If you disregard the cable lighting on fire issue from the TFV2, I was really impressed
with it.
Now I’m really disappointed to see that the Bella rolls back almost all of the improvements
made there.
Before that, this review was brought to you by the Cute Keys T-Shirt and Sticker.
Now available on my Redbubble store.
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Like almost everyone else in the hobby, some of my first custom keyboards were from KBDFans.
From my old videos on boards like the Niu and the KBD661 more than two years ago, you
can tell that I was impressed, but now things are different.
In 2020, GMK lead times are quadrupled, a new keyboard group buy goes live daily, and
Massdrop dropped the mass.
So after the hobby has matured noticeably, and as they've slowly raised prices, has KBDFans
shed it's reputation as a half jank outlet?
Kinda.
KBDFans has been doing an interesting thing lately where they’ll have a good number
of in-stock units on the same day that they launch the unlimited group buy.
It was the case for the TFV2, the D65, as well as this.
I think for a large vendor like KBDFans, this is a great way to reduce their reliance on
group buys, but the difference here was that due to manufacturing issues, they didn’t
expect to have the Bellas in-hand until the beginning of November.
I paid for mine on October 5th, and only got my tracking on November 10th.
That’s a full month of wait for a quote-on-quote “in-stock” item.
KBDFans needs to delay in-stock sales if they are not actually in-stock.
I don’t understand what harm they’d be causing anyway.
There’s usually not much to talk about in packaging for anything from KBDFans, but this
comes with a nicer box than anything else I’ve seen from them.
It’s got a magnetic lid and custom foam and everything.
I just hope they aren’t making sacrifices in the keyboard itself to bring these arguably
unnecessary improvements.
The design of the bella is very similar to the first version of the KBD75.
The acrylic midlayer has been removed and the side profile is made a bit more modern
by the angled cut, as well as the ever-popular rear overhang.
When this was announced, there was some conflict between it and the KBD75 V3 Ai03 was working
on.
When compared to the pictures from the interest check, we can see that the production model
is significantly different.
The initial version is indeed very similar to Ai03’s reference series like the Polaris,
but comparing the real life version is in my opinion a disservice to him.
The Bella’s layout is an exploded 75%, meaning there’s a little bit of space separating
the function row and arrow keys from the main 60% cluster.
This has come into style in the last year or so, and offers a little bit of visual separation
when compared to the compact 75 we’re used to.
I’ve never really been a fan of the crowded look on 75% boards, but I think this one wraps
around the other way.
My ideal 75% layout is the Xeno which keeps the arrow cluster attached and complements
the f row separation with a bottom row blocker.
This on the other hand just explodes too many things and creates a particularly imbalanced
look on the lower right corner.
I think exploded arrows really need to be paired with a 980-style numpad.
The other thing on the top that’ll immediately grab your attention is the little cat face
between escape and F1.
This is a removable switch opener that’s been controversial from the very beginning.
People were saying this alone was a dealbreaker for them and some performed a delete mod as
well.
I think this is a bit of an overreaction from the crowd that puts periods at the ends of
their Discord messages.
As soon as one cute or non masculine thing is introduced, they will immediately criticize
it for not working with minimalism, which of course is the one aesthetic they’re able
to understand.
With that said, I do wish the cat face was a little cuter, maybe with bigger eyes.
KBDFans did offer an optional replacement with their logo on it instead, but that keeps
the cat ears for some reason.
Cat design aside, I think it’s a pretty neat place to put a different colored accent.
Oh, also apparently KBDFans says this is meant to be a dog?
Let me know what you think.
Moving onto the case design itself, the bezels are standard fare for a layout that has detached
arrow keys.
The bottom bezel is thicker than the three other sides, which I think again leads to
an unbalanced look.
The top has a fairly deep bevel which I think works alright with the angular cut seen in
the side profile.
I think here’s where it’s the most attractive if it wasn’t for this weird one flaw.
The bottom piece essentially ends at a point in the rear, and this is actually not flush
with the rear of the top case.
Even if you were to align the top and bottom perfectly, you’ll see a small protrusion
which just looks like a mistake.
Because the screw holes line up and everything goes together alright, I think this was on
purpose, but you know you’re in a bad place when people are questioning whether a decision
was a mistake.
