ikbc cd87 is very likely the better option for your budget.

Ty good to know, btw if looking for rgb/led type keyboard at that price what can i get?

Tecware phantom elite. Or top up a bit more for IKBC F87.

its good. one of the best in that price range. I have been using c87 for 3 years now.

how decent is a wireless/bluetooth MKB battery life? i wanted to get one but theres no membrane options for TKL

what are the options i should be looking at? preferred form factor is 75 to TKL
build quality is not that important, but i dont want anything gaudy

i'm not familiar with soldered commercial boards with rgb anymore.

for modular commercial boards, i think you should consider niakulah's suggestion about tecware phantom elite tkl.

ikbc c87 is actually one of the good deals that you could get previously. it's like a tank so it can be very lasting.

i have f87. other than that fixed cable, no complaints. (previously its stabilized keys and space bars had wire rattles. i fixed them, by lubing them only)

Yea, didnt expect the switches and keys to last so long despite abusing it each and evryday lol.

Btw, just realised there is no more c87. Ikbc replaced with cd87?

cherry mx switches are good stuff. most people just don't use them long enough to realize this. my old filco with cherry mx red is still working very well. to me it's getting better, because wear and tear inside the switches are making them smoother than before lol (it's still with unmodified stock cherry mx red; and i wanna keep it that way)

yeah c87 is no more officially. cd87 is the new model.

i have 3 very old kibods.
2 CM QFR and 1 Filco. All bought used. still functioning well despite the age.
still better investment than buying a gaming kibod bcoz seeing ppl complain about key chatter or key kaput.

any idea what's a good place that has a wide variety of switches? Bought a hot swappable kb and wanna test different switches.

+1. they are very good investments indeed

taobao/aliexpress.

Is there any good recommendation for non clicky tactile switches? I usually alternate between my gateron yellow and mx brown.

i'm not familiar with tactile switches sorry. i use linear switches only. tactile switch users should be able to give you better answers.

Cherry brown is tactile. Gateron yellow is linear.

Which one do you like better? You like the brown but also like the slightly heavier feel of the yellow? Try to put the yellow's springs in the brown. The yellow actually comes with a special slow spring. AFAIK it is the only switch that comes with a slow spring.

Or maybe you can buy a tester?
#Aliexpress MYR 59.50 | clicky linear tactile switch tester cherry zealio gateron box switch tester with transparent keycap
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dWZY8vn

haha yeah i cant decide between brown and yellow. The weight of yellow is just nice, and mx black is a bit diff for some reason. I have a kb with brown and another with yellow and another with blue and another with green (razer). This is the first time i got a hot swappable as i think it's a lot more cost effective to change switch instead of changing kb

Heard good feedback on zealio but no idea where to get them.

Probably because Cherry black does not use slow springs like the yellow.

I have that tester I linked too, it has zealios in all 4 weights. Super tactile bump right at the top. I convinced myself not to like it because it is so damned expensive.

any site that i can find zealios switches? or do they have chinese name? maybe can search in taobao

keywords for taobao search: Zealpc Zealio 紫轴

at taobao, afaik, kbdfans is one of the authorized seller. not sure about the rest.

better yet, get them from the original site. product authenticity is guaranteed, https://zealpc.net/collections/switches/products/zealio

that site ships to malaysia? wow 44 for 10 is expensive...and here i thought mx speed is expensive enough already haha

er they are boutique switches. you can look for other options. there are plenty of them.