Are you planning to buy a new keyboard?
Great. A good quality keyboard will make you enjoy your work.
But the question is, how much does a good quality keyboard cost?
How much to spend on a keyboard for a better typing and gaming experience? Let’s find it out.
How much to spend on a Membrane keyboard?
The primary reason to get membrane keyboards is that they don’t make any sound. These keyboards are best for offices where many employees work together under one roof.
These keyboards are silent because they don’t have any spring mechanism. Instead, they have a single rubber layer with rubber domes.
This mechanism is simple and doesn’t require much effort to make. That’s the reason why membrane keyboards are inexpensive.
You can get a membrane keyboard for as low as Rs 500, but we highly suggest you spend at least Rs 700 to get a good quality membrane keyboard from reputed brands like HP and Logitech.
You get a better build and typing experience on these keyboards. So, don’t opt for super cheap options.
However, if you prefer a gaming keyboard, then you can spend as much as Rs 2500 on a membrane keyboard.
Yes, you can get a mechanical keyboard for Rs 2500, but if you are fond of silent membrane keyboards, then you can spend up to 2500 on such keyboards. There is nothing wrong with that.
How much to spend on a Mechanical keyboard?
In mechanical keyboards, every key has a dedicated switch. Each switch has a housing, a spring, a stem, and sometimes other parts, such as a separate tactile leaf or a clickbar.
When all these parts are combined, it increases the cost.
But companies know most users can’t spend a hefty amount just on a keyboard. So to keep the price as low as possible, they skimp some parts.
The keyboard, which lacks some parts, is still known as a mechanical keyboard, but because there are fewer parts, the feedback you get is not as good as the ones which have all the parts.
So, good quality budget mechanical keyboards start from Rs 2000. At this price, you get very satisfactory feedback from the keys.
You can also check these mechanical keyboards under 2000.
It is the least amount you should spend. If you want a proper mechanical keyboard with an amazing tactile feel, then you should spend at least Rs 4500 or 5000.
However, some semi-mechanical keyboards like RedGear Blaze 7 are basically membrane keyboards but with raised keys.
These semi-mechanical keyboards try to mimic mechanical keyboards. So if you want that mechanical keyboard’s feel on budget, you can also look for semi-mechanical keyboards.
These keyboards cost around Rs 1000, and you should not spend much on them. You can also check our list of best gaming keyboards for Rs 1000.
So in simple words, you should spend:
- Rs 1000 on semi-mechanical keyboards.
- Rs 2000 or above on good quality mechanical keyboards.
- Rs 4000 or above on premium mechanical keyboards.
How much should you pay for a good gaming keyboard?
It’s not necessary that only a mechanical keyboard must always be a gaming keyboard. You can get some dedicated membrane gaming keyboards, too.
However, for a better gaming experience, we don’t suggest a normal membrane keyboard.
Why? Because a normal membrane keyboard doesn’t come with key rollover. If you don’t know, a key rollover can handle multiple keystrokes at the same time.
While gaming, when you press multiple keys together, a keyboard without key rollover will register only one key. It affects the gaming experience.
So no matter if you buy a mechanical or membrane keyboard for gaming, make sure it has all the gaming features.
Now to the main question, how much to spend on a gaming keyboard? Well, you should spend:
- Rs 1000 on a semi-mechanical keyboard for gaming.
- At least Rs 2000 on a membrane gaming keyboard.
- Rs 1500 on a mechanical keyboard for a decent gaming experience.
- At least Rs 5000 on a mechanical keyboard for a high-end gaming experience.
Are cheap mechanical keyboards worth it?
Cheap mechanical keyboards use simple structures, whereas expensive ones are complex to build.
So the tactile feedback you get from cheap keyboards is not as good as the one you get on expensive keyboards.
However, it doesn’t mean that cheap mechanical keyboards are just a waste of money.
We used budget mechanical keyboards between Rs 1500 and 2000 and had a great experience.
Despite being inexpensive, these mechanical keyboards still manage to give tactile and satisfying feedback.
Some corners are always being cut, for instance, a rattling spacebar and a slightly mushy feel, but considering the price, it’s safe to say that cheap mechanical keyboards are good.
But again, we suggest you spend at least Rs 2000 to get a good quality mechanical keyboard.
You might also like these keyboard and mouse combos.
Are expensive keyboards better?
Many users believe that expensive keyboards are overhyped.
Yes, some are, but most aren’t.
The typing experience on expensive keyboards is so good that once you get used to it, there is no going back. That is what happened to us.
We used to type on laptops and membrane keyboards. But when we started using expensive mechanical keyboards, we absolutely loved typing on them.
Now, we don’t like typing on laptop keyboards anymore.
So based on our experience, we can say that expensive keyboards are good and worth buying.
However, you should avoid overspending on a keyboard. You don’t need to spend 10 or 15000 Rupees just on a keyboard. Yes, you can if you have money, but you don’t have to, in our honest opinion.
A Rs 4000 to 7000 keyboard is more than enough for most users.
You might also like these Best Monitors under 20000.
How much should a keyboard last?
We have seen cases where entire keyboards or a few keys stop working.
Fortunately, we haven’t faced such issues with our keyboards.
We have HP and RedGear keyboards, which are more than 2 years old, and they all have been working fine.
Moreover, we have a five-year-old HP keyboard, and it is still working fine.
The longevity of a keyboard varies from brand to brand and model to model.
But on average, a keyboard lasts around 3 years.
You can also check these best mechanical keyboards under 5000.
Final Verdict
In our opinion, if you are in typing work, that could be writing or coding, then you should invest in an external keyboard. It will enhance your typing experience, and you won’t feel bored while typing.
But again, you need a good quality keyboard for better typing or gaming, and good keyboards cost more.
So depending on your budget, you should buy a keyboard from a reliable brand so that it keeps working for years.
You can also check the Logitech vs HP Mouse comparison.
So, how much to spend on a keyboard? We are sure you know the answer now.
If you still have any doubts, feel free to ask us in the comment section.
Do share your thoughts if you agree or disagree with the points mentioned here.
