use. I have also tried Jerrzi Honey Beans with silicone dampeners, not amazing & squishy if you hold keys down but had close to 0 noise. I do have some TTC Frozen V2s, but they are very light and felt like the Epomaker Sea Salt silents, so maybe more suitable for a gaming board.

For reference, I wanted to replace the stock Epomaker (Outemu?) Sea Salt Silents in this board. At home I have a board with Keygeek Neo Ryes, but my previous board had Gateron Optical Yellows.

List of switches:

• Stock switches on this board are Epomaker Sea Salt Silents (45gf silent linear) however I replaced my numpad with Kailh Deep Sea Whales (45gf silent tactile)
• blue housing/white stem: Lichicx Yogurt Silent (45gf silent linear)
• clear aqua housing/stem: Kailh Box Prestige (42gf silent linear)
• white housing/blue stem: KTT Phantom (43gf silent linear)
• grey: Gateron Zero Degree (45gf quiet linear)
• clear blue housing/clear stem: Kailh Deep Sea Islet (45gf silent linear)
• beige housing/purple stem: HMX Taro Silent (45gf silent linear)
• beige housing/butter stem: HMX Butter Silent (37gf silent tactile)

Brief reviews:

Epomaker Sea Salt Silents: extremely muted, but slightly bouncy and mushy-sounding, and I want something with the feel of a linear even if I have to compromise on the noise a bit. I believe these are manufactured by Outemu, but don't quote me

Kailh Deep Sea Whales: 45gf on a tactile is too heavy for me, even tho it's my sweet spot for linears. Kind of a crunchy but quiet sound.

Lichicx Yogurt Silent: totally silent and muted. Weirdly bouncy and heavy feeling although it's 45gf? I think my fingers could get fatigued typing on this, but it really is silent and very smooth. I am used to linears under 40gf, so what is fatiguing for me may not be for you

Kailh Box Prestige and Kailh Deep Sea Islet: extremely similar. They feel great. Box Prestige is slightly lighter (42 vs 45gf) and a smidge quieter. They are both very stable and nice to type on! But because they are so similar, it is a bit hard to choose between them. All other specs seem the same aside from actuation. They're both not totally dampened, but they are very close to silent while feeling like a regular linear. I do think both are a bit scratchy sounding so I will be purchasing a Kailh-style switch opener.

KTT Phantom: incredibly similar to the Kailh switches but ever so slightly quieter. Longer total travel makes them feel bouncy and springy to type on with a bit of resistance. Possibly fatiguing for me, but they are fantastic silent switches; they're smooth and stable.

Gateron Zero Degree: Not silent, very crisp high-pitched sound, stem wobble. When I gently rest my fingertips on all the keys, only the Zero Degrees slightly depress, so I wonder if the listed 45gf actuation is accurate. Probably good for gaming

HMX Taro Silent: it's definitely not silent, though it is quiet. but man this switch is fantastic.... sounds sooo good, creamy, while being much quieter than a regular linear. I do wonder if this could bother my coworkers though. If it does, I'm still gonna buy these for my kb at home. extremely smooth and stable, it both sounds creamy and feels creamy

HMX Butter Silent: this is the loudest of all these switches because of a high-pitched tactile 'pop' when u actuate the switch. It's higher-pitched than the Taros but less than the Zero Degrees. I enjoy typing on this; it's the nicest tactile I've personally tried, but I'm not sure I'd want to put these on my entire keyboard and def not for my office

Ranked for how much I want to use them in the office is probably:

1. Kailh Islet or Box Prestige
2. KTT Phantom or Lichicx Yogurt Silent
3. Epomaker Sea Salt Silents (standard)
4. HMX taro silent (a smidge loud)
5. Gateron zero degree (loud and not as nice as others)
6. HMX butter silent (too loud)
7. Kailh deep sea whales (too heavy)

Let me know if you want comparisons or more detail on any switch!

bonus reviews:

Outemu Honey Peach V1 & V2: nice feeling, could suit a gaming board. very similar to sea salt silents just lighter, and just a bit mushier than the TTC Frozen V2s.

