Best cheap keyboards?

[Kneeboard]

I have recently gotten into keyboard collecting and am a little suck on where to start. Does anyone have any good recommendation for a keyboard for around 25-35 GBP. I personally like tactile and clicky switches but I don't mind linears. Any recommendation's would be greatly appreciated!!!

[ntv242ver2]

some cheap chinese brand like Royal kludge or Drevo or Dragon st st should be around that range, most of them are blue - clicky though.

[Jan Pospisil]

Current, or vintage?

[TNT]

You could try to shoot for a cheap Alps board, like for example the Ortek MCK-101. I've seen those things float around on (german) ebay for around 30€ before.

[Kneeboard]

Current, or vintage?

I personally prefer vintage

[Kneeboard]

You could try to shoot for a cheap Alps board, like for example the Ortek MCK-101. I've seen those things float around on (german) ebay for around 30€ before.

I have been interested in getting an alps board so ill try and be on the lookout for that!

[ddrfraser1]

BTC 5130 ie Packard bell keyboards

[Kneeboard]

BTC 5130 ie Packard bell keyboards

I have been thinking about BTC. I saw an auction of a BTC 5207 and was thinking about getting it.

[ntv242ver2]

that's a tough price point for vintage, i guess some apple extended keyboard II or Dell at102 could go that low but in general you kind of have to look around 50 ish quid

[Kneeboard]

that's a tough price point for vintage, i guess some apple extended keyboard II or Dell at102 could go that low but in general you kind of have to look around 50 ish quid

I remember seeing an AEKII for like 20 GBP on eBay once. Still wish I had gone and bought it

[Kneeboard]

BTC 5130 ie Packard bell keyboards

I have been thinking about BTC. I saw an auction of a BTC 5207 and was thinking about getting it.

Is this particular keyboard mechanical?

[hellothere]

BTC 5130 ie Packard bell keyboards

I have been thinking about BTC. I saw an auction of a BTC 5207 and was thinking about getting it.

Is this particular keyboard mechanical?

Both of them are BTC dome with slider. They're definitely not bad. I've got a BTC under my desk and it's better than some mechanical keyboards I've used. It's tactile.

Watch out for BTC boards with 6-pin DIN connectors.

[Kneeboard]

I have been thinking about BTC. I saw an auction of a BTC 5207 and was thinking about getting it.

Is this particular keyboard mechanical?

Both of them are BTC dome with slider. They're definitely not bad. I've got a BTC under my desk and it's better than some mechanical keyboards I've used. It's tactile.

Watch out for BTC boards with 6-pin DIN connectors.

.
Very interesting. I have heard quite a lot of good things from BTC as well

[hellothere]

I bought it mainly because Chyros has mentioned that they're pretty decent. It's a 5100c in black & grey. I got it for $50 US, shipped.

[Jan Pospisil]

An Ortek with green Alps clones was actually my first mechanical keyboard. I like the switches a lot and the case itself is not terrible, but it's quite noisy.
Even though I got several Alps boards since, white included, I'm currently using a BTC dome with slider and it's great.
I would recommend it over the Dell AT101 for instance. Unless black Alps are incredibly better when brand new, I think the BTC is a much nicer tactile switch.
(I linearized my bigfoot and linearized blacks are quite nice, if a bit light.)

[Kneeboard]

I bought it mainly because Chyros has mentioned that they're pretty decent. It's a 5100c in black & grey. I got it for $50 US, shipped.

Chyro actually got me into keyboards in the first place! I've heard some people compare 5100c to Topre and even say their on the level of Alps switches. I'm definitely gonna keep a look out for them.

[Kneeboard]

An Ortek with green Alps clones was actually my first mechanical keyboard. I like the switches a lot and the case itself is not terrible, but it's quite noisy.
Even though I got several Alps boards since, white included, I'm currently using a BTC dome with slider and it's great.
I would recommend it over the Dell AT101 for instance. Unless black Alps are incredibly better when brand new, I think the BTC is a much nicer tactile switch.
(I linearized my bigfoot and linearized blacks are quite nice, if a bit light.)

I've heard from quite a few people that AT101's (at least at the price they are now) are not worth it at all. looking at the price they are on places like eBay and I get their point

[Weezer]

I mean, obvious, but a Model M can still sometimes be had for 35 pounds more or less.

[Kneeboard]

I mean, obvious, but a Model M can still sometimes be had for 35 pounds more or less.

One time I saw someone selling a model m for like 30 quid. The only drawback was that it couldn't ship to the UK and was in the US...

[Rayndalf]

I'd strongly reccomend buying a lightly used keyboard made by a "gamer" brand like Logitech, Corsair, or Razer from Reddit (r/hardwareswap or r/mechmarket), other retailers or locally.

If you find vintage boards locally you could find a great deal, but vintage stuff in your price range probably will have flaws (weird layout, nonmechanical switches, lacks N-key rollover), or requires a convertor to work with a modern machine.

Better to get a rock solid first board so you can shop around for the perfect vintage board later once you have a better idea what you like.

