For people who type a lot, mechanical keyboards are the best investment you can make for the sake of your fingers and wrists. The beauty of a mechanical keyboard is the customized feeling. Like to barely press? Linear is the way to go. Like to strike your fingers down with the judgement of a Greek god? Try tactile blues! Like to hear yourself type? Hate the sound of typing? Need a number pad? Don’t need one? Don’t need function keys, edit keys, or arrows?
It can be overwhelming. And to top it all off, most on the cheaper end run about $100 so you’re putting a pretty big amount on a single purchase you may not enjoy. Which is what I ended up doing and in turn ended up with more keyboards than I need or will use. So here are the things I wish I knew before I started this hobby.
Hot Swappable is your friend
Hot Swappable means you are free to exchange the switches on a keyboard. When you have freedom to change switches, if you buy switches you don’t like, you can take them out and replace them with other switches. While some switches can run high, most are going to be considerably cheaper than a new board.
They do sell switch testers, but I personally can’t get a strong feel by doing single presses, especially since a big part of my writing fatigue comes from typing for hours on end.
Hot Swappable costs a little more, but it’s worth every penny. And the best part, compared to when I first started the hobby, hot-swappable is becoming a standard feature!
Do you really need a full size mechanical keyboard?
When shopping for mechanical keyboards, you’ll generally see three sizes: Full, TKL, and Compact. Sometimes you may see percentages.
Full/100% includes the number pad.
TKL/Tenkey less does not.
Keychron K2 TKL Compact Bluetooth
Compact varies, but generally, you’ll either have only the numbers and letters or numbers, letters, and arrow keys only.
Think about the way you use your keyboard, not necessarily how you’re used to it looking. Do you use the number pad a lot? If not, TKL may be good for you. Do you not use the function keys? You may enjoy Compact more.
For most purposes, either a Full or TKL will serve best, but for travel purposes (if you are a writer who likes to go to coffee shops, for example) a compact may be the better choice.
If you want to get extra spicy, there’s custom ortho designs
Merry Christmas from me and my keyboard. 🎄 pic.twitter.com/RpN0yw8MCP
— 🌿 (@mintlodica) December 26, 2020
Ergodox and Let’s Split, respectively
Those are custom builds that are 1. Going to be pricy for the parts themselves and 2. Going to require DIY to put together.
After a certain point, lot of upgrades are going to be minimal increase for maximum price
A lot of my niche hobbies, such as headphones and fountain pens, have a distinct jump from your budget item to a midpoint or lower high-end item. But after that point, the price starts to exponentiate and the benefits do not.
Can you spend $500-1000++ on a keyboard? Yes. Is it worth it? Probably not. Do not let yourself get sucked into thinking you don’t have a nice keyboard if it’s not custom built and worth thousands. Those are luxury items and luxury items will always 1. Draw more people in (internet points for cool-looking keebs) 2. Be out of reach for most of the population and 3. Functionally be only slightly better.
That said, once you know your tastes exactly, a custom keyboard that is a be-all and end-all may be something you want to invest in if you’re still deep into the keyboard hobby. But it’s not necessary and if you enjoy and use a stock keyboard daily, what’s the problem with that? Absolutely nothing. You can certainly find a good mechanical keyboard at a price point that’s more reasonable to your budget. There’s no shame in liking the basics. Do you need branded switches that cost $1-5 per switch (that’s 108 switches per full keeb)? No. If you like stock cherry reds or stock gatreon blues, use them without shame. It’s all about what you enjoy.
If you do desire to go deeper into the rabbit hole, a little DIY is required
Suppose you decide you want to start customizing your boards. The first recommended mods such as lube or foam, are going to require some DIY. You will become an expert in soldering, desoldering, lubing, balance tweaking, etc. Is it hard? Not really. But it is nerve-wracking if you are new and afraid to ruin your keyboard or custom parts.
If you are deep into DIY already, you have an avenue open for building the board of your dreams.
Group Buys are usually the only way you’re getting unique custom parts
See a keyboard that looks cool? Want it? Sorry, not available unless you want to pay a 500% markup.