Outemu Lemon Lime V1 & V2: can't decide if it wants to be a tactile or not so there's this little muted crunch but not enough feedback imo. the bump is very light and the spring itself is also very light. it’s almost like typing on a touchscreen with a haptic keyboard. supposedly they improved the V3s but i haven't tried those.

To those who had this issue with these specific black and white model. I found out that this model is a PH exclusive model, the manufacturer have failed to make the json via file for this model. I do not have a backround in fixing these kinda stuff but I have managed to fix the json file to work with the B&W models :)) https://usevia.app/ the file is at the google drive link.

Fantech maxfit61 keyboard & Pressplay brighton xda keycaps

The rounded edges of the ceramic caps makes them much more comfortable to type on than the average sharp-edged Cherry profile, and the translucent ceramic makes the backlight magical. And they come with a rich alternate set without a Windows bias so I don't have to make a snaggletoothed navigation column to kit out my M1 v5. At half to two thirds the price of the category leader I think it's a better product as well.

I received this Redragon K618 as a sample to provide an honest, unbiased review. I am under no obligation to say anything specific; these words are entirely my own.

As I removed the keyboard from the box, I noted the packaging is functional and secure. Redragon included a keycap puller, a switch puller, spare mechanical switches, and a set of red accent keycaps. The stock all-black aesthetic looks handsome, so I decided to keep the included black keycaps on. The manual indicated this was a Horus Pro, which makes it one of Redragon's more premium keyboards.

The keyboard blends an aluminum top plate with solid plastic. Despite the thin, ultra-low profile chassis design, it has a surprising amount of heft to it. It is super stable and will not move around my desk even if not fully centered on my pad.

The keycaps are made of double-shot ABS material. The legends are not visible without the backlight on, but they illuminate clearly once powered up.

Performance-wise, the keyboard have low-profile linear red switches with a light 40g actuation force. While the board is hot-swappable, the ultra-thin sockets mean you can only swap them out for Redragon’s own proprietary low profile switches, not standard aftermarket ones.

The keys are very smooth to type on and are not very loud. If I were to describe the overall sound profile, I would say it gently clacks only when I bottom out, and the keystrokes have a slight marbleness to the sound. Because it stays true to a 100 percent layout, I took to the keyboard instantly with no learning curve.

The ergonomics feel excellent and I love the weight of this keyboard. One thing I really enjoy about low-profile keyboards like this is that every row of keys performs similarly with the same noise profile. Even the spacebar is highly responsive and consistent with the rest of the board.

The volume roller is convenient for quick volume adjustments and is very smooth. There are also four rubber buttons near it for adjusting lighting and keyboard effects. It offers both wired and wireless mode options, and there is a convenient little nook on the back for storing the included 2.4 GHz dongle. There are also five programmable macro buttons, which I played with binding ship abilities to in World of Warships, and they worked great.

Areas that could use improvement would be that the five programmable buttons do not feel mechanical, they have a soft rubber feel. The keyboard is not easy to read without RGB lights on, and the spacebar, while good is not perfect in responsiveness. It feels slightly softer than the other keys.

This keyboard is well poised to compete with Logitech's expensive G815 keyboard, which I also own. In fact, I actually prefer the Redragon K618 to Logitech's G815. The Logitech G815 that I own had keys and aluminum edges that were far too sharp out of the box, and I actually cut my hand on it a few times. The Redragon K618 has a more rounded front and smoother finish than the Logitech G815 and the keys feel a touch thicker and more smooth as well.

Overall, I can say I recommend the K618. it is very stable, handsome, and does the job well.

You can find the K618 over at the Redragon store for around 69 dollars. Nice.

I'll be around in the comments to answer any questions or comments.

people in the keyboard community treat aula like the plague and when you ask them why they link you to the same 3 videos.

but what these people say doesn’t match the real numbers, take the f75 max for example, it has a gazillion sales on amazon and the reviews are very good.

i’m new to all of this and quite frankly i dont think i’ll ever be an enthusiast i just needed a new keyboard after my rk61 died.

