My Favorite SMALL Keyboards!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- After reviewing so many keyboards, I've finally found a few that I can't be without, at least when it comes to TKL, 65% and 60% keyboards. To me these are some of the best compact keyboards of 2021 and definitely the best compact gaming keyboards I have right now.
Buy items in this video from Amazon at the links below:
60% Keyboards:
HyperX Alloy Origins 60: geni.us/ORIGINS60
Razer Huntsman Mini (linear optical gen2 switch): geni.us/HUNTMI...
65% Keyboards:
ROG Falchion: geni.us/ROGFAL...
Fnatic Streak 65: geni.us/Streak65
Ducky Mecha SF Ocean Edition: geni.us/ONE2SF
TKL:
XTRFY K4 TKL Retro Edition: geni.us/K4RETRO
Varmilo VA87M (with Varmilo EC switch): geni.us/z4NqFeG
Roccat Vulkan TKL Pro: geni.us/VULKTKL
Check out the NZXT B550 here: www.nzxt.com/products/n7-b550-matte-white
GET MERCH ►hwcstore.com
SUBSCRIBE ►bit.ly/SubHWC
Review unit provided free of charge by the companies listed or purchased by Hardware Canucks. This video is sponsored by NZXT. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines, no review direction was received from manufacturer. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Gear list (Available on Amazon):
Main Camera (Dmitry) - geni.us/SONYA7III
Main Lens (Dmitry) - geni.us/Tamron...
Main Camera (Eber) - geni.us/CanonE...
Main Lens (Eber) - geni.us/dLL
Main 2nd Lens (Eber) - geni.us/Canon2...
Main Camera Mic (D & E) - geni.us/RODEMIC
Cheap 4K Camera (Panasonic G7) - geni.us/24nm
Awesome Slider - geni.us/1Hwt
Our Shotgun Mic - geni.us/Sennhe...
----------------------------------------------------------
Our full site: bit.ly/Hardwar...
Join Our Forums: bit.ly/HWC_Forums
Follow us for more updates!
Twitter bit.ly/HWC_Twi...
FaceBook bit.ly/HWC_Fac...
Instagram bit.ly/HWC_Ins...
-----------------------------------------------------
#bestcompactkeyboard2021 #bestcompactkeyboard #hardwarecanucks
Hey Dmitry, been a fan of the channel for a while, let me know if you'd like to build a custom keyboard one day!
Hamini neo tryna get some c a s h hehe
among us
Top 10 Anime Crossovers
wink, wink.
Build me one for free
Once I found out about r/mk and built my first custom, I never went back (prebuilts) lol
word
Same
What is r/mk?
@@Tubular-Trev r/mechanicalkeyboards subreddit
@@NotxSplayd don't do it to him
I’d love to see you try and build a custom board. It’s super easy and unlocks so many options for feel, sound, and size :3
I agree
Sameeee. Would love this video!!
Agreed. Honestly, those all sound terrible compared to even budget custom mechs.
Same thoughts. This rabbit hole is really deep.
Probably ordered everything a few years ago in a GB and is still waiting for the stuff
People sleep on the Durgod Hades. Best 65% I’ve ever owned.
So true. The switch selection alone puts it far ahead of everything in this video.
Pre-builts like Durgod, Ducky, Anne Pro are all out there with much better switch selections. I mean, if you're still using MX Reds or Browns, do yourself a favor and at least take a look at those other keebs. The software is better on mass-market brands like Razer, but their key switches can't hold a candle to switches like Kailh, Zeal, Holy/Glorious Pandas, Gateron, etc.
I have gk68xs
Ye their nice, I have gateron browns
I have a Durgod Venus, love this board but it freezes on me like many others have had issues with. I really am sad. Lot of reviews on Amazon say from the Hades and Venus that they even got a new cable from the vendor that 'fixes' it but they still had the issue. Personally would steer clear.
10:50 A lot of people in custom mech communities actually like having their switches be south facing because they're able to put cherry profile keycaps on there without any interference. I think varmillo wanted it so there was more customisability for their keyboards, so it's a plus from me.
Long term owner of a Ducky One 2 SF here, and I bought it because of your recommendation. Thanks a lot Dmitry.
man literally the video I've been looking for just been uploaded.. thank you
Alternative title: this is not for budget gamers
If this is NOT budget, you really don’t want to check customs. r/mk goes brrrrr!
