Block Mechanical Keyboard vs Royal Kludge S98
Royal Kludge S98 is the cheaper pick at $89.99, roughly 47% under Block Mechanical Keyboard ($170.00). Royal Kludge S98 offers more keys for full-layout workflows, while Block Mechanical Keyboard trims the footprint. The right pick comes down to which spec trade-offs fit your build — the pick-if grid below breaks that out in detail.
Detailed comparison
Spec-by-spec breakdown — differences highlighted in cyan.
| Spec | Block Mechanical Keyboard | Royal Kludge S98 |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Block Mechanical Keyboard | Royal Kludge S98 |
| Brand | Lofree | Royal Kludge |
| Price range | $170.00 | $89.99 |
| Community score | — | — |
| Form factor | TKL (80%) | 96% |
| Key count | 87 | 98 |
| Hot-swap | No | Yes |
| Supported switch pins | — | 3, 5 |
| Case material | — | — |
| Plate material | — | — |
| Mounting style | — | Top mount |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth (5.0+) | Wired USB-C, Wired USB-A, Bluetooth (5.0+), 2.4GHz wireless (dongle), USB-C detachable cable |
| RGB lighting | No | Yes |
| Layouts supported | — | ANSI |
| QMK support | — | No |
| VIA support | — | No |
| Weight (g) | — | — |
| Polling rate (Hz) | — | — |
Name
- Block Mechanical Keyboard
- Block Mechanical Keyboard
- Royal Kludge S98
- Royal Kludge S98
Brand
- Royal Kludge S98
- Royal Kludge
Price range
- Block Mechanical Keyboard
- $170.00
- Royal Kludge S98
- $89.99
Community score
Form factor
- Block Mechanical Keyboard
- TKL (80%)
Key count
Hot-swap
Supported switch pins
- Royal Kludge S98
- 3, 5
Case material
Plate material
Mounting style
- Royal Kludge S98
- Top mount
Connectivity
- Block Mechanical Keyboard
- Bluetooth (5.0+)
- Royal Kludge S98
- Wired USB-C, Wired USB-A, Bluetooth (5.0+), 2.4GHz wireless (dongle), USB-C detachable cable
RGB lighting
Layouts supported
- Royal Kludge S98
- ANSI
QMK support
VIA support
Weight (g)
Polling rate (Hz)
Which should you buy?
Royal Kludge S98 is the cheaper pick at $89.99, roughly 47% under Block Mechanical Keyboard ($170.00). Royal Kludge S98 offers more keys for full-layout workflows, while Block Mechanical Keyboard trims the footprint. The right pick comes down to which spec trade-offs fit your build — the pick-if grid below breaks that out in detail.
Pick Block Mechanical Keyboard if
From $170.00
- You want a tkl (80%) layout
Pick Royal Kludge S98 if
From $89.99
- You want a 96% layout
- You plan to swap switches without soldering
- You want per-key RGB lighting
- You're on a tighter budget
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