You Need One of These: Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021 | Our eye-opening review
Are you a fan of mechanical keyboards or do you stick with membrane ones? If the second one is your choice, then you most likely haven’t tried the newer and most modern mechanical keyboards. Their specs and features have advanced so much that they’ve become simply incredible in the last few years.
When we were evaluating the Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021, we looked at many factors. There are different mechanisms and formats but these keyboards tend to have more durability and better performance, not to mention they deliver better feedback for the user’s fingers. They can also be easily customized and they are easier to disassemble, which makes the cleaning process so much easier.
They tend to be pretty noisy and sensible to touch, but they are perfect for gaming, even though it takes a little more practice to get the writing done well. Their sensitivity can be so high that they are proud to prompt input errors when typing if you’re not used to the feeling. Of course, this will also depend on which one you chose, for they have come a long way in fixing these issues recently.
Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021: Tips for choosing the best mechanical keyboard.
Before showing you our Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021, we have to talk a bit more about them. It is important to form an educated opinion so you can better understand what you’re buying, and choose the one that best suits your individual needs, not to mention your budget. That’s why you need to know some of the basic features such as:
● TKL stands for Ten Keys Less, are the keyboards that don’t come equipped with the ten numerical keys on the right side. This makes them smaller and more compact, and many of the modern mechanical keyboards are TKL.
● Mechanical switches have better touch sensibility, they are easier to fix, they are completely individual in one key to another. All of this also makes them easier to fix.
● Key rollover is important in many games that require you to press a lot of keys at the same time. To get all the inputs right, you should get a keyboard. Getting a keyboard with NKRO means that it can correctly register all the individual key presses simultaneously and flawlessly.
● Keycaps, you have to keep an eye out for these. These are the parts that come in direct contact with your fingers, and the best ones you can get are the ones made with PBT plastic since they are thicker and more durable. However, most manufacturers use ABS plastic since it is cheaper, so it is recommended that you look for the double injection ABS ones if you want better durability than the average ABS, unless you can find one with PBT.
Now that those concepts and specs are out of the way, we can start our countdown of our Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021. Prepare yourself for the number one, ’cause after checking it out you’ll just have to buy it. Even though there are hundreds of types, brands, and models in the market, not all of them fulfill every requirement you’ll need. Not even the minimum standards sometimes.
That’s why, after a lot of testing, research, playing around, and getting a lot of experts in the field, as well as the opinions of the average users, we’ve gathered the Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021. So, let’s start from number 5 as we go up the ranks all the way to the incredible number one.
Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021: #5. Mars Gaming MKXTKL
This is a TKL sized keyboard, and while their keycaps are made of ABS plastic, they are double-injection plastic. This means that the characters are more durable and the keys will better pass the test of time. This mechanical keyboard has OUTEMU SQ switches they are great for feedback as well as deliver great touch sensibility.
It’s cheaper than many others since its whole structure is made out of ABS plastic. And it isn’t Full RGB, instead, it can show 5 different colors with 10 predefined patterns. It comes with a detachable wrist-rest with a rubberized texture that’s soft and prevents slipping.
Main features
➔ Format: TKL
➔ Dimensions: 365 x 136 x 38 mm
➔ Weight: 780 grams
➔ Key Rollover: 10-KRO
➔ zSwitches: Mechanical switches OUTEMU red and blue
➔ Keycaps Double injection ABS plastic
➔ Polling rate: 1000 Hz
➔ RGB Lighting: Yes
➔ Layout: ISO (Spanish)
Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021: #4. HyperX Alloy FPS Pro
This excellent keyboard is great for gamers, and it is designed to offer the most demanding gamers the basics of everything they need. With a TKL format, it is available with Cherry MX switches red and blue, light, fast, and smooth to the touch, it even comes packing secondary multimedia keys.
This keyboard is one of the best of 2021, but it is limited to the color red, even though it is backlit. This can be an issue for those looking to get the most customizable experience.
Main features
➔ Format: TKL
➔ Dimensions: 359 x 130 x 34,5 mm
➔ Weight: 900 grams
➔ Key Rollover: NKRO
➔ Switches: Cherry MX red and blue
➔ Keycaps ABS Plastic
➔ Polling rate: 1000 Hz
➔ RGB Lighting: Just red backlit
➔ Layout: ISO American English
Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021: #3. Logitech G915 LIGHTSPEED
You can choose whether to get this mechanical keyboard like a wired or wireless model. In terms of build quality and durability, it doesn’t matter which one you choose as they are both excellent. It has a metal and hard plastic body, even though it is very thin it’s super durable. Thanks to its low-profile structure, it is excellent for spending long hours using it comfortably without the need for a wrist rest.
