I don't know if its just me but my biggest problem with many of these keyboards is that the layout is a crime against nature! What I mean is that the dollar sign should be ABOVE the numbert 4 not below it (or slightly less bad) to the side of it. This is the correct way to do keyboards!
When did it become acceptable to ignore this scientific fact? :-)Reply
You are correct. The Cherry MX key switch hadn't been designed for backlighting. It had been designed to fit an indicator LED in the FRONT, behind a window on the front side of keys such as Caps Lock and Num Lock.
Therefore, a backlit keyboard with these switches is a kludge. The switches are mounted the wrong way than originally intended to get the LED at the back, which is only slightly better than the front, and which is the reason for the moved legends.
AFAIK, of mechanical key switches, only the Logitech Romer-G, the rare "Kailh Sun Switch" and the Cherry Viola switches are capable of even backlighting ... but only Romer-G keyboards actually get decent keycaps; the other two tend to get awful keycaps that had been designed for backlit Cherry MX anyway.Reply
Yeah, drove me nuts with my Razor, which is now on my secondary computer (couple of keys are bouncing badly and it's VERY annoying to use for work - but I got it, a model that at the time had a near $200 MSRP, for $60 as a return in a WalMart). I swapped my main computer with the secondary one, which is a non-backlit (I don't really need such a thing - even witht he lights off, there's enough light from my displays), a Rosewill which has been very good (and less loud type of keyswitches). It's not so much the symbols above the numbers, but the lesser ones, like - vs _ and [ vs { being backwards that drove me nuts - I'm not a touch typist and I am usually looking at the keys. I make enough typos so as it is, I don't need the symbols to be confused as to which one is shifted and which one is normal. I really want another one identical to this Rosewill, I really like it, the keys work well and feel is good, it wasn;t hideously expensive, and it isn't loaded with a whole bunch of 'gaming' features - and no special driver needed. It works fine for both professional work and for the types of games I play (mostly WoT). Problem is, I think they discontinued it. The outer case is all plastic, but they must have filled it with a block of lead, it's quite heavy and never so much as budges no matter how much angry typing I do. Reply
Overpriced, just get a RealForce at a more appropriate price. Or if you want to spend that much, may as well pick you own board, switches, caps, etc.Reply
I've had a Das for a few years, and the ABS printed key glyphs are already deteriorating. for the price, one ought to get double-shot and good plastic. Reply
Luckily keycaps are available to fix all the keycap problems the manufacturers design into their keyboards. I'm getting to the point where I would just like a mechanical keyboard base without keycaps so I can pick the sad retro keycaps I am currently liking.Reply
Any decent but affordable ones with wrist rests? The no supporting ones cause my hands to go numb :( My old logitech elite is dying, behing close to 15 years old. Need something more up to date!Reply
My problem with Razer is that, although I like the ergonomics of a number of their mouses, their software stack is absolute garbage.
Razer Synapse 2.0 was "manageable" in that you could leave it offline after an initial HW authentication/registration. Don't get me started on the bowl of s... that is Synapse 3.0Reply
So no low-profile mechanical keyboards? I can't stand the full size ones, no matter how good they are, and I know at least a dozen people who hate them as well. I personally use the Havit low-profile keyboard and it is fantastic. I type drastically faster and more accurate than ever. I tried a dozen or so out and settled on it. It's pretty much perfect, and my ex-girlfriend and brother both love theirs too. There are several low-profile mechanical options out there now. You guys should look at them.Reply
No TKLs presented.. few of these keyboards come in TKL. The whole explanation of switches is ridiculous. It explains very little, gives no real information about what actually are the major differences.
You can not have a short 1-pager explain "the best mechanical keyboards" without people who are actually interested writing you off right away. Sorry.Reply
TKL and 60% is probably the future for most keyboard enthusiasts. I actually have the G413 from when it first came out as my first mechanical keyboard. I use the num pad occasionally because its there but I'd rather have desk space back so I'll probably look at getting a TKL or 60% at some point. I also think low profile has a future for people like myself that didn't grow up around the original mechanical keyboards of the 80's and early 90s.Reply
This "for most keyboard enthusiasts" is your problem. Unlike the more in depth content everywhere else on the site, Anandtech buying guide articles are SEO bait for the masses who type "best keyboard" into google.Reply
Some folks have hands that are too big for 60% to be really workable for touch typing. I have to agree with you on low profile though. After many years with a TKL Model M, I've recently switched to the Surface Bluetooth keyboard, and absolutely love it. Good typing feel, good touch typing speed, and so much quieter than the M.Reply
Like most guides here, I believe this is limited to models that E. Fylladitakis has reviewed. I don't recall if Anandtech has published any reviews for TKL/60% models; dunno if that's the reviewers preference or the keyboard companies just not wanting to send out smaller models as review samples.
