Best Mechanical Keyboards - Summer 2021 Reviews

Generally, mechanical keyboards are quite versatile, depending on what your preferences are. How they’re made differs from other types of keyboards, like ones with rubber dome and scissor switches. Even within the product market, there are many different types of mechanical switches made by various companies. The three main types of switches are tactile and silent, tactile and clicky, and linear and silent, and you can learn more about them here. It all comes down to personal preference, and thankfully, a lot of options are available in a wide variety of switches to better suit your needs.

We’ve tested over 130 keyboards, and our recommendations for the best mechanical keyboards are listed below. If you’re looking for a keyboard to play games, check out the best gaming keyboards. Also, see our recommendations for the best keyboards and the best wireless keyboards.

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The Apex Pro is the biggest leap in mechanical keyboards since the invention of the mechanical switch over 35 years ago. Each key can be adjusted to meet your preferred sensitivity level, whether it’s for gaming, work, or anything else.

SteelSeries Apex Pro

The best mechanical keyboard we’ve tested for gaming is the SteelSeries Apex Pro. It’s a fantastic gaming keyboard that has a unique pre-travel distance setting. This allows you to change the operating force of the OmniPoint switches on a per-key basis; a lower setting makes for a responsive gaming experience and setting it higher helps with typing accuracy.

It’s packed with extra features. All keys are macro-programmable, and there are dedicated media keys, making it easy to play your music while gaming. There’s even an OLED screen at the top right on which you can display anything you want, from an image to a GIF. It has good ergonomics with one incline setting and a wrist rest. It’s a very well-built keyboard that comes with doubleshot ABS keycaps, and even though they aren’t as good as PBT keycaps, they still feel durable.

Sadly, the linear switches may not be for everyone when typing. Even when setting the pre-travel distance to its highest, there’s still no tactile feedback, which may cause some unintentional key presses if you’re not used to it. Still, if that doesn’t bother you, the typing quality feels great, and you shouldn’t notice any fatigue during long sessions. Overall, this is the best mechanical keyboard for gaming that we’ve tested.

Obinslab Anne Pro 2

The best compact mechanical keyboard that we’ve tested is the Obinslab Anne Pro 2. It’s a 60% compact model with Bluetooth support that can pair with up to four devices at once. It’s available with a variety of Cherry MX, Gateron, and Kailh switches, and the Gateron Brown switches we tested feel light and fairly responsive.

It has customizable RGB backlighting with individually-lit keys and a very low wired latency, but it’s significantly higher over Bluetooth and isn’t recommended for gaming. All of its keys are macro-programmable, and you can set macros directly from the board or by using the ObinsKit software. It’s compatible with a variety of operating systems, including Android and iOS, but some buttons don’t work, and not all customizable features are available.

Unfortunately, because of its compact size, it doesn’t have a dedicated function row, a NumPad, or arrow keys, which may bother some people. Also, it doesn’t come with a wrist rest or incline settings. Nevertheless, this is an excellent compact gaming keyboard that’s versatile enough for many uses.

Razer BlackWidow Elite

The best mechanical keyboard for typing is the Razer BlackWidow Elite. There are two incline settings, and it comes with a plushy wrist rest, which should help increase comfort during long periods of typing. It’s available with tactile Razer Orange, clicky Razer Green, and linear Razer Yellow switches to suit your feedback preference.

There are nice extra features, like dedicated media keys and a volume control knob on the top right, a USB and audio passthrough, and many macro-programmable keys. It’s compatible with Razer Synapse 3 where you can customize the RGB backlighting, remaps keys, and set macros. You can save your changes to the onboard memory so that they remain when you switch computers, but note that only the keybindings are saved.

Unfortunately, it’s wired only, and you can’t pair it with multiple devices at once. Also, it uses ABS keycaps instead of better quality PBT keycaps, but they still feel fairly nice to type on. All in all, this mechanical gaming model is a great option for typing, and it’s one of the best keyboards for writers that we’ve tested.

Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro

The best wireless mechanical keyboard we’ve tested is the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro. This full-size model has excellent build quality thanks to the aluminum faceplate that makes it more solid. It has good ergonomics, with two adjustable incline settings and a detachable wrist rest. It also features full RGB backlighting that’s great to work or play in the dark.

It can be used wired or wirelessly via Bluetooth or with its proprietary receiver. You can pair it with up to three different devices at the same time, and switching between them is easy thanks to the switch on the left side. The latency is low even when using it over Bluetooth, which is fantastic. The unit we tested uses clicky Razer Green switches, which feel light to type on and give great tactile feedback. It also offers plenty of extra features, like macro-programmable keys and a volume control wheel.

Unfortunately, the switches on our unit are fairly loud and could bother people around you, but you can also choose linear Razer Yellow switches, which should be quieter. It’s also quite large, especially with the wrist rest attached, so it may take a lot of space on your desk. That said, this is an amazing option that should satisfy most people, and it’s also one of the best gaming keyboards we’ve tested.

Logitech G413

The best mechanical keyboard we’ve tested in the budget price range is the Logitech G413. This is a simple full-size keyboard that features Logitech’s proprietary Romer-G tactile switches. It’s impressively well-built with a plastic frame and a brushed aluminum plate on top. It doesn’t come with a wrist rest, but its relatively low profile makes it comfortable to type on without one.

The Romer-G switches are similar to Cherry MX Browns but with a softer tactile bump. They’re responsive due to their short pre-travel distance, although they feel somewhat stiff and might cause some fatigue over time. Typing noise is pretty quiet, which is great for noise-sensitive environments. There’s backlighting for gaming in the dark, although it’s limited to a single red color. It’s a wired-only keyboard with a braided cable that ends in two USB-A connectors, one of which is for the USB passthrough.

Sadly, the ABS keycaps feel cheap and may develop a shine quickly through regular use. Logitech’s G HUB software lets you customize the keyboard, and it’s available for both Windows and macOS. You can program macros to the function row and create custom profiles, but unfortunately, there’s no onboard memory to save the settings. Overall, it’s not the most feature-rich model, but most people should be happy with it for its wallet-friendly price.

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Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best mechanical keyboards for most people. We factor in the price (a cheaper product wins over a pricier one if the difference isn’t worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no keyboard that is difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our mechanical keyboard reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no product is perfect for every use, most keyboards are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them. Be sure to know your key switch preferences before choosing.

Best Mechanical Keyboards - Summer 2021 Reviews

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The next leap in

mechanical keyboards

SteelSeries Apex Pro

Razer BlackWidow Elite

Obinslab Anne Pro 2

Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro

SteelSeries Apex Pro

Obinslab Anne Pro 2

Razer BlackWidow Elite

Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro

Logitech G413

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