The rear shows the textured surface of the cat switch opener as well as a very flush
USB Type-C cutout.
This once again makes the same mistake as the TFV2.
USB Type-C ports need to be recessed a little bit for the entirety of the connector to be
hidden.
Here, you’ll see a sliver no matter what.
Moving onto the bottom, we see close similarities to KBDFans’s other recent releases.
In fact, the brass weight here has the same dimensions as the ones in the TFV2 and the
D65.
Curiously, they all use different screws so they’re not necessarily compatible with
each other.
I think for an entry level outlet like KBDFans, the interchangeable parts approach makes a
lot of sense but these are just barely incompatible.
seems kind of weird.
While same in size, they are not the same in quality.
The Bella’s weight has a warp to it and follows the radius of the case cutout much
less consistently than its siblings.
It doesn’t impact anything in a meaningful way but just something to note.
Another difference is in the finish.
The TFV2 uses a media blasted and maybe lacquered finish with an antique brass color while the
Bella has a more familiar shiny brushed look.
The latter is reminiscent of brass parts from KBDFans in the past that just didn’t look
as good as others.
I really would have preferred the TFV2 finish here.
You can see that when compared to the design in the original interest check, it’s been
changed significantly to the point that it’s not at all similar to an Ai03 board.
Really, this is just an attempt at a modern adaptation of the KBD75 V1 using the trendy
exploded layout.
We don’t really see stuff like the cat very often so I was excited for this, but when
you actually have it in hand, there are so many parts that just feel janky.
From a purely aesthetic point of view, I think this needs a major revision.
It seems like KBDFans does black anodizing pretty well nowadays and it’s the same story
here: even finish with no external flaws.
The inside is a little bit rougher than it was on the TFV2, but that doesn’t really
matter anyway.
One strange thing is that the finish texture is different compared to the matte black on
the TFV2.
The Bella has a smoother, even oily feeling texture.
This also means looking a little glossier which you might not like.
Only black and gray were available for the in-stock versions with a ton more colors for
the group buy, but I’m not really sure how those will turn out.
The board comes apart with just six thin screws from the bottom.
The middle rear screw hole is positioned just a little offset from its left and right counterparts,
which I just don’t understand.
I’ve since replaced them with hex M2x6 screws, but the original ones are Torx.
I wouldn’t really have an issue with this if the board used this one Torx head for everything,
but the plate screws are Phillips so I don’t really see the point of having to include
one of these silly drivers.
Typically in a two piece board, the bottom is the more substantial of the two, but when
fully built, the Bella’s bottom is actually lighter.
It makes a lot of sense since the brass weight is so small and the piece is so thin.
I think this was done to maybe optimize for this fairly attractive side profile, but I
think it also directly contributes to that rear protrusion, so they should consider extruding
this up a little bit.
Another thing you’ll notice here is this step down towards the front of the board.
This is done for PCB clearance because the top’s side profile is not rectangular.
Ideally, you’d want to have the same amount of space underneath the PCB throughout the
bottom, but this seems like a cost optimized version that still achieves compatibility.
I appreciate the alignment keys on the top and bottom pieces that help you more easily
assemble them.
This time, it’s asymmetrical, but that issue is much less a problem since the plate only
goes in at one orientation.
The plate is mounted at 8 points that are vertically and horizontally symmetrical.
There’s been no word so far for other plate materials for the TFV2, so if they’re just
going to be supporting brass, I guess there’s no real reason to worry about mounting points.
Removing those reveals a fairly complicated top.
Unlike compact 75% layouts, all of these islands of keys need to be machined which no doubt
adds to complexity and therefore cost
We can also take a look at how the switch opener fits in.
There's a magnet screwed into the top and another glued onto the cat.
The strength is good but I worry about the glue eventually failing like it did on my
Space65
Oh by the way, I guess I should mention the switch opener itself.
It works, but doesn’t have support for Kailh style wings.
The plate takes some hints from the KBD8X MKII with these relief cuts and is finished
in the same brushed look as the weight.
For those of you that care about how a PCB looks, this will be a downgrade from the matte
black of the TFV2.
It's just the plain white that we're used to.
I don't have any issues with it though.
What I do take issue with is the absence of the conductive foam between the plate and
the PCB.
With these, the TFV2 resolved the ESD problem that plagues most customs, and their absence
means that shocking this board will mean it turning off momentarily, temporarily, or permanently.
