The best mechanical keyboard makes gaming feel good, and can help you out with productivity too. Mechanical keyboards simplify the role of the keys beneath your fingertips and provide fast response and longetivity. These keyboards may not be the flash stuff in our best gaming keyboard guide, but they make up for the excess stuff with exceptional feel and tactility.
They’re pretty up there for gaming, too. One thing the best mechanical keyboard and the best gaming keyboard have in common, after all, is mechanical switches. There are key switches to suit just about everyone’s preference as, with the best mechanical keyboard, it’s more about nailing down the actuation and feel of a mechanical switch, than faffing over media keys, backlighting, and macros. Some keyboard makers still manage to cram those sought after features in for a good price, however.
If price does turn out to be a barrier, our best cheap gaming keyboards guide has some great options for those on a budget. If you’re ready to enter the wild world of mechanical keyboards, below is our cream of the clicks list. Each is carefully selected from the many mechanical boards we’ve tested to within an inch of their lives, and we’ve even added a handy glossary at the bottom if the keyboard jargon proves too much.
Best mechanical keyboards
The best mechanical keyboard just so happens to be the best gaming keyboard. Who’d have guessed? There’s just something about the Corsair K100 RGB Optical that we can’t get enough of.
When you want to go the extra mile and upgrade to the absolute best of the best, it’s hard to find a more premium option than the Corsair K100 RGB. Be warned, though; this is a big keyboard: its enormous footprint still requires some desk clearing before it can be nested comfortably. But feature-wise, the K100 RGB’s got it all. Dedicated media controls and a USB pass-through, a metal volume wheel, RGB lighting. Speaking of RGB, there is an aggressive amount of RGB in this keyboard.
During our tests, we noted excellent key responses, a decent spread of keys for most hand sizes, a satisfying tactile click to each press, and wonderfully dimpled keys to help you rest your fingers when you’re not actually pressing down. While this all seems quite obvious, it shows that the K100 RGB nails the basics, as well as including the fancy extras, and that’s why it’s top of the list.
Read our full Corsair K100 RGB Optical review.
Despite using Cherry MX switches just like the majority of candidates here, the Ducky One 2 RGB has the smoothest Cherry stabilizers I’ve ever felt right out of the box. When you have to hit the spacebar between every word, this little detail has a tremendous impact on your typing comfort.
Stabilizers aside, the keycaps are as good as they get for a stock board. The Ducky One 2 RGB comes with PBT plastic keycaps and double-shot legends, both the most durable types in their respective categories. This matters because it means the keycaps will last for years, and the print on them won’t fade away, and with the best mechanical keyboards designed to endure that’s important. Ducky also includes an extra set of colorful keycaps for the escape, space, and control keys. Try swapping to them on a rainy day.
There’s just one minor caveat behind it all. Although it has a metal backplate, the Ducky One 2 RBG is sadly encased in a plastic chassis. A fully metal case—or even just a metal front plate—would have driven up its cost. And at $125, this keyboard hits a real sweet spot, with great features and performance for the price. If you’re a fan of bright as hell RGBs, we recently spent some time with the limited-run HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini collaboration, which we also loved.
The Majestouch 2 is to typing as water is to thirst: they both represent the most straightforward solutions to an underlying problem, and they’re both equally bland. It’s boring, but it is still one of the best mechanical keyboards for pure typing.
Even against the next most boring keyboard on this list, the Filco Majestouch 2 seems lifeless in comparison. It doesn’t have any fancy features to boast of, nor does it have a unique trick. Customization is limited to picking your preferred Cherry MX switch from a roster of Black, Brown, Blue, and Red. What you see here is what you get.
This simplicity, however, also explains its popularity. As it turns out, some people love no-frills keyboards. Filco simply stuffed 104 Cherry MX switches into a durable chassis and sold it at $139, establishing the Majestouch 2 as a fantastic starter board or as a dependable backup.
With that said, the Majestouch 2’s monotony may be a bit too mundane for even the strictest of typists, and its lack of backlighting can work against it in a dimly lit room. Some users have also complained that the key legends fade too quickly.
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Productivity doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Those who want a bit more style and a few more features from an otherwise down-to-earth keyboard can opt for the Das Keyboard 4 Professional. Das Keyboard devices have been floating around the best mechanical keyboard lists for ages, and for good reason.
Stylistically speaking, the Das Keyboard 4 Professional strikes a delicate balance between professional and flashy. Its weighty metal front plate helps with both function and form, planting the keyboard firmly on your desk while keeping it looking sharp. Where other keyboards use small volume rollers, the Das includes a large tactile volume knob decorated with eye-catching red chrome accents.