As someone who uses the insert-pagedown cluster and arrow keys all the time, 60% layouts are absolutely unusable for me; and while I'm not a spreadsheet warrior who uses the numpad more than the main section I do use it frequently enough that its absence would be annoying and doubt I'd ever buy a desktop keyboard without one (laptops being size limited are a separate case).Reply
Most have gone to 65% for the arrow keys. Then of course 75% if you require the others. Numpad is a separate device when needed. The point is ergonomics. Having the keyboard and mouse closer together is so much better.Reply
My mouse is on the left, the size of the keyboard is irrelevant (excluding a few gaming models with a few columns of macro keys on the side). Most people either use whatever keyboard their laptop had built in; or some random keyboard picked up at random, probably a basic membrane one because $20 is cheaper than $80+ (and if they did pay more it's probably for the $50 membrane + frag harder disco light model). Miniature mechanical keyboards are a niche within a niche within a niche; as I commented elsewhere, you're not the target of SEO bait articles like this one. Reply
Any recommendations for those who want a low profile and low noise keyboard? I just tried a Vulcan Pro Optical RGB Gaming Keyboard and did not like it. Also tried a Razer Cynosa Chroma Gaming that was supposed to be quite and it was not.
Check out the Keychron K1 and Coolermaster SK series.
I had (still have) the same K740 also and switched to full sized traditional mechanical keyboard 3-4 years ago and it still dosn't feel quite right to me so those are two I'm looking at. Reply
Durgod tkl is lower than most and you can get it with silent reds. It's very quiet. I know because I have one. I used to love tactile, but now typing on these with lower actuation point, I can't go back.Reply
I presume the K552 is also recommended as the tenkeyless version of the K551? It seems cheaper as well, at least in the UK. The backlit key option has a terrible typeface however, but there is a non-backlit version which is acceptable (why do the cursors have WASD on them as well?!).
I don't know if there's a tenkeyless version of the G413, but it's over twice the price of the above in the UK so that's an easy choice...Reply
I would say yes. I Have the K551 with "Blue" switches and was debating about which version to get. For the extra minimal cost I went with the 10 Key version.
Funny for a keyboard that I picked up in the fall of 2019 it's still one of the best bang for the buck boards out there. Reply
Over the past year I've moved away from standard red/brown switches and switched to MX Silent Red keys in the office, and the NiZ Plum, which is a 35g Topre clone. I bottom out often so these options are softer on the fingers. At 35g the NiZ Plum is pretty much like typing on air and it feels soooo good!Reply
"There are many arguments regarding the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical keyboards: they are far more durable than membrane keyboards and easier to maintain" Mechanical keyboards suffer chatter/phantom keystrokes as they age. They need to be regularly cleaned because dust can interfere with their operation. In practice membrane keyboards are far more reliable and need minimal maintenance.Reply
And about that "far more durable" argument, I had a membrane keyboard for like 7 years. I only replaced it because paint was coming off, the membrane was still fine. So don't think mechanical will do much in that regard, unless you intend to let your children inherit it.Reply
The membrane definitely becomes worse as it ages, the key travel is no longer even across keys (if it was in the first place).
My older membrane keyboards were great, lasted about a decade or so before membrane just started giving up too much to make the experience bad, but the more modern one I replaced it with at the time was garbage, so ended up going mechanical and I enjoy the typing experience a lot more, mostly because no longer bottom out keys. Reply
Interesting. No list of candidates, no criteria for evaluation, no (subjective) test results. Just a list of products and a sticker: "you should get these".
It seems AT's legendary reviews/guides are becoming a thing of the past :(Reply
Why is there no mention of brands such as Varmilo or Leopold? Miya Pro and FC660M are very good quality keyboards (atleast that's what I've read from GeekHack and r/MechanicalKeyboards).Reply
Under "Mainstream Mechanical Keyboards", could you please cleanup the following sentence? : "Unfortunately, it is difficult in find in stock as of late, and when it can be found, it's for almost doubt last year's price.".Reply
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OFelix - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
I don't know if its just me but my biggest problem with many of these keyboards is that the layout is a crime against nature!What I mean is that the dollar sign should be ABOVE the numbert 4 not below it (or slightly less bad) to the side of it.
