Head to head · both bought and tested

Meridian 96 vs Vellum TKL

Both tested here, side by side: measured sound, latency and typing scores for the Meridian 96 and the Vellum TKL, and which one to buy.

The Meridian 96 scores 0.7 higher overall and costs $95 against $68. Anyone who works in spreadsheets and has run out of desk. Buy the other one if: someone who uses a default layout, never remaps, and wants gasket-mount feel cheaply.

Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Meridian 96	Vellum TKL	Difference
Build	7.5	7.5	level
Typing feel	7.5	7.5	level
Sound	7.0	7.0	level
Stabilisers	6.5	7.5	-1.0 to Vellum TKL
Software	8.5	2.0	+6.5 to Meridian 96
Value	7.5	6.0	+1.5 to Meridian 96
Overall	7.4	6.7	+0.7 to Meridian 96

Measured

Figure	Meridian 96	Vellum TKL	Difference
Sound	58.9 dB	56.1 dB	2.8 dB quieter to Vellum TKL
Latency, wired	4.6 ms	7.8 ms	3.2 ms faster to Meridian 96
Polling	1,000 Hz	500 Hz	500 Hz higher to Meridian 96
Actuation	46.3 g	56.1 g	-9.8 g — preference, not better
Case flex	0.9 mm	2.6 mm	-1.7 mm — softer, not better

Specifications

Specification	Meridian 96	Vellum TKL	Difference
Price	$95	$68	$27 cheaper — Vellum TKL
Layout	96%	TKL (87-key)	—
Switches	Linear — Kailh Red	Tactile — Gateron Brown Pro	—
Hot-swap	Yes	Yes	—
Mount	Top mount	Gasket mount	—
Plate	Aluminium	FR4	—
Connectivity	Wired USB-C, 2.4 GHz dongle	Wired USB-C, Bluetooth	—
Remapping	VIA	None	—
Weight	1,240 g	900 g	—

Shape and footprint

Meridian 96

96% — 100 keys, 20u wide. A full numpad with the gaps removed. Roughly TKL width with everything a full-size has. Highlighted keys are what this layout adds over the next size down.

Vellum TKL

TKL (87-key) — 87 keys, 18.25u wide. Standard layout minus the numpad. Spaced clusters, so muscle memory transfers from a full-size.

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. Meridian 96 · Vellum TKL