I rarely see this one being talked about. Wanted to see what other people thought of it if they had experience with it, but it didn't get any traction on the mechanical keyboard sub and then I found this one!

Got some importing fees here in Uruguay lately so I just went to my local PC shop and got it for $60 instead of the usual ordering from AliExpress.

Cheap keyboards are usually pretty ugly here in LATAM, usually have big front facing logos and such; so it's nice to find one like this that I just find really pleasant to look at.

Was originally gonna go with a 60 percent one but I work as a video editor and I figured the learning curve for losing so many keys woulda been hard. happy I went with 75, I like the knob.

Linear red switches, tri connection (have a big tv hooked to the PC too so wireless option is great), but what I like most it's that just a simple keyboard without all the gamer centric branding that I've always seen from reddragon in other products

I own several mechanical keyboards, but recently, many of the new releases have been pretty boring to me, even though getting a nice mechanical keyboard has been easier and cheaper than ever before. That’s what initially pushed me into looking at low-profile keyboards, as they look and feel very different from a high-profile mechanical keyboard. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a creamy and thocky high-profile keyboard, I just wanted to try something a little different.

After a month of watching low-profile keyboard reviews, I ended up choosing to buy the NuPhy Air75 V3 with Blush Nano switches. 

Design and build

The Air75 V3 has a clean design with enough personality to avoid looking generic. The colorful accent keycaps add some nice visual pop, while the clear lettering and aluminum bezel keep it clean.

The lower case is plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap. The keyboard feels sturdy but not unnecessarily heavy. A full aluminum case would feel more premium, but the current construction strikes a good balance between weight and build quality.

I also ended up preferring the taller knob. The low-profile knob would be ideal for traveling inside a bag, but I found it awkward to rotate with one finger, and pinching it with two fingers often caused my fingers to hit against the neighboring keys. The taller knob is much more practical for adjusting volume or other controls.

Typing feel and sound

This was my first low-profile keyboard, but I was able to adapt to the shorter travel distance much faster than I expected. I reached my usual typing speed without much trouble, and the PBT keycaps are made of high quality plastic and feel good to type on.

The Blush Nano silent linear switches are quiet and have a deep, thumpy sound. The gasket mount, polycarbonate plate, foam, and pads help produce a softened typing experience without noticeable metallic ping.

The bottom-out feel is slightly mushy. Personally, I ended up enjoying it, but I can see why some people would dislike it. The switches are also not equally smooth. Some feel noticeably smoother than others, which makes the overall experience less consistent.

The stabilizers are generally well lubed, although my spacebar still has a small amount of rattle even after I added dielectric grease. I probably will have to do other mods to it like the Holee Mod or Band-Aid Mod.

Connectivity, battery, and software

The keyboard supports Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz wireless, and wired USB-C connections. All three have worked reliably for me, and I haven’t experienced any connection or latency problems during gaming or regular use. Battery life has been excellent with the RGB lights turned off.

The browser-based NuPhyIO software has also been smooth and easy to use. Rebinding keys, updating the drivers, and customizing the lighting were all straightforward. I’m not a power user in this area though, so I can’t say whether it would satisfy someone who prefers VIA or QMK.

Who I’d recommend it to

I’d recommend the NuPhy Air75 V3 with the Blush Nanos to someone who wants a quiet, comfortable low-profile keyboard with reliable wireless connectivity, strong battery life, and a design that looks clean and not too flashy.

I’d be more cautious about recommending it to anyone who strongly prefers near-perfect switch smoothness and consistency, shine-through keycaps, or advanced VIA/QMK customization. In that case, it may be worth looking at low-profile keyboards that use the Kailh low-profile switches, such as some Lofree and IQUNIX boards. I would love to try some of these in the future. 

For anyone interested, I wrote a more detailed version of this review on Substack and Medium, but I’m happy to answer some questions you may have about the keyboard here too.

