Manta
Delivering - Q2 2026 estimate.
A 65% keyboard designed by Alexotos and Bowl Keyboards
The Manta is a project designed by Bowl Keyboards and myself. We wanted to create something that pays homage to classic designs while standing out in a market crowded with 65% layouts. It was a daunting challenge—after all, creating something entirely new should be easy, right? But as we quickly realized, innovation and functionality are two very different things. With that in mind, we made it our primary objective during discussions and brainstorming sessions to balance both.
One idea that stood out was propping the keyboard up on copper or brass pillars that seamlessly flow into the bottom weight, or ‘fin.’ This design not only promised a striking aesthetic but also the potential for a distinctive sound profile.
The initial design for this was rather flat and boring. Originally, we wanted to machine a pattern on the bottom to give it some character. This was quickly transformed into what it is now, and it looked almost like a manta ray. And then the Manta was born.
Our hope here is that the chambers in between the weight and bottom of the assembly will create a unique sound profile and really allow the board to stand out.
Bowl is an amazing designer, and I genuinely admire his other projects—so it’s no surprise that the internal structure of the board is just as amazing. With the Manta, the goal was to offer a few solid mounting styles that let users customize the feel and sound without overwhelming people with endless options. Each mounting method is distinct, offering a unique feel and sound profile that sets it apart from the others.
The three mounting options as of now are gasket sock, gasket grommet, and gummy o-ring. These were very carefully considered, with plenty of back-and-forth discussions on mounting points. Drawing from our combined experience, we refined these options to ensure they were not only functional but genuinely viable for users.
We’re hoping that the Manta will be available for preorder in mid 2025. The price range for Manta will start at $450 USD and vary further depending on other parts selected.
Please note, all photos on this page are currently renders. Renders by MiKeyDigit. Real photos are at the bottom of the page!
Video shot by Jeff.
Changes along the way
The Manta actually started off using a ball catch system, and some very different internal structuring. However, after encountering issues with the ball catch system enclosure on other boards, I brought this up with Bowl, who had also noticed some inconsistencies with it. Not to mention the process of opening and closing that system just felt very violent in nature. Not something we wanted.
The problems I’ve seen are longevity and quality. Even if we quality control each unit, we have no guarantee that they will remain perfect. Slight twisting or damage to the system can cause an unwanted sound profile and a nasty metallic pinging noise. That among other small issues made us scrap the system and go for a traditional screw in from the bottom style keyboard.
However, that didn’t work either. It affected the front height we wanted for the board, which would compromise our design. We decided to go with internal “hidden” screws. I’ll be honest, I was really hesitant, but Bowl showed me that we could go with angled screws and I felt better.
A peek under the hood of the Manta. As mentioned, gasket sock, gasket grommet, and gummy o-ring are the stars of the show here.e
The internals offer a stepped design which helps break up and scatter sound. This aids in a fuller sound profile, which we like!
Colorways
- Machinist
- Raw aluminum top case (clear coated)
- Raw aluminum bottom case (clear coated)
- Raw copper weight
- Pumice
- Light gray-beige anodized aluminum top case
- Light gray-beige anodized aluminum bottom case
- Sandblasted copper weight
- Americano
- Brown anodized aluminum top case
- Silver anodized aluminum bottom case
- Coffee patina weight
- Manta
- Black sparkle coated aluminum top case
- Black sparkle coated aluminum bottom case
- Sandblasted copper weight
- Tangerine
- Frosted acrylic top case
- Orange anodized aluminum bottom case
- Sandblasted stainless steel weight
- Motorsport
- Silver anodized aluminum top case
- Silver anodized aluminum bottom case
- Red coated aluminum weight
Copper Upgrade Colorways
- Machinist SE
- Raw aluminum top case (clear coated)
- Raw copper bottom case
- Raw copper weight
- Pumice SE
- Light gray-beige anodized aluminum top case
- Sandblasted copper bottom case
- Sandblasted copper weight
- Americano SE
- Brown anodized aluminum top case
- Sandblasted copper bottom case
- Coffee patina weight
- Manta SE
- Black sparkle coated aluminum top case
- Sandblasted copper bottom case
- Sandblasted copper weight
- Tangerine SE
- Frosted acrylic top case
- Sandblasted copper bottom case
- Sandblasted stainless steel weight
- Motorsport SE
- Silver anodized aluminum top case
- Sandblasted copper bottom case
- Red coated aluminum weight
PCB Compatibility
Hotswap
Solder
Change Log & Notices June 2nd 2025
We had received prototypes of the Manta in April and thoroughly tested the mounting styles, part tolerances, inspected machining and any interferences. We are happy to annunce the prototype units were a huge success and we need virtually no changes in the board construction for the final units. We concluded the following items were going to be added and addressed for the production run.