This is the correct way to do keyboards!
When did it become acceptable to ignore this scientific fact? :-) Reply
Findecanor - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
You are correct. The Cherry MX key switch hadn't been designed for backlighting. It had been designed to fit an indicator LED in the FRONT, behind a window on the front side of keys such as Caps Lock and Num Lock.Therefore, a backlit keyboard with these switches is a kludge. The switches are mounted the wrong way than originally intended to get the LED at the back, which is only slightly better than the front, and which is the reason for the moved legends.
AFAIK, of mechanical key switches, only the Logitech Romer-G, the rare "Kailh Sun Switch" and the Cherry Viola switches are capable of even backlighting ... but only Romer-G keyboards actually get decent keycaps; the other two tend to get awful keycaps that had been designed for backlit Cherry MX anyway. Reply
boozed - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
I assume it's to simplify design and manufacture with backlighting, since the illuminated character is now in the same place on every key. Replyrrinker - Monday, December 14, 2020 - link
Yeah, drove me nuts with my Razor, which is now on my secondary computer (couple of keys are bouncing badly and it's VERY annoying to use for work - but I got it, a model that at the time had a near $200 MSRP, for $60 as a return in a WalMart). I swapped my main computer with the secondary one, which is a non-backlit (I don't really need such a thing - even witht he lights off, there's enough light from my displays), a Rosewill which has been very good (and less loud type of keyswitches). It's not so much the symbols above the numbers, but the lesser ones, like - vs _ and [ vs { being backwards that drove me nuts - I'm not a touch typist and I am usually looking at the keys. I make enough typos so as it is, I don't need the symbols to be confused as to which one is shifted and which one is normal. I really want another one identical to this Rosewill, I really like it, the keys work well and feel is good, it wasn;t hideously expensive, and it isn't loaded with a whole bunch of 'gaming' features - and no special driver needed. It works fine for both professional work and for the types of games I play (mostly WoT). Problem is, I think they discontinued it. The outer case is all plastic, but they must have filled it with a block of lead, it's quite heavy and never so much as budges no matter how much angry typing I do. Replymrvco - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
HHKB. Nuff Said. Replyhansmuff - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
FC660C fite me. Replymechkbfan - Sunday, December 13, 2020 - link
Overpriced, just get a RealForce at a more appropriate price.Or if you want to spend that much, may as well pick you own board, switches, caps, etc. Reply
IntoGraphics - Wednesday, December 16, 2020 - link
If only the Realforce keyboards had backlit numbers, letters, and punctuation marks. ReplyFunBunny2 - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
I've had a Das for a few years, and the ABS printed key glyphs are already deteriorating. for the price, one ought to get double-shot and good plastic. Replysonny73n - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
Get a Ducky. I've been using mine for almost 10 years and it still looks as new. Replypsychobriggsy - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
Luckily keycaps are available to fix all the keycap problems the manufacturers design into their keyboards. I'm getting to the point where I would just like a mechanical keyboard base without keycaps so I can pick the sad retro keycaps I am currently liking. Replybigvlada - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
Now you know why some people are using 30 year old IBM Model F and M's. :) ReplyFunBunny2 - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
I still have my M. ReplyHideOut - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
Any decent but affordable ones with wrist rests? The no supporting ones cause my hands to go numb :( My old logitech elite is dying, behing close to 15 years old. Need something more up to date! Replypsychobriggsy - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
Could you buy a separate fat gel wristrest instead? Far more comfortable than the hard plastic wristrests some keyboards come with. ReplyMachinus - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
Your keyboard articles make it seem like you don't have much experience with mechanical keyboards. None of these are "the best" of anything. Replyjzodda - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
Razer BlackWidow Elite at $84 is not a great deal? It was much higher a few weeks ago5,448 ratings on amazon
4.7 out of 5
I have used it in the past and its just great Reply
LordanSS - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
My problem with Razer is that, although I like the ergonomics of a number of their mouses, their software stack is absolute garbage.Razer Synapse 2.0 was "manageable" in that you could leave it offline after an initial HW authentication/registration. Don't get me started on the bowl of s... that is Synapse 3.0 Reply
sparkuss - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
Many of the DAS RGB keyboards are as bad, bought one for my Father-in-law thinking professional grade and RGB (he's considered gaming).But there is NO local settings storage, you can't change the RGB patterns/colors unless you have it ONLINE! Reply
jmunjr - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
So no low-profile mechanical keyboards? I can't stand the full size ones, no matter how good they are, and I know at least a dozen people who hate them as well. I personally use the Havit low-profile keyboard and it is fantastic. I type drastically faster and more accurate than ever. I tried a dozen or so out and settled on it. It's pretty much perfect, and my ex-girlfriend and brother both love theirs too. There are several low-profile mechanical options out there now. You guys should look at them. Replyhansmuff - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
Oh my where to begin?No TKLs presented.. few of these keyboards come in TKL.
