Head to head · both bought and tested

Aperture 61 vs Castor 65

Both tested here, side by side: measured sound, latency and typing scores for the Aperture 61 and the Castor 65, and which one to buy.

The Castor 65 scores 1.3 higher overall and costs $79 against $45. Someone who wants the nicest typing feel available under $80 and can live with the default layout, or only remaps once. Buy the other one if: someone who wants a hot-swap 60% to modify, and considers a stabiliser tune part of the fun rather than a defect.

Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Aperture 61	Castor 65	Difference
Build	7.5	8.5	-1.0 to Castor 65
Typing feel	7.0	9.0	-2.0 to Castor 65
Sound	6.5	8.5	-2.0 to Castor 65
Stabilisers	4.0	7.5	-3.5 to Castor 65
Software	9.0	6.0	+3.0 to Aperture 61
Value	8.0	8.5	-0.5 to Castor 65
Overall	6.9	8.2	-1.3 to Castor 65

Measured

Figure	Aperture 61	Castor 65	Difference
Sound	57.4 dB	53.1 dB	4.3 dB quieter to Castor 65
Latency, wired	3.8 ms	5.2 ms	1.4 ms faster to Aperture 61
Polling	1,000 Hz	1,000 Hz	level
Actuation	52.1 g	56.8 g	-4.7 g — preference, not better
Case flex	1.4 mm	2.9 mm	-1.5 mm — softer, not better

Specifications

Specification	Aperture 61	Castor 65	Difference
Price	$45	$79	$34 cheaper — Aperture 61
Layout	60%	65%	—
Switches	Linear — Gateron Yellow (pre-lubed)	Tactile — Akko V3 Cream Blue	—
Hot-swap	Yes	Yes	—
Mount	Tray mount	Gasket mount	—
Plate	FR4	PC (polycarbonate)	—
Connectivity	Wired USB-C	Wired USB-C, 2.4 GHz dongle, Bluetooth	—
Remapping	VIA	Vendor software	—
Weight	620 g	890 g	—

Shape and footprint

Aperture 61

60% — 61 keys, 15u wide. No function row, no arrows, no navigation cluster. Everything above the numbers is a layer.

Castor 65

65% — 68 keys, 16u wide. Dedicated arrow keys and a navigation column, for one extra unit of desk width over a 60%. Highlighted keys are what this layout adds over the next size down.

Where to buy

The full reviews

Everything above is a summary of two longer reviews — including the flaws, the long-term notes and the photographs. Aperture 61 · Castor 65