NuPhy Halo 75 and Baby Kangaroo Switches

NuPhy Halo 75 with Shine-Through Keycaps

During the Black Friday weekend, I broke down and pre-ordered the NuPhy Halo 75, with the free shine-through keycaps and Baby Kangaroo tactile switches. It was supposed to ship 12/9 but actually started its journey on the 30th and got here on the 11th.

The Halo 75 is a larger version of the Halo 65, which has gotten rave reviews.

There’s not a lot I can say about this thing that others haven’t said already. This thing is a chonky beast. Easily the heaviest, most solid-feeling keyboard I have, and the sound - even with the lighter weight shine-through ABS keycaps, is delightfully thoccy, but light and crisp. I didn’t need another keyboard, but I’m glad I splurged.

Besides the Baby Kangaroo (“BBK”) switches I ordered, the other options were Gateron Pro brown/red (BTDT), Night Breeze (linear), Baby Raccoon (linear), and Rose Glacier (tactile). The board came with a switch tester that also included a Gateron Pro blue switch (clicky, yawn). I oscillated between the Baby Kangaroo and the Rose Glacier. The BBKs are available separately (from several sources, including apparently Keychron), $66 for 110, and the Rose Glaciers are not, but I didn’t figure I’d be dropping that kind of cash for switches for this board, and the BBKs are the new hotness, so ... The key tester suggests the Rose Glaciers might have been a worthy choice, too. They feel stiffer with the bump right at the top of the travel, while the BBKs have a tiny bit of pre-travel and a lower required force. The charts don’t really highlight the differences:

Though I think the chart for the BBK is wrong, 50 should be 60 as in this curve:

And, of course, the charts seem to be opposite what I experienced with the test switches – but a switch tester convinced me the Burnt Orange switches were worth trying and, well, they weren’t...

Edit (March 17, 2023): NuPhy now has the Rose Glacier switches available to buy separately on their site ($38.50 for 110, plus shipping), but of course they’re sold out at the moment. But when they become available I might pick up a set for a “faux HHKB” build.