Can you find me a budget ISO keyboard?

[SFR]

On Reddit, every time I mention ISO keebs I get downvoted to hell for some reason, so I'm asking here:

I need a black, ISO, Blue switch, no LEDs keyboard which costs around 40$. The reason for the price point being this low is a. This is my first keyboard and b. My custom made keycaps are very niche and aren't cheap.

Could you help me out here?

[Muirium]

Blue switch?


wiki/IBM_%22Blue_Switch%22_3178-C3_Terminal

Welcome to Deskthority!

[Findecanor]

There are a several "OEM" manufacturers over in China who make inexpensive mechanical keyboards that are "good enough" as a starter, but which don't have their own brands.
And in different countries there are local brands and store-chains that import various computer peripherals and accessories from the Far East and put their own brands on them, including sometimes these Chinese mechanical keyboards.
So, that's where I would look first: among domestic brands and store-chains in your own country. These wouldn't put their name on products that were total crap. And you might even be able to try the keyboards out in a store.
... At least, there have been several examples of this here in Sweden, and I've heard about similar things in other countries.

The alternative would be... eBay or Amazon. And that's a jungle. And ISO keyboards are unusual.
Beware that some have vertical Enter key but a long left Shift - and that's not really ISO but something in-between ISO and ANSI.
Set the search parameters to get only new, unused items, "blue" and within your price range. For the ones that look the most promising, search for reviews of them on Youtube. (searching for reviews on the whole web can be frustrating...)
There are also a lot of "budget mechanical keyboard round-up" videos on Youtube, but those tend to be US-centric.

[abrahamstechnology]

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=22785

[dionb]

[...]

I need a black, ISO, Blue switch, no LEDs keyboard which costs around 40$. The reason for the price point being this low is a. This is my first keyboard and b. My custom made keycaps are very niche and aren't cheap.

I share your ISO-preference. Despite having every reason to prefer ANSI (grew up with it etc), I find I type much better on ISO layouts.

That said, not sure your request makes sense...

It's not just your keycaps that are niche, ISO layout is too. That means that low-end budget crap isn't likely to have it (as a cursory glance at AliExpress shows). And tbh, if you have some fancy keycaps, you don't want to go bottom-feeding on the keyboard. Typing quality comes from switches, keycaps, but also the rigidity and acoustics of the keyboard itself. I'm currently typing on an EUR 37 (ANSI unfortunately) board I've upgraded from crappy light ABS caps to heavy PBT SA caps. It still rattles all over the place due to the flimsy housing. That's my next project (a friend of mine is into woodworking...), but out-of-the box it was awful, even with good caps it's subpar - and that's despite it at least being nice and rigid, which isn't a given at this sort of price point. By the time it's in the state I like it, it will have cost far more than it's original price.

Still can't wait and want something NOW? Then ditch the 'no LEDs' requirement. If a board has LEDs, you can turn them off (permanently, if necessary). Low-end mechanical boards all have crazy LEDs these days, beggars can't be choosers so you'll get it whether you like it or not.

[Muirium]

I share your ISO-preference. Despite having every reason to prefer ANSI (grew up with it etc), I find I type much better on ISO layouts.

`preferences are personal, `i can definitely understand that. `many `european language layouts do make use of that extra iso key. `but you learned on ansi yet type better on iso? `better how?

`i much prefer ansi myself. iso, for me, has some `’issues`’ regards my heavily preferred shift key.

[kbdfr]

On Reddit, every time I mention ISO keebs I get downvoted to hell for some reason […]

"keebs"?

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[…] It's not just your keycaps that are niche, ISO layout is too.

As ISO is standard in most European countries, this seems to be quite a bold assumption.

[Findecanor]

ISO could be a preference in Israel, where the OP is located. Both Hebrew and Arabic keyboard layouts exist in both ISO and ANSI.

In the rest of the world however, ISO is neither a niche nor a preference for rmost people: it is often what is required for the key layout of the language you speak and/or country that you live in.
In countries where ISO is dominant, ANSI is a preference only among some enthusiasts b/c of availability of keyboards/keysets and among some programmers who want brackets easily accessible — and both of those preferences are definitely niche.

[dionb]

[...]

`preferences are personal, `i can definitely understand that. `many `european language layouts do make use of that extra iso key. `but you learned on ansi yet type better on iso? `better how?

I honestly have no idea. But my little finger keeps hitting backslash on ANSI, expecting enter to still be up there somewhere. I live in ISO land so will have had enough exposure to it though...

Can't stand 'big-ass enter' keyboards though, temporarily have one with Alps Whites on my retro setup, but will replace it the next time I can be bothered to excavate the back of my KVM switch.

[...]

As ISO is standard in most European countries, this seems to be quite a bold assumption.

I'm aware of that as I live in one of those countries. Maybe I should qualify/clarify that statement: OP wants a very low end mechanical keyboard. Those basically don't exist in Europe as mechanical keyboards are by definition high-end products (at least in terms of price, some of those 'gaming' keyboards are utter crap). You will find extremely cheap ISO keyboards locally, but no cheap mechanical keyboards. For that you need to look to the Far East, and that is ANSI-land.

[swampangel]

Best I've found so far: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32875687485.html

ISO TKL, cheap, switch brand not indicated, has backlight but of course that can be disabled.

Slightly different take on basically the same hardware: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B010IIKHBK/

If you want a fullsize board for cheap, probably best to keep an eye on ebay/FB marketplace/your local craigslist-kijiji-type site for a used one.

[Wodan]

You get what you pay for. For that budget, try a Model M. Anything is better than this flimsy piece of cheap plastic.

[depletedvespene]

...
I'm aware of that as I live in one of those countries. Maybe I should qualify/clarify that statement: OP wants a very low end mechanical keyboard. Those basically don't exist in Europe as mechanical keyboards are by definition high-end products (at least in terms of price, some of those 'gaming' keyboards are utter crap). You will find extremely cheap ISO keyboards locally, but no cheap mechanical keyboards. For that you need to look to the Far East, and that is ANSI-land.

Not necessarily. Where I live (an "ISO" country), you can easily spot low-end stores selling cheap-ish Chinese "mechanical feel" keyboards, which are almost always ISO or ANSISO (sometimes even with the correct Spanish layout!) units.

The above said, the lowest of the low in cheap-ass keyboards tend to be ANSI-ish crap with the Spanish (Spain) layout forced onto it, with varying degrees of awfulness.