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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 30, 2026

zFrontier Smurve80 vs Jamesdonkey R2

Get the zFrontier Smurve80 for the 8,000 mAh battery. Get the Jamesdonkey R2 for knob.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

zFrontier Smurve80

Battery

Build quality in the bottom 45% 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.

Get the

Jamesdonkey R2

Knob

Build quality in the top 30% of 100% boards under $150.

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.

zFrontier Smurve80

Jamesdonkey R2

  • Layout size

    80%

    100%

  • Battery

    8,000 mAh

    6,000 mAh

    A larger battery means fewer cables during the day

  • Case material

    ABS

    Aluminum

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

  • Weight

    1,384 g

    2,205 g

    Heavier boards stay planted and lighter ones travel

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • zFrontier Smurve80
  • Jamesdonkey R2
Performance
75
57
Build quality
60
65
Productivity
76
88
Customizability
59
82
Portability
86
65

What they share

  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Mount style: Gasket Mount
  • Sound dampening
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

zFrontier Smurve80 vs Jamesdonkey R2 specs

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

11 of 23 specs differ

zFrontier Smurve80

Jamesdonkey R2

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Clicky

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%
100%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
—

Battery

8,000 mAhBetter
6,000 mAh

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS
Aluminum

Plate material

Aluminum
FR4

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

1,384 g
2,205 g

Dimensions

38 x 387 x 179 mm
45 x 401 x 146 mm

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB

Firmware & software

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2023

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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