The TFV2 is the sequel to the ever-popular Tofu and represents the next generation of
in-house design from KBDFans.
The $230 price point is higher than their older offerings, but it’s still easy on
the wallet compared to other customs.
It offers a couple features that are not seen even in higher end customs, but as is tradition
with KBDFans, they did make a serious mistake.
This particular unit would be a great contender for my daily driver if there was a softer
plate option, but you may not get the same experience.
If this video feels a little weird, it’s because I had a overall positive review written
for a long time and I was made aware of the debacle literally on the day I was going to
publish.
Anyway, let’s get into it.
I recognize that there was an integrated plate version of the tofu but I don't have access
to that one so I'll be comparing the design to the tray mount version.
The Tofu was basically as barebones of a design that a keyboard could get so it follows that
the TFV2 would also be super simple.
The overall wedge shape from the first iteration is kept but the corners are much rounder.
I know sharp corners were a point of discussion for the last case and getting rid of it means
you won't be poking yourself on it but it also seems less like a real life tofu.
Externally, the seam, while pretty faint and flush, makes it clear that the case is made
of top and bottom pieces.
It would have been pretty cool to see a seamless version, but that probably would have driven
up cost.
I'm of the opinion that when a case has seams the height of the top should roughly match
the height of the bottom in the front, so this looks pretty alright to me.
The slight bevel around the top edge gives it an understated minimalist look which I
think a lot of people will appreciate.
The centered usb port cutout is as tight as it gets but with a flaw.
USB-C ports need to be recessed a little bit so that the cable shielding doesn't peek out.
This one is flush so no matter what cable you use you're going to see a little bit of
that metal.
Hopefully they address this in the future.
On the bottom are eight small screw holes, four rubber bump on slots as well as the brass
weight.
This is a really thin piece that's finished in a more antique look instead of the bright
gold that we saw on the 8X Mk II.
I think I prefer this finish just because it is a bit more muted.
Honestly seems to me that they could have gone without this, but they were probably
catering to the crowd that's used to having weights or accents.
One small comment here is that I've never been a fan of the new KBDFans logo.
It always seemed like a graph to me and my interpretation is that the intersection is
some point in the future, where the downtrend is KBDFans sales if they don't change the
logo, while the uptrend is if they do.
The design of the TFV2 is really nothing special but the simplicity is executed well.
I think the HHKB looks a little better than the Winkey top, but I like standard for my
use case.
So far, the board was offered with either HHKB or ANSI.
The plate seems to be compatible for both, but there are separate hotswap PCBs for each
of the layouts.
This means that If you get the ANSI version, you will be forced to use the 6.25u bottom
row.
I don’t have much of an issue with this but a lot of people prefer the 7u alternative
for symmetry.
It would be great to see PCB selection offered independently of the top so that people can
have the option.
I would also guess that there is a daughterboard-compatible solderable DZ60 in the works.
Getting into the construction of the board, I think you guys are going to be as impressed
as I was, except there’s one very serious flaw that we’ll get into.
The board comes apart from the aforementioned eight screws on the bottom.
These holes are really deep and narrow so you aren't going to be able to use screwdrivers
that take bits.
I had to make do with a small flathead.
Taking a look first at the bottom piece, the most notable feature is this spot for the
USB Type-C daughterboard.
This connects to the main PCB which is a DZ60 RGB ANSI model that has a special slot for
the ribbon cable.
The DZ60 already has a USB Type-C port in the standard 60% spot but this daughterboard
allows for centering the USB port as well as allowing some movement for more flexible
plates.
To accommodate the existing USB port there is a slot for it on the upper left corner.
The daughterboard is secured into the bottom case with four screws.
Unlike any of the other daughterboard solutions I've seen, this uses a very thin ribbon cable.
It is a little bit finicky to install, and I'm nervous about breaking it.
They must have thought so too because they included a replacement daughterboard and cable.
Here’s where the serious issue comes in.
I was made aware that there are multiple versions of the DZ60 RGB PCBs floating around that
have different ribbon cable connectors.
These connectors have different cable orientations, so it will not work with the cable I have
here.
Apparently, for these PCBs, an extra ribbon cable was included that would make the connection
compatible, but according to the reports, there were still two incompatible ribbon cables
included and preinstalled out of the box.
I’ve even seen one person say that the board let out some smoke.
I’ll link the Discord conversations down below.
If you pick one of these up, make sure to check the PCB because there have apparently
been 0 communication on the issue.
You cannot make a backwards-incompatible change and say nothing.
Getting back into the board, one good thing is that C-to-C connection works.
Crazy that this even needs to be said as a standout feature, but here we are.
you will also notice these alignment keys on the top and bottom pieces.
