Bridge75 vs Rainy75 vs ND75 Review

Overview

The WOBKEY Rainy75, the Chilkey ND75, and the Shortcut Studio Bridge75 are some of the best prebuilt custom mechanical keyboards of 2024. They are built using modern designs and high-quality materials for an entry level price point. They are priced around 100 USD with the Bridge75 starting as low as 85 USD.

So which keyboard should you buy? Let's see how the Rainy75, ND75, and Bridge75 compare to find the best custom mechanical keyboard for you.

Product Details

Key Design Features

The Rainy75, the ND75, and the Bridge75 all have similar case shape aesthetics with the box-on-wedge design.

For the top case:

Rainy75 has a blocker above the right arrow key with their logo
ND75 has a 2U screen module above the right arrow key. The ND75 features a 2U vertical LCD screen module above the right arrow key that can be used to customize a variety of displays to match your personalized aesthetic.
Bridge75 retains all the navigation keys. The Bridge75 also has a cherry lip on the front of the top case which not only helps to add a design element to break up the standard box on wedge but also helps to add comfort in an effort to create a lower feeling front height for typing.

For the bottom case:

Rainy75 has a clean looking bottom weight with their logo engraved into the bottom case as well different options for the weight finish. The Rainy75 features different bottom weights depending on the version. The Lite Series features a gradient glass bottom weight, the Standard Series has the option for either a gradient glass or mirrored glass bottom weight, and the Pro series features a stone textured Silver SUS304 bottom weight.
ND75 features a brushed machined bottom weight design with their logo engraved in the center.
Bridge75 features a brushed stainless steel weight for the Standard version and a brushed stainless steel weight with a glossy trim where the logo is for the Plus and Max versions. It keeps the bottom weight simple and practical by incorporating a stainless steel weight in the aluminum body to help with the acoustics.

Internally, the ND75 and the Bridge75 feature a quick assembly ball-catch structure that feels secure but also allows for easy disassembly to tinker and test different configurations. The Bridge75 is mounted using PCB gaskets while the ND75 comes built with split o-rings but has the options to be mounted with silica gaskets or top mount as well. The Rainy75 is secure with a hidden screw design underneath a few keycaps. Like the Bridge75, the Rainy75 is also PCB gasket mounted, both providing solid yet comfortable typing experiences.

The Rainy75, ND75, and Bridge75 also come with foams pre-installed but easily removable to tune to your preferences. Each keyboard comes with at least one internal battery with an option for a second depending on the version.

Keyboard Sound

The Rainy75, ND75, and Bridge75 stock prebuilt forms sound relatively similar as you would expect with the foam kit pre-installed in them. They have the deep, creamy, and foamy sound signature straight out of the box. The Rainy75 appeared to have a slightly mroe refined sound than the ND75 and the Bridge75 in the stock configuration, followed closely by the Bridge75 and then the ND75. All three mechanical keyboards come with lubed plate mount stabilizers that are well tuned from the factory. Although it should be noted that the differences among the three are hardly noticeable in their factory stock configurations.

With all of the foams removed, both the Rainy75 and the ND75 have some case ping. However, the Rainy75 seemed to have slightly less ping and sounded slightly fuller than the ND75. The Bridge75 on the other hand surprisingly didn't have as much ping as the Rainy75 or the ND75, but there was some hollowness for the bottom row modifiers although the hollowness was absent for the spacebar. Despite the hollowness, the Bridge75 still has a pleasantly full sound.

The Rainy75, ND75, and Bridge75 come with factory lubed switches and good quality doubleshot PBT keycaps that sound premium and well tuned straight out of the box. The ND75 has only one option for switches, Gateron Dopamine Blue switches, while the Rainy75 and the Bridge75 both have two options for switches. The Rainy75 has an option for either HMX Violet or JWK WOB switches and the Bridge75 has an option for either Princess Ultra or SC switches.

The ND75 stands out with its multiple mounting options, here are our thoughts on the different mounting styles: the split o-ring mount seemed to sound the deepest and thockiest, the silica gel mount sounded the most open and creamy (similar to other gasket mounts), and the top mount sounded the most crispy and punchy especially on the spacebar.

Here is a sound test comparing the Rainy75, ND75, and Bridge75:

Keyboard Feel

The Rainy75 and the Bridge75 are both PCB gasket mounted while the ND75 could be mounted in 3 different configurations with either split o-rings, silicone gel gaskets, or top mount.

The Rainy75, ND75, and Bridge75 all feel relatively similar in terms of flex in their stock form. They all have versions with flex cuts and their mounting systems have similar flex as well. Although there might be a more drastic differences among the three if all of the foam were removed which would create more space within the keyboard case for the PCB/plate assembly to flex.

The Rainy75 feels the most solid but not stiff, while the Bridge75 feels more bouncy than flexy. For the ND75, the split o-ring mount and the silica gel mount feel relatively similar while the top mount feels the most solid (feels like a top mount). All three mounting styles feel comfortable to type on and the best option is just personal preference. A huge plus about the ND75 and Bridge75 are that they have the quick assembly ball-catch mechanism so it'll be easier to test different configurations for foams and mounting to find what works best for you.

