Check out ducky keyboards, they have a bunch of different options. When I ordered mine a couple years ago I could choose between a couple different types of switches but not sure if that's still an option
this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2025
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Nuphy? I don't know if it meets all your needs but maybe nuphy air 96. Works with VIA and they sell shine through keycaps.
This was also my thought, though worth mentioning their air series low-profile boards also use LP switches which have less options for swapping in the future.
OP said they want clicky, and there's some neat clicky options for MX style switches, like the Zeal Clickiez, and Kailh BOX Navy/Jade/Blue.
Thanks, very pretty but they seem to serve only North America and a few SEA locations. Appreciated nonetheless!
What makes you think that? Nuphy has been known to ship to quite a few countries all over the world. Their "where do we ship" page still lists pretty much all of the major countries in Europe. Unless something changed very recently I would still expect that to be the case.
I worded it poorly, I meant they only have local stores in those locations. I'm wary of ordering from the USA at the moment because of the tariff war going on, wouldn't want to get caught with my pants down
I'm pretty sure they still ship directly from China. It's been a minute since I ordered from them but all of my orders took several weeks due to overseas snail mail.
Good to know, I guess I'll email them to make sure, thanks!
I have nothing to add in the mechanical department, as those keyboards drive me insane personally.
I just wanted to add some comments on finding a solid keyboard you love.
- Make sure the texture(s) are right for you. Space-age material is cool, but when you hate the feel of your fancy new keyboard, it's not a fun type.
- Check the travel, everyone has different expectations and needs for the travel of their keyboard. The setup, and in turn the travel will honestly change your accuracy and speed when it comes to typing. You can adjust of course, but picking up a board you enjoy to type on is always better. For this, I had a sit and truly wondered what I like to press and how I like to type. I stuck a piece of paper and just pounded out on it. I saw how I held my hands, as well as where I liked to hang them and where I was hitting keys from.
- Create a list of contenders. Analyze if you feel comfortable with their price-to-value, features, form (see above).
- Do your research. I'll watch videos and turn their sound off and try to watch people using the tech they're pawning off. Asking folks helps weed out the noise machine, but I have also been burnt by trusting others over my gut. So I say a healthy mix of everything leads to a happy purchase.
- Try to purchase from a place you can return to, just in case all else fails.
I often think of purchases as something I am doing to help myself for an extended period of time. So that might also play into your purchase, and I would look to see what sort of support one could get in that department. Good luck, I hope you find your "dream-board!"
I'm unsure what you mean by switches, since all mechanical keyboards use switches.
Regardless, if you're looking for a relatively cheap, good quality mechanical keyboard, I'd probably recommend you check out Keychron. They've got a lot of options and they're all decent quality for a decent price, so you could probably find something you want in their catalog
I meant that I disliked the switches on the G815 (GL, clicky) that would register the input before I could feel and hear the click.
As I added at the end, I looked at many KB from Keychron but none of them seem to have backlight that shines through the keycap. I don't know how to explain, but if you look up any image of the G815 you see what I mean
I have a keychron. Idk if all their keyboards have hot swappable switches but get one that does, and get the barebones version. They have a section on their store where you can order switches separately, so just place an order for the barebones keyboard and whatever switches you want.
Then also buy a set of keycaps that are printed with symbols that allow the backlight to be seen through them from wherever you want.
thanks, that could work! I missed that section, I went straight for the ready-to-use KB!
Skip to Svalboard. It is the endgame.