Evo80 Wireless Custom Mechanical Keyboard

The best prebuilt I have ever bought sounds so good and feels even better , nice and heavy easy to disassemble no complaints yet

Quality ano, copper is vibrant, great pcb layout options. It’s love at first type.

The NEO family has been pretty consistent with their lineup of keyboards and the 75CU is not exception to the rule, in my case I chose the cornflower one and the color is vivid and I really like it, the keyboard feels hefty and solid and is perfect if you want to have a clacky build especially if you choose the carbon fiber plate and some HMX switches, I would highly recommend this keyboard to other people. I can't wait for a full size version of the 75CU or a full size in general for the NEO lineup. (Do note this are not the final keycaps since at the time of this review my keykobo moon rabbit have not arrived yet)

Bangin’

Built it in about 2 hours. Most of that time was fiddling with the stabilizer wires. Once you get the switches in, you're basically done lol

Love this board, would recommend!

I have a number of keebs so I went nuts and built my Cornflower Neo75 Cu with ISO layout and Gateron Melodics. I can't bring the board to work but it's just a terrific all-around keyboard that I use when I want a break from a more straightforward thocky or clacky board. Considering its design and materials (brass or copper), this is probably the best budget 75 out there.

Neo75 Cu

Loved the look and build quality. Such an easy build, great board!

Been a month since I built my dad his first custom. The Neo65 has been above and beyond mine and his expectations, Hes really loving the compactness(coming from a TKL) and design of the board. very simple and elegant, I was initially worried about the wireless/battery performance however hes had no issues at all with the 2.4ghz and Bluetooth modes, The board hasnt been charged once since we got it and its still on 70% from a months of usage, and from the few times I've stolen the board from him I didn't really notice a difference between wired and wireless performance.

The best part about the board was the price 🙂 I didn't manage to catch the 11% sale however even without that sale I believe the board is priced really fairly for anyone trying get a solid high quality keyboard, I would love to see future boards around the same price point. I think it would also be nice if in the next iteration of this product there was an option for a spray coated/ anodized weight to shave off a few extra dollars

The carrying case was also a really nice touch alongside the stabilizers (even though I did not use them)

One of the only "con" I've found with the board is the fact that it's really prone to fingerprints however its a minor issue.

Looking forward to getting **my** Neo80 soon after my experience with the Neo65.

My overall impression of the Neo 80, upgrading from small, light KBD65 to a hefty solid board.

Pros:
- VERY easy install, (the ball catch system is genius and saved me so much time). A simple pull off of the top case and I am able to access the pcb, stabilizers with ease. Along with the magnetic daughter boards, which really is beneficial for anyone new like me, this is my second board. I am worry free of breaking any wires and all that gimmicks, a simple drop in, connect via cable or dongle and I am ready to go.
- Quality: For a considerable “budget” 80% keyboard it for sure doesn’t feel anywhere close to $120. Very clean. This in my opinion clears the “end-game keyboards” that are so costly. I am given a premium board feel without selling a kidney, the Neo 80 is a very hard keyboard to beat.

- Mounting types: Although I haven’t explored all of them (ran out of time and fingers hurt) I can already say that it is the easiest keyboard to build. Hats off to all the contributors to Qwertykeys/designers of the board, took efficiency and quality to a new level. I currently have gasket mount installed on my Neo 80, man was it easy. The PCB has dedicated spots where each little gasket piece goes and all you need to do is apply a very small amount of pressure for them to be locked in.

- Packaging: When I first opened it, I am glad to see the condition my keyboard was in. Everything was well packaged and undamaged in shipping. The amount of spacing I’m given for free, countless small pockets, useful to bring the already included other mounting types, cable, etc. Seriously, I don’t think I can fill it all up. I like how it is also not using velcro or nothing at all like some cases to secure the board, which really bothers me. The flexible straps is probably one of the best options to go with, velcro may be tighter but won’t last as long and will loose strength.

- Build process: Since the case requires no screws to put together and the PCB no wires, the speed of building the Neo 80 is unmatched. I already had lubed Neo switches and keycaps on standby, all I had to do was lube the stabilizers, install the mounting system of my choice and I was set to go.

Cons:

- Plastic wedge for the Clip in stabilizers. Yes it was absolutely optional to do without and get the OwlLabs stabilizers but I wanted to try the clip-ins because it came with it and I have no others. Small issue for me was fitting the wedges in. Often it would go flying off my tweezers or off the board (I do not know if I was to do it at an angle or straight so I did both to which ever worked on each of them. Again this is absolutely avoidable with **** in stabilizers.