The whole explanation of switches is ridiculous. It explains very little, gives no real information about what actually are the major differences.
You can not have a short 1-pager explain "the best mechanical keyboards" without people who are actually interested writing you off right away. Sorry. Reply
Operandi - Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - link
Agreed, this list is bad as is the article.TKL and 60% is probably the future for most keyboard enthusiasts. I actually have the G413 from when it first came out as my first mechanical keyboard. I use the num pad occasionally because its there but I'd rather have desk space back so I'll probably look at getting a TKL or 60% at some point. I also think low profile has a future for people like myself that didn't grow up around the original mechanical keyboards of the 80's and early 90s. Reply
DanNeely - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
This "for most keyboard enthusiasts" is your problem. Unlike the more in depth content everywhere else on the site, Anandtech buying guide articles are SEO bait for the masses who type "best keyboard" into google. ReplyNonSequitor - Wednesday, December 16, 2020 - link
Some folks have hands that are too big for 60% to be really workable for touch typing. I have to agree with you on low profile though. After many years with a TKL Model M, I've recently switched to the Surface Bluetooth keyboard, and absolutely love it. Good typing feel, good touch typing speed, and so much quieter than the M. Replypsychobriggsy - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
For a budget keyboard, the TCL OMOTON looks pretty decent, £31 in the UK as well.The TCL K320 looks like a nice keyboard, and it's good they offer different keycap selections as well. Reply
DanNeely - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
Like most guides here, I believe this is limited to models that E. Fylladitakis has reviewed. I don't recall if Anandtech has published any reviews for TKL/60% models; dunno if that's the reviewers preference or the keyboard companies just not wanting to send out smaller models as review samples.As someone who uses the insert-pagedown cluster and arrow keys all the time, 60% layouts are absolutely unusable for me; and while I'm not a spreadsheet warrior who uses the numpad more than the main section I do use it frequently enough that its absence would be annoying and doubt I'd ever buy a desktop keyboard without one (laptops being size limited are a separate case). Reply
Dug - Friday, December 11, 2020 - link
Most have gone to 65% for the arrow keys. Then of course 75% if you require the others. Numpad is a separate device when needed.The point is ergonomics. Having the keyboard and mouse closer together is so much better. Reply
DanNeely - Monday, December 14, 2020 - link
My mouse is on the left, the size of the keyboard is irrelevant (excluding a few gaming models with a few columns of macro keys on the side). Most people either use whatever keyboard their laptop had built in; or some random keyboard picked up at random, probably a basic membrane one because $20 is cheaper than $80+ (and if they did pay more it's probably for the $50 membrane + frag harder disco light model). Miniature mechanical keyboards are a niche within a niche within a niche; as I commented elsewhere, you're not the target of SEO bait articles like this one. Replydocbones - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
Any recommendations for those who want a low profile and low noise keyboard? I just tried a Vulcan Pro Optical RGB Gaming Keyboard and did not like it. Also tried a Razer Cynosa Chroma Gaming that was supposed to be quite and it was not.So still using a Logitech k740 illuminated. Still the best keyboard for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfGDxdJgb2k Reply
Operandi - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
Check out the Keychron K1 and Coolermaster SK series.I had (still have) the same K740 also and switched to full sized traditional mechanical keyboard 3-4 years ago and it still dosn't feel quite right to me so those are two I'm looking at. Reply
Dug - Friday, December 11, 2020 - link
Durgod tkl is lower than most and you can get it with silent reds. It's very quiet. I know because I have one. I used to love tactile, but now typing on these with lower actuation point, I can't go back. Replypsychobriggsy - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
