Frog TKL by GeonWorks

EPBT Grand Tour

Penguin Switches by Kinetic Labs Lubed with 205g0

Aluminum Plate

I was skeptical when I heard mixed reviews on the Frog. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a curious. Most people call the “tadpole mount” a modified top mount, but from what I could see online, it seemed like the tadpoles were acting as gaskets, since although the rod end is top facing and fits into the top with friction and ribbing, the bottom spherical bulge in this (somewhat phallic) piece of silicone rubber rests on the bottom case.

In practice, it fits into the top case, and while sandwiched between top and bottom pieces, it is supported more from above than below. As far as I know “tadpole-mount” was a new mounting style devised for the Frog, and it has been used in at least one other custom board since the Frog was introduced. It is not too flexible, and the USB port is integrated rather than using a daughterboard, though with the default tadpole silicone pieces (that are also the stiffest offered).

It does a decent job isolating the plate and PCB assembly soundwise, and with the very flex-cut saturated aluminum plate, there is a decent amount of vibration and play across the board, but it sounds pretty tight and not too hollow. One criticism I’ve seen people make is the spacebar. I would agree that the spacebar is nothing special, but it’s definitely not to the point of being a design flaw as some reviewers implied.

Unfortunately, I sold the board and didn’t get to try other plates and softer tadpoles. My reason for selling it, however was not that I didn’t like it. I just didn’t find myself using it all. When I bought it, I was (and still am) new to the hobby and learning my preferences. Since then, I have learned that I don’t love the kind of vibrations I mentioned earlier. This was also the heaviest board by far I had ever used. It is large and kind of takes up the whole desk (I have a small desk). I just don’t have any need for my boards to be heavy, another thing I learned, and this board just felt unweildly.

Altogether it’s ok, but I can’t recommend it, with so many other in stock options, if you care about typing feel and sound. Like many people say, it’s a bargain for such a heavy and chunky board. I can’t argue with that. It’s considered a budget build by many people in the hobby, but it’s at a price point where the typing experience should be better. While there are many good boards in this price range and I’d consider it midrange price-wise, if it’s what you’re looking for and you know that, you can’t beat buying an in-stock board and avoiding the group buy lead times.