Epomaker LEOBOG HI8 SE vs Royal Kludge S98

The HI8 SE is the one that feels like a luxury the moment you pick it up. The case is full CNC aluminum, not plastic pretending to be metal, and at roughly a hundred dollars that is borderline unfair to the competition. The payoff is the sound: a gasket mount with foam, films, and a flex-cut PCB gives it that creamy, marbly thock enthusiasts chase.

Pre-lubed linear switches and a big 8000mAh battery mean it is smooth to type on and lasts ages between charges, and it is hot-swap so you can retune the feel whenever.

Know what it is not. At about 1.7kg it is a desk anchor, not a travel board, and the software is Windows-only with no VIA or QMK, so deep remapping is off the table. It is also tuned for typing and casual gaming rather than competitive FPS. As a budget taste of the custom-keyboard world, though, it is a knockout.

The S98 is the crowd-pleaser of this trio. It is a 96% layout, so you keep a number pad while saving desk space, and out of the box it sounds genuinely good thanks to multi-layer foam, pre-lubed switches, and lubed stabilizers. Reviewers keep reaching for words like creamy and thocky, which is rare at this price.

You also get toys: a metal control knob and a little color screen for mode, battery, and even GIFs. The build is rock solid with no flex, and the double-shot PBT keycaps will not go shiny like cheaper ABS.

The recurring gripes are fair. Battery life with the backlight on is weak, so most people keep it plugged in or charge every day or two, and the software is Windows-only and a bit clunky. For sound-per-dollar with a full feature set, this is the one most people should buy.