Modern mechanical keyboards have become incredibly diverse. They can provide everything from that vintage clicky sound, to dead-silent typing and ship in form factors as small as 40% and as large as full-sized and above. Boards are available now to suit everyone from hardcore gamers to the most straight-laced, business-focused office worker. While the most particular mechanical keyboard hobbyists may want to build their own boards (or at least heavily modify an existing board), the larger portion of the potential user base will likely opt for a solution that’s both excellent out of the box and can also be tinkered with down the road.
To help you find the best pre-made options for those that just want to get clacking away and those that are unsure how deep their interest goes, we’ve rounded up a list of some of the best options on the market today. This list will focus on readily-available, mass produced boards. While there are some exceptional small-batch boards out there, they tend to be far more expensive and very often out of stock. The entries below represent the absolute best boards you can actually get your hands on without taking out a second mortgage.
While each one of these entries will include a brief descriptor of its most ideal user, don’t let that restrict your purchasing options. “Gamer” aesthetics like RGB lights can always be turned off, and non-gaming keyboards can be just as adept at competitive gameplay with the right switches and software. Instead, focus on your budget, desk space, and the available switch options you’d prefer.
Form factor - Tenkeyless Connection type - Wireless (Bluetooth) or Wired (USB-C to USB-A)Available switch types - Blue (clicky), Brown (tacticle), or Red (linear)Hot swappable switch sockets - Yes
I’ve raved about the Keychron K8 series as the ideal entry point to the mechanical keyboard hobby in my review of the product. It remains one of the best boards out there for those just starting out. It offers a lineup of features typically only found in far more expensive boards from other manufacturers, including RGB lighting, hot swap switch sockets, stable Bluetooth connectivity, and an epic battery life. The version I’ve featured here is the model with a plastic case, RGB backlighting, and hot swap sockets. These sockets allow mech key beginners to use the board as a platform to experiment with the massive variety of mechanical keyboard switches on the market today, all with slightly different tactile characteristics, sound profiles, and features. The extremely customizable lighting also allows it to be as flashy or as subdued as you’d like. I chose the “tenkeyless” K8, which doesn’t include the right-side number pad, for its excellent balance of providing every key you might need for serious text editing while also saving some space that would be taken up by a full-sized board. Thankfully, if you’d prefer more space-saving at the cost of a few more keys, or you’d rather have a full-sized board, Keychron’s got you covered with very similar models in 60%, 100%, and even non-standard 65% and 75% form factors.
Form factor - 60%Connection type - Wired (USB-A)Available switch types - Purple (clicky), Red (linear), or AnalogHot swappable switch sockets - No
Razer’s reputation for quality-built products has waxed and waned over the years. However, the company has recently been on a streak of releasing high-quality, well-built, and reasonably priced peripherals that have brought back a huge following in the gaming community, as well as those outside of it that appreciate the low costs and excellent customizability offered. More: Razer Blackshark V2 Pro headset review: A potent weapon for the right gamer | Razer Pro Type Ultra, Click Mini, and Glide XXL review: Gaming the office system The Huntsman Mini is the latest entry in the Huntsman gaming keyboard line, opting for the diminutive 60% form factor. This means that the text editing cluster and arrow keys found on tenkeyless and full-sized boards are not included. While most of these keys are still available by using the included “fn” modifier key, they’re far less convenient to access. For this reason, this keyboard is the only one on the list I’d strongly recommend exclusively for gamers that don’t intend to do heavy text editing on the same PC they game on. As long as you fall into that category, the Huntsman Mini provides a huge number of feature in a small package, including RGB lighting, doubleshot PBT keycaps (something usually reserved for pricey replacement keycap sets), storage for up to five onboard profiles, and optional analog switches. Unlike the standard mechanical switch types, analog switches can provide gradually increasing levels of input to the connected PC. This means the depth you press your W key to will mimic how far forward you press the analog stick on a game controller. This adds extra sensitivity and control to supported games, and can be a huge boon to the right gamer. It’s almost hard to believe Razer managed to stuff all of this into a board this small and price it at less than $150 for the analog option and less than $100 for the Clicky and Linear versions.
Form factor - Full-sized+ Connection type - Wired (USB-A)Available switch types - Corsair OPX (linear optical) or Cherry MX Speed (linear mechanical)Hot swappable switch sockets - No
Corsair has been in the mechanical keyboard game for longer than just about anyone else on this list. It’s K100, K70, and K65 lines were some of the best available mech key options, gaming or otherwise, for several years, until the market diversified. Today, their full-featured units remain some of the best on the market for gaming-focused users. If the Razer Huntsman above is a compact, precision-tuned sports car, the K100 is a Rolls Royce, throwing every single feature a gamer, or non-gamer for that matter, could want into a single board. Its left-side row of additional, customizable macro keys; onboard volume and media controls; and unique iCue wheel provide far more control options than any standard keyboard layout ever could. Better yet, these features are all packed in a case that could be used to demolish a wall, thanks to its sturdy metal casing and rock-solid quality. While some FPS-focused gamers might not have a use for all of this “extra-ness,” MMORPG players, flight and racing sim fans, and MOBA fanatics will likely love the extra controls and lightning-fast mechanical or optical switch options. The only reason not to use this board is if your desk or mousing area can’t handle its ample footprint.
