Head to head · Prices checked Nov 11, 2026

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac vs KeebFront Vanguard65

Get the Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac for hall effect and qmk. Get the KeebFront Vanguard65 for knob.

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Hall effect

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac

Ducky Year of the Dragon 2024 Zodiac Aluminum 65% Hotswap RGB Keyboard

from$299at MK

Compare 2 stores

Knob

KeebFront Vanguard65

from$288at Input Gear

Compare 2 stores

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac

Hall effect

Build quality in the top 25% of 65% boards under $300.

Rules this board out

Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.

$299 at MK

Get the

KeebFront Vanguard65

Knob

Build quality in the top 45% of 65% boards under $300.

$288 at Input Gear

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.

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac

KeebFront Vanguard65

Hall effect (magnetic)
Yes
No
Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing
Case material
Aluminum
Aluminum, Polycarbonate
Knob
No
Yes
QMK
Yes
No
The deep option when you want to remap every key
VIA
Yes
No
GUI remapping without compiling firmware

KeebFinder scores

How we score

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac
KeebFront Vanguard65

Performance: 82
51
Build quality: 77
67
Productivity: 65
58
Customizability: 82
63
Portability: 73
71

What they share

Layout size: 65%
Connection: Wired
Hot-swappable
Mount style: Gasket Mount

See every spec side by side

Full specs

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac vs KeebFront Vanguard65 specs

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

9 of 18 specs differ

Spec

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac

KeebFront Vanguard65

Typing & switches

Hall effect (magnetic)

Yes

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount

Layout

Layout size

65%

Layout standard

ANSI

ANSI, ISO

Ergonomics

Standard

Knob

Yes

Display

None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum

Aluminum, Polycarbonate

Plate material

FR4

—

Keycaps

PBT

—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing

None

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

N-key rollover

Yes

Extras

Released

2024

2025

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

KeebFront Vanguard65

Listed on the product, not split by store: ISO.

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.

Ducky Year of the Dragon Zodiac2 stores