I had budget of 300 euros and i still cant make a metal iso tkl keeb :(
@@ljtech20 yeah people in general should just avoid going down the custom mechanical keyboard rabbit hole, you'll never come back.
@@IMrPrince93 not sure but I guess the Idobao ID87 could be an option but I don’t think they have an ISO version.
@@mikant6984 it’s a never ending rabbit hole indeed.
Very upsetting to see this channel with just 1.7M subs … IMO this channel deserves a lot more …. I love the way how you script, edit and present your videos Dmitry. The attention to detail and the quality of Audio/Video are on par and amongst the best I've come across on TH-cam.
I love the Falchion (Dmitry once again in ref to my comment about attention to detail you are one the few to address the correct pronunciation). I'll make the move when its available in white color.
GODSPEED !
I just completed my very first custom keyboard! It's SO Nice!!!
I didn't go super barebones/too expensive as I didn't want to get super complex for my first keyboard.
- (65%) GK 64 case
- Gateron Ink Black (lubed) and they sound crispy! I love the deeper/thocky sound and they are super smooth. I wanted to spend more money on the switches instead of say, a nice case or keycaps because I don't really have a ton of interest in you know like trying a bunch of different switches, I plan on using these for many years to come and maybe graduate to a better case eventually.
- I need to touch up the space bar stabilizer and maybe add some foam to decrease the little bit of hollowness. But I'm not extremely picky... yet.
Loved that edit with Dimitri’s head floating in the monitor lmao
Yesss, Some good content.
Last time it was the earbuds for gaming and now small form keyboards. (I literally just bought the origin 60) These guys really are psychics.
given the list of prebuilts you've gone through in this video i'm surprised you haven't just gotten a keyboard kit or gotten parts to build a custom one with hotswap sockets + lubing the switches yourself. definitely a better value imo versus most "gaming" keyboards
There's usually no affiliated links for non-mainstream products, which is the typical revenue stream of TH-cam channels.
I agree with you, but indeed price for customs is not for everyone. However I think a ducky mecha is much better that ASUS or Corsair
He already built one himself. It looks and sounds amazing too after he lubed it
@@user-op8fg3ny3j its not necessary expensive, you can build a custom one that works decently for under $100, its just about where and how you find the components
@@user-op8fg3ny3j Not really but the main thing is you have to wait for shipping. Which killed the option for a few friends of mine because they did not want to wait a month.
Nice looking boards! I recently switched to the ZSA Moonlander - it's a split ortholinear/columnar keyboard with hot swappable switches, and programmable layers that are kept on the board itself. So no software issues when switching computers, and works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It takes some getting used to, but I'm finding it pretty comfortable so far!
Keychron k1v4 85% w/ Gaderon Red LP and white backlight. I've always found full-height keyboards to have too much travel and laptop keyboards too little, so this fits my preference just right. It's very slim and compact, yet the metal frame is built like a tank. I can't flex it a single bit no matter how hard I try. The battery lasts 36 hours with backlight, which is more than enough for all my needs. I've had this thing for just over a month and have had no complaints whatsoever.
Varmilo boards are pretty awesome for pre-mades, about the best you can get in their price range. Don't know why everybody feels the need to complain about their mini USB connectors. What difference does it make which type of USB connector the keyboard side has, it's a keyboard, you connect it once to your computer using a lead and that's that. It's not like you're moving it from computer to computer or having to charge it or transfer large amounts of data over USB. Anyway, their more recent 65% models made in collaboration with Ducky have USB Type-C connectors.
I've moved on to using custom keyboards I build from kit form myself, but I still keep my old Varmilo Miya Pro with Cherry Red switches since it's so well-built, looks so nice and feels pleasant to type on.
I started using a 65% keyboard late last year (first time I ever had a keyboard that wasn't full size) and I love it. I will never go back to full size again.
I'm super curious with how much Keyboard content you do, have you ever considered to try building a custom one?
I'm pretty sure he has, actually.
Prob around a year ago or a couple months.
They won't. Just look at their content. Every keyboard they have "reviewed" has gotten praise from them. So long as its a paid promo or paid review, they will do a review or video on it. I don't think they've done a review on something they purchased themselves, without receiving sponsored money, in years. I remember they used to talk shit about Logitech headphones and keyboards, but now its like Logitech's money has made them rethink that.
Armoury Crate will also be stuck with your PC forever. When you delete it, you still have it when you right click on your desktop.
