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What are the best mechanical keyboards with Cherry MX Brown switches?

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The Best 1 of 6 OptionsWhy?

6 Options ConsideredPriceUSB HubAvailable Switches
92
CODE Keyboard
$145+NoCherry MX Green, Clear, Brown, or Blue
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CM Storm Quickfire Rapid
$69.99NoCherry MX (Blue, Red, Brown, Green)
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Das Keyboard 4 Professional
$161.99YesCherry MX (Blue or Brown)
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Logitech G610 Orion Brown
$80NoCherry MX (Brown, Red)
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Ducky Shine 3
$149.99NoCherry MX (Blue, Red, Brown or Black)
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92
The Best

CODE Keyboard

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Francisco
Top Pro

Available with 4 different kinds of Cherry MX switches

•••
The CODE keyboard uses Cherry MX mechanical key switches, regarded as top-quality switches. They have impressive levels of durability and consistently pass, with high marks, all the performance tests they are subjected to. There are 4 kinds to choose from: Blue, Brown, Green or Clear. The MX Blues...
Francisco
Top Pro

Solid construction

•••
This keyboard is built solidly, using sturdy parts made of robust materials. It's mounted on a solid steel backplate, weighs over 2 pounds and has a dual layer PCB board. In this aspect, it’s comparable to other keyboards renowned for their build quality, such as those from the Ducky series.
Francisco
Top Pro

Minimalistic design

•••
The CODE keyboard has a textured finish that resists fingerprints and scratches. It has no stickers or logos and the back-lighting is very clean and elegant.
Francisco
Top Pro

Full white backlighting

•••
The CODE keyboard comes with backlighting that feels similar to the one found on Apple products. You can pick from seven brightness levels and the onboard memory saves your lighting preferences. They also have gone to a lot of trouble getting the backlighting even by painting the backplate white a...
Francisco
Top Pro

Media control

•••
Even though there aren't any dedicated media keys, the navigation cluster has secondary media control functions. To access these functions, the keys should be pressed in combination with the Fn key.
Francisco
Top Pro

Removable/replaceable USB cable

•••
Many keyboards come with a permanently attached cable, meaning that if it gets damaged, you need to get it fixed or replace the whole board. CODE keyboards come with removable cables, which means they're easy to replace if broken. This also has the added benefit of allowing for more customizati...
Francisco
Top Pro

Available with or without a numeric keypad

•••
Users can choose between versions that have and don't have a numeric keypad.
Francisco
Top Pro

DIP-Switches allow quickly disabling or switching certain keys and changing the layout completely

•••
DIP-switches on the back of the keyboard can be used to disable the Windows key, switch Caps Lock with Ctrl, swap Alt with Command (if you're on macOS), and change to QWERTY, Dvorak, or Colemak layouts.
Francisco
Top Pro

Save time with complex key combos

•••
Key combos can be configured, supporting combinations of up to six keys. However, Ctrl, Alt and Shift don't count to this total. As a result, using these keys actually increases the combo key limit to nine.
Francisco
Top Pro

Very portable

•••
This keyboard’s detachable cable, dimensions, and weight make it extremely easy to carry around.
Francisco
Top Con

Too small for some, particularly those with big hands

•••
This keyboard's small size may prove difficult for some people to get accustomed to.
Francisco
Top Con

Sculpted keys make switching to Dvorak difficult

•••
Dvorak is a keyboard layout that's an alternative to the commonly used QWERTY layout. While QWERTY was designed in the early days of typing, Dvorak is a more comfortable, modern layout which is technically superior. It is designed to have more flow than QWERTY, where the left hand does most of...
Francisco
Top Con

Spare parts and keycap sets can only be obtained from third parties

•••
The manufacturer doesn’t sell spare parts or keycap sets, so if users want to change the layout, they have to get these components from a third party.
Francisco
Top Con

Expensive

•••
Compared to alternatives which offer RGB lighting, USB passthrough or other features, this keyboard is pretty expensive.
Francisco
Top Con