Its keycaps are made of double injection ABS plastic, so the characters have excellent durability and won’t easily fade. You can change the switches to have GL Clic (click with sound and good tactile feedback), GL Tactile (tactile feeling without hearable clicks), and GL Lineal (no tactile feedback)
The Logitech G195 is a full-sized keyboard, and it even has extra macro and multimedia keys. It’s ideal for gaming whether you get wired or wireless thanks to its lightspeed connection, and it can be used with normal Bluetooth too.
It also comes equipped with RGB Lightsync which allows for a totally customizable RGB backlit of each individual key. And you can even create customized animations and patterns for your RGB lightning or choose from one of the predetermined patterns.
The wireless version charges in 3 hours, and the battery lasts for about 30 hours at full RGB brightness.
Main features
➔ Format: Full layout
➔ Dimensions: 475x 150 x 22 mm
➔ Weight: 1025 grams
➔ Key Rollover: 10 KRO
➔ Switches: GL Click/Tactile/Lineal
➔ Keycaps Double injection ABS Plastic
➔ RGB Lighting: Fully featured
➔ Layout: ISO American English
Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021: #2. Razer Huntsman TE
Taking the second place in our top 5 comes the Razer Huntsman TE, or Tournament Edition, which is basically Razer’s best bet at gaming keyboards. It is the first one Razers launches to the market with their new optomechanical linear switches.
These new switches are lightning-fast, and they are also soft and light. These are ideal for eSports and competitive gaming of all kinds, but it makes it less accurate for typing since they are so sensible that it’s pretty common to get wrong inputs. The keycaps are made out of double injection PBT plastic with a 1,4 mm thickness, which makes them much more durable than all the previous ones we’ve mentioned.
This cool optomechanical keyboard has floating keys and the rest over a top aluminum plate, giving the whole thing a very clean and neat look. The premium touch material is soft to touch and it prevents the keys from feeling greasy and getting all glossy.
With the cable coming out of the top left part of the keyboard, it is especially tough to not get in the way of the monitor and make cable management easier. It is programmable and has onboard memory. And another nice detail is that the USB cable is removable, which makes it easier to transport.
Main features
➔ Format: TKL
➔ Dimensions: 362 x 140 x 37 mm
➔ Weight: 695 grams
➔ Key Rollover: NKRO
➔ Switches: Razer Optomechanical Switches
➔ Keycaps Double Injection PBT Plastic
➔ Polling rate: 1000 Hz
➔ RGB Lighting: Fully Featured
➔ Layout: ISO American English
Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021: #1. SteelSeries Apex Pro
Coming in the first place, on our Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021, we have the most advanced mechanical keyboard you can get in 2021. It uses analogic mechanical switches, this allows the user to customize at which point each individual key gets into function. Or to put it simply, you can customize how much you need to press on each individual key to register the press.
The customizable activation distance makes it an incredible keyboard both for gaming and daily use. You can set it to different profiles and customize whether you’ll use it for writing and gaming. Making it more sensible for faster key rollover in gaming, and keeping it more sturdy and less sensible to make sure you won’t accidentally register wrong inputs while typing. All of this while having a full NKRO, so it can be individually customized while flawlessly registering all individual keys pressed at any given time.
You can get in in two models, a TKL model and a full layout one, depending on which one suits you the best. But it has all kinds of extra features too, such as a removable wrist-rest, an OLED screen integrated, fully customizable RGB, multimedia controls, and even a volume wheel. And with a tested life expectancy of over 100 million presses per key, this keyboard is simply a wonder.
All of these features, earned this keyboard #1 on our list of Top 5 mechanical keyboards for 2021!
Main features
➔ Format: TKL $ Full layout
➔ Dimensions: 436,7 x 139,2 x 40,3 mm
➔ Weight: 1000 grams
➔ Key Rollover: NKRO
➔ Switches: 61 x Adjustable OmniPoints
➔ Keycaps: ABS Plastic
➔ Polling rate: 1000 Hz
➔ RGB Lighting: Fully Featured
➔ Layout: ISO American English