Keyboard Kits
A build, not a finished board. Listed when the kit is worth assembling.
Six kits. The Tofu60 is a 60% case. The QK65 and the Bakeneko65 are 65% builds. The Neo75 is the 75%. Mode Encore and Mode Sonnet are the expensive ones.
If you only want one, start with QK65 V2 . It is the kit we marked Best Value, and the one we would hand someone building for the first time.
6 keyboards
“When you're ready to stop looking”
A configurable wired 75% kit with swappable mounting blocks, several case and plate materials, and a QMK/VIA PCB. From $289 before switches, keycaps and stabilizers.
“Your first custom shouldn't be this good”
A 65% aluminum kit with tri-mode wireless, a mini screen, swappable badge and weight, and gasket or top mount. It uses Qwertykeys' QK Config software, not VIA.
“CannonKeys' beginner aluminum 65% with an O-ring mount and included parts”
A 65% aluminum kit with an O-ring gasket mount, FR4 plate, hot-swap PCB and clip-in stabilizers in the box. Tom's Hardware called it beginner-friendly and easy to build; it noted finish imperfections, less flex than the Bakeneko60 and clip-in-only stabilizers.
“KBDfans' aluminum 60% kit with brass weight and several mounting styles”
A 60% aluminum case kit with a brass weight, silicone bowl and sock mounting options, and QMK/VIA PCB choices. Leaf&Core called it high-end on a budget; it noted a thin PCB that flexes with soft plates and a 7° typing angle.
“Mode's 65% kit with hardwood accents and the Crown mounting system”
A wired 65% kit with an aluminum body, walnut, maple or white oak accents, a Crown wave-spring mount, QMK/VIA and a choice of plates. alexotos, whose copy came from a sponsor and whose links are affiliate links, found the Crown mount cushioned and the sound clean; the board is a kit you finish with your own switches and keycaps.
“Qwertykeys' aluminum 75% kit with three mounting options and optional tri-mode”
A 75% aluminum kit with Poron or silicone gasket and top-mount options, a hot-swap PCB in wired or tri-mode form, and aluminum or PP plates. alexotos (brand-supplied boards, affiliate links) praised its look and sound; the fixed layout, hidden screws and tune-needed stabilizers were its complaints.