I've got a Anne Pro 2 with Cherry MX Blues as my first keyboard and I'm loving it!
I've been on the waitlist for the Ducky SF Emerald for months. Seeing one in your hands, albeit blue, gives me hope.
Same. I gave up and built a custom
I recently got a XTRFY K4 TKL , comming from a Corsair full size I really like it!
I love the style of the small keyboards, but in my work I use insert, home, end, pgup&down and delete, often enough to want them as dedicated keys and not baked in some shotty shortcut
I love how quiet the Razer huntsman mini
is
I have the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 and I recommend it,switches are really nice,good software...only bad thing are the stabilizers on the spacebar,they are not too bad but could be better.
Varmilo is in a league of its own in my opinion. Sound test alone should say everything. Varmilo EC switches and stabilisers are perfectly lubed. Their Miya Pro (65%) has a usb-c.
A splendid selection, 65% FF small keyboards are smart to pick for PC users.
I have the ROG Falchion and I love it. Was simpler than me building my own for now, love the wireless, and they keys feel really good :)
How is Latency?
@@LoLo_Lorick89 it's pretty good tbh. I do have the USB dongle extension run to right infront of the keyboard when I'm at the desk and havent noticed any major latency as a casual gamer in fps games like cod cold war, apex legends etc. I'm no expert on latency though, so my experience might be different to you :)
@@buddybleeyes ok thanks man appreciate the timely response!!
@@LoLo_Lorick89 it's ok dude! You just caught me catching a late train home :P
@@buddybleeyes awesome man!!
Hardware Canucks thumbnails are one of the best.
I get mad when I hear the Stabilizers of the Huntsman mini , for this price , I would build a budget Custom Keyboard with WAY better Stabilizers and ofc Lubed switches , so well, idk what to say about them I gotta give credit to the Fanatic tho , the Stabs are very good for a prebuilt keyboard
Could you recommend a good TKL custom base? Im looking for a good gaming keyboard, i was about to buy a Corsair K100 until i heard many people complain about the price / Quality. I heards the GMMK Pro is nice, but its just a bit to tiny for my taste.
@@oldsql725 id personally go with keychron k8, not super expensive and it sounds and feels pretty good for the price, plus hotswap for easy switch upgrades in the future
3 days ago upgraded to HyperX Alloy Origins 60 from HyperX Alloy Elite which was huge - The Origins has better stabilizers, better keycaps, it's even more stable over all and the RGB is awesome - I even had a pudding set and I left the originals on it!
You can lock the volume adjustment on the Falchion , FN+Tab. The icon is even on the key.
65% is great but 75% is perfection. Smaller than a tkl but only ~2 switches less
Thanks for all of the recent keyboard videos. Love my huntsman mini and the red switches.
Thank you for putting the countdown timer on the keyboard sound tests! Thumbs Up! :)
I'm using a Keychron K3 with black optical switches and it's absolutely fantastic
For me at least, the middle ground for keyboard that you can both use for Gaming, Work and portable enough to be carried around is a 96% keyboard.
The size is almost the same as a standard TKL, but you got all your keys there on the keyboard.
I'm on the RK100/RK860, Wired + Wireless + Bluetooth connection.
Been using it for almost a year now, and it has been great.
96 percent???? Does that even exist
@@sgarridojr yeah, it has been for a while now. Just not very famous.
96key / 1800 is the best layout. Its 1cm longer than a TKL while keeping the number pad. :)
I just got a ducky one2 SF and I am 100% happy with it. I went from 100% to 65% and its amazing. MX speed silvers too which I love.
Thank you so much for this video. It was what I was looking for!
You can do static illumination with one colour with streak 65, just choose at 2 colour gradient twice the same colour.
RK68 pleb passing by. Wired/Bluetooth 5.1,zero lag, RGB, hot-swap 3/5 pins. So with Silent Ink Blacks still costs around the cheapest on the list.
Have you considered building your own mechanical board? You can get the same layout but with the added features that many mainstream rigs simply don't have.
IJKL is so much better for arrow movements, BUT you need to rebind the useless caps locks to FN. Makes life so much more easier and you can navigate will typing.
Playing horizon on the alloy keyboard was clever.
I have been waiting for this Dmitry !
Been using my drop entr TKL with Halo Trues for the past 6 months, replaced an Ozone Strike gaming TKL (Cherry MX Brown) and Keychron K1 (first gen) with Gateron Browns.