-Other Notes: I am also glad to receive the free gifts I was given with the Neo 80 keyboard for free. Like I mentioned earlier, the case is well organized (better than my old KBDfans one) much more dedicated small pockets for individual stuff you may need. A metal/aluminum keycap puller and switch puller, after using the cheap plastic ones you get from a keycap set (which will scrape and ruin your keycaps) is a nice addition that I don’t have to spend an extra 5-15 dollars for. The USB-C cable also suits my Black top and weight, champagne bottom with a sleek look. Now I’m not big for coiled cables but for free the cable is more than enough and I am grateful for it. The clip-in stabilizers are fairly decent I would say, the small plastic pieces you install in the prongs from the bottom were hard for me (may vary for others) but in the end it was well worth it. Reduced the motion of the stabilizers and added stiffness to it. I didn’t use any dielectric grease or thicker lube for the stabilizer wires but only 205g0. There is no tick that I am able to hear in all my stabilizers.

Overall: Amazing board for anyone really whether you’re just getting into custom keyboards or your looking to pick this keyboard up I highly recommend the Neo 80. It’s a steal for what gives. Again, designers did premium quality work into the board. Definitely would get another if I could/ when I need to. Easy, simple, admirable. 9.5/10

The Product:
For the last two weeks I have daily driven the Neo75Cu for 10+ hours a day. My personal build is an Anodized Black with Copper bottom and Tri mode PCB. One of the biggest reasons I have stuck with Qk/Neo in the last year is the feature set of their PCBs. Their Tri mode PCBs, while can sometimes have quirks, have some of the best layout supports for whatever style you want. Their single PCB supports ISO, ANSI, 6.25u/7u, Split backspace, and Split left shift. The board also features a 16.8mm front height and 7 degree typing angle, which is perfect for me. It’s a soft incline with a low front angle keeping your hands in an amazingly comfortable typing position without stressing your wrist too much.

Style: 9/10
What can I say. The Neo75 has struck it out he park with this one, a solid non-exploded 75%, with clean bezels and an optional F13 key or matching accent piece for your choice of bottom plate. A thin line separating the top and bottom case showcasing your choice of bottom plate, with subtle indents to help you lift the board from the sides. The separation line between the two-color plates continues to the head of the case where they form around the USB C port. We get a small glimpse where QK had some involvement with the design with the front edge having a small section showing off the bottom plate, which is reminiscent of the QK65V2 series. Overall, it’s an amazing design, that isn't overly flashy but allows you to see how premium it is if you look in the right places.

Build: 9/10
QK has been amazing at having some of the best build guides around for a while. With the ball catch system returning like the Neo Ergo and Neo80, building in the 75Cu is as easy as ever. I did find that due to the weight of the bottom plate, the ball catch is much heavier of a catch this time to keep the bottom case attached when moving it around. A simple build process with pretty much everything you could want is provided in the box. All the foams you could want, a set of Neo Stabs, all the tools required to assemble it, and easily one of the best hard-shell cases we have been provided.

Sound: 9.5/10
Currently I have mine built with HMX KD200's on an aluminum plate and GMK Pharaoh keycaps. It’s bright and clacky and everything that I wanted it to be. I'm sure that there is more that I will have to say as I use the board more and more. But for now, I can say that without a doubt. This is the best board that Neo has ever released and it’s going to be hard to one up this one for a while. This should send shivers down the spines of their competitors.

The Problems:
I would consider myself a rather hefty power user when it comes to my daily use and abuse of my keyboards. I have several macros and custom key configurations to meet my everyday needs and the Neo75Cu has stood up to almost all of them. The VIA compatibility is perfect, however there are keys that you cannot get back if you replace them in the configurator. There have also been hotkeys on previous boards that have been completely removed on this iteration of the firmware that i would love to see back. The only major complaint that I have had is using the Macro's on Bluetooth can sometimes be hit or miss depending on the length of the macro. These were cleared up when swapping over to 2.4Ghz so it hasn't directly impacted me anymore. Bluetooth is naturally a less high-speed data transmission protocol, so it’s expected to have some drawbacks.

Value: 10/10
I can’t underestimate how amazing this board feels when you compare it to other boards in my collection. Neo has once again shown up to the table and taken a swing at everyone and came out on top.