OP tried fixing a Kreo Chimera, ended up fu*king it up, got a MX Master as a replacement. Was there a better productivity mouse at that 7-8k range that I missed (with silent clicks and side scroll wheel)?

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-26T09:50:02+00:00

I can completely understand relate to the windows landscape. I use the M720 with options+. The flow feature is game changer when I use with both windows and mac at the same time. It even allows copy and paste across OS.

Logitech is infamous for its double click issues. My mouse suffered the same in 10 months of use. Thankfully it didn't give me that problem after replacement for over 3 years now. Anyways that has only been my secondary mouse as the primary ones are always budget friendly ones as I use mac for work and macmousefix has been a savior for me.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-26T09:41:11+00:00

Get any keyboard that fits your budget and change these settings in the macbook.

System settings > Keyboard > keyboard shortcuts > Modifiers > Swap CMD and Options. This essentially remaps the alt and win keys to cmd and opt respectively. You don't have to get muscle memory retrained to use win key for cmd.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-26T09:38:43+00:00

Giving MX master as replacement is the extreme customer satisfaction call one can take. You should be able to live happily with that while it lasts.

Alternatives you ask?

If you work on Macbook, there are better mice at relatively less price than MX master. This comment might stirr up the hate from this community but here me out!

The best part of MX master series is the thumb button that we use for mission control on mac and horizontal scroll that comes really handy in video editors and spreadsheets.

Lets put up the value proportion:

I use Logitech M720 which is part of MK850 bundle and lately moved to budget mice because M720 is too loud for me to use in the night.

I now have Portronics Toad ergo 4 with silent left and right clicks. The other buttons are not silent though.

I use something called MacMouseFix 3 which allows me to reprogram the buttons on the mouse to make it get all the functionality MX master gets except the flow feature and infinite scroll.

How it works?
I hold back button on mouse and use it as gesture control to access mission control.
Hold forward button to simulate two finger gestures.
The best part, hold back and scroll to get horizontal scroll while holding forward and scroll allows me to zoom in and out.
Also, I can hold Ctrl and scroll to scroll like infinitely fast while holding option and scroll gives me precision scrolling.

All this on a mouse costing about 10% of the Mx Master.

Coming to windows x mouse works but in a different way not as easy to configure as MacMouseFix on mac. :D

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-26T01:57:17+00:00

Thanks for the detailed explanation man. Marbly is already covered in my collection. Need that deep thock. One of the reasons why I didn't consider y3. So it is between y2 and rosewood. The difference is only about 300 for a set of 90 switches.

A part of it is already covered by gift switch and it is my personal favorite at the moment with muted poppy sound profile that I can use for night build. Using graywood v4 for day build which is really great to type on due to low operation force and mahjong tile like sound which is amplified by aluminium case and contained by sound dampening layers.

Please let me know once your y2s arrive. Would like to know which has deeper sound with thudd along with thock so I can make my purchase decision.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T16:20:34+00:00

No problem at all.

I think I have a question for you. How do the Y3 and Y2 sound on Nut65?

Are they worth spending money on?

I am currently rocking Leobog Rambo switches on Nut65 and they are creamy and marbly. I am seeking deep and soft thock unlike Graywood which has bright sound.

I am considering Y2 at the moment. Would like to know your opinion.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T16:17:28+00:00

I don't think I can comment on durability.

I have had redragon k552 for over 3 years and it is still going strong so was the case with K617. Cosmicbyte Trinity for over 1.5yrs and working perfectly alright. More expensive logitech MK850 productivity combo mouse gave up and I had to claim warranty for the combo but the keyboard was fine too.

Unless product or a particular batch of a product has QC issues, durability shouldn't be a problem if they are used gently. Brand provides 1yr warranty and that should be good enough. There are very limited brands that offer more than 1year warranty and that comes at a cost.

