Why The Neo 75cu comes out on top (for me at least)
Battle of the 75% Keyboards
This month has been a whirlwind for the 75% keyboard scene. It seems like every major brand has launched their own take on the 75% layout, all within a similar price range. Typically, one model stands out as the clear “winner” in these situations, but this time, the competition has been fierce. Among all the recent releases, the Neo 75cu has risen to the top for me. Its main competitors are the TKD PT. 1/75, the Chaosera EAU75, and the Wuque Zoom75 TIGA.
This review will take a slightly different approach, as I’ll be covering four boards in one article. My thoughts will be more concise and direct to keep things easy to digest. Keep in mind that preferences and priorities vary, so the best choice depends on what you’re looking for in a board. I’ll be loosely using a point-based system for clarity, selecting two winners per category to help guide you through the comparisons.
Also, this won’t be as detail heavy for photos, just some general thoughts!
Full Disclosure and Affiliations
This is not a sponsored review, but there are some affiliate links. These links give me kickbacks and allow me to continue making content! For clarity and transparency, all of this content will remain objective and unswayed. My thoughts are my own. I very much value being transparent with my content.
The Bottom Of The EAU75
The TKD PT. 1/75
Lets Talk Design
The Neo75 cu is the latest release from Qwertykeys, and this time they are focusing on premium materials at an affordable price. Starting at $190 USD and maxing out at $230 USD with all the more premium options, this board draws clear inspiration from their successful Neo Ergo (still an excellent board). The design leans toward two mounting styles this time, which I find refreshing—we’re moving away from the four-plus mounting options of the past that often tried to do too much and ended up lacking a true focus (think jack-of-all-trades, master of none). The Neo 75cu also sports a more stylized look than the previous Ergo release, and I love it. It feels timeless, with tons of character. That said, the design on the bottom of the board seems to be polarizing from what I’ve seen from the community, which is fair!
How about the competition? The TKD PT. 1/75 offers a sleek, minimalist design that’s perfect for anyone seeking a no-frills look. It’s priced around $238 USD and includes free shipping.
The Zoom75 TIGA, on the other hand, has a bold and stylized design—it’s definitely one you’ll either love or hate. It has a lot of detail on the bottom of the board as well as the back and sports a screen. It starts at $210 USD, with prices varying based on options.
Finally, there’s the EAU75, which, design-wise, is my favorite of the bunch. It’s the priciest at $249 USD, but it has a unique look that feels distinct without being overdone. The board’s side profile, with its weight and components forming a sort of foot design, is both fun and practical. The bottom is beautifully designed and timeless, though I wasn’t a fan of the RGB on the underside—it’s not visible during use and feels unnecessary and wasteful.
Overall, each board feels polished in terms of quality, coatings, and design choices. Custom keyboards have come a long way, and I couldn’t be happier!
This all comes down to personal preference, but I’d say the winners here are the EAU75 and the Neo75 cu.
Features and Kitting
There’s a lot to cover here. The Neo75 cu has a pretty standard suite of optional features. Wireless, hotswap, and solderable PCBs are all available, along with a wide variety of plates, all of which are 1.6mm thick without flex cuts, giving you a full sound signature. The hotswap PCB offers good compatibility with other layouts. What Neo offers here should be the standard for larger releases, with the possible exception of the wireless PCB option, as that can depend on the board’s construction.
The TKD PT. 1/75 is the weakest of these boards in terms of options, and the sales setup is disappointing. It includes solderable and hotswap options with a fixed default plate. If you want a different plate, you’ll have to pay extra for a second one. This feels wasteful and makes the board harder to recommend. The hotswap PCB is also very limited. I’ve heard this is due to a limitation in the case design, but with hotswap PCBs becoming so popular, you’d think this would have been taken into account. I personally dislike how limited the options are.
The Chaosera EAU75 is also lackluster. There’s one plate option (FR4) and a choice between solder or hotswap PCBs. The PCBs are solid, but the limited plate options are a letdown. FR4 as the default for a top-mount board isn’t everyone’s preference, so the lack of plate options feels like a big miss here.
The Zoom 75 TIGA is the strongest contender for features and definitely deserves the spotlight. It offers excellent support for the hotswap PCB, comes with wireless by default, and you can choose between flex cuts or none at all. Plate options are plentiful, which is a huge plus! There are also multiple mounting styles to choose from, and in my testing, most performed very well. The standout feature, though, is the screen and vertical scroll wheel. While screens aren’t always my thing, they do make the board more fun. The star of the show for me, though, is the vertical scroll wheel and its positioning—I love it. Wuque also stated that this board is very easy to build, and while that’s true, I’d say most boards on this list are fairly straightforward, with the exception of the EAU75.
The winners here are the Zoom75 TIGA and the Neo75 cu.
Chaosera EAU75
TKD PT. 1/75 side profile
Neo 75cu bottom
Internals / Build Experience
This may be the most important category for many users, so let’s focus!
