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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 13, 2026

Focus Lab CTRL87 vs Pulsar Xboard QS

Get the Pulsar Xboard QS for hot-swappable and knob.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Focus Lab CTRL87

Rules this board out

  • Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.

Get the

Pulsar Xboard QS

Hot-swappable

Build quality in the top 25% of 80% boards under $300.

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.

Focus Lab CTRL87

Pulsar Xboard QS

  • Layout size

    87%

    80%

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Hot-swappable

    No

    Yes

    Switch changes without soldering

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

  • Display

    LED

    None

    A case display rather than a typing feature

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Focus Lab CTRL87
  • Pulsar Xboard QS
Performance
81
74
Build quality
57
72
Productivity
58
87
Customizability
52
88
Portability
58
60

What they share

  • Case material: Aluminum
  • Mount style: Plate Mount
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Focus Lab CTRL87 vs Pulsar Xboard QS specs

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

14 of 23 specs differ

Focus Lab CTRL87

Pulsar Xboard QS

Typing & switches

Hot-swappable

No
Yes

Mount style

Plate Mount
Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
No

Layout

Layout size

87%
80%

Layout standard

—
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

LED
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

8,000 Hz
—

Battery

8,000 mAh
Wired only

USB passthrough

No
Yes

USB-C

No
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
Aluminum

Plate material

FR4
Plastic

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

2,100 g
—

Dimensions

35 x 365 x 147 mm
—

Backlight

RGB
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

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.

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Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

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