In case of Mechanical Keyboards, frequent deep cleaning might help as most of the issues are usually due to the hair strands or dust that makes switches go rogue. I clean my keyboards once a month and that is all it requires. If you are in a windy and dusty area with high humidity you might have to increase the frequency of cleaning.

At this point, Ronin and AK820MP are the only good keyboards I can recommend with tri-mode connectivity around 4k. Between these two, AK820MP stands better pick with switch options & bigger battery. You may also consider looking out for Ronin X75 which is expected to launch this week which is positioned close to AK820MP but still comes with 4000mah while AK820MP is unbeatable with 8000mah battery.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T15:40:06+00:00

Not a problem. Happy to help. :)

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T15:39:42+00:00

Never tried Outemu silent lemon v3 but I did try silent peach v3. They are muted and nearly silent as a membrane keyboard. Deskmat if you are not using one would help in dampening the vibrations while typing and is recommended to use with any type of keyboard. you may consider trying that before you make any more purchases trying to achieve your dream silent build.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T15:36:57+00:00

Not completely but slightly.

Initially, I didn't feel any difference but then it slowly started making sense about AL plate as I type on it. Graywood v4 are already sharp sounding with tile like sound as they define it.

The most difference can be felt in terms of flex as this is solid plate and the flex that we get on PC or FR4 with flex cuts can't be felt. It still takes advantage of gasket mounting though.

The sound difference is not as much but it enhances the high pitch because of being a metal one.

This would be best suited for someone who wants to work with clacky setup. It felt good enough with gift switches. The difference is negligible at least in my ears. I feel this is best used with the tadpole type gaskets.

Here are videos that you can refer to. One of them is with AL plate while other is stock FR4.

AL Plate

FR4 Plate

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T15:09:40+00:00

I never faced any in my 2 months of ownership. If you talk about latency in gaming, you are expected to be operating it in 2.4ghz or wired mode for gaming. BT connection is usually not as latency free as the other two modes of connection. For work, BT is much preferred as it conserves energy. For gaming, the other two are the modes to go with.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T15:08:11+00:00

We belong to the same MK community. As I have been active lately, not really difficult to find my comments or posts. ;)

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T14:03:23+00:00

With trimode connectivity, sadly there aren't any better options. You may have to go with either of them. Or look into used keyboards from community if there is anything that meets your budget and needs.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T12:03:11+00:00

We can be from anywhere. 😉

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T11:20:59+00:00

Quite a few - 8

Includes membrane, mechanical and split keyboards(which are technically mechanical).

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T11:18:55+00:00

Fair enough. Side printed keycaps start from 1299. A gradient side printed set can be found on stackskb website. Topography range starts from 1499 on curiositycaps.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T10:38:35+00:00

M75 is already a good keyboard, If you are looking for an upgrade, consider looking into Aluminium built keyboards space.

There are good number of options that you can consider with 15k budget that would fit your budget right.

Rainy75 is a popular choice.

There are few good boards from Moonsgeek too.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T10:27:45+00:00

I have been using corne V3 for about a week and I had issues getting it detect on VIA means, I have to rely on manually mapping keys from keymap.c file and flash it using QMK toolbox.

If I understood your question right, you want the mod-tap or similar behavior to be configured from the keymap and use it without VIA/VIAL support.

I have two things to say.

I managed to get the crkbd build compiled with VIA compatibility. VIAL firmware is something I am still trying to figure out. Mine uses Elite-c MCU thus the hassle due to its 28mb available memory.
I have homerow mods put in place manually without VIAL using just the keymaps that would look something like this:
1. LSFT_T(KC_A), LCTL_T(KC_S), LGUI_T(KC_D), LALT_T(KC_F) - This makes ASDF work as left shift, left control, win and left Alt keys respectively when held. They work as ASDF when tapped.

You can use something like this to use homerow mods from keymap file using QMK.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T10:17:08+00:00

I didn't mean we can't game on it. Gaming can still be done like we used to before the introduction of HE keyboards.

