So I bought the same keyboard twice… but it was really cheap the second time. And I already had the keycaps.

KBDfans Tiger 80 Lite

Keyboard kit	KBDfans Tiger 80 Lite
Case	ABS plastic, translucent (purple)
Layout	F13 TKL
Typing angle	7°
Plate	PC
Mounting options	Gasket mount
Lights	RGB underglow

I first bought the Tiger 80 Lite as my second serious keyboard in a pretty good deal for the time¹. I paid around 120 Euros including a second case. I got both the translucent purple case and a plain white case (in case I didn’t like the purple).

It’s still a good keyboard with my favorite layout. It was a pity I could never use the white case in addition to the purple case.

I recently stumbled on a good second-hand offer: a Tiger80 Lite including all accessories and a second case for 70 Euros including shipping. That’s a really good price for the keyboard – even in 2025! The keyboard comes with a great carrying case and complements the one I already had. The two colors: plain black and translucent black.

Build 1

PBTfans Black on White (BoW)

The Tiger80 Lite is a good fit for lower-pitched, “thocky” builds. PBT keycaps fit the deeper sound profile.

I decided to buy the second Tiger80 Lite to use with the PBTfans BoW that I already had and that I used in the first build of my first Tiger80 Lite.

Gateron Oil King

Switch type	Linear
Top housing material	Nylon PA6
Bottom housing material	Proprietary “INK” blend
Stem material	POM
Spring	20mm long springs
Operating Force	55gf
Bottom-out Force	80gf
Pre-travel distance	2.0mm
Total travel distance	4.0mm

The Oil Kings² are a community favorite. They were released in 2022 and are still among the most purchased switches at the end of 2024³. They are smooth and produce a deep, muted bottom-out sound⁴.

I bought the Gateron Oil Kings in 2022; 60 Euros for a pack of 90. I initially used them in my Keychron Q65. They sounded and felt great in the board but they blocked the RGB. At some point I manually lubed them to improve on the factory lube. I tested them with most of my boards but always chose other switches in the end.

The Build

I combined the black-on-white keycaps with the white case for a plain white board. I could probably mix and match the Tiger80 cases with a white top case and the translucent black bottom case but I started with the plain white variation.

I used the second Tiger80 Lite for experimentation. I build one of them with PE foam and one without. Then I compared switches across the two boards with GMK ABS and PBTFans PBT keycaps.

I wanted to build one of the two boards with the silent linear switches. I had the impression that the silent switches sounded slightly better with the GMK keycaps, so I chose my first Tiger80 Lite for the silent build.

The board sounded good with multiple switches including the Oil Kings and the Keygeek Y3s. They worked well with and without PE foam. I went with the Oil Kings on PE foam but it could have gone either way. I figured it’s a good opportunity to finally use the Oil Kings again and that one of my boards should use a PE foam configuration. It’s possible that I might prefer the board with the Y3s on PE foam with their lighter springs and even smoother feel but for now I’m happy with the Oil Kings.

I tried a couple of different switches for the spacebar including Nixies, MP Tactiles, and Princess Tactiles. I picked the Princess Tactiles.

I used Cherry C3 stabilizers.

The Bill

Tiger 80 Lite keyboard kit                       70 EUR
PBTfans BoW                                      90 EUR
Gateron Oil King switches                        60 EUR
Cherry C3 stabilizers                            10 EUR
-------------------------------------------------------
                                                230 EUR

The Result

Looks, feels, and sounds like a keyboard!

Keyboard Kit	Tiger 80 Lite
Plate material	PC
Mounting style	Gasket
Keycaps	PBTFans BoW
Switches	Gateron Oil King, Princess Tactile spacebar
Stabilizers	Cherry C3
Foam	PE foam, plate foam
Mods	–
Weight	0.65kg

Turned out pretty good.

Footnotes

1. Keyboard 2: Tiger80 Lite ↩

2. Gateron Gateron Oil King ↩

3. kbd.news Best-selling keyboard switches of December, 2024 ↩

4. theremingoat Gateron Oil King Switch Review ↩