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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 30, 2026

KBDFans Athena 75 vs Royal Kludge M87

Get the Royal Kludge M87 for knob.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

KBDFans Athena 75

Build quality in the top 15% of 75% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • No numpad.

Get the

Royal Kludge M87

Knob

Build quality in the top 35% of 80% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • No numpad.

What actually differs

The differences that matter

Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.

KBDFans Athena 75

Royal Kludge M87

  • Layout size

    75%

    80%

  • Connection

    Wired

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Ergonomics

    Split Backspace

    Standard

  • Mount style

    Top Mount

    Gasket Mount

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • KBDFans Athena 75
  • Royal Kludge M87
Performance
70
66
Build quality
84
69
Productivity
75
83
Customizability
88
78
Portability
63
85

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Display: LCD
  • Sound dampening
See every spec side by side

Full specs

KBDFans Athena 75 vs Royal Kludge M87 specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

12 of 24 specs differ

KBDFans Athena 75

Royal Kludge M87

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Linear

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%
80%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Split Backspace
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

LCD
LCD

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Battery

Wired only
7,500 mAh

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
—

Plate material

Aluminum, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate
—

Keycaps

—
PBT

Weight

2,300 g
840 g

Dimensions

—
41 x 157 x 41 mm

Typing angle

9°
—

Backlight

RGB
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

VIA

Yes
No

VIAL

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2024

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

Prices in USD are converted to your currency and can change at any time. KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

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