Best Mechanical Keyboard for £50
- Thread starter benparker
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I reckon you're gonna struggle getting a decent wireless one for £50 tbh, probably best looking at some roundups on YouTube (LTT have done a few iirc) or trying to get something second hand maybe?
There are some OK-ish Chinese brands found in a certain rainforest, for about £30. Some of them even omit the gamer aesthetic!
I recommend familiarising yourself with the switch types, if getting a switch tester is too much of an outlay for you I recommend getting Kailh or Cherry Browns
I recommend familiarising yourself with the switch types, if getting a switch tester is too much of an outlay for you I recommend getting Kailh or Cherry Browns
Never had a mechanical keyboard before so no idea
Will you be using the keyboard around other people? Will you be just gaming or also typing frequently?
Agree, mechanical keyboards are essentially about the switches!
I only really found my preference after buying some keyboards but YouTube to get some education in is a good idea. There are 3 main types really, Linear, Tactile and Clicky. Research into which one you might think you prefer.
Me primarily. Bit of both, will be for emulation, some video editing and some emails.
Cool, so your choices are (imo) a blue or brown switch equivalent.
The blue is a 'clicky' switch, which makes a noise and gives tactile feedback when you reach the actuation point of the switch. People around users tend to find them bothersome, hence why I asked about 'other people'. Not amazing for gaming, considered the best for typing.
The brown is a 'tactile' switch, essentially a blue without the 'click'. It's more of a 'bump' over the actuation. Some people think it's too bland. It's generally considered the 'middle of the road' switch. It's my favourite (well, tactile ones are, there are hundreds of niche variations aside from the basic browns).
My subjective recommendation is for a brown switch, TKL or 75% board
(TKL means tenkeyless, better ergonomically if you spend time at the PC and aren't inputting numbers all day. 75% is similar, it's just more scrunched together)
The cheapest keyboard with most of your spec on OC is this, which is above your budget. As your budget grows, the field widens dramatically
I suggest searching around for something with brown mechanical switches (there's a Drevo 75% one with Outemo browns I found that would be a cheap way to try it out)
If you eventually decide you like it, post on here and we'll give you some aftermarket keycap recommendations
Oh, I almost forgot - there is ANSI vs. ISO to consider.
ISO is the UK / European layout, with the big reverse L-shaped Enter key. There is UK-ISO, Spanish ISO, etc.
ANSI is the US version, used in a lot of the rest of the world. They have a thin horizontal Enter key, and a lot of things are in different locations. (You can get 'International' ANSI but it's a bit niche again).
ANSI is orders of magnitude easier to get than ISO, so if you don't mind relearning some of the key placements you'll have an easier time.
Personally I kept to UK-ISO so I could touchtype on any random keyboard at work rather than having to mentally readjust
ISO is the UK / European layout, with the big reverse L-shaped Enter key. There is UK-ISO, Spanish ISO, etc.
ANSI is the US version, used in a lot of the rest of the world. They have a thin horizontal Enter key, and a lot of things are in different locations. (You can get 'International' ANSI but it's a bit niche again).
ANSI is orders of magnitude easier to get than ISO, so if you don't mind relearning some of the key placements you'll have an easier time.
Personally I kept to UK-ISO so I could touchtype on any random keyboard at work rather than having to mentally readjust
I got a Drevo Blademaster SE recently. Excellent value (and way below your £50 target). It replaced another cheap Mech, and the upgrade was instantly noticeable. The keys don't sound as harsh. The board feels more solidly built. The lighting is brighter, spreads further, and is more consistent. It has control software (rare for a Mech at this) price point), and a programmable control knob.
It's basically a Blademaster Pro (RRP £120) cut down to the basics. You get Outemu switches instead of Cherry, double shot ABS key caps instead of PBT, no wireless mode, and a bit less RGB. Only grumble I've got with it (considering it cost me £35) is that they don't do ISO layout. It's not a major problem for me, but the missus hates ANSI (she needs to look at the keyboard when typing, so miss-labeled punctuation keys are a big problem).
It's basically a Blademaster Pro (RRP £120) cut down to the basics. You get Outemu switches instead of Cherry, double shot ABS key caps instead of PBT, no wireless mode, and a bit less RGB. Only grumble I've got with it (considering it cost me £35) is that they don't do ISO layout. It's not a major problem for me, but the missus hates ANSI (she needs to look at the keyboard when typing, so miss-labeled punctuation keys are a big problem).
I am also in the market for a cheap-ish mech keyboard around £50-£70
It will be used mostly for work hence typing with the odd (5%) gaming.
I don't have anyone near me to annoy so I don't mind clicking as long as it cannot be heard through Teams/Zoom video conferencing on a headset.
Any experience with which colour keys to go for ?
I understand blues are good for typing but can be noisy - would they be picked up on a headset in a call ?
Browns are a similar, less noisy alternative but potentially meh, middle of the road ?
Other colours / recommendations ?
Also, which are the better quality/value for money - MX, Kahil, Gateron ?
Any TKL or 70/75% (with Fn keys) keyboards people would recommend that would fit the bill ?
Ones that seem Ok are Keychron K2, Drevo Calibur v2, Hexgears GK707 ?
The Keychron sounds quite good as it is wireless
It will be used mostly for work hence typing with the odd (5%) gaming.
I don't have anyone near me to annoy so I don't mind clicking as long as it cannot be heard through Teams/Zoom video conferencing on a headset.
Any experience with which colour keys to go for ?
I understand blues are good for typing but can be noisy - would they be picked up on a headset in a call ?
Browns are a similar, less noisy alternative but potentially meh, middle of the road ?
Other colours / recommendations ?
Also, which are the better quality/value for money - MX, Kahil, Gateron ?
Any TKL or 70/75% (with Fn keys) keyboards people would recommend that would fit the bill ?
Ones that seem Ok are Keychron K2, Drevo Calibur v2, Hexgears GK707 ?
The Keychron sounds quite good as it is wireless
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Blues you will hear through a headset. Personally I found reds weird for typing; I'm much more accurate on browns. Browns is a nice middle ground of good for typing, decent for gaming, does not sound crazy.
Thanks. Do the browns have any audible click or are they completely silent/muted ?
Any other recommendations on switches and/or keyboards ?