- ‘Force break’ pads along the inside weight / fin of the board. We had noticed some mico vibrations from complex weight when being screwed into the board and instead of just screwing it down more, small foam gasket helped with eliminating this issue. These will be installed from the factory.
- Optional foam gaskets will be given to users to install along the angled screws. There needs to be roughly a 0.1mm gap for tolerance reasons between the bottom and top frame. This gap can cause some unwanted frequencies. We found adding some foam that can compress in this gap solves this issue, but we heard feedback that people wanted this to be optional. This will just be added in the production run on a foam sheet.
- Internal ridges on the bottom case. This will be the only part of the case to have a very small machining change as we noticed screw in stabs specifically with washers installed and with a plastic or softer plate had some contact on the right enter key with the ridges. We will add a small cut on these ridges to compensate for this.
Vendors
North America: Bowlkeyboards
Canada: Keybaytech
Europe: DeltaKeyCo
China: KBDFans
Australia: KeebzNCables
United Kingdom: ProtoTypist
Singapore: PantheonKeys
Korea: Swagkeys
Thailand: Aiglatson
Release Date
August 1st – September 1st!
- Materials: 6063 Aluminum, Acrylic, Copper, Stainless Steel
- Layout: 65%
- Typing Angle: 8 Degrees
- Front Height: 16.9mm
- EKH: 22.0 mm
- Weight: 1.4-2.0 kg
- Mounting: Gasket Sock, Gasket Grommet, Oring
- Material: Black FR4
- Thickness: 1.6mm
- Connectivity: JST to Unified Daughterboard
- Customizability: VIA
- Type: Solderable and Hotswap
- Designer: Gondolindrim
- 1x Top Case
- 1x Bottom Case
- 1x External Weight
- 1x Choice of Plate
- 1x Solderable or Hotswap PCB
- 1x C5 Unified Daughterboard + JST to JST Cable
- 1x Carrying Case
- 6x 30A and 60A Gaskets (sock and grommet)
- 1x 50A Oring
- All Screws/Parts/Etc for assembly
*Note switches, keycaps and stabilizers are not included
August 1st – Sept 1st.
North America: Bowlkeyboards
Canada: Keybaytech
Europe: DeltaKeyCo
China: KBDFans
Australia: KeebzNCables
United Kingdom: ProtoTypist
Singapore: PantheonKeys
Korea: Swagkeys
Thailand: Aiglatson
Starting at $450 USD for standard version (full aluminum Motorsport colorway is $400 USD)
Follow the project by joining my discord and following our socials. Also for more in depth info, check out Bowl’s website for technical information.
There will also be more updates to the project posted on this webpage as well as Bowl’s website. So be sure to check in periodically to keep yourself updated.
Alex’s Socials
Bowl’s Socials
A Bit About Bowl, From Bowl
Started in the hobby in 2020 – started designing my own keyboards in 2022.
Since then I’ve ran 6 public GB’s and am expanding to vendor other designs. I have a background in mechanical engineering and QC of CNC parts.
Naming Scheme
During initial talks between us we wanted to make a “cutout” between the bottom case and weight. After trying a few designs we settled on the final weight and it just really looked like a manta. This matched the rest of the curves on the keyboard and the name was born.
Notes about the project
I really enjoy the workflow of a collaboration project bouncing ideas off of each other and finding what we like the most to land on a final product.
We went through several iterations and revisions to make sure it has all of the features we like and was up the standard we wanted in the design.
Another big factor that we took into account was the sound and feel. Comfortability was a big thing as well with a very low front height and nice typing angle.
Flow of being a designer
It’s totally different for any project to be honest. Sometimes a project starts from just playing around in 3d modeling software, sometimes there is something very specific in mind that leads to the design. Every project starts differently but there is always a priority of sound, feel and comfortability in use that is true across all design