Really happy with the entr, it does everything I want from a keyboard (occasional/light gamer), feels great, and looks great in Olive/Gray.
Didn't go the custom route because I suffer from analysis paralysis - I'd end up spending hundreds of dollars on frames, PCBs, switches and keycaps always chasing the elusive 'one'.
Been waiting for this
Ever since I bought a hot-swap board, I never looked back on prebuilts. Hands are too fiddly for soldering so hot-swap is a must for me.
Once you are into the custom mechanical keyboard world, you'll never come back to this
After using them for a couple of years, the biggest issue I have with the ~60% keyboards is a lack of dedicated arrow keys in the lower right hand corner. I think my next purchase or build will focus on that functionality. I've made do when navigating spreadsheets for example using a separate numpad (which I need for spreadsheets anyway) but doesn't really work for all games.
65% or 75% have those
I don't see the point of going smaller than 65%. You don't gain much more room on your desk, but you lose a lot of utility. I know you can use logical layers to replicate the cursor key functionality, but it's simply not as convenient as having dedicated keys. 65% or TKL is where it's at, IMO.
Ended up buying the Hyper X and I absolutely love it! The arrow keys are perfect for me.
Dimitri how about a video about SouthPaw keyboard (left handed numpad full sized keyboards) for someone who works, studies and games a full sized keyboards is a must it has the benefits of both worlds.
These are my current obsession haven't got one yet but you can help by preparing the market for them 😉.
Crazy to see glass artists like Ouchkick getting into the heady keyboard scene
I know it is great!
ok, I'll try a short version too. ok, I'll start with a pretty low budget and I'll try a KLIM Shift. Offering quite a lot for the price. fingers crossed.
Quality content again, and all the love from Canada! 🇨🇦🇨🇦
“There’s no way you can convince me to use a full size keyboard the same way they convinced me to buy multiple keyboards and upgrade every year” 😂
I'm sorry...but those stabilizers hurt to hear. The rattling on these stablizers over other prebuilts hurts.
Spotted the guy who doesn’t play ARMA3 or any flight sim. With those, the number pad is a must.
my friend plays arma3 constantly and he has a 65% keyboard
I just got my Alloy 60. No complains at all
Would love a video on customs! I've been watching HC for years, and used to buy a bunch of different prebuilts based on your recommendations, until about 2 years ago when I found the custom scene.
They won't. If you have been subbed to them for years, you'll notice that they stopped doing honest reviews. Now they willy only review something or make a video on something if it came from sponsored or paid content. Just look at the last time they reviewed something that they purchased on their own. Its been a solid 2-3 years. They used to trash talk on brands. Like I used to avoid Logitech because of their reviews making them seem like bad purchases. Now, starting like in 2016/2017, all of a sudden those crappy Logitech products started getting praise from them. Same goes with Razer stuff.
Unless someone like Novelkeys pays or gives HCs to review an upcoming product or GB, HC will never touch it.
Omg that roccat spacebar is a bomb
Interesting recommendations, thanks for the video.
My favorite is 65%. I love the smaller form factor but with dedicated arrow keys.
I have a Razer Blackwidow V3 Mini and a Keychron K6.
I really enjoy both, the Razer for gaming, and the Keychron for daily tasks or typing.
My Keychron is hot-swappable so I'm trying out linears for the first time and I really like them. Also my first experience with lubed switches.
Good content as always but I think you guys should venture more about custom keyboards. Yes It is understandable that these are consumer level keyboards and this is why you guys talk about these. But I think if you guys focused a little more on the custom ones, and why they are better, consumer level keyboard manufacturers such as Razer, Corsair, Asus will consider putting in more of those features we get on custom keyboards, such as lubed stabs, dampened noise and comfort.
The assessment of armory crate vs synapse is accurate as hell. Cannot believe it's so bad still.
this was really helpfull thank you!
Most underated keyboard is the CM Storm Quickfire TK. (or CM Masterkeys Pro M)
It has all the benefits of a TKL while still having all the keys of the numpad. it's baked into the arrowkeys section so you switch bewteen the 2. It is the smartest no compromise solution and i wish more companies took this approach. but sadly you cannot buy this layout anymore... :(
Do you have a review of the Drop alt keyboard? And if not would you ever review it? 🤔
Have the Ducky One 2 Skyline both at home and at the office and i love it!