I presume the K552 is also recommended as the tenkeyless version of the K551? It seems cheaper as well, at least in the UK. The backlit key option has a terrible typeface however, but there is a non-backlit version which is acceptable (why do the cursors have WASD on them as well?!).I don't know if there's a tenkeyless version of the G413, but it's over twice the price of the above in the UK so that's an easy choice... Reply
Ithaqua - Monday, December 14, 2020 - link
I would say yes. I Have the K551 with "Blue" switches and was debating about which version to get. For the extra minimal cost I went with the 10 Key version.Funny for a keyboard that I picked up in the fall of 2019 it's still one of the best bang for the buck boards out there. Reply
Tams80 - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
The correct answer is an Azeron gamepad for gaming and a Topre keyboard for typing. Replytrenzterra - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
Over the past year I've moved away from standard red/brown switches and switched to MX Silent Red keys in the office, and the NiZ Plum, which is a 35g Topre clone. I bottom out often so these options are softer on the fingers. At 35g the NiZ Plum is pretty much like typing on air and it feels soooo good! Replywrkingclass_hero - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
"There are many arguments regarding the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical keyboards: they are far more durable than membrane keyboards and easier to maintain"Mechanical keyboards suffer chatter/phantom keystrokes as they age. They need to be regularly cleaned because dust can interfere with their operation. In practice membrane keyboards are far more reliable and need minimal maintenance. Reply
Beaver M. - Saturday, December 12, 2020 - link
Completely agreed. But its a fact thats not pushed by the mainstream, so many people will not accept it. Replybug77 - Saturday, December 12, 2020 - link
And about that "far more durable" argument, I had a membrane keyboard for like 7 years. I only replaced it because paint was coming off, the membrane was still fine. So don't think mechanical will do much in that regard, unless you intend to let your children inherit it. ReplyRSAUser - Sunday, December 13, 2020 - link
The membrane definitely becomes worse as it ages, the key travel is no longer even across keys (if it was in the first place).My older membrane keyboards were great, lasted about a decade or so before membrane just started giving up too much to make the experience bad, but the more modern one I replaced it with at the time was garbage, so ended up going mechanical and I enjoy the typing experience a lot more, mostly because no longer bottom out keys. Reply
bug77 - Monday, December 14, 2020 - link
Mine was a slim one. Maybe the short travel distance made a difference. ReplyTheinsanegamerN - Thursday, December 17, 2020 - link
My membrane keyboard is pushing, what, 15 years now? One of these years ill upgrade. Maybe. ReplyUltraWide - Thursday, December 10, 2020 - link
what about TKL? Replybug77 - Friday, December 11, 2020 - link
Interesting. No list of candidates, no criteria for evaluation, no (subjective) test results.Just a list of products and a sticker: "you should get these".
It seems AT's legendary reviews/guides are becoming a thing of the past :( Reply
Dug - Friday, December 11, 2020 - link
This is not a best of anything. This is like a marketing list, or a list of someone that doesn't know keyboards but likes rgb. Replymechkbfan - Sunday, December 13, 2020 - link
Kinesis Freestyle Edge is really not that ergonomic even though it's split. How high it rises off the desk is generally uncomfortable in the long run.A few better alternatives that I've owned include (and not limited to) Dygma Raise, Moonlander and Microsoft Surface. Reply
Razor54672 - Sunday, December 13, 2020 - link
Why is there no mention of brands such as Varmilo or Leopold?Miya Pro and FC660M are very good quality keyboards (atleast that's what I've read from GeekHack and r/MechanicalKeyboards). Reply
DanNeely - Monday, December 14, 2020 - link
They haven't provided review samples. ReplySilver5urfer - Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - link
G213 Prodigy for me. Rubberdome infinite lifetime over the overpriced RGB market mess and these Mechanical rip off. ReplyIntoGraphics - Wednesday, December 16, 2020 - link
Under "Mainstream Mechanical Keyboards", could you please cleanup the following sentence? : "Unfortunately, it is difficult in find in stock as of late, and when it can be found, it's for almost doubt last year's price.". ReplyOxford Guy - Monday, December 21, 2020 - link
I'd rather have a keyboard in some kind of metal finish or white. ReplyNicholasBreese - Friday, March 19, 2021 - link
where is hyperx hmm? Reply