Hey everyone, Pop here. So I am wanting to build a custom keyboard recently, to upgrade from my RK Red, tray mount, nodded to infinity and beyond, RK61. I have been looking at the kb67 Lite R3 and the Feker ik75 for the board, some Jelly Blacks from Akko or the Silver switches from Akko as well, but I am open to other switches. For stabilizers, I will be choosing Durock V2s, as you can’t really go wrong with those. My budget is around 170 to 190 US dollars. If you have any other boards, switches, and stabilizers that I should look into to, tell me! Thank you so much for reading this post and giving advice! 
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KBD67L is a great choice; might be the best sound for dollar right now. It’s my favorite keeb. 
I’ve been impressed with Akko’s switches so far, too. Similarly good price-to-quality ratio.
Mixed feelings on Durock stabs; they’re smooth and hold the wire well but they allow for a little more twist in the bar than I prefer. The ones that come with the 67L aren’t bad but I have the same minor complaint about those. Honestly I have mixed feelings about most stabs for one reason or another; I think so far the ones I’ve been annoyed with the least are Equalz’ - I hear great things about Staebies but haven’t tried them yet.
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Just built the KBD67 Lite R3 and honestly it was a joy , I feel like its a must build for those of us that are new to the hobby. Before that I modded a Womier K87 huge huge difference between the two. But you learn from both ways honestly.
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Baken60/65 are better than the 67lite because you don’t need to use foam and it will still sound good
The 67 lite sounds dead and foamy tbh
Tes68 - at $12 USD for a full barebones kit, nothing quite beats the value. Companies like Nuphy resell them at a markup, but you’re best off purchasing them from the wholesaler
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Ik that it is a $12 board, but how does it compare to a gk61 kit or kbd67 lite?
Also, if the pcb is alright i could see myself getting it just for the pcb.
Yeah, I have been looking at the KBD67 lite a bit more closer now, looks like its a lot more “bang for your buck” but still struggling between the kbd67 lite and the Feker IK75. Thoughts?
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Thanks Dave, do you have any thoughts on the feker IK75?
The differences (or shortcomings, depending how you look at it) would be that the Tes68 is not programmable, and is only wireless with Bluetooth and 2.4ghz dongle. The main selling point is that it’s a functioning, hotswap keyboard with plate, stabs, case and plate foam. So for “budget” in the sense of price to value, Tes68 is unbeaten.
For GK61, there is limited programmability with the GK6X software, which some find unwieldy. The main selling point is that GK61x (the split spacebar model) makes use of a GH60-standard PCB. This means it’s easy for you to upgrade the case with many aftermarket cases and plates. I believe GK61 can be found around $40-50, which would be close to 5x the price of Tes68
For KBD67L, you have full programmability with VIA/VIAL/QMK, pcb stabs and its version of gasket mounting. At the same time, KBD67L can cost almost 10x the price of Tes68, which might stretch the definition of budget - depending on person.
So for each “step” up the budget keyboard ladder, you gain some features at the expense of some order of magnitude price hikes (5x, 10x etc). It really depends on what you’re looking for
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