Keyboards In Test 2020: The Best Models For Home Office, Office And Gaming

2023 Author: Sheila Hailey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 04:29

placement	model	price	offer
Price-performance tip:	Cherry KC 1000	approx. 15 euros	To Amazon
Home office:	Logitech MX Keys	approx. 100 euros	To Saturn
Professional:	The Keyboard 4 Professional	approx. 150 euros	To Otto
Gaming:	Steelseries Apex Pro	approx. 210 euros	To Amazon

Price-performance tip: Cherry KC 1000

View Cherry KC 1000 at Amazon

The Cherry brand is best known for its switches, which can be found in almost every mechanical keyboard nowadays. In the case of the Cherry KC 1000, it is already a complete package - but with conventional rubber dome buttons. For this, this model is extremely inexpensive and, according to the manufacturer, should be able to handle around 10 million keystrokes. That should always be enough for occasional users.

Cherry KC 1000

Now from € 14.89 at Amazon price can now be higher. Price from 27.07.2020 00:18 a.m.

Advantages:

• Quiet keystroke
• Low price

Disadvantage:

• Shorter lifespan thanks to rubber dome buttons
• No lighting

The best keyboard for the home office: Logitech MX Keys

Watch the Logitech MX Keys at Saturn

Are you currently working primarily in the home office and are still looking for the perfect keyboard? The Logitech MX Keys seem made for the job. It works wirelessly and has dynamic lighting that is automatically switched on or off by built-in sensors. If necessary, the lighting can also be completely deactivated, which should extend the battery life to a whopping five months. With lighting, however, it only lasts for ten days.

It is charged via USB-C connection. The available Logitech software works especially well in combination with a Logitech MX Master 3. Said mouse and keyboard in combination can certainly increase your productivity.

Logitech MX Keys

Now from € 92.65 at Saturn price can now be higher. Price from 27.07.2020 00:28 a.m.

Advantages:

• Dynamic lighting
• Wireless connection
• Compatible with Windows and Mac
• Software with useful additional functions
• USB-C connector

Disadvantage:

• High price
• Keys to get used to
• Significantly shorter battery life with activated lighting

The best professional keyboard: The Keyboard 4 Professional

View the Keyboard 4 Professional at Amazon

Which keyboard would be better for professional use than Das Keyboard 4 Professional ? In this case, the name says it all: in addition to the extremely durable Cherry MX Brown switches, the keyboard also has an integrated USB 3.0 hub as well as a handy volume control and useful additional keys. Among other things, these can be used to control media or put your PC to sleep at the push of a button.

A major disadvantage of mechanical keys is their volume when typing. The switches installed here are already a quieter type, but are still clearly audible. In this case, either the aforementioned Logitech MX Keys or the Apple Magic Keyboard would be appropriate alternatives. If, on the other hand, the ergonomic properties of a keyboard are particularly important to you, the Logitech Ergo K860 would also be a good choice.

The Keyboard 4 Professional

Now from € 149.00 on Amazon price can now be higher. Price from 2020-27-07 12:23 a.m.

Advantages:

• Long service life thanks to mechanical switches
• Integrated USB 3.0 hub
• Volume control and media buttons

Disadvantage:

• High price
• Loud keystroke

The best gaming keyboard: Steelseries Apex Pro

View Steelseries Apex Pro TKL at Amazon

With the Steelseries Apex Pro we have now arrived in the premier class of keyboards. On the one hand, this is due to the enormous range of functions and the proud price of over 200 euros. The main features are clearly the integrated OLED smart display and the so-called OmniPoint switches, the trigger point of which can be individually adjusted. It was not without reason that she was able to convince our test in almost every way.

Would you like to do without unnecessary cables in your gaming setup? For many, the Logitech G915 probably sounds like a dream come true: wireless, mechanical and even RGB lighting. The only downside is the impressive price. If all this bells and whistles is not important to you, the Ducky One 2 Skyline TKL would be worth a look. The manufacturer is somewhat unknown, but the keyboard is superbly crafted and the built-in Cherry MX brown switches are good all-rounders that are equally suitable for gaming and writing.

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL

Now from € 209.99 at Amazon price can now be higher. Price from 26.07.2020 23:58

Advantages:

• OmniPoint switch with adjustable sensitivity
• OLED smart display
• RGB lighting
• Integrated USB pass-through port
• Volume control and media buttons
• Including palm rest

Disadvantage:

• High price
• Loud keystroke
• Not all buttons are equipped with OmniPoint switches

So it was tested

Nowadays, when choosing a new keyboard, you are literally overwhelmed. It is correspondingly difficult to always have an overview of this. The first thing to do is determine which area the keyboard is primarily used for: home office, office or gaming? What budget is available to you and which switches should be installed?

In our selection, we therefore consciously opted for specimens that, on the one hand, cover the broadest possible spectrum and also have an optimal price-performance ratio. In order to provide you with the best possible overview, in addition to our own experience, we have also included external user ratings in our decision.

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Buy keyboard: You should note that

If you are in an office with other colleagues most of the time, a keyboard with the quietest possible keystroke would probably be the best choice. However, if you work in the home office, the somewhat louder but more precise mechanical switches are an option. Do you want to get rid of annoying cables and therefore a wireless model? Gamers in turn have completely different requirements. From colorful RGB lighting to additional displays on the keyboard to macro keys, everything is now available.