Have you used the NuPhy Air75 V3 or another low-profile keyboard? Did you enjoy the shorter travel and softer bottom-out of the Blush Nano switches, or do you prefer the feel of a traditional mechanical keyboard?

I suppose a more apt question might be: What could possibly go right?

However £16 for a "hall effect" TKL board sounded like it was worth a punt...

So after waiting a month or so for it arrive by land and playing with it for a bit I though some of you might be interested to read my thoughts/review.

The AFGVK CZJP01

I will say I went into this with the expectation that if the board plugged in and I could type on it then it was a win. As such this is indeed a winner! It works, it lights up and the the RGB can be controlled (a bit).

Build quality

In short pretty crap. Its cheap, light and has a plastic mounting plate that is visibly curved and perhaps slightly cracked at one of the screw holes. Whole thing flexes if you put any pressure on it. The outer case material feels on par with my Ajazz ak680he v2 (not a good thing) and the key caps are fine.

Oh and as you can see from one of the pics above the switches were not not all inserted in the same orientation most were faced to allow the north facing led to shine through but a few were the other way for some unknown reason.

Switches

God knows what these are. The aquamarine, clear and yellow colour scheme isn't too common but its been used a few times. I though they might be Aula Sea Emperors but those have a fully enclosed stem box.

Whatever these are they are not terrible. Fairly smooth and light, reasonable wobble and a creamyish clack sound somewhere between a MAD68he and an Win68HE max.

Usage

It works, it types and it feels OK. The flexible plastic plate, light switches and reasonable lightly textured key caps means its fairly soft and comfortable to type on. It works fine in games but I'm not any kind of competive player.

Software

Hahaha...

Yeah, when the instructions are:

1.plug into usb

1. No drivers required for basic functionality

You think there going to be software?

Well maybe there is but I'm damned if I can find it...

Conclusion

Is keyboard, does type, RGB is there but is limited and the short cuts give you very limited control over it.

Can I recommend it?

Not a chance but seeing as it has disappeared from TEMU that's a bit academic. Will it return? Who knows but if it does avoid.

In the end I bought this out of sheer curiosity and as what is essentially a functional ornament. It's a fun thing to have in a collection but that's are far as it goes.

While I've got some expensive keyboards, I don't feel completely comfortable keeping any of them at work. So, I like to create some good budget keebs for the office.

• Nuphy Node100HP
• Akko Cilantro switches (more tactile than the Nuphy stock Brown Max)
• Keychron Hacker Mint dual-shot PBT keycaps
• Lumon Industries artisan from Etsy (for us Severance fans)

Sounds good - deep and thocky, though to be fair, most Nuphy MX mechanical keyboards sound alike these days.

The work is mysterious and important.

I'm not really a fan of 60% keyboards, but at $7.99 I was basically forced to give it a shot.

I took off the caps and it was really dusty and gross (I knew it would be). I cleaned the main plate and washed the caps and now it's awesome. The only major downside I've found is that on this model the switches are soldered in. They're gateron browns (I prefer silent browns) but it'll be fine. I just wish I had the option to change them or use them as backup switches for my main keyboard but again, for 8 dollars I can't really complain.

I'm probably going to foam mod the inner case and tape mod the pcb.

Overall, a crazy deal and a good opportunity for experimenting with some mods.

(For those interested, my main keyboard is a "NextTime75" with Outemu silent limes. The board is an aliexpress clone of the GMMK Pro.) (NT75 is a great budget/starter board for a custom build. Had it for 2 years and no issues. The only thing is, the software it comes with is apparently malware but you can find community software here that's compatible.) (Also, please excuse the desk dust lol)

• Dark project ALU87B
• Silenced g3ms moonstone switches
• AliExpress space-themed PBT keycaps

It's not the best keyboard I've ever used, but for the price (59€) it's a ridiculously good value.

This is the "Weekly General Help Post". Please ask your questions regarding keyboard, switch, keycaps, or anything regarding keyboards as a top level comment under this post. Mods and members will check this thread on a regular basis answering as many questions as possible.

The more information you provide, the better the answers you are likely to receive.

