Not sure which keyboard to choose? Try the Keyboard Finder now!

Head to head · Prices checked Nov 11, 2026

HP Class 1800 Southpaw vs LUMINKEY Luminkey98 V2

Get the HP Class 1800 Southpaw for qmk. Get the LUMINKEY Luminkey98 V2 for hot-swappable and sound dampening.

KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

HP Class 1800 Southpaw

QMK

Rules this board out

  • Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.

Get the

LUMINKEY Luminkey98 V2

Hot-swappable

Build quality in the bottom 45% of 98% boards under $300.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.

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.

HP Class 1800 Southpaw

LUMINKEY Luminkey98 V2

  • Connection

    Wired

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Hot-swappable

    No

    Yes

    Switch changes without soldering

  • Mount style

    Top Mount

    Gasket Mount

  • QMK

    Yes

    No

    The deep option when you want to remap every key

  • Sound dampening

    No

    Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • HP Class 1800 Southpaw
  • LUMINKEY Luminkey98 V2
Performance
49
83
Build quality
66
62
Productivity
49
79
Customizability
59
67
Portability
41
65

What they share

  • Ergonomics: Southpaw
  • Case material: Aluminum
See every spec side by side

Full specs

HP Class 1800 Southpaw vs LUMINKEY Luminkey98 V2 specs

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

10 of 21 specs differ

HP Class 1800 Southpaw

LUMINKEY Luminkey98 V2

Typing & switches

Hot-swappable

No
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

—
98%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Southpaw
Southpaw

Display

None
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

—
8,000 Hz

Battery

Wired only
6,000 mAh

USB-C

No
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
Aluminum

Plate material

—
Plastic

Keycaps

—
PBT

Weight

4,200 g
—

Typing angle

7°
7°

Backlight

None
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2025
2026

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.

Still torn?

Answer a few quick questions and the keyboard finder ranks 2,000+ boards by how you will actually use yours.