Best Budget Mechanical Keyboard
- THATGUY69
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum
- Favorite switch: capacitive buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: -
Hello, I am currently looking for a mechanical Keyboard around $50 to get my amigo for his birthday. I've never bought a Mechanical Keyboard for anything less than $100 dollars and I'm curious if there is even a budget board worth it south of $50. Any suggestions welcomed.
- emdude
- Model M Apologist
- DT Pro Member: 0160
A Magicforce 68 would be a very solid choice and is popular among those new to the hobby, from what I've heard.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ABUJ0FY/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ABUJ0FY/
- Ray
- Location: Germany
- Main mouse: touchpad
- DT Pro Member: -
I don't know about good quality new boards, but you can get most non-rare older keyboards in good condition for that price.
Standard Model M, different Apple boards and so on. You can go cheaper with Dell bigfoots, which are said to be excellent if you make them linear. "good condition" in this case means "needs cleaning, but that should be easy to do".
If you want USB out of the box though, I guess you can look in cheapish chinese keyboards, but I can't help you with that.
Standard Model M, different Apple boards and so on. You can go cheaper with Dell bigfoots, which are said to be excellent if you make them linear. "good condition" in this case means "needs cleaning, but that should be easy to do".
If you want USB out of the box though, I guess you can look in cheapish chinese keyboards, but I can't help you with that.
- THATGUY69
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: IBM Model F AT
- Main mouse: Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum
- Favorite switch: capacitive buckling spring
- DT Pro Member: -
Thanks for the recommendations! I went ahead and picked up a black Dell At101W with black alps off of craigslist for $20, Haven't made it linear yet, but that's a adventure for tomorrowRay wrote: ↑I don't know about good quality new boards, but you can get most non-rare older keyboards in good condition for that price.
Standard Model M, different Apple boards and so on. You can go cheaper with Dell bigfoots, which are said to be excellent if you make them linear. "good condition" in this case means "needs cleaning, but that should be easy to do".
If you want USB out of the box though, I guess you can look in cheapish chinese keyboards, but I can't help you with that.
- Rob27shred
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Duck Raven with linearized SKCM orange
- Main mouse: Logitecg G-502 SE
- Favorite switch: SKCM brown
- DT Pro Member: -
The MF68 is a surprisingly solid board for it's price. Although I would highly suggest trying to get one with Gateron switches vs the models with Outemu switches. I grabbed one from MD during one of the drops with Gats mostly just to give Gat greens a try. I really wasn't expecting to like the board all that much compared to the higher quality ones I have, but TBH the MF68 holds it ground pretty damn good against them! It didn't become my daily driver or anything (that's goes in between my FC660M with Cherry blacks & Pok3r with Cherry clears), but I do find myself using it at home on occasion when I am in the mood for clicky switches. It has also become my defacto traveling board. VS higher quality boards the complaints are few & far between IME. The worst thing about the MF68 IMO is the very thin ABS stock key caps which can be easily changed.emdude wrote: ↑A Magicforce 68 would be a very solid choice and is popular among those new to the hobby, from what I've heard.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ABUJ0FY/
- ohaimark
- Kingpin
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: Siemens G80 Lookalike
- Main mouse: Logitech G502
- Favorite switch: Blue Alps
- DT Pro Member: 1337
I recently wrote an in depth review of the MF68 LED model.
http://gomechanicalkeyboard.com/magicfo ... companion/
http://gomechanicalkeyboard.com/magicfo ... companion/