It's hard to source the MX Clear version

•••
The version of the CODE keyboard that comes with the MX Clear switches is constantly out of stock.
Francisco
Top Con

No wireless connection

•••
CODE keyboards connect via USB. No Bluetooth or any other form of wireless connection is available.
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5 Other Options Considered

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CM Storm Quickfire Rapid

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Francisco
Top Pro

Solid build quality

•••
This keyboard is made by the same OEM as the Filco keyboard, so it's of comparable build quality. Given that the Filco costs a lot more money and has one of the best reputations in the industry for quality, this is a great selling point for the Quickfire Rapid.
Francisco
Top Pro

Great value for money

•••
The QuickFire Rapid keyboard is often recommended as a great beginners' keyboard on pretty much every enthusiast community out there due to its value for money. Its build quality is great, it's easy to find online & it comes with a good selection of switches for about half the price of...
Francisco
Top Pro

High quality mechanical key switches

•••
The CM Storm QuickFire Rapid uses genuine Cherry MX key switches which are generally considered the best available mechanical switches. Their reputation is well-deserved, due to their excellent durability and superior performance and reliability. They go through vigorous testing to ensure they meet...
Francisco
Top Pro

Pretty portable

•••
The USB cable connecting the keyboard to one's computer is easily detachable at the base of the keyboard, thanks to the micro USB connection. This makes it easy to detach and reattach the keyboard at will. Couple this with the fact that this is a tenkeyless keyboard that weights just 2.1 pound...
Francisco
Top Pro

Very sturdy

•••
The included rubber feet and fold out back feet allows for a sturdy hold on one's desk. This keyboard does not move or slide around in the slightest, whether the back feet are folded out or not.
Francisco
Top Pro

Switch customization options and alternate versions available

•••
There are 4 different kinds of Cherry MX switches (Blue, Red, Brown and Green) to choose from. There are also alternate versions of the Quickfire Rapid that offer options the original version doesn’t have, like backlighting, numbers pads or media function keys.
Francisco
Top Pro

Good for those new to mechanical keyboards

•••
One of the main objections against getting a mechanical keyboard is how much it usually costs. This keyboard combines good quality and an affordable price. This makes it a good choice for beginners that aren't positive the investment on a mechanical keyboard will pay back.
Francisco
Top Pro

Easily change keycaps

•••
Included with the keyboard are 6 extra keycaps as well as a keypuller. The keypuller allows for easy removal of the installed keycaps, in order to switch them out with caps of the users liking.
Francisco
Top Pro

Hides wear and tear well

•••
The soft touch coating on the the keyboard's surface makes wear marks minimal, as it tends to hide small scratches and doesn't wear off as easily as some paints do. It has the bonus of making the surface pleasant to touch, because of its softness.
Francisco
Top Pro

Great cable solution

•••
Not only is the braided cable detachable, but it has cable routing as well. If you want, you can swap out the included braided cable for a longer/shorter/different coloured one that suits your setup better. Also, if you break the cable (or your pet does), it's cheap to get a new one and very ea...
Francisco
Top Pro

Reliable Costar stabilizers

•••
Costar stabilizers offer less friction in their key motion use. Often Cherry branded stabilizers are a bit more mushy when the key is pressed, which is why many prefer Costars stabilizers.
Francisco
Top Con

No backlighting

•••
The QuickFire Rapid can be hard to use in the dark, since it has no backlighting. Also, some people feel backlighting gives a more premium look to the keybard. There is, however, an alternate version of this keyboard that comes with backlighting (the Rapid-i).
Francisco
Top Con

No numpad

•••
The tenkeyless design (no numpad on the right) makes the keyboard more compact, but isn't great for anybody that works with spreadsheets and data entry.
Francisco
Top Con

No spare parts offered on manufacturers site

•••
While the keyboard does come with 6 extra keycaps, if the purchaser wants more or different keycaps (or other parts) they will need to go to a third party. For convenience's sake, it would be easier to get them from the manufacturer.
Francisco
Top Con

