Royal Kludge L75 vs M87Compact 75% vs Feature-Rich 80% TKL

The Royal Kludge L75 has a larger 8000mAh battery, while the M87 has a 7500mAh battery. According to their vendor pages, the L75 is rated for up to 700 hours with RGB off, and the M87 for up to 400 hours with RGB off, indicating the L75 likely offers longer usage between charges.

Yes, the Royal Kludge M87 has dual knobs. The manufacturer states the right knob is dedicated to volume control, while the left knob adjusts various keyboard settings, with feedback shown on the LCD screen.

Both keyboards have hot-swappable PCBs. The vendor description for the L75 states it supports both 3-pin and 5-pin switches. The M87 listing also confirms it is hot-swappable, making both compatible with a wide range of aftermarket switches, including most Cherry MX style switches.

The Royal Kludge M87 explicitly lists Mac and iOS in its operating system compatibility within its tech specs. The L75 listing specifies Windows and Android. Both should work over USB, but the M87's documentation shows clearer Mac support.

The RK L75 uses a 75% layout with about 85 keys, which removes the function row and compresses the navigation cluster. The RK M87 uses an 80% TKL (Tenkeyless) layout with 88 keys, which retains the dedicated function row (F1-F12) and a separate navigation cluster, offering a more traditional key arrangement.

Both product listings reference software support. The L75 mentions 'DIY Software Supports' and a 'Web Driver & Software.' The M87 listing also includes 'RK Launcher' software in its tech specs section, suggesting both offer software for RGB, macro, and potentially screen customization on the M87.

The provided specifications for the Royal Kludge L75 explicitly list the case material as 'Metal.' The vendor description also mentions a 'metal volume knob,' corroborating the use of metal in its construction.

According to its specifications and vendor page, the Royal Kludge M87 comes with pre-lubed linear cream switches. The listing shows only this linear switch option, unlike the L75 which offers tactile and silent variants.

The RK L75 is more compact due to its 75% layout, measuring 351mm in width versus the M87's larger TKL footprint. However, the L75 is heavier at 990g compared to the M87's 840g. The L75's smaller size may be easier to pack, but the M87 is the lighter board.

The specifications for the RK M87 list 'South-face' RGB. The vendor description for the L75 also states it has 'south-facing RGB lighting.' This means both keyboards have LEDs mounted on the south side of the switches, which prevents interference with Cherry-profile keycaps.

The RK L75 vendor description details a 'Five Sound-Dampening Layer' system including 2 layers of foam, an IXPE switch pad, a silicone dampener, and a PET film. The RK M87 listing mentions '5-Layer Noise Dampening' but does not specify the materials used.