Best Mechanical Keyboards: Holiday 2022

Our PC Peripherals Buying Guides series brings you the latest in our list of recommended mechanical keyboards. All numbers in the text have been updated to reflect prices at the time of writing.

Best Mechanical Keyboards: Holiday 2022

After selecting the main system components such as CPU, PSU, and GPU, it’s time to look at the peripherals. Considering that PC peripherals outlast the main system components and usually stay the same even after several main system upgrades, they are often not given enough attention. . A keyboard is such a component. It’s the primary interface with the PC, but most casual users never cease to consider the most practical and comfortable choice for them.

Mechanical keyboards are not a new invention. Conversely, the first mechanical keyboards were made in his 1970s, but they were much cheaper, so they gradually gave way to electronic keyboards. It was ten years ago when mechanical keyboards started to reappear on the market, but due to the high retail price, they had a negligible share of the market. As manufacturing technology matured and competition began, mechanical keyboards became more affordable and attractive to advanced users.

Mechanical keyboards currently occupy a large share of the market, and the number of products available is staggering. Almost every company in the PC peripherals business is releasing one mechanical keyboard after another. Each generation brings lower prices, new switches, and (in some cases) unique features. Product design concepts began to saturate in the last few years, with most of the products released being almost indistinguishable from their competitors, but with some unique features (such as cloud-connected keyboards and ergonomic designs). ). We also saw the embarrassing appearance of a capacitive switch keyboard.

This holiday buyer’s guide looks at mechanical keyboards with the goal of offering suggestions to two major consumer groups: gamers and pros. This guide is presented from an objective point of view. In other words, we value the overall functionality and quality of the device relative to its current market value. Still, keep in mind that keyboard choice is highly subjective and can depend on individual desires and needs.

Why you need a mechanical keyboard

There is a lot of debate about the pros and cons of mechanical keyboards. Mechanical keyboards are much more durable and easier to maintain than membrane keyboards, but they are noisy and very expensive. But the reason for the popularity of mechanical keyboards, as vague as it sounds, is their feel. It’s very hard to put into words, but after a few days of mechanical keyboards, all membrane keyboards feel like toys.

Membrane-based keyboards have their actuation point at the bottom of the key travel, requiring maximum pressure at the beginning of travel, which inevitably requires a relatively large amount of force to push the key down. Mechanical keyboards are very different, with both actuation and pressure points located somewhere along the key’s travel, and several different switch variations offering consumers better flexibility. There are audible and quiet tactile and linear switches with a variety of key travel distances for consumers to choose from.

Mechanical switches, on the other hand, are sometimes preferred based on the belief that they’re easier to operate and don’t require you to lower the key down, which helps you type and react faster. is at most small. However, mechanical switches are much more comfortable (and healthier) for long-term use, making mechanical keyboards an almost must-have tool for pros and hardcore gamers who care about their tendons. Likewise, there is a lot of debate about which mechanical switch is “best”. Simply put, there is no “best” switch. It’s almost always a matter of personal preference whether you prefer a strong linear switch because a soft linear switch is too easy to bottom down, or sound instead of a quiet switch.

mainstream mechanical keyboard

Philips G403 Momentum ($29)
Logitech G413 ($56)

Trying to decide where to start with this year’s recommendations proved particularly difficult. In fact, most of these cheap keyboards use switches that are clones of Cherry’s original switches, not just clones. With so many keyboards of varying quality and questionable parts sourcing, it’s important to actually check the keyboard. So far I haven’t seen many of these boards.

We’ve tested several such keyboards over the past few years, and the number of boards we can review is just a drop in the bucket of the number of mechanical keyboards available today. display imbalance and other quality control issues, resulting in poor behavior and performance enough to justify upgrading from a typical keyboard to a mechanical keyboard.

Moving up the stack a bit, we have the “mainstream” keyboard. These cost a little more, but come from established manufacturers who don’t use clone-of-clone switches. Still, this is an equally packed market.

For users who don’t want to break the bank and are happy with a fairly basic mechanical keyboard, we recommend the Philips G403 Momentum (SPK8403). It’s a fairly simple, non-programmable mechanical keyboard with no special features other than a colorful backlight. Some shops claim the backlight he’s RGB, but as the manufacturer himself states, it’s actually a “multicolor” backlight with few configuration options. There’s nothing special about the G403 Momentum, but $29 Don’t miss the sale prices of premium branded mechanical keyboards.

