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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 28, 2026

KBDFans Athena 1800 vs Keychron C3 HE

Get the Keychron C3 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

KBDFans Athena 1800

Build quality in the top 10% of 100% boards under $150.

Get the

Keychron C3 HE

Hall effect

Build quality in the top 10% of 100% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
  • North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
  • No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.

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 1800

Keychron C3 HE

  • Hall effect (magnetic)

    No

    Yes

    Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing

  • Rapid trigger

    No

    Yes

    Faster resets help in games and not in normal typing

  • Case material

    Aluminum

    Plastic

  • Mount style

    Top Mount

    Gasket Mount

  • Display

    LCD

    None

    A case display rather than a typing feature

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • KBDFans Athena 1800
  • Keychron C3 HE
Performance
68
88
Build quality
79
83
Productivity
69
95
Customizability
82
92
Portability
44
46

What they share

  • Layout size: 100%
  • Connection: Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Sound dampening
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

KBDFans Athena 1800 vs Keychron C3 HE specs

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

15 of 27 specs differ

KBDFans Athena 1800

Keychron C3 HE

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hall effect (magnetic)

No
Yes

Rapid trigger

No
Yes

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

100%
100%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Display

LCD
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

—
1,000 Hz

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
Plastic

Plate material

Aluminum, Brass, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate, Steel
Steel

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

3,000 g
—

Dimensions

—
30 x 365 x 138 mm

Typing angle

9°
9°

Backlight

RGB
RGB, north-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

VIAL

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2025
2026

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

KBDFans Athena 1800

  • MonacoKeys

    ISO

    Out of stockDoes not ship to you

Keychron C3 HE

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

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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