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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 12, 2026

KBDFans Athena 1800 vs Tex Shinobi

Get the KBDFans Athena 1800 for sound dampening.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

KBDFans Athena 1800

Sound dampening

Build quality in the top 15% of 100% boards under $150.

Get the

Tex Shinobi

Rules this board out

  • 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

Tex Shinobi

  • Ergonomics

    Split Backspace

    Standard

  • Case material

    Aluminum

    ABS

  • Mount style

    Top Mount

    Plate Mount

  • Display

    LED, LCD

    None

    A case display rather than a typing feature

  • Sound dampening

    Yes

    No

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • KBDFans Athena 1800
  • Tex Shinobi
Performance
68
54
Build quality
78
52
Productivity
68
60
Customizability
82
58
Portability
43
46

What they share

  • Connection: Wired
  • Hot-swappable
See every spec side by side

Full specs

KBDFans Athena 1800 vs Tex Shinobi specs

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

14 of 22 specs differ

KBDFans Athena 1800

Tex Shinobi

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Clicky, Linear, Silent, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
No

Layout

Layout size

100%
—

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO
ANSI

Ergonomics

Split Backspace
Standard

Display

LED, 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
ABS

Plate material

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

Keycaps

PBT
ABS

Weight

3,000 g
—

Typing angle

9°
—

Backlight

RGB
None

Firmware & software

VIAL

Yes
No

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2025
2023

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.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

Tex Shinobi2 stores

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

KBDFans Athena 1800

Tex Shinobi

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

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