For those who appreciate quality and elegance but still need to adhere to a tight budget, Logitech introduced the G413 this year. This is a relatively simple but very well-made mechanical keyboard based on Logitech’s own Romer-G switches. Despite its simplicity, it supports some basic programming features, allowing you to program macro commands into function keys and use them with keystroke combinations. This may not be a very useful feature for advanced gamers, but it can help professionals automate repetitive tasks. $56is a solid deal for this level of quality.

advanced mechanical keyboard

Patriot Viper Gaming V765 ($50)
Das Keyboard Model S ($120)

On top of the basic mainstream mechanical keyboards are more advanced “advanced” keyboards. These boards come with additional special features that aren’t necessarily required for keyboards, but are useful. Keyboards in this range often come with enhanced programming capabilities and extra keys, or RGB lighting, or simply great aesthetics. Aesthetics in particular is a strictly subjective topic. There’s a good argument these days that gaming-focused equipment is particularly flashy (productivity) keyboards.

For gamers who want a full set of features without breaking the bank, we recommend the Patriot Viper Gaming V765. The V765 is a fully per-key programmable keyboard with extra media buttons and volume wheel, and per-key programmable RGB backlighting. It also has a magnetic wrist rest and a metal top frame.The only questionable feature on this keyboard is the Kaihl mechanical switches it’s based on, but the street price is $50the versatility and quality it offers is great.

For users who value productivity and need a high-quality, sophisticated solution, the Das Keyboard Model S offers the best value in its price range.of its retail price $120 It’s expensive for a keyboard with few advanced features, but it’s a product designed to last for years, regardless of how often you use it. It is a keyboard for professionals who type tens of thousands of times every day. The only drawback of the Model S that certain users should consider is the lack of programming capabilities. Therefore, it is not possible to program macros or advanced commands directly without relying on third-party software.

top notch mechanical keyboard

Corsair K100 RGB OPX ($180)
Corsair K100 Air ($280)
Das Keyboard X50Q ($130)
Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB ($200)

When it comes to top-of-the-line keyboards, our focus shifts almost exclusively to quality and functionality. These are the best keyboards, even if they are more expensive than others.

Our recommendation for advanced gamers and enthusiasts remains the same as last year, none other than the Corsair K100 RGB. Ironically, the K100 RGB isn’t a pure mechanical keyboard, it’s a hybrid with optomechanical switches. Corsair keyboards outperform everything available on the market as they offer an extremely wide range of features and are supported by perhaps the most advanced software on the market today, Corsair’s Utility Engine (CUE). increase.and $180its extremely wide range of features, quality and versatility make it very difficult for competitors to overcome it.

Corsair also released a wireless version of the K100, the K100 Air, but the wireless version actually sacrifices the extra macro keys and comes with low profile keys.Also, the retail price of $280 Steep, but one of the very few advanced mechanical keyboards out there today, it’s a unique choice for gamers who want or need a wireless mechanical keyboard.

For professionals who stick to a typical keyboard layout, we recommend the Das Keyboard X50Q. The X50Q’s colorful marketing image has many people mistakenly think it’s a gaming keyboard, but the company built this mechanical keyboard primarily with productivity in mind. This is a very versatile product, both functionality and lighting are fully programmable per key. The X50Q supports everything from simple changes like layout tweaks and pre-programmed RGB backlight effects, to complex macros and per-key lighting-based notifications. Not only that, the keyboard software also allows the installation of applets. Many applets are available for free, but the company also provides API code for developers to create their own applets. $130 The X50Q is probably the most versatile professional keyboard available today and a true tool in the hands of professionals.

For typists who spend hours on the same keyboard, we recommend the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB. An ergonomic keyboard can make a big difference in preventing health problems in the long run, and in the case of the Freestyle Edge, the keyboard itself is great. Kinesis offers many advanced features and programming options. $199 keyboard. That said, ergonomic keyboards aren’t for everyone. At the very least, users who have to switch between different keyboards on a daily basis will find it difficult to get used to the unique layout of the ergonomic keyboard. Therefore, it is not recommended for users who switch workstations.