Keyboards are now widely accepted to be a basic and inherent device that determines your overall PC experience. Mechanical keyboards have now re-emerged as the chosen keyboard type for many gamers, as well as other individuals who use their keyboard for longer hours.
A 60 percent keyboard is a mechanical keyboard that has up to 60 percent of all the keys that you would find in a traditional or modern full-size mechanical keyboard. Most 60 percent of keyboards are generally devoid of the separate number pad that you can find on the right-hand side of regular keyboards.
On the flip side of this, because of a smaller size, these types of keyboards are a lot more compact, as compared to full-sized ones, and can be accommodated easily in tighter spaces.
It also scores high on portability as well - which is why it is preferred by people who travel a lot, and like to have a mechanical keyboard to use on-the-go.
In this article, we will try to find the best 60 keyboards that you can buy at various price points. We will start with a list of the best keyboards that we have come across for this category throughout different price ranges.
We will also present the pros and cons of each of the keyboards so that you can make the right choice as per your requirements.
The Razer Huntsman Mini 60% Gaming Keyboard is our next contender for the throne of the best 60 percent keyboard. Razor has the tag of being the number 1 gaming peripherals company in the US.
The keyboard has a weight of 1.15 pounds - which is considerably light for its size, and the aluminium construction ensures that it is solid and powerful. This makes it ideal for long usage over extended hours.
Next in line, we have our first wireless keyboard, and it's none other than the hugely popular RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK61 Wireless 60% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, which is the best 60% keyboard in this price range according to many.
The keyboard comes with brown switches, which are decent quality mechanical switches for regular users. There are a total of 61 keys that can be used as a part of the keyboard.
The average key life of this product has been reported to be somewhere around the mark of 50 million keystrokes. The RK61 is powered by a 1450 mAh lithium battery, that allows it to last for a decent length of time before you need to charge it again.
It has an overall weight of 0.5 kg and dimensions of 11.5 X 4 inches in terms of size. Hence, it is highly portable and can be used in tight spaces.
The third keyboard on our list is the ANNE PRO 2 dual keyboard, that can function as a wired as well as a wireless keyboard.
The Gateron mechanical switches used by this keyboard are of high quality, and are responsible for a durable typing and gaming experience. It also has a 1ms response time, that makes it perfect for fast paced FPS type games, among others.
We have reached the halfway mark in our list of the best 60 mechanical keyboards that you can buy.
The GK61 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a fully wired keyboard and uses a type-C USB in order to connect to your PC and or laptop. However, the cable is detachable - which is a good thing, as it boosts portability.
The GK61 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard has a very compact and efficient design that is ergonomically suited to different individuals, and can be used for different purposes.
Our next entry in the list of the best 60 percent mechanical keyboards, comes from the popular PC accessories and peripherals brand Havit - which has widened its market significantly over the last few years. This is another wireless mechanical keyboard, which also includes a wireless mouse as a part of the deal.
Both the mouse and keyboard that come as part of this deal have the LED backlight feature, which takes things up a notch in the aesthetics department.
The keyboard also comes with a switch at the back, which basically determines whether you wish to run the keyboard in wired or wireless mode. For the wired mode, you need to connect the type-C USB to the keyboard and you will be good to go.
As far as the lighting options are concerned, it comes with 19 different presets for lighting that can be accessed with the Fn + / buttons.
The MOTOSPEED Wired/Wireless 3.0 Mechanical Keyboard is candidate in the search for the Best 60% keyboard. This one has been widely regarded as one of the best, modern, budget mechanical keyboards. This is available in 3 or 4 different colours, and you can take your pick.
The MOTOSPEED Wired/Wireless 3.0 Mechanical Keyboard is perfectly compatible with all of the recent operating systems starting from Windows XP, Windows 8, Windows 7 as well as Windows 10.
It makes use of Bluetooth 3.0 technology, to ensure that you have a good wireless connection that is responsive and efficient. The detachable USB type-C cable is provided with the keyboard, to enable you to use it as a part of a wired setting.
The average key life of each key on this keyboard is said to be more than 50 million keystrokes.
The DK61E from Dierya is our final keyboard of the list. This one is a classic 60 percent keyboard that is compact, durable and designed for consistent performance.
The DK61 comes with Gateron blue switches, which are very good performance oriented switches. It also has a very ergonomic design that has been tested to reduce fatigue during typing and gaming.
