We already reviewed one set of mechanical keyboards this year, but believe it or not there’ve been enough new releases in the months since that we’re able to put together an entire second set of reviews.
The craziest bit? Out of the five mechanical keyboards in this roundup, only one (the Corsair K70 RGB/K95 RGB) uses Cherry MX switches—long the de-facto standard for all brands. That means my typical spiel about the four main kinds of Cherry switches (Red, Black, Brown, Blue) is basically worthless.
If you are looking for that information because you’re planning to purchase a K70 RGB or K95 RGB, I recommend checking out our previous roundup.
It really makes you wonder, though: Now that Cherry’s patent has run out, how many manufacturers will swap away? Will Cherry switches someday be as rare and coveted as the IBM Model M keyboard is nowadays?
Cherry MX Blue switches give you a tactile Cherry MX Blue switches give you a tactile bump as well as an audible click. Image by Castin Cramer.
But I digress. Besides the K70 RGB/K95 RGB, we have four other keyboards.
The Nixeus Moda uses “Brown” switches with the trademark “tactile bump”—but Brown switches manufactured by Kailh, not Cherry.
The Rapoo KX also uses Kailh switches, but they’re Yellows—linear switches with a 50cN actuation force that falls between Cherry Reds and Blacks.
Razer’s Blackwidow Ultimate Chroma sticks with the Green switches found in the Blackwidow we reviewed earlier this year—although I’m pretty sure those Green switches were made in a partnership with Kailh also.
And then there’s Logitech, which introduces the exclusive Romer-G switch with its new G910 Orion Spark.
The other big push this year has been in RGB-enabled lighting. We kicked off this year with zero RGB-enabled mechanical keyboards and end with three: The K70 RGB/K95 RGB, the G910 Orion Spark, and the Blackwidow Ultimate Chroma