Whatever you land on, make sure it has hotswap switches, these days it should be pretty standard. That way if any die, or get spilled on in the future, you can just replace the broken keys, not the whole board.
this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2026
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Asklemmy
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Your keyboard probably still works if you unplug it and wash it (including some soaking to get whatever Pepsi residue inside the switches out), but it'll take a few days to dry back out.
But for new keyboards, I just echo that you want hot swappable switches, desoldering switches sucks so hard. My keyboard is 12+ years old, so it probably isn't sold anymore
If you want plug and play: Keychron, get one from Microcenter, they also have other keyboards and I found some Keychrons at best buy.
If you want something unique: NovelKeys sells parts and prebuilts and so does KBDFans.
Keychron
Whatever you get, I'd make sure it is hot swappable. I can't stress how much I hate tearing the whole keyboard apart to desolder and replace a switch.
My current keyboard is an E-Yoosa I found cheap at a bin store, and I swapped the switches for Glorious Pandas. I love it. And the whole build (keyboard, keycaps, switches, and damping o-rings) was under $100.
Yeah, so keyboard -> hot swappable. If you get keycaps, PBT is a nice feeling plastic. Double shot if you can mind the price. O-rings aren't necessary, but they really do change the sound and feel. They are available in a variety of diameters and durometers. I'd say do some research into those if youre interested.
There's a company called "Red Dragon" that has a very solid build generic mechanical keyboard.
I paid $50 for one, and it's the same quality as my $150 ASUS, the only reason it's not my daily driver is that it's a tenkeyless while the ASUS has a number pad.
Picked up a Red Dragon at a thrift store for $10USD. It's my daily driver because it doesn't have a keypad.
I'm not a fan of the throw on the keys though--too much travel for me. But it's a step up from my Dell hand-me-down.
I like the travel, but then I'm old and used to use a typewriter, the little "chicklet" keyboard built into the cover of my tablet drive me absolutely nuts.
I take the Red Dragon with me because it doesn't have a number pad, easier to stuff a tenkeyless in a bag and drag it around, though I actually use the number pad so I prefer to have the full version at home connected to the dock.
I used to like that style more, but I do a lot of typing on a bluetooth chiclet because my true daily driver is a tablet and now that's what my fingers are expecting.
Love my Redragon keyboards. Affordable, good quality hardware, works well for our gaming.
They also don't need an "app" installed, you can adjust settings in memory and they save it, I originally got them when I returned the Razer one becauyse their software was so terrible. The only reason I have an ASUS as well is the computer is from them and the "Armoury Crate" was already there for basic stuff like fan control and integrated RGB on the motherboard.
I am also using a reddragon and bought a second for when this one inevitably dies. It isn't super fancy but it is solid, performs well, and feels good on the keys.
I would prefer to find one that sues blue switches instead of red, I love the klicky-klacky, but they're well built devices that are more than worth the cost.
Now they need to start making their own X-Box controller since Microslop hasn't made a good one since the 360.
Keychron would be my choice because they have open source QMK/ZMK firmware, a decent web-based configuration tool (Keychron Launcher) that is built around an open protocol (VIA) with their own open extensions. The build quality is good and they are customizable (hot swappable switches, standard layout so keycaps are available). They have a bunch of models so you can find some cheaper options and some more expensive premium options. I am quite fond of the Q series which have a solid aluminum body but these are the expensive ones, the K series tend to still be great keyboards but with a more affordable plastic or plastic/aluminum hybrid design.
As the OpenRGB creator, if you care about RGB, especially if you want to sync with other devices, stay away from the no-name boards with closed source firmware. Might have good build quality, but their firmware situation is awful and you likely won't be able to control it from anything other than the official app, RGB sync is out the door on many of them as they don't have an RGB streaming mode.
No comment on the keyboard, just wanted to say thanks for all the work on openRGB , love the tool and really appreciate it!
I wouldn't call it a gaming keyboard, but the build quality is stellar and it doesn't cost a fortune. I've been using a Leopold keyboard at work for the past few months and it's a delight to use. Cherry MX Red switches.
I grew up using the IBM Model M so I'm fussy about my keyboard quality.
I'd steer clear of heavily marketed "gaming" keyboards even from name brands. Their quality is often shit.
Cherry has the best blue switches I have ever felt.
Some version of the Epomaker TH80. Good and cheap for what it is.
What is a โhuge amountโ? There are tons of options at the $129-200 price point. What options are you looking for, size, layout, RGB, media keys?