No alternate layouts

•••
There is no simple option when ordering this keyboard to have it set up for alternate keyboard layouts such as DVORAK. While it is possible thanks to the DSA style keycaps and included keypuller, a new set of keys to swap out will need to be ordered from a third party.
Francisco
Top Con

Modifier key difficult to use

•••
The dedicated Fn modifier key that activates the Fn keys’ secondary features, like media control or display settings, is inconveniently placed next to the right Control key, making use inconvenient.
See 14 more Pros & ConsSee 14 more Pros & Cons
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Das Keyboard 4 Professional

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Francisco
Top Pro

Beautiful design

•••
The Das 4 Pro keyboard has a beautiful nearly-minimalist design. The volume wheel and slight protrusion on the top right help it stand out from the crowd. The front is covered with a matte aluminium finish that resists fingerprints.
Francisco
Top Pro

Reliable and long-lasting mechanical switches

•••
Das 4 Pro keyboards feature Cherry MX switches, know for their established reputation. They have excellent durability and outstanding performance. Users can choose between the Cherry MX Blue and Cherry MX Brown switches. The main difference is that the first ones are clicky and the second ones are...
Francisco
Top Pro

Solid, durable construction

•••
The Das uses the best materials available to create a stable, durable board. Some parts are made of aluminum which prevents any flexing and others of resistant textured plastic, making this a keyboard that withstands damage very well. And the switches are genuine Cherry MX switches, which are dura...
Francisco
Top Pro

Very thin

•••
Das claims that this keyboard is the thinnest mechanical keyboard available on the market.
Francisco
Top Pro

Ultimate version looks very slick

•••
The Ultimate version of the keyboard looks badass with its blank keycaps.
Francisco
Top Pro

Comes with dedicated media controls and an oversized volume knob

•••
There are three rectangular media keys: previous, play/pause, and next. Just above the next key there's a circular mute button, and on the right of all the other media keys is a volume knob that can be spun to adjust the volume.
Francisco
Top Pro

Conveniently located two-port USB 3.0 hub

•••
The location of the hub, on the top right side, makes adding a mouse very convenient.
Francisco
Top Pro

Each key has the perfect stabilizer for its size

•••
This keyboard uses an innovative mix of Cherry and Costar stabilizers. Costar stabilizers have many advantages, but they don't work very well on large keys, like spacebars. To get the best of both options, Das uses Costar stabilizers on all keys, except on the space bar, where it uses Cherry st...
Francisco
Top Pro

Top panel resists fingerprints and provides rigidness

•••
It has an aluminum top panel which not only feels great, but also resists fingerprints and prevents any flexing.
ND Geek
Top Con

No extendable legs

•••
The included ruler works well, but is a bit annoying to keep in place. Would honestly prefer legs.
Francisco
Top Con

Expensive

•••
This keyboard is quite expensive, especially if compared, in terms of extra features, to similarly priced keyboards made by other brands. It notably misses features like USB passthrough or RGB lighting, which is surprising for a keyboard with a retail price of $169.
Francisco
Top Con

Potentially uncomfortable to use, depending on your wrist placement

•••
The edges of the keyboard are not rounded, so it can be painful if you rest your wrists on them.
Francisco
Top Con

Not suitable for use in the dark

•••
The Das 4 Pro keyboard doesn't have any backlighting. This means you will probably find it a bit hard to use on a dark environment.
Francisco
Top Con

Not very portable

•••
The Das 4 Pro keyboard has external dimensions of 18'' x 6.8'' x 0.8'' ( 457 x 173 x 20 mm ) and weight of 2.9 pounds (1.3 kg). Hence, it’s not an easy keyboard to carry around. This makes the fact that it’s the slimmest mechanical keyboard on the market loose value.
Francisco
Top Con

No calculator button

•••
There's no calculator shortcut button.
See 13 more Pros & ConsSee 13 more Pros & Cons
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Logitech G610 Orion Brown