There's still a little bit of play but the situation is greatly improved.
This would have taken the guesswork out if it wasn't for its rotational symmetry.
The top is not symmetrical across the horizontal axis, but the keys are.
The plate will screw in either way but the top will only sit on the bottom in one of
the orientations when a pcb is installed.
To make this more clear I think they could have placed the keys in non-symmetrical places
or made them different sizes.
The plate screws into the top at six points.
They are symmetrical so it doesn't really seem like there was additional thought put
into the mounting locations.
The plate does have some interesting screw holes which are for hot swap.
Typically if your board supports hot swap you would want the PCB to stay in the same
position relative to the plate.
However if you take out all the switches the PCB might fall to the bottom of the case,
so to mitigate that the kit comes with spacers and screws that allow you to combine the plate
and the PCB into one assembly.
This would allow you to swap switches without taking the board apart but I think it could
impact typing experience because it creates hot spots of stiffness in those screw locations.
the tfv2 was only offered with a brass plate for me where the effects would probably be
lessened by the plate's innate hardness.
Nevertheless I don’t use this because I'm alright with taking the board apart when swapping
switches, and if there is an impact on the typing feel, I would like to avoid it.
One last thing is that the board comes with this squishy piece of conductive material
that you stick on large pads on the PCB.
This is an element of shock protection.
When you shock the board, you’d ideally want that to go directly to ground, rather
than jumping onto a PCB component.
This is the only metal keyboard I own that doesn’t disconnect temporarily when shocked.
Overall the construction of this board is super modern and clean.
It seems to have everything from alignment pins to daughterboards.
It really is a stark contrast from the days of KBD75 or KBD66.
Aside from amending the USB Type-C port depth as well as making the ribbon cable feel more
robust, I'm really impressed by the construction of the board not only in the KBDFans context
but in general.
That was my original conclusion to the build section of the video, but KBDFans just had
to drop the ball with the ribbon cable issue.
You cannot be shipping incompatible configurations without any instructions or disclaimers.
One argument that comes up a lot when comparing expensive versus cheap customs is the finish
quality.
It used to be that KBDFans cases had leftover machining lines or poorly colored surfaces,
but taking this as a sample that no longer appears to be true.
I know the 8X MkII as well as the Polaris were executed well but I would like to judge
a KBDFans original design separately from those.
The only external flaw I managed to find was on the brass weight where there were a couple
light scrapes.
This seems to be more or less unavoidable with brass parts at this price range so I
honestly wouldn't miss it if it was gone in a future iteration.
The color match between the top and bottom pieces for this black is spot-on, though I
know it might get a little harder for other colors.
Internally there is a single flaw at one of the screw holes on the top piece but of course
this is not visible when assembled.
actually even the interior of the bottom piece is finished as well as the exterior which
is oftentimes a place where they can be less strict.
I know I've previously said the only thing consistent about KBDFans is inconsistency
but I'm hoping this is the new normal because it's great.
Let me know down in the comments if you've bought a KBDfans original design recently
and have had worse experiences with finishes.
And that used to be the conclusion to the finish section.
I guess KBDFans remains inconsistent.
The TFV2 was only available with a brass plate.
It seems to me that the brass fad is going away so I'm hoping they offer other options
in the future.
As expected from top mount brass, the bottom out feel is super solid with no vibration
transfer to speak of.
Preparing for the event of a softer plate, it looks like there's about 1 mm of room under
the PCB.
I tested this by measuring the depth with and without plate screws.
I think this should be enough for flexible plates especially because this is a smaller
form factor.
Other than that there's nothing much to comment on in the typing experience.
It's the usual harsh bottom out we're familiar with.
I think KBDfans is missing a surprisingly large segment of the market by going with
brass only.
Sound is also nothing out of the ordinary for metal keyboards.
It's the familiar high-pitched and dampened tone.
There is a case foam that fits under the PCB with a little bit of compression.
Since I’m using a brass plate, the feel is not at all impacted, but the sound is slightly
dampened.
I think this has a typical enough sound that it doesn’t really need the foam unlike the
KBD8X MKII.
The TFV2 doesn’t make strides in typing experience or sound, and I was all but ready
to praise it’s big leap forward in construction and finish quality.
But after the ribbon cable issue was brought to my attention, I have a hard time recommending
the board as wholeheartedly as I would have.
It seems like you will be given a path to a functional board regardless of the version
of the PCB, but the fact that this problem is not documented is entirely inexcusable.
KBDFans caters to a global audience and as they get bigger, they will need to grapple
with providing better support if they are to be taken seriously.
Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely improvements here, but with their slow rise
in price, audience, and capital, we should hold them to a higher standard.