These popular mechanical keyboards from Kogan are back on sale. Blue and Brown switch keyboards are priced a little higher.
Brown Switch - $35.99
Blue Switch - $39.99
Kogan First sweetens the deal with free shipping. If you haven't previously signed up, you can get a 14 day free trial. More info here.
iOS Users Only
$5 credit for referrer and referee.
no palm rest.
i don't use them so can't recommend you one, sorry
Got the brown switched one a couple of months ago for $29.99. For the price it's pretty good. Weird bug where the number '4' gets a bit sticky and I need to take off the plastic key and push the membrane down for it to 'unstick'… so I may have to return it, if that keeps occuring. Otherwise, good value.
Do mechanical keyboards have membranes?
I think my wording is off. The plastic bit under the number. Not sure what to call it.
the brown thing that moves is the switch. the stuff around it is the switchguard
@tdw: I just presumed at the price point something like that would happen. I think it’s more build quality but thanks, you’ve given me more to look at.
i've got five of these kogan mech kbs now.
wireless red switch
tkl blue switch (currently using over my laptop)
tkl brown switch
full rgb brown switch
cheaper brown switch
the wireless one was a nice novelty for a while. limited lighting modes if that's your thing. battery runs out too quickly but apparently you can take it apart and put a better battery in. red switches (outemu) are nice and silent.
the tkl blue switch is the one i use most frequently. i've found out i like the blue switch over the reds and browns — i just prefer the satisfying noise and tactile feedback it gives. yeah, noisy, but when i'm in a bad mood i find it helps to have a bash on the kb lol. the WIN key occasionally doesn't feel like responding.
i use the cheaper brown switch kb from this post at friend's place. just like with the tkl board, one of the shift keys has a mind of its own. for me, there's not a whole lot of difference between the no-name brown switches on this kb compared to the red switches. i feel both are too mushy. again, just my preference.
full rgb brown switch i haven't used much at all — was basically just an impulse buy when my kogan first trial was about to run out.
tl;dr they're basic mech keyboards for those trying them out for the first time. don't expect top notch quality, obviously. but just by being mechanical, i reckon they feel better than the keyboards on my various laptops, and also most membrane keyboards i've used.
Have the tkl version that I modified and put box royals in for fun. Decent keyboard
was there any soldering involved?
Had to desolder every switch and solder the new ones. I used it as mainly a learning experience
what is box royals?
Box royals are a different type of switch say like MX Browns or reds
oic
are box royals same match as mx browns or reds or something mx color?
how much it cos to replace with box royals?
and you got a link for it?
@pinkybrain: Box royals are more tactical then Browns
I got them cheap from a FB group so I thought why not give it a shot.
Can basically replace with what ever you want
https://novelkeys.xyz/products/novelkeys-box-royal-switches
Was it worth the effort? I find it interesting to hear you put nice switches in a cheap board
100% was worth it. It was mainly to learn before I ordered my aluminium keyboard from China(which I'm still waiting for)
ooh what did you get?
I was thinking of buying the taobao id87, but I'm not sure if the aluminium body is worth paying the extra ~$120 compared to just getting an xd87hs or a gmmk
How much is the cherry
Ozb good for pumping up cheap crap
My K keycap broke just out of warranty, asked Kogan for replacement key to buy, they said they cant cant help.
Anywhere i can buy a replacement keycap?
you have better odds of just buying a new keyboard.
do you have a pic of the broken keycap?
thanks for the pic..
i see your problem now..
that problem is repairable if you are willing do it, and much easier than finding a new key cap.
just use a glue gun and put some hot glue in the broken cap part, don't overdo the glue
then push the cap back on the brown switch..
the hot glue with create a mould around the cross on the brown switch
this should keep the cap permanently attached to the switch
if you need replace the cap or switch later, I think it should not be too hard to pry the cap off with some force..
You could also consider upgrading the keycaps. A budget set of PBT caps would be about $30. You'd also get a nicer font on the keys.
@ihfree: Was gonna say this, but the price of a new keyboard is about the same haha
On second thought, you'll have a better experience than using the preinstalled keycaps
Any comments on what would be the quietest keyboard possible? I touch type while talking and while on the phone and prefer it to be less distracting. Currently using a generic black one that cost $10.
Possibly Logitech keyboards with quietkeys such as: https://www.logitech.com/en-au/products/keyboards/mx-keys-wi…
Generally I've found scissor switch keyboard like above to be pretty quiet.
Not too sure if mechanical keyboards can be as quiet as non-mechanical without having dampening, good keycaps, and some fancy switches. I'm happy to be corrected though.
If you get good and don't bottom out the keys the linear ones with red or black switches would be silent. You might be able to put damping on them to make them quiet when bottomed out.
Buy some cherry silent switches
$14 shipping to my postcode … too much!
Buy quality and buy fewer. My first keyboard was purchased in 2013 and is still as it was on day 1 all these years later. I bought another quality TKL one now to fit my desk and try brown switches. Better to spend $100-200 once a decade or two than $30-50 every one or two years.
but how did you know which board, switch and features were what you wanted when you were new to mech boards?
could you share with us which quality boards you bought? some Razer boards get posted here regularly but there's always a comment or two that they're rubbish. someone who's new to these things won't know what's quality so it's fair that spending $30 is a fairly low-risk way to get into them.
