The Best Mechanical Keyboards, Tested And Reviewed - Black Friday 2024

The best all-around mechanical keyboard we've tested is the Keychron Q5 Max. This wireless keyboard has premium-feeling construction, a heavyweight aluminum case, and top-of-the-line typing quality right out of the box. It offers versatile wireless connectivity, supporting Bluetooth, which provides the best battery life and support for multi-device pairing, or a 2.4GHz connection, which offers excellent raw performance that can easily handle casual or competitive gaming.

It also has a double gasket-mounted design, which means the interior components are all held between shock-absorbing rubber pieces. This provides a softer, slightly cushioned typing experience without the abrupt sensation of bottoming out your keypresses. There are even additional layers of sound-dampening foam sandwiched between components inside, which further helps round out the sound profile and minimize case ping. That said, although the stabilizers come pre-lubed from the factory, we did notice they sound a bit inconsistent on the unit we bought and tested.

It's also worth noting that the Q5 Max is only one size variant in Keychron's wider Q Max series, which offers a range of other variants. We recommend checking out Keychron's website to find one that best fits your needs; each model is built the same way, the only difference being their size and layout. Each variant is also designed to be fully customizable and includes a small toolkit and impressively thorough instruction materials to walk you through its setup and functionality. You can fully deconstruct your keyboard and replace switches and sound-dampening material, re-lube the stabilizers to even out their sound performance, or swap out the keycaps if you crave a more personalized keyboard experience.

Dropping down to the upper mid-range price point, we recommend the Razer Pro Type Ultra. This wireless model has a straightforward but refined design that blends well into an office or home environment. Unlike the Keychron Q5 Max, it includes a wrist rest in the box, which can help reduce fatigue and minimize wrist strain, especially if you're using your keyboard for long periods. However, the other key difference is that it doesn't offer anywhere near the same degree of hardware customizability. It also has a plastic rather than solid aluminum case and doesn't quite deliver the same high-end typing feel because it has a stiffer-feeling, traditional top mount design and cheaper-feeling ABS keycaps.

That said, much like our top pick, this keyboard's conservative design also hides a surprising gaming performance, making it one of the best mechanical keyboards for your home setup, so you get some well-deserved gaming time when you're off the clock. Also, this keyboard is only available with linear switches. While these switches are quiet and smooth to type on, they don't have the tactile bump some typists prefer. If that's important to you, check out the Logitech G715, which is typically a bit more expensive but has a similar look and a wider selection of switches. It also has a cloud-shaped wrist rest that adds a playful touch to any setup.

The NuPhy Air75 V2 is an incredible keyboard at a solid mid-range price point. It isn't currently available from most online retailers, but you can find it on Nuphy's website. This compact mechanical unit features excellent build quality and a slim, surprisingly ergonomic, and comfortable design, even without a wrist rest. While its low-profile keycaps are quite thin, they feel very stable and pleasant to type on; their low profile ensures you don't have to strain your hands to reach them.

This compact keyboard makes a great choice if you're looking for an on-the-go unit or if you find yourself moving workstations throughout the day. With its excellent wireless connectivity options, you don't have to worry about bringing a cable around. You can pair the keyboard with up to three devices using Bluetooth or use it with its included USB receiver. Its battery capacity isn't one of its strong suits, so you can expect to charge it somewhere between every couple of days and once a week, depending on your usage. Nuphy also offers this keyboard in several different sizes, including the smaller NuPhy Air60 V2 and the larger NuPhy Air96 V2.

Alternatively, if you like what this keyboard offers but prefer a high-profile option, check out the NuPhy Halo75, part of Nuphy's very similar Halo lineup of keyboards. The Halo75 offers better overall acoustics and a slightly better typing experience thanks to additional silicone-dampening material. However, it isn't as portable as the Air75 V2 and isn't as comfortable to use without a wrist rest.

We recommend the Keychron V5 Max as a less expensive option. This keyboard is essentially a budget version of our top pick, the Keychron Q5 Max. While it doesn't feature the solid aluminum frame found on the more premium Keychron's Q Max series boards, it has a surprisingly sturdy plastic frame. It also boasts a gasket mount design for a softer typing experience, along with high-quality PBT keycaps and layers of sound-dampening foam inside the board to help reduce the ping and rattle while you type.

