I’m in the process of migrating to a new PC and want to set up the old one as a media server / backup Windows machine. My current “extra” keyboards are a fairly crappy old membrane one or a 30-year-old IBM Model M which my mom rescued from an old job she had and which still works with a USB adapter but unfortunately has no Windows key of course.
What’s the latest in an economical ($100 or under) backlit mechanical keyboard with a number pad? I don’t want the Cherry MX Blue switches, because they’re too stiff. My Corsair RGB has the Red switches which work fine for games but aren’t ideal to type on. Has anyone tried the Brown switches?
It sounds like you would indeed like browns, or other switches labeled ‘light tactile’ (variously clear, orange, jade, depending on the brands.)
Browns/light tactile are the ‘normal keyboard’ feeling switches. I recognize these may be fighting words.
Sadly, I’m not up on recommendations. I found Nuphy’s low profile mechanical keyboards. They are perfect for me, who just wants a regular keyboard that feels great. I’m not looking to type on a 15-key claw with seven layers or anything.
The 96 has a numpad and I use a 75 which doesn’t. They come with Mac and PC caps and you change the mode with a hardware switch. They recently doubled the speed of the processor in the keyboard and switched to QMK (the standard keyboard OS/configurator.)
Thanks for the replies. I’m looking for a wired keyboard, I should have specified. As for lighting, just a simple white or red light would be sufficient. It doesn’t have to strobe etc. like this K95 RGB Gaming I’m typing on (which I got as a warranty replacement for the classic K95 when one of the key switches went dark).
Alas that Apex 7 is currently out of stock on their site for a US English keyboard, @DaveLong but I’ll see if it’s available elsewhere. I did also tell them to notify me.
As someone who does more typing than gaming, I like the brown switches. I have a Logitech G513 Carbon which I like a lot, except for the minor annoyance that the secondary shift characters are not backlit due to the nature of the keycap/led construction. Logitech has lower models like the G213 or G413 SE that you may want to consider.
The V model I linked is much cheaper with a plastic housing. Otherwise the same keyboard with hot swappable switches etc.
I got my brother that exact model and he loves it. For myself I have a Wooting HE which was much more expensive but has a number of other advantages with its hall effect switches.
Any of these mentioned so far let you switch between wired and Bluetooth mode with a hardware switch. Some of them also have a wireless USB receiver mode.
Is the illumination on something like that sufficient that you can look down at the keyboard and see what you’re typing in a darker room (since the light doesn’t go through the keycaps)?
Thanks for the tip about Keychron.
Would something like this fit the bill? It seems to have white backlight, 10-key, and arrow keys in the traditional arrangement. It can work in wired mode. The only thing missing from this layout is a right “Alt” key and the Ins key.
I was going to suggest Keychron but didn’t because I didn’t realize they had backlighting. Good to know. I really like the old school look of their keycaps, reminds me of a classic typewriter.