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Endi Sukaj
Amoenus
Top Pro

Often on sale

•••
As this model is on the market for some time already, it's much easier to grab at a cheaper price.
Endi Sukaj
Amoenus
Top Pro

Backlit

•••
Has a white backlighting for individual key.
Endi Sukaj
Amoenus
Top Pro

Only one USB cable

•••
No need to plug two USB cables like in some other models.
Endi Sukaj
Amoenus
Top Pro

Full media controls

•••
Especially good dedicated volume wheel.
Endi Sukaj
Amoenus
Top Pro

Game mode button

•••
Disable Windows key (or any other keys via config).
Amoenus
Top Pro

F1-F12 Macro Support

•••
Amoenus
Top Con

Does not have USB passthrough

•••
Endi Sukaj
Amoenus
Top Con

Requires dedicated software for some features

•••
Need to install special software to enable some of the features.
See 6 more Pros & ConsSee 6 more Pros & Cons
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Ducky Shine 3

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Francisco
Top Pro

Highly customisable backlighting

•••
The Shine 3 comes with fully programmable LED lights under each and every keycap. There are 6 backlight patterns to choose from: Full (100%), Breathing, Wave Marquee, Snake Marquee, Reactive mode, and Ripple mode. When you buy the Shine 3 you have the option of picking the color of the backlighting...
Francisco
Top Pro

USB cable is detachable and replaceable

•••
The USB cable is detachable and comes with cable routing guides to let you control where the cable comes out of the keyboard.
Francisco
Top Pro

Uses Cherry Stabilizers

•••
Some people prefer the design of the Cherry Stabilizers over the Costars as they are arguably quieter (no rattle and less sound when you bottom out). They are also better for frequent keycap swapping as it's easier to remove/add keys. On the other hand, they can be described as "mushy&quo...
Francisco
Top Pro

Great build quality

•••
The Shine 3 has a dual layer PCB, plate mounted switches, as well as laser printed & UV Coated keycaps. Ducky also has the reputation of having some of the highest quality boards on the market.
Francisco
Top Pro

Unique "logo" on spacebar to celebrate Chinese zodiac signs

•••
The spacebar features a unique logo from the year when the keyboard was manufactured to celebrate various animals on the Chinese zodiac. Pictured is the YOTS variant or known as Year Of The Snake. The Ducky comes with a replacement spacebar with no design if you don't like the snake version.
Francisco
Top Pro

Compact tenkeyless design

•••
Without the numpad it takes up less space and allows you to place the keyboard and mouse closer together in a more natural position for your body which can help avoid injuries for people using it all the time.
Francisco
Top Pro

Cherry MX switches

•••
The mechanical Cherry switches have been known for 5 decades for their tactile quality and robustness. With the Shine 3, users can choose between Brown, Blue, Black or Red.
Francisco
Top Pro

On board memory for profile/setting storage

•••
The Ducky will remember all your customization settings for the lighting and other profile settings even if you turn it off or use it on another computer.
Francisco
Top Con

Keycaps error (in AZERTY at least) and no contextual menu key

•••
Two little quirks in the layout: 1) The < and > keys are inverted (not a huge deal, but a bit annoying for a high end keyboard); 2) Even though most of the "interesting" special functions are on the right hand, they put the Fn key on the right, removing the contextual menu. Fortun...
Francisco
Top Con

1 year only warranty

•••
The warranty is limited to 1 year
Francisco
Top Con

Text on the ABS Keycaps can fade

•••
The keycaps in the Ducky Shine are made from ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) so that backlighting is possible, however this material is known to quickly fade out after prolonged usage. To keep your keyboard looking like it's in top notch condition, you may need to replace the keycaps peri...
Francisco
Top Con

No calculator button

•••
There's no calculator shortcut button.
See 10 more Pros & ConsSee 10 more Pros & Cons
--