Build Experience

Since the Rainy75, the ND75, and the Bridge75 come prebuilt, the initial build experience is mostly comprised of the unboxing and setup experience. All three mechanical keyboards are amazing to use straight out of the box, but for those who are interested in tinkering with different configs (keycaps, switches, mounting, etc) here are our thoughts on the build experiences for the Rainy75, ND75, and Bridge75.

The ND75 and the Bridge75 have a screwless quick assembly system using a ball-catch mechanism. This makes the ND75 and the Bridge75 incredibly easy to open to try out different configs since the ball-catch mechanism allows the top case to be unlatched from the bottom case without any unscrewing necessary. Whereas the Rainy75 is assembled with a hidden screw design on the edges of the case which makes it a little bit more time consuming to open up since it requires removing the switches that hide the screws and unscrewing the screws.

Both the Rainy75 and ND75 have flex cuts on their plate and PCBs. The Rainy75 has a flex cut plate as well as a per-key flex cut PCB. The ND75 has a flex cut plate and an option for either a 1.2mm flex cut PCB or 1.6mm non-flex cut. The Bridge75 has flex cuts on the FR4 plate for the Plus and Max versions, but not on the PP plate for the Standard version. The Bridge75 has per-key flex cuts on the PCB for all versions. It should be noted that these flex cuts make inserting and removing switches more difficult. When trying to remove switches the plate/PCB assembly flexes up and when trying to insert switches the plate/PCB assembly flexes down which make it difficult to fully seat the switch. It is recommended to fully open the case and remove the plate/PCB assembly when swapping out switches to prevent any damage to PCB or keyboard components. We would also recommend to use a plate fork (or tweezers if no plate fork) to help support the flex cut plate when inserting switches.

Things to Note

For the Rainy75 the On/Off switch is underneath the caps lock key.

For the ND75 the On/Off switch is underneath the right shift, so to turn on/off the wireless mode you would have to remove those respective keycaps.

For the Bridge75 the On/Off switch is underneath the arrow blocker on the bottom row, so to turn on/off the wireless mod you would have to remove the top case which is relatively simple with its ball-catch design.

Even though these keyboards have a hotswap PCB, which is meant to make swapping switches easy, it is highly recommended that you disassemble the keyboard to fully take out the PCB and support the back of the hotswap sockets to prevent any potential damage to the hotswap contact points or potential for the hotswap sockets popping out.

The adhesive on the case foam for the ND75 is really sticky and difficult to remove. If you plan to experiment with the foams in the ND75 be a little more careful when removing the case foam that is attached to the bottom of the PCB.

Software: The Rainy75 and the Bridge75 are compatible with VIA to customize your keys while the ND75 uses its own proprietary software to customize your keys.

Conclusion

The WOBKEY Rainy75 and the Chilkey ND75 and the Shortcut Studio Bridge75 are all amazing options for a custom mechanical keyboard that sounds and feels premium at an entry level price.

There are several elements to consider among the Rainy75, the ND75, and the Bridge75 like software compatibility, colors, typing angle, front height, and other features. But to simplify the choice, here are our thoughts.

Rainy75:

If you are looking for a keyboard that you just want to use straight out of the box and not tinker with.
If you are looking for softer colors for the keyboard case color.
If you want a more aesthetic bottom weight / bottom case design.
If you don't open up your keyboard often and prefer the case to be more securely attached with screws.
If you want QMK/VIA software compatibility.

ND75:

If you are looking for a keyboard that you just want to use straight out of the box and not tinker with.
If you are looking for a keyboard that you want to experiment with different configurations, like mountings styles, switches, foam, etc., then the ND75 would most likely be the best fit for you with their quick assembly ball-catch mechanism.
If you are looking for more vibrant colors for your keyboard case color.
If you want a non-flex cut PCB. The ND75 has both flex cut and non-flex cut PCB.
If you want a screen module to customize.

Bridge75

If you are looking for a keyboard to experiment with different combinations of foam or if you like to swap out switches often, the quick assembly ball-catch mechanism would make the Bridge75 a simple option.
If you are looking for a 75% mechanical keyboard that retains all of its navigation keys to maximize productivity.
If you want the option to order a Bridge75 with either the Princess Ultra switches for the thock or the SC switches for the clack.
If you want a non-flex cut plate, the Bridge75 Standard version comes with a non-flex cut PP plate.
If you want to use a mechanical keyboard without any foams, the Bridge75 sound relatively better than either the Rainy75 or ND75.
If you want VIA compatibility.
If you want the best value for your dollar, the Bridge75 offers similar features to both the Rainy75 and the ND75 for a slightly lower price tag.

You can find these mechanical keyboards in our shop (Rainy75 and ND75 and Bridge75).

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