Weikav Stars75 Review — budget keyboards have come a long way

The Weikav Stars75 is the latest keyboard to entice me, and I would say that one can look at it as a benchmark for budget keyboards. I would say that the last budget keyboard I got was the Neo65. For just RM548, the Neo65 arrived on the scene guns blazing, offering tri-mode connectivity, dual mounting styles, screwless design and a simple design that will definitely age well. I have since halved my budget, as life is hard, and the Weikav Stars75 conveniently fits into that budget, while bringing a few new things I never had with my Neo65.

Weikav Stars75 — What’s Good?

Great out of the box

As this is a fully-built board instead of a barebones, we can also judge the performance of the Weikav Stars75 straight out of the box. As configured from the factory, you have plenty of foam all packed into this board. From the top, there’s PORON plate foam, IXPE PCB foam, PET plastic under that, EPDM case foam and another layer of IXPE foam lining the bottom case. QingYun linear switches with a light diffuser are pre-installed onto the FR4 plate with plenty of flex cuts, and I would say that the overall sound signature out of the box is quite poppy.

The stabilizers are relatively well-tuned from the factory, although there’s a bit of rattle that I will need to get to when I am rebuilding the keyboard. Speaking of which, would any of you be interested in the stock switches and keycaps? Stay tuned for my sales post soon as I don’t think I will be hanging on to them. Speaking of which, it’s quite unfortunate that Weikav didn’t include additional keycaps with the Weikav Stars75, as I personally prefer to use the top right key as my PrtSc button, and the key just above the Right key to be Del. Unfortunately, I will need an entirely different set of keycaps to do that.

It even comes with a sparkly aluminum “weight”, which pushes this budget keyboard into the enthusiast segment. Of course, most discerning keyboard users will probably spec their kit with a brass or copper weight, but hey, it looks cool. And the black really contrasts well with the milky e-white finish here, making this board look like it’s worth way more than it actually costs.

Decent lighting

Partially thanks to the light diffuser on every switch, the lighting is pretty good on the Weikav Stars75. But you can’t really see it anyway, as these doubleshot PBT ones do not let any light through at all. But Weikav did commit three LEDs for the little anchor badge, so there’s some nice, diffused lighting there. Now, if you want better lighting, the Weikav Stars75-S is the better choice, as it features “cracked” corners with a crystal-like insert. The lighting modes in VIA are quite poorly named too, probably a result of a direct translation job gone wrong. Some modes also don’t seem to correctly apply, so I ended up using the default hotkeys to customize the lighting instead. For better or worse, like most pre-builts, there are a lot of hotkeys to set up your lighting without even having to go into VIA.

Unique leaf spring system

Gasket mounting systems are somewhat mainstream now as users are now demanding some flex in their typing experience. The Weikav Stars75 uses a less common leaf spring mounting system, which balances the plate-PCB assembly on flexible strips of beryllium copper to allow for the flex that some people rave about. Instead of the flex being provided by the gaskets, it’s these springs that add a bit of spring to your keypresses. Obviously, in normal typing I can’t really feel the difference but I would say that the slight give when bottoming out the light linear switches feels quite gentle to my fingertips. Pressing down hard on the keys reveal plenty of give, especially after removing the EPDM foam. Evidently, Weikav put quite a bit of thought into the design of this board, unlike the Monsgeek M1 which didn’t have enough space for the PCB and plate to travel.

Tri-mode connectivity

The Weikav Stars75 offers tri-mode connectivity, which is definitely a boon for those who use multiple systems on a regular basis. Essentially you can switch between 5 systems, three via Bluetooth, one via the 2.4GHz wireless connection and one via USB. Of course, VIA is only accessible over USB, but that’s just the way it is. Even more premium tri-mode boards face the same shortcoming, so I wouldn’t really count it against the Stars75. Tri-mode connectivity with VIA is a rather recent addition to the scene, so I am really quite happy to see it available on such an affordable board as this.

Weikav Stars75 — What’s Not?

Front height is a bit too tall

One issue that I found with the Weikav Stars75’s design is that the front height is a tad too high, and the front bezel just a touch too thick. For context, the Neo65 had very minimal bezels, and a front height of just 17mm. The Stars75’s front height of 20mm is not too tall by comparison, but it also lacks a chamfer to make the bezel be less in the way. One thing I feel Weikav got right is the typing angle though, as it’s at around 8°, similar to what the Neo65 offered. Compared to the Monsgeek M1’s approximately 6-degree tilt, I find this a lot more comfortable to type on. But I am going off memory here, as I have already parted ways with my M1.

Weikav Stars75 Specifications

Layout	75%, 80-key with option for stepped Caps
Body material	E-coat aluminum alloy case, milk white FR4 plate with flex cuts Ice crystal black aluminum bottom weight
Keycaps	Doubleshot PBT
USB report rate	1000Hz (wired and 2.4GHz wireless) 125Hz (Bluetooth)
Switch type	Blue Clouds linear switches Factory-lubed 1.9mm±0.2 actuation, 3.5±0.2mm total travel 43±5gf actuation, 48±5gf bottom out force Rated for ~50 million keystrokes
Lighting	RGB, SMD LED Per-key RGB lighting
KRO	NKRO
Anti-ghosting	Yes
QMK/VIA	Yes, download JSON file here
Battery	8000mAh
Cable	USB-C rubberized cable, detachable
Dimensions	324 x 136 x 40 mm 20mm front height, approx. 8-degree angle
Weight	Approx. 1.6kg, fully-built
Included accessories	PORON plate foam, IXPE PCB foam, PET lining (for tape mod), EPDM case foam, IXPE foam lining, keycap & switch puller

Weikav Stars75 — should you buy this?

For less than RM300, the Weikav Stars75 is a really good deal. Throw in some vouchers on Taobao, and you can get the Weikav Stars75 shipped directly to you for around RM265 or less. Tri-mode connectivity, VIA support, leaf spring mounting system and an e-coat finish make the Weikav Stars75 a great option even as a first keyboard. You practically don’t need to do anything to have a great keyboard. But if you want to tinker around, Weikav already included all the foam you need to tweak the sound.

My only wish would probably be support for 7U spacebars and a non-flex cut plate. I did find some third-party vendors on Taobao selling plates for the Weikav Stars75, so maybe I can explore some of those options down the line. With all that said, I must say that the Weikav Stars75 is truly testament to how far budget keyboards have come. For less money than what one would’ve paid for a decent barebones kit in 2023, we can now get the Weikav Stars75, a fully-built, enthusiast-oriented keyboard with an FR4 plate, leaf spring mounting and tri-mode connectivity.

Help support us!

If you are interested in the Weikav Stars75, we would really appreciate if you purchase it via the links below. The affiliate links won’t cost you any extra, but it will be a great help to keep our lights on here at HelloExpress.

• Weikav Stars75 (Shopee): https://s.shopee.com.my/9f5FBAZXL0
• Weikav Stars75 (Lazada): https://s.lazada.com.my/s.MJHnl