Kinesis Advantage2

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Francisco
Top Pro

Tweaked layout that saves your hands

•••
This keyboard has numerous ergonomic advantages over a keyboard with a standard layout. Some of them are obvious and some are subtle, but they are synergistic and result in a typing experience that places far less stress on the hands. Learning a tweaked keyboard layout is a small price to pay to av...
Francisco
Top Pro

Good for learning how to touch type

•••
This layout, because of its uniqueness, is perfect to learn touch typing. Even for those that were never able to learn it with common keyboards. It still requires practice to get proficient, of course.
Francisco
Top Pro

Optimised, ergonomic shape that significantly reduces the risk of RSI

•••
This keyboard is sculpted to fit the curvature of your hand more naturally than regular flat boards. This helps reduce the risks of suffering repetitive strain injuries.
Francisco
Top Pro

No undesirable movements

•••
Because of its size, this keyboard stands firmly on the desk and doesn't suffer from unwanted movement during use.
Francisco
Top Pro

Comfortable palm rests

•••
The large, raised palm rests provide comfort while typing.
Francisco
Top Pro

Very programmable

•••
This keyboard has several programmable options, like Macro recording, key remapping or keyboard layout (the keyboard can be changed from QWERTY to Dvorak with the touch of a button).
Francisco
Top Pro

No need to constantly move hands sideways

•••
One of this keyboard's best features is that the keys are vertically aligned in straight columns, so that you're not constantly exercising the muscles to move your fingers slightly to the left or to the right. It makes a huge difference.
Francisco
Top Pro

Prepared for macOS, Windows and Linux

•••
Besides the option of easily changing between preprogrammed layouts of these 3 systems, extra OS-specific keycaps come with the keyboard.
Francisco
Top Pro

Clusters of keys under each thumb means less reaching

•••
Having multiple keys under the thumbs lets you keep the rest of your hands still, and helps prevent reaching. For example, the backspace key on a regular keyboard is way in the top right corner, while on the Kinesis keyboard it's under the left thumb. So, to hit the backspace button you just n...
Francisco
Top Pro

No thumb conflict over the spacebar

•••
On common keyboards, both thumbs rest over the spacebar, meaning they can knock against each other. On the Advantage2 keyboard, only one thumb can press the keyboard, eliminating this problem.
Francisco
Top Con

Not great for gaming

•••
This keyboard is amazing for typing, but not great for gaming. Many games make intensive keys such as the Arrow keys or the Alt, Control and Shift keys. With this keyboard, it's not very comfortable to use them so frequently.
Francisco
Top Con

Proficiency means overcoming a learning curve

•••
Becoming an expert at using this keyboard’s optimized design needs time and patience, since it’s so different from what most people are used to. Some of its drastic layout changes can be disorienting at first. For example, the four arrow keys are separated: up and down on the right side cluster; le...
Francisco
Top Con

Can be a bit flakey at times

•••
The downside of this keyboard is that it can occasionally act up. The biggest problem is that the up-event for a key occasionally gets lost and then some key will auto-repeat until you press it again. Or even worse, it's a key that has no visible effect like an Alt key, and then you have to fig...
Francisco
Top Con

Different switches for the function keys

•••
The functions keys are not build with the same switches than the other keys: they use Cherry ML switches instead of Cherry MX Brown switches. Because of their shorter travel distance, the ML feels quite different. It's awkward to have such different sensations for different parts of the keyboa...
Francisco
Top Con

Quite bulky, therefore not very portable

•••
As a direct consequence of its unconventional ergonomic shape, the Advantage2 is quite bulky. At 16.5 in’ x 8 in’ x 2.88 in’ (419 mm x 203 mm x 73 mm), it's not the most portable keyboard.
See 13 more Pros & ConsSee 13 more Pros & Cons

28 Community Recommendations

Amoenus
Onze
Izem Lavrenti
Francisco
Lysander
Callixtus
Stuart Kearney
Ryan
Georgia
MomoIshida
Aubrey
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