But aesthetics aren’t what put Das on the list. Performance did. Designed for typists first, the Das only comes with either the clicky Cherry MX Blue or the tactile Cherry MX Brown, two of the most popular switches for typing. Cherry MX Brown is especially favored as a superb all-around switch for typing and gaming, thanks to its silent actuation and tactile bump.
You get all these goodies for $169, but don’t expect premium keycaps, backlights, or stable elevator feet. The elevator feet are especially irritating since they don’t grip as well as they should—otherwise, the Das Keyboard 4 blends essential features and excellent typing performance into a stylish package.
Fujitsu is one of the few manufacturers with a catalog of Topre keyboards. We picked the Realforce R2 RGB to represent one of the best typing switches around.
Revered by ardent keyboard fans as the ultimate typing switch, the Topre switch (pronounced toe-prey, as it stands for Tokyo Press) rarely appears in gaming keyboards due to its high cost.
To please all kinds of gamers and typists, the Realforce R2 RGB can toggle between 1.5mm, 2mm, and 3mm actuation distances—the first for fast-paced gaming, and the latter two for typing and general use. Fujitsu even reserved a key to cycle through them on the fly. Moreover, you can individually set the actuation distance for every key through the optional driver software.
Aside from bright RGB backlights, the Realforce R2 has excellent ABS keycaps with double-shot legends. The keycaps are paired with Cherry MX stems instead of Topre stems, a vital feature for keycap swapping.
Unfortunately, Topre’s prestige and novelty have a matching price tag. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Topre keyboard for under $200. The Fujitsu Realforce R2 RGB costs $250 or more, and that still won’t net you a metal case or braided cables. For die-hard fans, that’s a fair price to pay for their favorite switch. Everyone else should try it in person before swiping their credit card.
Best gaming keyboard
Primarily in the market for a keyboard to fulfil your WASD needs? Look no further than our best gaming keyboard guide.
The Logitech G Pro X is a reimagining of the original G Pro tenkeyless design. Virtually nothing has changed here, with a small exception, that you can now swap key switches. Logitech has fully embraced hot-swappable PCB designs, allowing you to change the types of switches you use on their keyboard with relative ease. Because of their general uniformity, you can use just about any aftermarket key switch you’d like on the G Pro X. However, due to small differences in switch manufacturing sizes, it’s recommended that you use Logitech’s switches, which are offered in linear, tactile, and clicky varieties to avoid any compatibility issues.
The Pro X is the first time we’ve seen this feature outside of the DIY market for mechanical keyboards and is undoubtedly a welcome and exciting way to shake things up with a tried and tested design.
Best mechanical keyboards FAQ
Which keyboard switch type should I choose?
It’s entirely up to personal preference with keyboard switches. If you love a noisy keyboard, go for the clicky kind. If you like a spongier feel go for linear switches. Or, if you prefer some feedback with your keypresses, go for a tactile switch.
It’s possible to order keyboard switch tester packs from some suppliers, so if you want to try some out before you fork out, it might be a good idea to grab one of those.
Check out our mechanical keyboard switch guide for a more in depth look.
Jargon buster – keyboard terminology
Actuation Point
The height to which a key needs to be pressed before it actuates and sends an input signal to a device.
Clicky
A switch that delivers an audible click every time it’s pressed, generally right around the point of actuation.
Debounce
A technique to ensure that only one input registers every time a key is pressed.
Housing
The shell that surrounds the internal components of a switch.
Hysteresis
The result of the actuation point and reset point in a switch being misaligned. This generally means you need to release the key further than usual would before it can be actuated again.
Linear
A switch that moves directly up and down, generally delivering smooth keystrokes without noise or tactile feedback.
Mechanical Keyboard
A keyboard built around individual switches for each key rather than a membrane sheath mounted on a PCB.
Membrane Keyboard
A keyboard on which all the keycaps are mounted on a membrane sheath; when a key is pressed, a rubber dome depresses and pushes against the sheath and PCB beneath, actuating the key.
Stem
The component of a switch on which the keycaps are mounted on a mechanical keyboard.
Switch
The physical component of a mechanical keyboard beneath the keycaps on a mechanical keyboard. The switch determines how a key is actuated, whether or not it provides audible or tactile feedback with each press, and more. You can read a detailed explanation in our complete guide to mechanical keyboard switches.
Tactile
A switch that provides a ‘bump’ of feedback every time it’s pushed.
Tenkeyless
A keyboard that lacks the right-hand number pad.