The Neo75 cu offers two mounting styles, though it feels like one is an afterthought. You get a gasket system and a bottom mount system. Spoiler: the bottom mount felt and sounded subpar to me. The gasket system, however, is excellent; the typing experience is a great middle ground between firmness and softness. It has a solid catch ball system and is incredibly easy to build. The POGO connectors are well-executed and don’t add any extra firmness where they connect. It’s a remarkably easy build, made even easier with a hotswap PCB. The Neo does everything right, and it’s easy to overlook just how cohesive and well-designed it all is.
Looking for a solid top mount board? Well, the TKD PT. 1/75 may be the board you’re after. That said, the hotswap PCB is very limited, so I’d suggest getting the soldered option here. There’s not much to say: it sounds good and is a quality top mount board, so kudos to them! It also has a unique internal weight system that adds to its sound profile. The assembly process is standard fare, with nothing remarkable to report—which is a good thing.
The most unique board here is the Chaosera EAU75. It features a bar that houses a copper “spring” along with a silicone dumbbell. You can set it up in two ways: one is slightly firmer, while the other is a bit softer. It felt great—like a slightly less firm top mount with minimal feedback. Although it was a bit of a task to build, it was also a fun, albeit tedious, experience.
Wuque is slowly moving away from including all mounting styles in their boards, as seen with the Zoom 75 TIGA. This model has four mounting styles, and three of them sounded and felt distinct enough to justify their inclusion. There is a traditional top mount option, though it was a bit tedious to assemble. Wuque actually mentions this, warning users that it’s intended for those who specifically want it. I genuinely like the mounting styles on the TIGA.
They’re also leaning heavily into using cork for the internals, which is a fun addition, though I don’t think it’s a strong enough selling point on its own. It shapes the sound to be a bit brighter and more mid-forward.
In the future, I’d like to see Wuque focus on refining one or two mounting styles to make them as polished as possible. In terms of build, the TIGA was straightforward overall; while it does require some alignment to ensure parts fit properly, everything ultimately falls into place easily. It’s super satisfying and makes for easy tinkering with its additional accessory options.
The winners here are the Neo75 cu and the Zoom75 TIGA.
Side note: As much as I love the catch ball system and how easy it makes the build experience, I have noticed some issues recently. This is a rare occurrence, but it has presented itself with the TIGA, and I’ve had a few people reach out with similar experiences. If there’s any misalignment in the system, it can cause pinging or metallic noises and also makes disassembly difficult. With that in mind, I’m torn on what I’d like to see in the future of this system.
Neo 75cu
Sounds
How do they sound, you ask? Well, this is a more subjective area, so please keep that in mind. Instead of rating boards based on my personal sound preferences, I’ll point out any inconsistencies or oddities.
The Neo75 cu has a lovely, full sound signature, thanks in large part to its massive copper or brass bottom. For me, it has the fullest sound signature of the bunch, and I preferred it with plastic plates, as it sounded bassy and deep. I loved it.
The TKD PT. 1/75, a traditional top mount, offers a very solid sound signature. I usually prefer plastic plates with top mounts, and they did a good job ensuring most plates sound great here. It’s a bit brighter, with a slight metallic touch, but still nice and full due to the well-thought-out internal weight system.
The EAU75 sounds good, though a bit flat in comparison to the others. Despite how great this board feels to type on, the limited plate options really hinder its potential, and it could benefit greatly from options beyond just FR4.
The TIGA also sounded great. I initially struggled with a faulty part in my day-one review, but once that was resolved, I enjoyed it. However, even with the correct part, there’s still a slight metallic tone and some reverb that feels inconsistent, which makes the overall sound signature a bit messy.
The Neo75cu picks up another win here, alongside the TKD PT. 1/75.
Zoom75 TIGA
Wrapping Up
Overall, the clear winner is the Neo75cu, which tops every category. While I’d love to say you can’t go wrong with any of these boards, there are definitely things to consider before making a purchase, and I hope this article helps you with that decision. We’ve been fortunate to see so many quality boards around the $200 price point. Although I don’t usually reduce reviews to single-line recommendations, here are my final TL;DR in order of how they ranked:
Neo75 cu — This felt like the most polished of all the products. It’s an excellent choice for a solid 75% board with plenty of options, great looks, and a satisfying sound. You won’t be disappointed.
Zoom75 TIGA — To me, this is almost tied with the TKD, but I ultimately prefer it for the sheer number of options and features. It’s well-designed, sounds and feels good, and is a great pick for anyone who enjoys experimenting with different setups.
TKD PT. 1/75 — This board could have easily been in the second spot, but the limited hotswap PCB options and the need to purchase a second plate (instead of swapping or upgrading the default one) make it a tougher sell. However, it has a timeless look, and if you’re into top mounts, it’s a solid choice.
EAU75 — This is the most visually striking board in my opinion, but the lack of plate options makes it a difficult recommendation. If they expand the plate offerings, it could improve the feel and sound, but as it stands, it’s a bit flat compared to the others, and my interest in it has waned over time.
And since I know this will come up: I excluded the Sonnet from this list because its features, price point, and availability differ significantly from these options. That said, it’s a great choice if you want a more elegant board with premium internals, which feel superior to any of the options here, though it can be pricier.
In the end, grab the board that speaks to you!