Form factor - Low profile tenkeyless Connection type - Wireless (Bluetooth) or Wired (USB-C to USB-A)Available switch types - Blue (clicky), Brown (tactile), Red (linear) “Banana” (early bump tactile), or “Mint” (heavy early bump tactile)Hot swappable switch sockets - Yes
The nearly ubiquitous presence of laptops and Chromebooks in school classrooms means that many of us are now learning to type on their very flat included keyboards. This has created a whole class of user that continues to prefer that same low-profile typing feel, even when using a discrete keyboard. To fill this niche, many manufacturers have begun creating low-profile mechanical keyboards. Unfortunately, most of these offerings are either limited to a single, permanent switch or, at best, one of the three standard switch types: Blue (clicky), Brown (tactile), or Red (linear). Keychron once again makes its way onto our list by creating a board that offers the low-profile form factor, but still includes the rare benefit of having hot swap sockets built in. This means that you can choose a wide variety of switches, like the “Banana” and “Mint” options mentioned above, or any of the growing number of low-profile mech key switches being produced. The K1 SE combines this unique flexibility with nearly all of the benefits of the K8 mentioned above, including RGB lighting, wireless connectivity options, and a surprisingly sturdy build quality for its very reasonable price point. The result is a rare product that requires very few compromises to achieve the slim, low-profile form factor many typists now prefer.
Form factor - Tenkeyless or 65%Connection type - Wired (USB-C to USB-A)Available switch types - Halo Clear (tactile), Halo True (light tactile), Kaihua Speed Silver (linear), Cherry MX Blue (clicky), Cherry MX Brown (tactile)Hot swappable switch sockets - Yes
Drop (formerly Massdrop) is a company that began its life specializing in the type of group buys that continue to power much of the production in the modern mechanical keyboard hobbyist community. However, it has grown over the years to produce many popular products of its own across the audio and mechanical keyboard spaces. Two of the most well-known of these in-house products are the Drop ALT and Drop CTRL mechanical keyboards. The CTRL is a familiar tenkeyless option while the ALT is a non-standard 65% board with a unique layout that manages to maintain almost all of the keys you’ll need for heavy text editing, without taking up much more space than a 60% board. Both feature exceptional build quality, including their machined aluminum cases; bright, built-in, per-key RGB lighting, unique RGB edge lighting; excellent shine-through keycaps; and reliable hot swap switch sockets. Both units are also extremely customizable upon initial purchase, with flat and high-profile case options in Black or Space Gray colorways, as well as the widest selection of available switches of any board here. More importantly for hobbyists, the boards are a joy to work on, with just a few well-machined screws giving you access to the simple-but-flexible internal workings. This makes them a great platform to experiment with things like replacing key stabilizers, adding sound dampening, or even tweaking the internal lighting. Switch collectors will also love the included cap and switch puller, which are some of the nicest and most effective I’ve ever tested. These aren’t the cheapest options on the list, but they might be the best for those that are certain they’re going to dive a little deeper into the hobby. Drop even offers replacement cases for those that want to change the look of their boards entirely. It’s worth noting that all of the above statements apply most aptly to the standard clicky, tactile, and linear switches that ship with most boards. These switch designs, and their semi-standard color-coding are all based on designs originated by German switch maker Cherry. It still creates versions of all three, as well as far more exotic variants. Many other manufacturers also create countless variants with higher actuation points, heavier or lighter springs, unusual case and stem materials, and more. Ideally, if you’re ever considering a new switch, try to buy one, or just a few, to test the feel before you commit to enough for a full board. The same goes for any pre-made boards with pre-installed switches you can try before you buy as well. Whichever you choose, rest assured that it was compared to numerous competing offerings to find the best, most cost-effective option in a given space. In an ideal world, any keypress during a game will be instantly recognized to give the player the minimal amount of delay before that life-saving jump or vital crouch is registered. While Bluetooth might get you close enough to instant for more casual games, I wouldn’t recommend it for competitive shooter games and high-pressure MMORPGs. Thankfully, many wireless keyboards also offer a wired mode for just this reason. The only exception I’d make for using a wireless gaming keyboard is if the board in question used 2.4GHz wireless, like some options from Logitech. These dongle-based wireless connections offer far lower latency, and can be just as ideal for gaming as high-end wireless mice have become. Longer answer: the most common would be the key switches and keycaps. Both of these can completely change the feel of a board and, if you have hot swap sockets in your board, both can be swapped out with no more difficulty than unplugging a USB cable and plugging in a new one. More exotic mods can include things like replacing the stabilizers that help keep longer keys (space, shift, enter, etc.) level while travelling, as well as adding sound dampening foam or silicone. Just about every moving part can also be lubricated to make it feel smoother and to dampen its sound a bit. The possibilities are nearly endless when you start to get into all of the available switches, caps, case options, and unique parts being created for mechanical keyboard modding today.