[hellothere]

If you're looking at new stuff, I can personally recommend the very inexpensive Velocifire. An awful lot of folks say that Redragon is also pretty decent. If you have a soldering iron, save up a bit more cash then replace the switches with Kailh Box Jade Thick Clicks.

If you're looking for used, but not used up, Rayndalf's suggestions are pretty good. I've also owned a Corsair and Logitech keyboards. Make sure they have mechanical switches before buying and not "mechanical feel" or "mech membrane" or whatever they're calling rubber domes this week.

There are a lot of folks that sell stuff on this forum that are from the UK or European Union.

[abrahamstechnology]

Velocifire has pretty bad stabilizers though. But they are Cherry standard.

[Weezer]

I mean, obvious, but a Model M can still sometimes be had for 35 pounds more or less.

One time I saw someone selling a model m for like 30 quid. The only drawback was that it couldn't ship to the UK and was in the US...

If you'd like a model M, I would give you a M122 for the price of shipping, but it would be shipped from the USA so that may still be cost prohibitive.

[Kneeboard]

If you're looking at new stuff, I can personally recommend the very inexpensive Velocifire. An awful lot of folks say that Redragon is also pretty decent. If you have a soldering iron, save up a bit more cash then replace the switches with Kailh Box Jade Thick Clicks.

If you're looking for used, but not used up, Rayndalf's suggestions are pretty good. I've also owned a Corsair and Logitech keyboards. Make sure they have mechanical switches before buying and not "mechanical feel" or "mech membrane" or whatever they're calling rubber domes this week.

There are a lot of folks that sell stuff on this forum that are from the UK or European Union.

I have heard some good things about the Velocifire and I think getting a hot swappable keyboard at some point would be a good idea. I have heard a lot of people talk about the Redragon. Also a funny story about the "mechanical feel" and "mech membrane" keyboards I saw one on eBay for like 60 pounds and it was some cheap office membrane keyboard and it was described as an "ASMR CLICKING GAMER KEYBOARD MECHANICAL TYPE MEMBRANE SWITCH KEYBOARD" and that is to date the greatest eBay auction I've ever seen.

[Kneeboard]

I mean, obvious, but a Model M can still sometimes be had for 35 pounds more or less.

One time I saw someone selling a model m for like 30 quid. The only drawback was that it couldn't ship to the UK and was in the US...

If you'd like a model M, I would give you a M122 for the price of shipping, but it would be shipped from the USA so that may still be cost prohibitive.

that sounds like quite a good deal. I might take you up on that (but I'd probably have to do it some time in late December or early January)

[Weezer]

that sounds like quite a good deal. I might take you up on that (but I'd probably have to do it some time in late December or early January)

Sure, that's no problem. If you end up taking me up on the offer, you'd just have to promise that if you decide to sell it, that you sell it for what you paid, so that someone else can enjoy the keyboard at a reasonable price.

[hellothere]

Velocifire has pretty bad stabilizers though. But they are Cherry standard.

Am I bad for liking them? The ones on my Velocifires are the "fake switch" kind, rather than metal wire. Those keyboards are a couple years old and construction may have changed a bit.

I just pulled out one of the 'Fires, which does have a standard Cherry bottom row, and compared it to the keyboard I'm typing on, a Wang 724/725. The Wang has about a 7u spacebar (left goes a little past C and right end goes about 3/4 past the > key). The 'Fire is almost or exactly the same size. My Apple Standard Keyboards have a dinky spacebar ...

I do agree with you if you're talking about extra long keys and I prefer wire stabilizers on those, like on my 9u Cumulus terminal keyboard.

@Kneeboard, if you can handle the shipping and have an appropriate adapter, that M122 will spoil you. Try to get that worked out. Maybe someone can proxy that for you

[Kneeboard]

Velocifire has pretty bad stabilizers though. But they are Cherry standard.

Am I bad for liking them? The ones on my Velocifires are the "fake switch" kind, rather than metal wire. Those keyboards are a couple years old and construction may have changed a bit.

I just pulled out one of the 'Fires, which does have a standard Cherry bottom row, and compared it to the keyboard I'm typing on, a Wang 724/725. The Wang has about a 7u spacebar (left goes a little past C and right end goes about 3/4 past the > key). The 'Fire is almost or exactly the same size. My Apple Standard Keyboards have a dinky spacebar ...

I do agree with you if you're talking about extra long keys and I prefer wire stabilizers on those, like on my 9u Cumulus terminal keyboard.

@Kneeboard, if you can handle the shipping and have an appropriate adapter, that M122 will spoil you. Try to get that worked out. Maybe someone can proxy that for you

Will try to do that as soon as I can!

[phwog_]

just do your research and look at deals on eBay, you can find some good deals. also make sure to check your local good wills, as you can find some really good deals there.

[Keybug]

Get one of those Hexgears hot-swappable keyboards from AliExpress and have a great time trying out different switches. People often sell leftover switches for cheap. If you can get around 30-40 of one kind, that's enough to put them on the letter keys and really get a feel for them to find out what you like.

I can sell you a BTC-5100 Mini (German layout) if you want one. Shipping from Germany, though.

I also have a ton of Futaba clickies boards you can have for a tenner each. There may be some others I could throw in for another tenner, like vintage MX blue.