I’m happy to report that c-to-c connectivity is functional unlike some other keyboards
out there.
I only dream of a future where I won’t even have to mention this.
One last point on the PCB is that there is no daughterboard.
I’ve always been a big fan of them for a couple reasons.
They allow you to put the USB port on the center of the board, which I think is more
attractive, and they eliminate the unintentional mounting point that the cable becomes.
Taking my Polaris as an example, the combination of foam strip mount and a polycarbonate half
plate means flexibility, but because the USB port is on the PCB itself, the cable when
plugged in becomes a hard point.
I know the daughterboard was jank on the TFV2, but there are definitely better ways to do
it, and I hope KBDFans looks into it in the future.
When I first picked up the Bella, it immediately struck me as feeling cheap.
While I don't typically use weight as a judge of quality, it is deceiving to see brass pieces
for the weight and plate adding up to what I assume the ID80 feels like.
When judged at raw weight, it is heavier than the TFV2 and the D65, but it feels substantially
less dense.
I think KBDfans should just lean into this and start getting rid of these extraneous
brass weights.
Nothing wrong with a light board when it's not pretending to look heavy
Overall, the build quality of the Bella is just a disappointment especially when compared
to their other recent offerings.
At $260, this is not a very cheap keyboard and most likely offers no benefits over something
like the ID80 or the GMMK Pro.
Which by the way, I’ll be reviewing once the reservations ship, so get subscribed for
that.
Build quality is important but what matters to me is typing feel, as noted by my preference
for the IDB60.
So does the Bella deliver here?
Nope.
Top mount brass plates tend to have a very harsh bottom out and this is no exception.
The presence of the excess relief cuts don’t really seem to mean much.
When compared to the 8XMKII, the bottom out feels slightly more dampened, transferring
less vibrations from one hand to the other.
I'm guessing this has to do with the size differences between the two.
In that aspect, the typing feel of the Bella is really nothing special.
Not much good or bad to say about it.
I think if a Polycarbonate plate is offered, I could like this a little more.
On the topic of hard plates, I've been seeing some recommendations go around saying hard
plates for tactiles and soft ones for linears.
I don't actually agree with this because I think tactiles will likely get you bottoming
out with greater force when compared to a linear with the same spring weight.
If anything, you'll feel the harshness of a plate more with a tactile.
So for that reason, I typically choose a heavier linear, like Gateron Black Inks, which help
me avoid bottoming out entirely.
But of course if you like hard bottom outs, none of this matters to you.
I care much less about sound than other people in the hobby, so I think it's significant
that I noticed this to be hollow.
There’s a lot of space underneath the PCB, and the inconsistent amount of it probably
contributes to the fact that the function row is significantly hollower than the rest
of the board.
KBDFans includes both plate and case foam for this, and when you use both, the sound
becomes more dampened like a typical aluminum board.
For the case foam, there isn't any compression between the bottom and the PCB, which in my
experience means less noticeable impact
As expected, the plate foam makes a more noticeable difference than the case foam, but I’m leaving
these out because I think foam tends to make every board sound the same.
I heard that the Bella is meant to be a replacement for the KBD75, and while I’ve never owned
a V2, I feel that there’s not much improvement other than the layout, if you’re into it.
Over the KBD75 V2, it’s a 100 dollar price hike, and I don’t really think that’s
justified.
Yes you’re getting a quote on quote “better” mounting system but they’re only being offered
with brass so it’s all going to feel like a harsh mess anyway.
I understand that there is very likely additional complexity associated with this case design
versus its predecessor, but the tradeoff is just not worth it.
I think KBDFans should strongly consider dropping the brass parts if that can get this board
down to the mid 100s because honestly I wouldn’t pay any more than that.
I think the design that ripped off Ai03’s work would have been much better, though I
wouldn’t have picked one up if it was so blatant.
This is nothing like that original IC and I think it’s safe to dismiss the comparisons.
I really wonder about the origins of the designs from KBDFans.
I have a really hard time believing that the same person who designed the TFV2 did work
on the Bella.
The Bella feels like a KBDFans board from 2018.
I’ve been saying this for a while, and though I was hoping we were turning a corner, it
seems like KBDFans is still only consistent in being inconsistent.