Head to head · both bought and tested

Quarry TKL vs Tessera TKL

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

The Quarry TKL scores 0.4 higher overall and is also the cheaper of the two at $72. Someone who wants a TKL that will not need anything done to it, and who values open firmware over wireless. Buy the other one if: someone who cares more about how a board sounds than how precise it feels, and never remaps.

Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Quarry TKL	Tessera TKL	Difference
Build	8.0	7.0	+1.0 to Quarry TKL
Typing feel	7.5	8.0	-0.5 to Tessera TKL
Sound	7.5	9.5	-2.0 to Tessera TKL
Stabilisers	8.0	7.0	+1.0 to Quarry TKL
Software	9.0	4.0	+5.0 to Quarry TKL
Value	8.0	7.0	+1.0 to Quarry TKL
Overall	7.9	7.5	+0.4 to Quarry TKL

Measured

Figure	Quarry TKL	Tessera TKL	Difference
Sound	55.3 dB	51.8 dB	3.5 dB quieter to Tessera TKL
Latency, wired	3.4 ms	5.9 ms	2.5 ms faster to Quarry TKL
Polling	1,000 Hz	1,000 Hz	level
Actuation	51.7 g	44.9 g	+6.8 g — preference, not better
Case flex	2.1 mm	3.2 mm	-1.1 mm — softer, not better

Specifications

Specification	Quarry TKL	Tessera TKL	Difference
Price	$72	$84	$12 cheaper — Quarry TKL
Layout	TKL (87-key)	TKL (87-key)	—
Switches	Linear — Gateron Yellow (pre-lubed)	Linear — HMX Cloud	—
Hot-swap	Yes	Yes	—
Mount	Gasket mount	Gasket mount	—
Plate	PC (polycarbonate)	POM	—
Connectivity	Wired USB-C	Wired USB-C, 2.4 GHz dongle	—
Remapping	QMK	Vendor software	—
Weight	980 g	1,020 g	—

Shape and footprint

Quarry TKL

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

Tessera 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. Quarry TKL · Tessera TKL