Furthermore, it weighs in at a relatively light 1.91 pounds, which makes it a very good option to carry around during your travels.
Overall, this keyboard comes with a lot of good features, which are highly regarded by many of its users.
There are a few different elements that you should consider before buying a 60 percent keyboard. Some of these will involve trade-offs, where you have to sacrifice one thing for another, based on the type of performance you will require from your keyboard.
We will discuss these factors in detail in this section, and hopefully, you will be in a position to make a more informed choice after going through these pointers.
This is a pertinent question, that is asked in the case of nearly all electronic devices and PC accessories. The situation is the same for 60 percent keyboards as well.
Nowadays, a lot of wireless keyboards are used because of their advantages regarding portability and management of space.
Being totally free from the wiring issues that often come with wired devices is a big plus, and a lot of professional users tend to veer more towards wireless variants. Most wireless keyboards use 2.4 GHZ or Bluetooth technology to communicate to your PC using direct air waves.
On the flip side of this, we have input lag issues with regard to wireless keyboards.
Although a lot of wireless keyboards in the higher price brackets do manage to mitigate this issue somewhat, the lag is still worse than regular, wired mechanical keyboards.
This is the reason as to why gamers tend to prefer wired keyboards - they get the highest possible guarantee of minimum input lag.
Input lag may be defined simply as the amount of time it takes for your screen to reflect the functions of the buttons pressed on the keyboard. Wired keyboards use USB 2.0 to connect to your PC ports directly.
Especially in the field of modern competitive multiplayer gaming with games such as Fortnite, PUBG and other first person shooter battle royales, this lack of input lag can make the tiniest difference that separates the line between a win and a loss.
So in short, it can be said that if you are a competitive gamer, for whom the tiniest delay in input lag can make all the difference, wired is the way to go.
However, if you are looking to get a keyboard that is most convenient to use and can be carried around on trips every now and then, wireless ones are ideally suited.
The switch types used by various mechanical keyboards is one of the biggest factors that go into determining its overall value. The mechanical springs which are found under the switch cap of keyboards vary a great deal, in terms of the tactile feel and sound that you get from them.
A lot of people like to hear the audio response of the tactile feel of the switches - however,the sound can be too loud in the of particular switch types.
Generally, it has been found that Cherry MX switches or Topre switches are considered to have a perfect balance, in terms of tactile response, as well as the volume of sound.
The premium switches do cost a little bit more. However, it should come as good news to our readers that in the last few years, a lot of small and medium-sized brands have stepped up their game significantly, in terms of the type of switches they use for their keyboards.
A lot of the budget keyboards now come with high-quality switches such as Outemeu, Gateron, and others.
Aesthetics, as a factor, is now widely considered to be one of the most important elements in the case of user oriented PC accessories and peripherals. The onset of LED and RGB lighting systems in a lot of the gaming accessories has resulted in a phenomenon, where it has become part of popular PC culture.
You have the choice of various colours, and you can also choose one that comes with lighting effects of various degrees. LED backlights give a special touch of vibrancy and colour to your overall setup, and you can never go wrong with it.
Most of the popular 60 percent keyboards come with 61 different keys and a lot of them are customizable too. Generally, 60 percent keyboards do not have the separate number pad that is found on the right hand side of most full sized keyboards.
60 percent keyboards offer better flexibility of usage and higher levels of portability when compared to their full sized counterparts. Wireless 60 percent keyboards are especially pertinent in this context as you can carry them on your travels with minimum inconvenience.
In this article today, we tried to give you the best, and most detailed review of various 60 percent keyboards. We started off by defining what 60 percent keyboards are, and how they can prove to be very useful for a certain section of users.
Then, we followed this up with a list of the 7 best 60 percent keyboards that we could find on Amazon. We chose products which have a good rating and positive reviews. However, for your benefit, we have also presented some of the cons that might be important in the case of certain keyboards.
Next we followed with a discussion on the important things that you should keep in mind while making the choice regarding which keyboard to go for.
We tried to keep things nice and simple for our readers, and we hope that you do further research, if you wish to get into more detailed nuances regarding this topic.
Lastly, we ended the discussion with a couple of frequently asked questions regarding 60 percent keyboards. We tried to keep things luci and simple here without getting into too much technical detail and we hope this helps you in your endeavors.
We leave you here, and wish you the best of luck in your quest to find the best 60 keyboard for your typing and gaming requirements.
