Are there budget mechanical keyboards available besides Keychron?
Are there budget mechanical keyboards available besides Keychron?
Reason not to choose Keychron is that everything I need is currently out of stock. Shipping costs in Europe are also quite high, around 16 euros for a V6 here in Italy. I’m searching for alternatives suitable for someone with limited budget, especially since I’d prefer a full layout or at least 96% of it. One option, Aura F99, looks acceptable but has firmware problems—like the keyboard becoming unresponsive when switching modes or keys spitting out random characters. I also dislike the issue of it continuing to charge when set to wired mode, which seems counterproductive. I’ve looked for other keyboards online, but most are priced above 130 euros. Aula is available at 75 euros on Amazon, while the V6 model costs about 90 euros. The alternatives I found are all priced higher than what I’m looking for. I’m hoping to keep an eye on the site until Black Friday passes before making a decision.
No idea what it costs outside the US but this is a good price here
https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Mec...B0CTN3MKDS
EVGA has experienced strong sales for Z15 keyboards recently. It's unclear if they are still available there.
Two more points were raised to me recently.
I was directed to the Amazon links provided, but I have no idea about the prices outside the US, though it seems to be a good start.
I wasn’t able to locate any item with the switches I needed, so I ended up getting the MK 770 and then ordering the switches myself. That was the only way to achieve what I wanted.
The Glorious one looks quite attractive (though some folks seem to dislike the brand, I'm not sure why), but it costs 89 euros on Amazon.it compared to 58 dollars from your link. Man, I really wish I lived in a better place. Still, the V6 would have matched that price if the choice was available (I noticed on other models that out-of-stock items disappear, so maybe I had a chance before Black Friday ends), and unlike that one I don’t have to wait two weeks or longer for it. The RK96 feels like a close decision between the two (some Reddit discussions favor the Aula, but who knows). I also found another reason not to like the Aula. The sound is nice in tone, but it’s also quite loud. MK 770 isn’t available on Italian Amazon.it. A third-party seller is offering a few at 107 euros, that’s all. I think I should check if there are other sellers before giving up.
the mk770 is available exclusively on amazon. i looked at other platforms but avoided them whenever possible. it was only offered there.
i thought about the glorious one, but in the end i preferred the appearance of the mk770. since i’m replacing the switches, i didn’t mind what came with it.
i’d like a full-size version, but the slightly smaller one is sufficient for its price.
ISO, with numpad and all 108 keys is my choice but I'm not attached to it. I've always used this setup and haven't tried anything else, so I'm unsure how I'd adapt.
I can manage other layouts, but I still need a numpad.
I revisited the V6 again and found the options I wanted are back in stock, but I discovered this design has south-facing LEDs, which could cause a glare problem and make it difficult to try shining through keycaps—I wonder why that was the intention. It seems the main purpose of those lights is to make the letters visible in the dark, which feels odd. Keychron provides transparent caps, but the whole thing is translucent, not just the letters, which would likely reduce clarity, especially with the LEDs facing south.