The Evo Works Evo 80 won because it sounds and feels better than everything else in this comparison. Switch and Click, who tested dozens of boards this year, called it the natural evolution of the Rainy75, a keyboard that defined what 'creamy' means in this hobby. The Evo 80 takes that formula and pushes the softness and bounce further. Its gasket mount absorbs each keystroke into something pillowy, and the aluminum case resonates with a deep, satisfying tone that cheaper boards can't replicate.
The screwless ball-catch mechanism sets it apart from competitors like the Wobkey Crush 80, which scored higher on raw build quality. You pop the top off with your hands, swap switches, add foam, close it back up. No tools, no stripped screws, no fiddling. For a hobby where half the fun is customizing, that's a meaningful design choice.
It's not perfect. The power switch lives under the Caps Lock keycap, which is baffling. There's no physical toggle for switching between Bluetooth, 2.4G, and wired. And the dongle storage is loose enough that you'll lose the receiver in a bag. These are real annoyances, not nitpicks. But they're all connectivity complaints, and this keyboard wins on the stuff that matters most: how it sounds when you type, how it feels under your fingers, and how it looks on your desk. Switch and Click put it plainly: this is the best keyboard of 2025, no contest.
What It Won't Do
The connectivity experience is genuinely frustrating. Hiding the power switch under a keycap means you'll leave it on permanently and drain the battery, or you'll pry off Caps Lock every night. No physical connection toggle means memorizing Fn+1, Fn+2, Fn+3 shortcuts. The Wobkey Crush 80 shares this exact flaw, so it's not unique to Evo Works, but the NuPhy Air75 V3 solved this problem with simple toggle switches. At $200, buyers deserve better than keyboard shortcuts for basic connectivity.
The Yunzi AL80 earned the value pick because it delivers 90% of the premium experience at half the premium price. Consumer Tech Review, who scored every component individually, gave it a perfect 10/10 for stabilizer tuning. Zero rattle on the spacebar, zero ticking on the shift keys, zero issues. That score matched or beat boards costing $200+.
The full metal case with machined edges would feel at home in the $150-200 tier. Switch and Click confirmed this independently, calling it 'absolutely gorgeous' and noting the low front height makes it comfortable for long typing sessions without a wrist rest. The Cocoa Cream V2 switches are pre-lubed with almost zero stem wobble, earning a 9/10 from Consumer Tech Review.
VIA browser-based support for key remapping is the cherry on top. While the Aula F75 (its closest budget competitor) forces you to download sketchy proprietary software, the AL80 lets you remap every key in your browser. The tradeoff is that customizing the built-in screen requires a separate download, so it's not a completely clean software story. But for core keyboard functionality, it's miles ahead of anything else under $120.
What It Won't Do
The built-in screen is a love-it-or-hate-it feature with no off switch. If you find it distracting, you're stuck with it. And while VIA handles key remapping beautifully, customizing what the screen displays requires downloading Yunzi's own software, which Switch and Click described as messy. It's a split-personality software experience: excellent where it matters most, annoying where it matters least.
Who Should Buy Which
Evo Works Evo 80
The creamiest-sounding keyboard reviewers have tested, with a screwless aluminum design that makes modding effortless
- Keyboard enthusiasts chasing the absolute best sound and typing feel regardless of connectivity quirks
- Desk setup perfectionists who want a keyboard that looks like art with its intricate multi-color backplate
- Modders and tinkerers who frequently swap switches and appreciate the tool-free ball-catch design
- TKL layout users who want more key spacing than a 75% but don't need a full numpad
- Anyone upgrading from a Rainy75 who wants the next step up in the same design lineage
Yunzi AL80
Full aluminum build, perfect stabilizers, and VIA support at half the price of premium boards
- First-time premium keyboard buyers who want a metal build without the $200 price tag
- Office workers and writers who type for hours and need a comfortable, low-profile front height
- VIA users who want browser-based key remapping without downloading proprietary software
- 75% layout fans who want function keys and arrows in a compact footprint
- Anyone who thinks $200 keyboards have hit diminishing returns and wants proof at $100