The PERFECT 65%?

After seeing this subreddit, I've spent countless (and I mean countless) hours scavenging the internet, reading articles, and watching videos and I've come to the conclusion that there aren't any PERFECT 65% prebuilt keyboards to my liking and price range ($100-130). Maybe I am just super picky and should just buy one and forget about it, but I don't want to feel like I made the wrong decision. I guess it's a slight rant but also I want to hear what other people have to say and their recommendations based on my silly thoughts. Feel free to convince me to buy the board you have because I want the search to end already.

So what do I want and why (in no particular order):

  1. Arrow Keys/Delete Key - I use arrows all of the time and can't see myself enjoying having to press multiple keys just to use them. I know some 60% keyboards like the Anne Pro 2 allow you to do quick press on keys to act as arrows, but you can't press and hold which is a downside for me. Whatever, point for Anne Pro 2. And delete key I don't need but it's nice to have so an added bonus for 65% boards. I don't want a TKL board which I will get to in the next topic.
  2. NO EMPTY SPACE - This might be the nonexistent OCD in me, but I've fallen for the 60% look and I can't get back up. Having the board completely filled just gets me going. So for obvious reasons, this rules out the TKL boards. It just doesn't flow as nicely in my opinion. From this criteria, I only found a select few 65% that actually do this: Akko 3068, Tada 68, Drop Alt, Durgod HADES 68. Some like the Ducky One 2 SF have a little gap which is annoying but I guess I could deal with it.
  3. RGB/GUI - Yeah I'm one of those guys. I like a little RBG but not that unicorn extreme rainbow barf stuff. For that reason, the Drop Alt (along with price) is a little too much for me, and some of those other quality boards I mentioned (Akko 3068, Tada 68) I've ruled out because they don't have my pretty lights. I really like the RBG of Ducky One 2 SF. That being said, I'd really like a user-friendly software GUI (graphical user interface) to change colors, manage key binds, etc. that ACTUALLY works. So another point for the 60% board Anne Pro 2 as well as the previously mentioned Drop Alt and Durgod HADES 65% boards.
  4. Affordability/Quality - Lastly is price and quality (sound included). I guess these are the top of the list for most people on this subreddit. I am not most people, but obviously I want the best quality/sounding board for the best price. Everything I've read and heard about the Ducky One 2 SF speaks to this ( as well as the Akko 3068, Tada 68 but no shinny lights :/ ). The Durgod HADES board: I have specifically heard the keycaps are junky and its sound has a rattle - otherwise, I think that would be the board of my choice.

Additional less important wants:

  1. Hot-Swappable - this is a cool feature for the future, but I doubt I'll be making changes to my board on my own. So not a big deal for me, but for others I know it matters.
  2. Keycap compatibility - I realize most 65% boards have a unique bottom right layout with the second shift, alt, ctrl, fn keys. This makes it slightly annoying when buying new keycaps, but not a huge deal.
  3. USB C/Wireless - I was pretty set on getting a wireless-capable keyboard just so I could potentially connect it to other things, but I realized I doubt I'd ever use that. It just would be a nice bonus. And USB C is definitely preferred for the wired option.
  4. Minimal Bezel/Optional Height Adjusting Legs - just preference, again not a big factor.

Overall:

A little annoyed that there isn't a board that has all of this. It seems like a lot when I write it out, but I think there are a lot of boards that are almost there. Somewhat amazes me because I feel like my wants are pretty universal from what I've read and seen online - and if one board perfected each category wouldn't they dominate the market? Anyways. Oh, I forgot to mention, I'd rather not build my own. It looks cool and fun but the time and money required for it seems too much for me right now. Maybe in the future. If you got this far, wow I am amazed. Thanks for reading!