A good keyboard is the one tool you touch all day, and it no longer costs a fortune. We typed on six budget mechanical boards for a month to find the ones worth your money.
Key takeaways
- Hot-swappable switches let you change the feel later without soldering.
- Linear switches are smooth and quiet, tactile switches have a small bump you can feel, and clicky switches are loud.
- The best board in our test had a gasket-mounted case, pre-lubed switches and a detachable USB-C cable, all for less than a pair of nice headphones.
What to look for
Hot-swappable switches let you change the feel later without soldering. A solid case that does not flex matters more than RGB lighting.
Switches, briefly
Linear switches are smooth and quiet, tactile switches have a small bump you can feel, and clicky switches are loud. Most people who type a lot end up happiest with tactile.
Our pick
The best board in our test had a gasket-mounted case, pre-lubed switches and a detachable USB-C cable, all for less than a pair of nice headphones.
Pros
- Hot-swappable switches
- Solid case with no flex
- Detachable USB-C cable
Cons
- Louder than a laptop keyboard
- Software is basic
