Wooting 80HE vs 80HE+: what actually changed

With the release of the Wooting 80HE+, you might be wondering how it compares to the original 80HE. I’ll start by saying that if you already own a Wooting 80HE, there’s no real need to upgrade. The keyboard stays mostly the same. That said, we’ve received a lot of feedback from the community and pro players, and we’ve grown to a point where we felt it was time to update the original 80HE.

Before diving into the differences, let’s quickly look at what stays the same. You still get the same layout with dedicated arrow keys and F-row, the LED bar, True 8K polling, and all the same Wootility features.

Now, let’s have a look at what’s new in the Wooting 80HE+.

Wooting 80HE vs 80HE+ at a glance

Pricing

The Wooting 80HE+ is available at the following prices:

With the release of the 80HE+, we’ve lowered the price of the original Wooting 80HE. Not all variants are still in stock, so check the Wooting 80HE product page for current pricing and availability.

A stiffer switch plate

We replaced the polycarbonate plate with an FR4 plate.

Many (pro) gamers prefer a firm bottom-out feel without any bounce. A steel plate could achieve this, but we chose FR4 because it avoids the metallic ping that comes with steel, keeping the sound profile clean.

It’s the same plate material we already use in the Wooting 60HE v2.

Lekker Tikken medium switch

The original 80HE comes with Lekker L60 V2 switches. The 80HE+ comes with the Lekker Tikken Medium.

Both switches have a similar press weight, but there are some important differences between the two. Here’s how the Lekker Tikken Medium compares to the Lekker L60 V2.

A longer spring gives you a bit more resistance when you start pressing a key, helping prevent accidental keypresses. As you press further down, the resistance builds up more gradually, with the Lekker Tikken Medium actually requiring slightly less force at the end of the press.

Tighter tolerances in the switch housing reduce key wobble and provide a more stable keypress.

A closed bottom reduces chatter and gives the switch a cleaner, more solid bottom-out sound, while still maintaining the full 4 mm press range.

If you’re looking to upgrade your existing Wooting 80HE, replacing the switches with Lekker Tikkens (light or medium) will have the biggest impact.

Split spacebar joins the lineup

The original Wooting 80HE was available in ANSI, ISO, and JIS layouts. With the 80HE+, we’re dropping the JIS layout but adding a new option: the split spacebar.

Instead of one large spacebar, the split spacebar divides it into three separate keys that can be programmed independently. This gives your thumbs access to two additional keys.

This layout comes in handy when you’re playing games that use WASD for movement. Your left thumb can now reach an extra keys without having to move your fingers away from WASD.

The split spacebar is available in both ANSI and ISO, but only when you choose the Wooting 80HE+ Module.

Updated case colours

We’ve also changed up the case colours available with the Wooting 80HE+.

For the ABS case, Black and Ghost make way for the new Dark colourway. It combines a dark translucent top case with an opaque black bottom case, taking elements from both of the original colours. The top case is darker than the original Ghost, while still letting some light through.

Frost is now available as a prebuilt keyboard. With the original 80HE, you could only get the transparent Frost case separately for a Module build.

The zinc version of the Wooting 80HE+ is only available in Black. Zinc White and the standalone Zinc Raw case from the original 80HE are no longer part of the lineup.

Feet colour

The Wooting 80HE has light gray feet for all colour variants, but many of you wanted black feet on dark cases.

The Wooting 80HE+ has black feet on the ABS Dark and Zinc Black variants, and light gray feet on the ABS Frost variant.

Sound tuning inside the case

We also made a few smaller changes inside the 80HE+ to further tune its sound profile.

A thin PET film above the PCBA helps tighten the sound and makes the bottom-out sound more distinct.

An updated tape mod uses a painter’s-tape material to bring out more mid tones while reducing some of the higher tones.

These are small changes, but together they do impact the overall sound the keyboard makes.

Other hardware changes

Here are other hardware changes we made based on user feedback.

We repositioned the JST connector that connects the Module to the USB-C daughterboard. On the original 80HE, the connector was further away from the daughterboard, resulting in a longer and more constrained cable route through the case.

On the 80HE+, we moved the connector closer to the daughterboard, where there’s also more room for the cable. This gives it a cleaner, less constrained route and removes the need for the cable guide used in the original 80HE.

The USB-C daughterboard now comes with the Module. With the original 80HE, the daughterboard came with the standalone case instead. This meant that if you wanted to use a third-party case, you still needed to get the daughterboard separately.

With the 80HE+, the daughterboard comes with the Module instead. You can now get the Module without one of our cases and pair it with a compatible third-party case.

Lekker Knob Large included with Zinc

The Wooting 80HE+ Zinc comes with the Lekker Knob Large pre-installed. You’ll also get the four switches and keycaps it replaces, so you can always swap back to regular keys.

If you choose an ABS prebuilt or Module instead, you can add the Lekker Knob Large to your order at a reduced price.

The original Wooting 80HE is also fully compatible with the Lekker Knob Large.

Can I put an 80HE+ Module in my original 80HE case?

We don’t recommend it.

An internal rib in the original Wooting 80HE case can press against the repositioned JST connector cable and potentially damage it.

When it comes to third party cases, Jed will be testing all available options and make a video about it later. For now we’ve confirmed that the GT-80 is compatible with both the regular and split spacebar layout. The Holy80 case is compatible with the regular spacebar, but not the split spacebar layout.

Should I upgrade from the Wooting 80HE?

If you already own a Wooting 80HE, there’s no real need to upgrade to the 80HE+. The 80HE+ is an update of the original, not a completely different keyboard.

If you want to get closer to the sound and feel of the 80HE+, upgrading your existing 80HE with Lekker Tikken switches will have the biggest impact.

The main reason to consider moving from an 80HE to an 80HE+ is the split spacebar, as this requires the new 80HE+ Module. Otherwise, keep enjoying your 80HE. We’ll continue supporting it with the same Wootility features and updates as the 80HE+.