12
votes
Help selecting a mechanical keyboard
I'm looking to replace my current mechanical keyboard which has a few problems. If anyone has recommendations I would appreciate it.
Here is what I'm looking for:
- Mechanical switches
- USB C and bluetooth.
- Smaller size (no keypad)
- Clicky but not too loud. I think I currently have "brown" switches which are good.
- Backlit (but not colorful unless I'm able to set it to something muted or single-colored)
- Works with mac, pc, linux, and maybe tablets
I don't care very much if there is a battery in the unit as long as it can switch to bluetooth while plugged into usb.
I went to mechanicalkeyboards.com and looked around and got a bit overwhelmed. Looks like the prices are mostly under $200 which would be ok.
What went wrong with my current keyboard:
It's an EPOMAKER TH80 pro. The size is good, the features are good, and the keyboard feel is good. But the battery went dead so it has to be plugged in all of the time, and several of the keys get double presses at random so I have to backspace a lot.
Thanks!
I often recommend keychron.
Good selection, good features, decent price, and a “it just works” kinda vibe. I don’t recall if they’re back lit but I’d start there.
I'd also recommend Keychron.
I have a Keychron K1 Pro and it fulfills all of the requirements in the original topic (and more with support for QMK and VIA). I imagine many of the other Keychron keyboards to also fulfill all of the requirements.
I have a Keychron (can’t remember the model and not at home rn) that’s got low profile switches like that and they have way too low of an activation force. I frequently activate them just by resting my fingers on the home row. But that’s going to be down to exactly which switches you select. They should have an activation force listed on grams for each switch model.
I had the same issue when I first got this keyboard but over time my fingers adjusted and now it doesn't happen to me anymore. But yeah definitely a good thing to keep in mind.
It's been like this for maybe 9 months? Maybe I just have big hands.
These are also pretty affordable! Good suggestion, i may pick one up soon.
Yeah I was just on my phone but a big selling point is they're reliable and easy to get.
The mechkeyboard world can get awkward fast, with you debugging your own device or having trouble getting a new one and what not. Having a spot that's just a store that's almost always in stock is awesome, and doubly so because their stuff is almost always fully featured and just works.
I just wish they'd make a low profile version of the epo TH40. I don't care if it's more expensive since Epomaker is VERY hit or miss. Alternative split space wireless boards are almost nonexistent EVEN IF you're willing to build the damn thing, let alone using chocs.
I've actually had pretty poor luck with keychron keyboards. Two have had actual problems, but mostly I just didn't think they were "good enough" compared to other keyboards I have owned.
Interesting. I've yet to have any issues. I don't know where else I can get a BT/Wifi/Cable low profile 60% or less reliably.
I have an excellent keyboard that fits the bill that I use for my living room HTPC. I'll see if I can find out where I got it and if it is still available just to that I can share the info.
For a couple years now one of the most popular "enthusiast" mechanical keyboards has been the Wobkey Rainy75 (or one of a few similar 75% Chinese aluminum keyboard that came at similar price points at that time like the Womier sk75 that I have). It fits your needs, it's highly customizable and upgradable if you want to go that route; it's got a ton of very premium features for the price; you can buy it on Amazon for like $150 or less.
For bluetooth, I'm a huge fan of Nuphy, I used their Air series exclusively for a year and a half until I decided I wanted to do away with bluetooth on my desktop keyboard as I didn't use it anyway. I have all of the Air V2s, which come with VIA firmware preflashed, which also allows configuration in wired mode with The associated webapp
You'll want to spend $20 on additional keycaps that they sell that are actually backlit, but I think they're worth the money.
Last year I went from an oldschool white mechanical (it held out for 20 years of daily use!) to a new DasKeyboard. It feels good and has not given me any problems. I do kinda miss the black text on white keycaps though, white on black is harder to see and some of the caps have started to fade since I got it. At least they are replaceable.
Is there any reason you can't just replace the key caps with black on white key caps other than cost?
Nah, they are standard CherryMX, just the cost and time to do it. I'm also nervous about breaking it, I tried to fix my last one and was not successful. Losing that baby after so many decades hurt me deeply.
I've had a bridge75 keyboard for over a year and it hits all of your criteria!
I switch it daily to be between my pc wired, and work laptop bluetooth. It's heavy and has a solid feel to it. I haven't tried switching the keys yet, and it's due for a cleaning I keep putting off.
I've fallen behind on what's available, but I do want to point out that you should be able to get cherry browns or a copycat from pretty much any mechanical keyboard company.
If one you like offers a different brand, here's a comparison chart. You want a tactile switch with about 55g of force, 2.2mm of pre travel, and a total travel of 4.0mm .
Vocabulary for anyone not familiar
Force: how much pressure is needed to press the key
Pre travel: The distance the key will travel before a key press is registered.
Actuation: When the key press is registered. On a tactile keyboard you'll feel a bump and usually hear a click.
Total travel: The furthest the key can be pressed before it will stop, also called bottoming out.
With a tactile switch, you press down the pre travel distance, then you both hear and feel a click. By the time your brain registers the clock and you lift your finger, you will have traveled further down the total travel distance. Ideally, you'll stop before you the key bottoms out at the end of the total travel distance, because that's jarring and can cause pain in some folks.
Similar switches with the same specs:
I'm not familiar with most of these brands, I know Gateron has been around for a while and folks seem to like them. I went from Cherry browns to Kalith Choc Jade (not listed) because I wanted a slightly lighter touch and shorter actuation distance. I've been extremely happy with them for almost a decade.
It's a bit comical that Cherry on the list of official switches since nearly all of them are clones of Cherry MX switches. Not that many of the "clones" haven't surpassed the originals in ways at this point, but it just seems funny to me.
I'm one of those weirdos that has owned dozens of mechanical keyboards of all varieties from vintage to hyped du jour boards so I'll throw my two cents in. My favorite board that fits you general requirements would be the "WOBKEY Crush 80 Reboot Pro Aluminum Hotswap Wireless RGB Keyboard" (yes, its a mouthful). It is without a doubt one of my favorite modern mechanical keyboards, even though I rarely use the wireless functionality. The smaller "WOBKEY Rainy 75" might also work well for you and is a bit less expensive (I wasn't a fan of the form factor/less standard key caps).
Just one thing to mention, the "double press" issue is nearly certain to be an issue with the switches themselves. Since that keyboard is hotswappable, you can likely handle that particular issue with just identifying and replacing the switches. That could be a good excuse to try out something slightly different (quieter, more tactile, etc) if you were up for it. EPOMAKER might be able to assist in replacing the battery as well. I'm not exactly one to shy from getting new keyboards, but if you are happy with your current keyboard, sometimes a repair is the way to go.