Like the more premium Q5 Max, this keyboard is part of a wider V Max lineup. We recommend any of these variants as they share the same basic construction and set of features; the major difference is their size and layout. Each variant is also designed to be easy to configure to your needs. Everything from the internal hardware components to the software and firmware is customizable, making these keyboards a great budget-friendly base to start with if you're planning on tinkering with your build and adding and removing components over time. If wireless connectivity isn't your priority, we recommend checking out the original Keychron V Series keyboards. These wired-only models are typically available for cheaper and also come in a variety of sizes and layouts.

For an even cheaper option, we recommend the ROYAL KLUDGE RK61. This lightweight keyboard has a tiny footprint, making it a great companion for smaller workspaces or use on the go. It's a wireless unit that supports multi-device pairing with up to three devices using Bluetooth, so you don't have to worry about cables except when charging. Speaking of charging, this keyboard's major weak point is its battery life—it lasts up to 10 hours before recharging. While this keyboard doesn't offer the same premium-feeling build quality as some of the options above, it does have a hot-swappable PCB, which means you can pull out the stock switches and replace them with switches you prefer to control how your keyboard feels and sounds.

A hot-swappable PCB also allows you to easily replace broken or malfunctioning switches without soldering anything, which can increase the life span of your keyboard. You can also buy a few different variants of this keyboard with various wireless connectivity options and backlighting colors. These options can help you save money if you don't need RGB lighting or a USB receiver.

If you're looking for the best full-size mechanical keyboard for gaming, look no further than the SteelSeries Apex Pro. This keyboard's switches use magnets to register keypresses rather than a fixed physical mechanism. This technology lets you precisely adjust every key's actuation and reset points, effectively adjusting how sensitive each keypress is. In practice, if you want a super sensitive WASD cluster for movements while gaming, you can set the actuation point down to 1 mm. You can also create a profile with deeper actuation points on all keys for typing.

While the actuation point is one of the—no pun intended—key features of this keyboard, it also has a whole host of other features, like incredibly low latency, USB passthrough to plug in a headset or mouse dongle, a nice wrist rest, a volume wheel, and even an OLED screen in the top right corner to display gifs and system or keyboard settings.

If you're looking for a more compact alternative and don't mind ditching some of the extra hardware features on the SteelSeries, like the OLED screen and the wrist rest, the Wooting 60HE is worth a look. Its switches also allow you to dial in precise actuation and reset points. However, the Wooting performs a bit better overall, and it offers some more advanced software options, including the ability to bind multiple inputs to the same key and a separate 'Analog Mode,' where your switches can measure gradual input, allowing them to act as substitutes for gamepad controls or joysticks. The latter feature is great if you're a fan of flight or racing games or any other game that requires an extra level of precision.

If you're in the market for a mechanical keyboard that you can customize from the ground up, we recommend the NuPhy Gem80. This TKL model is only available as a barebones kit. All the internal components—including a PCB, sound-dampening materials, and stabilizers—are in place out of the box, but you have to buy and install your own switches and keycaps separately.

The customization doesn't end there, either. The Gem80 also comes with an array of different mounting hardware, including several different types of gasket mounting hardware, to adjust how soft and springy your typing experience is. You can buy this keyboard as a wired or wireless model that supports Bluetooth and a 2.4GHz connection. It boasts impressive wired and wireless raw performance either way, making it more than suitable for gaming at a casual or competitive level. It's also compatible with VIA for additional software-level customization.

The only real downside to this keyboard and the reason it isn't jockeying for a position as our best pick in this article is the added complexity of adding your own switches and keycaps, which isn't something everyone will be comfortable with. It's also worth noting that the added cost of switches and keycaps means the total package of this keyboard is about the same price as our top pick, which comes fully assembled. One final issue worth considering is that this keyboard is only available in a TenKeyLess form factor. So, if you prefer a more conventional full-size model with a Numpad or an even smaller compact layout, we recommend looking at the Keychron Q5 Max or Keychron V5 Max keyboards featured above.