Group buys are essentially limited preorders for a product in order for these small companies to “run” the item. They’re usually open for about a month or less and once they close typically that’s the only amount they’re going to make. Sometimes there will be “re-runs” but if the interest doesn’t meet the numbers needed, well, either say goodbye in your heart or your wallet. Note that because this is a niche hobby and these runs are limited, expect to pay at least $100+ for something like keycaps. There are differences between keycaps that affect things like feel, sound, and longevity, but to the average consumer, those things will not be on the top of their mind.
–New For 2022– Ducky Announces a Hotswap Mechanical Keyboard Line
I like Ducky boards because they are built well and budget friendly. Several of my first boards were Ducky boards.
The One 3 line is going to be hotswappable and has a variety of layouts — Compact, TKL, and Full Size.
I have never seen a full-size hotswappable board before. This is game-changing for me! I use compact boards, personally, but every once in a while I need a fullsize and having a hotswappable fullsize keyboard is going to be the bees knees!
The Hotlist for Beginner Mechanical Keyboard Fans
- Get a hot swappable. If you’re buying basic switches such as cherry or gatreon, it’ll cost about $30 to outfit your keyboard with them versus paying another $100 for a new board with soldered switches. (If you are already comfortable desoldering, it is possible to desolder and switch the switches) Once you find out which kind of switches you like, if you decide to delve deeper into boutique switches you’ll know where to start.
- Watch your usage on a normal day on your current keyboard. Decide if what you’re using necessitates a full keyboard. TKL may be less expensive than Full keyboards, but compact may be the same price or more than a Full due to downsizing premiums.
- Get a board that is aesthetically pleasing to you. You can always switch out the switches if you want to try out tacticle, linear, in-between, ect and discover what typing experince you enjoy the most. If you have a good base, you can easily change the looks by purchasing keycap sets for fast and easy customization. It’s like getting a new board every time!
My Beginner/First Board Mechanical Keyboard Recommendations
The top keyboards I recommend for newcomers are:
A. Keychron — These keyboards are very budget-friendly, bluetooth/wireless, hotswappable, Mac and PC compatible, and have a variety of layouts and designs available. The downside? The keycaps are the absolute worst I’ve ever used. Complete trash. If you buy a Keychron, I recommend buying a set of keycaps from a different vendor (please note the keycaps sizes and ensure you’re buying compatible sets!)
B. Ducky One 3 — Budget friendly, hotswappable, variety of layouts, good design schemes, good quality keycaps. The downside? Not wireless.
These keyboards will come with everything you need out of the box.
Honorable Mentions:
A. Glorious GMMK Pro – A showy keyboard that’s hotswappable. Has a volume dial, which some people may find aesthetically pleasing. Expensive.
B. DROP Shift/Control/ALT keyboards — Much like the GMMK Pro, showy keyboards that are hotswappable.
C. NK65 Entry – A compact board that’s one of my daily drivers.
These choices are more about the aesthetic quality than functionality. They will not come with everything you need out of the box. You must buy your own switches and keycaps before you can use the boards.
What Mechanical Keyboards Do I Use?
I have several boards, most purchased on my journey of discovering what I liked. I’ve also gone deep into the customization aspect. All of my mechanical keyboards have been customized with boutique switches, stabilizers, sound pads, and keycaps.
The two boards I use the most are:
Ikki Aurora Mint, which was a group buy. They tend to cycle out different boards all the time in group buys, so maybe there will be one that catches your fancy! This board has full tactile switches installed. I also purchased the group buy edition of “Ikki Dreamscape”, which I will also put tactile and a split spacebar to further customize.
I also have a Novelkeys NK65 Entry, which has linear tactile switches. This is not a group buy but you do have to watch when they put them in stock because they usually sell out in minutes.
I do want to purchase a Ducky One 3 Full Size keyboard. I am thinking either the Matcha or Fuji color schemes.
I used to use a Keychron frequently, but I am bad about keeping things charged so I no longer use it and opt for a wired keyboard.
Let me know which keyboard you’re thinking about getting! Did I miss any that you like?
I have a Keychain K4, but I need something wired for the desktop now that we have two people working from home. I really like the Ducky hot swap board you linked!