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Mechanical keyboards have grown in popularity among both gamers and regular users in recent years. If you spend a lot of time gaming on a keyboard, mechanical ones can be an important consideration. Alternatively, if you type thousands of words per day, utilizing these mechanical variations makes a significant difference. Perhaps you want to play games on something other than a standard keyboard but don't want to spend much money. To tick all these boxes, here are the top five budget-friendly mechanical keyboards available in 2023.
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Best budget mechanical keyboards in the market: Tecware Phantom 87, KLIM Shift, and more
1) KLIM Shift ($29)
KLIM Shift is a 60% wireless mechanical keyboard with a build that is incredibly impressive for the price. This keyboard uses a single plastic shell for the base, and the plate is solid metal, which is also uncommon at this price point.
Pros
- It comes with two sets of keycaps (black and white).
- Fully hot-swappable switches.
- Great stabilizers.
- Customizable RGB lighting without any software.
- Fully wireless and can connect up to three different devices via Bluetooth.
Cons
- Keycaps with poor shine-through quality.
- Battery life is not that great.
2) Tecware Phantom 87 ($45.99)
The Tecware Phantom 87 is one of the most recommended keyboards for under $50. This is a TKL form factor with unparalleled build quality. It uses a solid plastic shell for the bottom and a very thick metal plate for the top. This is the best-sounding keyboard in this price range due to PCB dampening and case dampening.
Pros
- Stabilizers are excellent because there is no rattling or ticking.
- Fantastic RGB with great colors, great vibrancy, and impressive brightness.
- 100 different static RGB lighting without downloading any software.
Cons
- Switches are not high quality.
- Fully wired and no detachable cable.
3) Royal Kludge RKH81 ($79.99)
The Royal Kludge RKH8 is a 75% form factor with a split keyboard design. The build quality is extremely good with its thick and high-quality plastic construction. Its polycarbonate plate and PCB dampening make the sound profile great and substantial.
Pros
- Fully hot-swappable with three and five-pin switches.
- Crisp, clear, and thick keycaps are a pleasure to use regularly.
- The stabilizers have no rattle or tick.
- This is a wireless keyboard, and it can connect up to three different devices via Bluetooth or a 2.4 GHz USB dongle.
- Battery life is super long. (3750mAh)
Cons
- No shine through keycaps.
4) YUNZII Royalaxe Y68 ($94.99)
The Royalaxe Y68 is a 65% form factor with the best build quality on the list. It has a two-piece plastic shell with thick metal edge pieces on the side. The mechanical keyboard comes with a high-quality silicone PCB plate dampener and a massively thick silicone mold for the case.
Pros
- It's very simple to open the keyboard.
- The yellow switches elevate the typing experience to the next level.
- No major inconsistencies in the text placement.
- Splendid stabilizers without any rattling or ticking.
- Fully hot-swappable with three and five-pin switches.
- RGB has great colors, vibrancy, and all the modes.
- Fully wireless with Bluetooth connection with up to three devices.
- Premium quality rocker switch at the top-right corner to select all the different wireless modes.
Cons
- It doesn't have south-facing LEDs.
- No shine through keycaps.
- Underwhelming battery life. (3000mAh)
5) Fantech MAXFIT67 ($99.99)
The Fantech MAXFIT67 is a 65% split design form factor with impressive build quality. The plate is thick metal, and you get PCB dampening, which is EVA foam. It's a great keyboard if you're into modding, although the stock version is also quite impressive.
Pros
- Acoustic sounds are extremely satisfying.
- Fully metal knob at the top-right corner for volume control.
- Thick keycaps create a deeper tone.
- Fully hot-swappable with three and five-pin switches.
- The RGB color space is excellent, having all the modes and being very bright, vibrant, and colorful.
- Fully wireless with Bluetooth connectivity with up to five devices.
- The battery is pretty large. (4000mAh)
Cons
- Key placement consistency is not that great.
- The text's crispness is a little off due to some fuzziness around the edges.
Closing thoughts
It can be difficult to find a mechanical keyboard that interconnects flawlessly, provides excellent battery life and sound, and simply elevates the typing experience. So, if you're on a tight budget, have trouble typing in the dark, or require a low-cost and fast mechanical keyboard for various reasons, these five options are the best in the business.