Wish someone comes up with a space-bar split into three parts.
All Three should should work like normal space bar... But when required I should be able to assign it for other functions..that way I get extra keys. Need this for gaming. My thumb can do a lot more
i hope you try a custom keyboard soon to really see what you're missing
South facing switches are more preferred by people from the custom KB because some north facing switches cause interference when used with cherry profile keycaps.
I totally agree with u in this vid. What I would LOVE to see is a steelseries apex pro 65/75% layout, but in a price that doesn’t break the bank.
Btw I Love the features from the ROG falchion
I want 75% with separate right layer to become mainstream/affordable! GMMK Pro/Keychron Q1 layout but without the $169+ price tag.
Don't forget the low-profile, wired/wireless, low-profile hot-swappable optical mechanical switch, Keychron K3, with RGB lighting.
the Streak65 ... it won me over
Numpads are restricting? What do they restrict? An ability to not type numbers faster?
I recently replaced my Razer Blackwidow Lite with the new Unicomp SSK TKL Model M. With the 6-10 key rollover, especially on the left side, I've run into no ghosting issues while raiding in WoW, SWTOR or FFXIV. The key feel is heavier than the gamer centric keyboards, which helped me with work typing accuracy, and the sound is unmatched. Very happy with this absolute TANK of a keyboard. The rest of the family keep trying to steal it because the fleet of hand me down keyboards; Logitech G413 Carbon, Logitech 810 Orion and now the Blackwidow Lite, are being complained about once they try a Model M.
Pretty good video! Subscribed :)
Oh also, where can I get this cool mousepad?!?!?!
The artist who made it goes by @ouchkick on Instagram.
7:22 what the hell, that caught me by surprise, I nearly fell of my chair
wait till you see a 40% though.XD built it on my channel and loving the niu mini so far!
What a small world lol. Didn't expect to bump into you here, If you haven't notice I'm a member often MKB group lol.
@@EricTanGH0ST heyy eric! Yupp i know u from the fb group too. I guess most of us watch the same content huh?😂
Hey dimitry, great video! Maybe you should consider making a custom keyboard, it could make great content and it, at least in my opinion, feel far better than any prebuilt keyboard could.
Imo for those who are looking for more budget 60% options there are Rk61(hot swappable), Anne Pro 2 and Kemove Snowfox 61(hot swappable)
@dimitri the Alloy origins 60 has some major bugs, try hitting Ctrl-Alt-Esc to bring up taskmgr? :-( . It also has a very annoying bug the keys don't register properly when you have to use Alt and Ctrl along with FN key. The key does not register if you hit FN key first. You have to hit the Alt or Ctrl key first and then hit FN + F4 to kill an application, I don't know how you can recommend or use such a product 😞 I have GK61 optical that does not exhibit this behaviour.
Hey! Nice Zach P. Deskmat! Would love to see some coverage of the custom keeb world sometime!
Show 75% some love, just kidding nice video as always
The production value of your videos is top notch, I just wish it was custom mechanical keyboards :( the sound test in this video is just hard to give a thumb up
hardwarecanucks is the reason why i got the xtry k4 retro and i love it
I really would like to know what Dmitri thinks about the Glorious GMMK Pro
Well I recently got a gmmk tkl non pro with custom keycaps and I think it's pretty great. With all the customization with the pro I'm sure it's a very solid board :)
Keychron K6 + MelGeek Ember switches + GMK keycaps - best 65% all-rounder !!
My baby has been a Vortex Race 3 TKL for many years. I love it. Perhaps it's time to "upgrade" to RGB to compliment the rest of my setup.
Love my Ducky One 2 TKL RGB Red switch keyboard, i hope it lasts many years TKL ftw.
Silence is my last obsession, can you put a DB meter when typing ?
my man you should try a 40% ortholinear with a toggable calculator layer. Get the Planck EZ which has oryx which makes it pretty easy to configure.
whats up guys! love the content. saw the video of the keychron k2. i think some of the issues, mainly the thickness is now solved with the k3. low profile switches on a low profile chassis. and the rgb is bonkers bright.
I don't always bottom out... but when I do, I prefer extra lube.
love my Xtrfy K4 Retro with M4 Retro mouse - they just launched new firmware a few days ago that fixed the auto-scroll issue, which was super frustrating in csgo, so its fantastic now!
bro....i am fascinated by your mouse used in the video@6:10 ..what is that brand?