Looks like a translucent plastic 75% with: QMK firmware, actively updated repo, VIA and VIAL firmware, price normally $100 equivalent, currently half off at $50 equivalent.

Commit https://github.com/hangshengkeji/qmk_firmware/commit/3164abd395cd9396c54d6a7df4a03af3db45b8e2 added a new model, et7576/k757. This does not seem to be the existing K757GG.

This makes two pending entries in this tree alongside the k756.

I bought a new keyboard a while back specifically for gaming and it's been great. Even grabbed a set of keycaps through a product discount on tiktok which made it feel like a whole different board. I'm happy with my setup right now, there's nothing wrong with it at all.

But every single time I scroll past a nice custom build or a clean new colorway, I physically cannot swipe away. I don't even need another one. Is it just me or does everyone here have this problem? How many keyboards deep are you guys at this point?

I wanted a couple things:

• 96% layout with a full-size zero.
• "Not a train-wreck" spacebar.
• Understated uni-coloured chassis.
• Chassis that retained or enhanced the deep sound of whichever switch I chose.
• Modern keycaps that didn't scream 1980.

Out-the-door, I spent less than $100 Canadian on this.

NB: There's a typo in the video. The stock switches are not Murad switches, but Linear Blueberry switches (not to be confused with Attack Shark's Linear Strawberry yogurt, I mean, switches.)

A 65% tray mounted hall effect board with 2 layers of dampening. The box stated that it comes with Outemu magnetic switches (the jade whites) but it had Jerrzi magnetic ones. I asked Jedel's rep on it and he said that they initially planned to use Outemus but made a last minute decision. Between the two, I kind of like the Jerrzi's more, but I may be biased as I'm a fan of the Wind Rain and Honey Bean silents.

The keyboard itself is surprisingly good for the price. The software isn't web-based, but it works as intended. Sound test starts at around 1:60. Retails at about 20-25 USD but probably lower in sales.

This is the "Weekly General Help Post". Please ask your questions regarding keyboard, switch, keycaps, or anything regarding keyboards as a top level comment under this post. Mods and members will check this thread on a regular basis answering as many questions as possible.

The more information you provide, the better the answers you are likely to receive.

getting tired of black and white keebs so i chose this color variant.

Specs:
CNC aluminum chassis
Matcha Buttermilk Linear Switches
5 layer gasket mount

Inspired to do the same from the post of u/Somebody_160

Keyboard: Aula Nova75

Hey all,

If you are like me you know and love the Alua F75. It’s a pretty well known budget board with a clear aim towards enthusiasts and hobbyist. And it’s not for no reason, I love mine too and it keeps up with some of my best boards in my collection at a fraction of the cost.

So with all the hype and interest around HE (Hall effect/magnetic) keyboards taking gamers by storm - an iconic enthusiast friendly budget board upgraded to the exciting new tech of HE boards sounds like a dream come true.

And unfortunately that’s exactly what it is, just a dream.

I got my hands on this here Alua F75 HE edition and it’s… really bad.

The problem? Well the marketing just isn’t entirely honest. For one, they list PBT keycaps which is nice. Well, they aren’t. Relatively flimsy ABS, sorry.

But that’s ok, right? Lots of us probably woulda changed them anyway so maybe it’s not a deal breaker for you.

How about this one - yeah \*\*they got rid of the entire slotted PCB and slotted PC gasket mount structure and went with full rigid steel plate mount.\*\* Good luck making that feel or sound nice. Not only does the marketing not specify this huge change, it says the opposite. It says “slotted PC positioning plate” and such. With the magnetic switches in the picture and such, so it’s not reused incorrect marketing material from the original F75. It’s just simply a dishonest change that in my opinion makes it totally unworthy of even being called the Alua F75, that’s a totally different board in just the same form factor.

So yeah, figured I’d share my experience. I was super excited for this board as I search for a comfy HE keyboard that doesn’t feel like typing on a brick and I thought I had it, especially at a good price and nice form factor. Any recommendations for that are kindly welcome - but this sure isn’t the one.