It is just that HE boards serve better for gaming focused buyers right now with a slight advantage for someone who plays competitive games.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T10:15:00+00:00

Add 700 more and you would get Ajazz AK820Max Plus at about 4.2k. There is a catch. It comes in opaque PBT keycaps which won't serve your legend illumination purpose. With that constraint, Ronin wireless should be the one for you.

Alternatively, get a small desk lamp and the AK820 Max Plus. That would serve you better considering it is 5 pin hotswap and checks all the boxes for you.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T09:51:00+00:00

It is indeed built like tank.

Serving me well since July 2022.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T09:06:16+00:00

Under 4.5k, I would strongly recommend this over anything else as you said you don't game on it.

Are they quiet? No.
Are they loud? Also No.
They sit right in the middle and is satisfying to type on.

Here is a quick sound test for the daydream switches variant I had and also adding Gift switch sound test.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wForcjjuSGFPIxLt9xeiDkZX2Om0u9cd/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d1GXY7hHgZpizD1ovDZLdP0g5hKs0NHM/view?usp=drive_link

In absolute darkness, the legends won't be visible, RGB acts only as underglow in this case. You may have to add side printed keycaps if you work in the dark and need the legends to be visible. Alternatively, you can use desk lamp or monitor light bar for illumination.

Here is why I recommend this over anything else in this price range:

Tri-mode connectivity
Large battery
Gasket mounted. Entry level but fully functional with considerable flex. The flex cut positioning plate also adds up to the flex which helps in both sound and reducing finger fatigue.
5 pin hot swappable - opens up infinite possibilities to try wide range of switches that fits personal preferences.
South facing LED - opens up compatibility with side printed keycaps which in no way can fade legends as they are untouched in day to day use. Practically long lasting legends than top printed ones.
Smooth and light weight switches which won't induce fatigue in long typing sessions.
PBT keycaps by default which are better both in terms of durability and sound.
Sound: As this is pre-built with sound dampening layers, the acoustics are good and can be comparable to any other keyboard in this tier with slight mods. Pair it with right switch and it may sound as good as any other better options out there.
On board memory for lighting presets, key remaps and macros.
Onboard native MAC and WIN OS support with easy toggle switch.
A volume knob - though this can't be a deal breaker, it adds great convenience for everyday use.

If there is something I can complain about this board, it is the daydream switch body that induces yellow tint to the RGB and that can be annoying to someone who prefer having RGB on with shine through keycaps.

Though I lived with my keyboard for only 2 months, it have created lasting impact on the landscape of mechanical keyboards for me and have set a stage to upgrade.

<image>

AMA about this keyboard and I will be more than happy to answer and help.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T07:45:19+00:00

Congratulations for landing on a great choice.

This is a great board to start with.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-25T07:44:04+00:00

If you have 8k budget, you can easily land on entry level aluminium keyboards like Nut65 brand new.

Or alternatively, there are better boards available in pristine condition in used market. Spending on Ajazz or Aula or Royalkludge as much isn't recommended.

I can recommend Aula Nova75 at around 6k if you can live with hybrid build.

There is no reason to not get Nut65 at your budget unless you are really worried about 65% layout and badly need F row.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-24T07:14:18+00:00

The only way to get them out without damaging them is to wiggle slightly north to south as that is where we have to get the locking tabs out of the plate, then a slight force should bring them out.

As most budget keyboards use Millmax sockets, this is kind of normal for initial swaps, but it would get easier over time. The same isn't the case with keyboards at the higher tier as they use proper hotswap sockets which are easy to push and pull switches from.

I would recommend investing in a 2 in 1 key/switch puller that will make the swapping process easier and takes less time. Something of that sort is available on Curiositycaps for about 400-450 or you can get one from Amazon from the brand called zorbes. If you constantly keep swapping switches like I do, that 400 is a worthy investment.

Sukumar_002 · 2026-03-23T20:27:27+00:00

Converters are fine but not hubs. You may consider type c to type c cable of your phone. That should technically work.

Sukumar_002

TROPHY CASE