Mechanical vs. Rubber dome

	Mechanically	Rubber dome
Keystroke	Rather loud	Very quiet
Typing feeling	Tactile, linear or clicky	Rather spongy
lifespan	approx. 50 to 100 million attacks	about 5 to 10 million keystrokes
price	Expensive	Cheaper

This is how Cherry switches differ

The Cherry company produces various switches (switches) that are now used in a large part of mechanical keyboards. The most popular versions are brown, red, black or blue cherry switches, which each have different properties when writing or playing.

The main differences are, on the one hand, the necessary actuation force, which is given in centinewtons (cN). The switches also have triggering paths of different lengths, which are specified in millimeters. The following table lists all types with their corresponding properties in detail:

	MX-Brown	MX Red	MX-Black	MX-Blue
operation area	Play, write	Play (first person shooter)	Play (RTS, first person shooter)	Write
Switch type	Tactile (2 mm)	Linear (2 mm)	Linear (2 mm)	Clicky (2.2 mm)
Pressure point	Noticeable (55 cN)	Not noticeable (45 cN)	Not noticeable (60 cN)	Noticeable (60 cN)

In addition to the Cherry switches already mentioned, there are now numerous other manufacturers who have launched their own variant of the popular switches:

• Kailh switches: These switches from the Chinese company of the same name are strongly based on the well-known Cherry template. The construction is almost identical, compared to the original they are not necessarily of inferior quality.
• Logitech Romer-G: These switches are relatively quiet, have tactile feedback and are therefore aimed primarily at gamers. They are most similar to Cherry MX-Brown.
• Razer switches: The switches are available in a total of three variants. The green switch is strongly reminiscent of the Cherry MX-Blue, the orange one of the Cherry MX-Brown and the yellow one of the Cherry MX-Red. However, each of these switches has a shorter trigger path and is therefore primarily aimed at gamers.
• Steel series OmniPoint switches: In these switches, a magnetic field ensures that the trigger point can be determined exactly. The appropriate software can then be used to set individual trigger points. The physically noticeable key press is most similar to that of the Cherry MX-Red.

This is how rubberdome keyboards work

By default, membrane technology using so-called rubber domes is still used in most keyboards. There is a kind of rubber dome below the button, which is pressed together when typing. Below this there are two foils, which close a circuit due to the contact and ultimately also register the push of a button.

Because the switches on membrane keyboards are largely made of plastic and foil, the clicking noises are generally much quieter than is the case with mechanical keyboards. Whether you want to use a rubber dome or a mechanical keyboard ultimately depends on your individual preferences. Both have different advantages and disadvantages that should be considered before buying.

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Buy keyboard: Useful additional functions

lighting

The lighting of a keyboard should not be underestimated. Being able to type comfortably in the dark without needing another light source can prove useful. If you are not yet able to type blindly, you benefit even more from it. The lighting also looks very decorative, of course.

Gaming keyboards can shine in all imaginable colors thanks to RGB lighting and can therefore be color-matched to your remaining peripherals or the gaming PC. Depending on the software, there are sometimes very extensive ways to let your keyboard shine in a new light. Blinking, wave pattern or rainbow? No problem.

Integrated USB ports

High-priced keyboards have often integrated USB ports, to which you can quickly connect a USB stick or a charging cable. This means that you no longer have to laboriously insert any devices into the respective port on the PC. Sometimes there is also a headphone jack. These are all little things, but they can make everyday life easier.

Compact keyboards without a numeric keypad

Most keyboards usually have a number pad. But if you hardly use it, you can also do without it and place the mouse with the additional space gained much closer to the keyboard, which can be an advantage when playing. This type of keyboard is called Tenkeyless (TKL).

There are also numerous other formats, such as around 75% and 60%. The percentages relate to a standard keyboard that, including the numeric keypad, corresponds to the full 100 percent. Depending on the size, either the F keys or even the navigation keys are omitted.

In the home office, in addition to suitable hardware, the software is at least as important:

Start photo gallery (11 photos)

Which keyboard is right for me?

In order to answer this question, it should be determined beforehand what the keyboard is mainly used for. Which functions do you particularly value and which can you do without? Would you like to use the keyboard only for occasional email writing and surfing the web, or should it support you in your daily work in the office or home office? Should it be possible to use it wirelessly on several devices or is a conventional cable connection sufficient for you?

Which keyboard suits me best?

• Occasional users are best served with a relatively simple keyboard that has all the necessary basics. A membrane keyboard with rubber dome switches would therefore be the best choice.
• For the office or home office, the purchase of a high-quality keyboard is definitely worthwhile. Depending on the environment in which you work, mechanical switches are also an option. If you value flexibility and want to avoid cable clutter, a wireless model would be worth considering.
• When it comes to gaming, it's all about precision. For this reason, buttons with mechanical switches are almost a must. Since there is such an enormous variety of switches, it would be advisable to test the keyboard beforehand, if there is a possibility. As far as lighting and other features are concerned, it depends entirely on your individual needs and, above all, your budget.

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