What is the opinion of Reddit about the
Durgod Hades 68 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – 65% Layout – Cherry Profile – NKRO – USB Type C – Aluminium Chassis (Cherry Blue, White PBT)?

Hey no prob! I bought mine directly from HK gaming, but they’re available on Amazon now. https://www.amazon.com/Durgod-Hades-68-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B08561M4P3

 

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Looking for a decent 75% keyboard, background:

1. I have a Durgod Hades 65%, which I actually really like the overall quality of it for the price. HOWEVER the loss of the F-row keys hurt me a lot, hence the quest for 75%.

2. Currently using a cheap Smart Duck 75% I got on sale. It works but certainly a step down in quality.

3. I bought a 75% set of compatible DSA keycaps on sale, so those are taken care of for now.

When it comes to the actual new KB, I am a bit torn…..

1. Durgod Galaxy on paper seems perfect, as it would seemingly be a 75% Hades, but reviews seem… disappointing.

2. GMMK Pro probably has nice overall quality and I think the rotary encoder would be cool. but MAYBE a lot thicker than I am used to, and I am not sure i want the “gapped” 75% layout.

3. Keychron K2 maybe a safe choice. Not really interested in wireless aspects.

4. YMDK 75 V3 based DIY. Maybe the most expensive option, but the acrylic case looks cool IMO.

Anyone have any thoughts/experience with these?

Yes, you want a 65%. Note that there are “60% with arrow keys” like GK64 but they are always a compromise. For example the GK64 has smaller left shift and a tiny 1u right shift (“u” = width of a normal alpha cap). 65’s are pretty popular right now so there are a lot of options. In fact I have three on my desk right now 🙂

The ones I currently have are:

– NK65: out of stock at the moment but I think they are continuously restocking (not sure); hotswap; nice polycarbonate (PC) case & uses open standard QMK firmware

– Durgod Hades 68: my first mech (since the stone ages when mech boards were the norm); one of few at its price point with an aluminum case; range of switches available; possibly some quality issues (read the reviews) but the one I got has been great; stock Cherry profile keycaps acceptable at least for initial use; not hotswap; proprietary configuration software that I haven’t bothered trying

– GK68x: the 65% size version of the GK61 you were looking at; cheap plastic case (at a minimum needs some dampening material added to the case); backspace in a weird place; proprietary configuration software I haven’t bothered trying; hotswap but barebones version only available if ordered from China AFAICT; aluminum case option

Note that the “68” in the last two boards refers to the # of keys; some 65% boards are 67 key (only two keys to right of space) or occasionally less (fewer keys in the right column above the right arrow).

There are other options that I don’t have (yet) like Tofu65 and KBD67 (the Lite is in group buy now and will ship relatively soon for a group buy… looks like a nice board for the price & I may snag one just for the heck of it).

You’ll also find some pricier 65% around, like Rama Thermal+, another pre-order (not sure when it will ship).

Just jumped into mechanical keyboards this year. Started with the Vortex Race3 , now my daily driver is a Durgod Hades 68 (the rainbow rgbs in the product shots make it look a little cheesy, but this is a great board imo). Im also now collecting parts to build my own custom keyboard with the Discipline 65 kit. I highly recommend the Hades 68 with brown switches as a starter. 68 keys gives you the small form factor without sacrificing arrow keys. Brown switches (MX or Gateron) are probably the most versatile entry level switch, arent loud, have a nice tactile feel. I would head over to r/MechanicalKeyboards and lurk for a while to get some ideas.

https://i.imgur.com/WHXXZ0i.jpg

Crappy shot of my hades^

Here

It does seem to really popular, probably why you can’t find it