I bought a Razer BlackWidow Ultimate in 2013 with Cherry MX Blue switches ($110) and a Leopold FC750R TKL with Cherry MX Brown switches ($179) this year. Just buy a keyboard that fits your needs (something only you will be able to know). For me this time around the main thing was a board that was quieter than blue switches and smaller than a full size board so I have more space for my mouse pad. If you buy a $30 keyboard you won't get into much, it's hard to compare a $30 keyboard's typing experience to that of a quality one. If you want to get into it you'd be better off:
-trying out a keyboard somewhere if possible a store that lets you try before you buy/refund if you don't like it
-ask someone who owns a board you are interested in
-just go based off reviews, look at lots of different comments from lots of different platforms/people etc.
-buy a cheap key switcher
Any suggestions on wireless mechanical keyboards?
@Julius: Keychron, though they're a bit more up market.
I have a K6 and Anne Pro II both of which I'd recommend. There's also a new competitor to the Anne pro which I read about recently by Kemove.
@ihfree: i've been looking at Keychron, too. add a board to your cart, leave it there for a few days and you get emailed a 10% off code ;)
I am eye balling TKL (Kogan TKL Rainbow RGB Mechanical Keyboard (Brown Switch)) but it is $66.
Worth it?
I need space on my desk. Couldn't find any past deal on TKL, is $66 normal price or a deal price?
TIA
it's kogan. their prices are always fluctuating. i bought my tkl board back in march for $33.
Damn.
I'll wait.
Thanks for the intel :). Appreciated.
(profanity) kogan lol.
i haven't plus voted this deal because i'm annoyed other switches cost more when i know — back when these boards were at the pre-order stage in June — that they were all $30 to start off with.
i suppose it might be handy to mention the prices i bought the other kogan keyboards at (all this year):
wireless red switch: $29
tkl blue switch: $33
tkl brown switch: $40
rgb brown switch: $30
"full rgb" brown: $46 list price but i had a kogan first trial which not only gave free shipping but took $5 off at checkout.
@tdw: thanks for the list price
might be harder to get that price now with covid19
could just keep waiting
not sure how good the quality of kogan brand is though
any other good value brands besides kogan?
also the downside of the mechanical keyboards is they are so basic that they lack any media control keys..
and also the most basic one has no numpads
Why don't they put media controls keys on the mechanical keyboards?
these basic keyboards looks like they belong in the 80s
@pinkybrain: As someone who's been researching keyboards recently, I've heard the following are good for that price range:
E-Element Z-88: $66
https://www.amazon.com.au/Element-Mechanical-Keyboard-Replac…
Velocifire TKL78: $70
https://www.amazon.com.au/Velocifire-TKL78-Mechanical-Illumi…
Velocifire TKL02: $76 + delivery ($6 for me)
https://www.amazon.com.au/VELOCIFIRE-TKL02-Mechanical-Copywr…
Redragon K552: $61
https://www.amazon.com.au/Redragon-KUMARA-Backlit-Mechanical…
The first 3 are brown switches, the last one uses blue switches, but I've included it because it's quite popular.
I don't own any of these so I can't comment on quality.
They all have Outemu switches, same as this Kogan board.
I personally think it's better to pay extra for better build quality, since I use my keyboard a lot.
@pinkybrain: those were the prices during wave 1 of the pandemic. kogan hiked up the price of one of them to $130 last month. if you aren't regularly checking on their prices, it's easy to get ripped off.
i recently bought a royal kludge 71 key bluetooth board from banggood for about $75. (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/558328) also outemu switches. can't wait to test that one.
the basic one does have multimedia keys but not dedicated ones (you'll need to hit Fn first). may or may not be a deal breaker? i personally don't need them. would probably cost more to have proper dedicated controls.
there are more expensive boards out there that have a volume knob and everything. so decadent lol
I have been using a Kogan mechanical keyboard for like 2 years now, still works fine. It's Cherry MX browns and every key still works. It's not the full RGB version though, just orange backlighting for all keys and blue for caps lock, WASD keys etc. I got the keyboard for like $60 back then. can't find the same model listed on their website anymore but I am guessing the quality of the keyboard should be similar, for this price I would get it
Are you sure it's Cherry MX switches? I didn't think they made one with Cherry switches.
They did
Yeah, they have the word "cherry" and then the cherry logo written on each of the key switches, same as the ones on my Corsair mechanical keyboard.
Thanks. That sounds like a real bargain. I'd imagine the cherry switches are a fair bit more durable than what Kogan use in their current lower tier keyboard.
I think your keyboard is this one. It would be from a different OEM and they would differ significantly in build quality.
@ihfree: Yes! That's the one, with the sound scrolling thing in the top right. So it probably was more than $60 when I bought it but it was much cheaper than the ones you buy in store anyway. Yeah, Cherry are pretty reliable from my experience. I've used my Corsair keyboard with Cherry Reds at work for like 4 years now and still going strong.
@ihfree: From the current listing on this new RGB keyboard, it doesnt say which brand switches so maybe it's not a well known brand otherwise, it would be a selling point to include it in the listing.
I have the blue version and it is great
Just bought the Anko mechanical keyboard from Kmart online. $39 and I combined with a toy for the kid to get free shipping above $45. I think Kmart one has better reviews than Kogan.
this was the first review that came up on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WHxK46lLAI
end of the day a budget keyboard is a budget keyboard.
Where do I add the code in cart?
I was also looking to purchase this keyboard with the free shipping deal… eventually found full T&Cs here and it is in the list of exclusions :-(
Pulled the switch on brown switch.
Brown switch keyboard is $69.99 now?
Indeed is now, thanks. Updated description.
Any of these come with a palm rest or can someone recommend an affordable one with one?