The budget keyboard landscape has changed.

Back in 2020, a budget keyboard would usually mean buying something from Ali Express or Amazon. However, this all changed during 2022 and onward as the keyboard market changed and provided new offerings to enthusiasts and those entering the hobby.

We now have budget keebs that have an aluminium body, LED screens, a really good sound profile, etc etc. All these cool features and it doesn’t have to break the bank. However, there are other keyboard vendors out there that like to brand themselves as “budget” and “affordable,” but it doesn’t look that way when you look at the cost.

So as the hobby starts to open its doors to more in-stock options, and people are now being careful about whom they’re giving their money towards, What defines the budget in “Budget Keyboard?”

I’m sorry, the QK65 V2 cost how much?!

What made me decide to write this blog post was looking at the cost of the QK65 V2.

I used to own the R2 of the QK65. Unfortunately, I sold it because I wasn’t really happy with it + I have the QK75 version on the way. That keyboard alone was $300 AUD alone.

So now enters the QK65 V2, which many describe as a huge upgrade from its predecessor. In my honest opinion, the keyboard looks similar to the Think6.5 by Graystudios, only it has an LED screen, not a light block.

So it shouldn’t shock you that the cost of the QK65 is nearly similar to the Think 6.5 in the aftermarket.

According to SwitchKeys.com, if I were to order this entire keyboard without any extras, it’s going to cost me nearly $390, excluding shipping. Based on my previous QK pre-order experience, I get free shipping because I’m a local.

My second-hand Think 6.5 Valentine’s edition was around 500. Just $110 off the new QK keyboard.

The reason I bring this up is because the QK lineup was described as the budget option for those who love Owllab’s products. After all, QwertyKeys (the manufacturer of the QK lineup) is the sister company of Owllabs.

Even YouTubers who reviewed the ORIGINAL QK65 were shocked at how good it sounds, as well as its price.

What was the budget keyboard landscape like back in the day?

Back in the day, the budget keyboard market was pretty underwhelming. It was mostly plastic keyboards, many of which have north-facing LEDs. Or you’d get something made with multiple acrylic layers stacked up. One thing these boards have in common is that they sound very terrible. Like seriously, you need to mod the heck out of them if you want it to sound very decent.

This obviously changed over the years with the release of the Monsgeek M series, Keychron, and the QK and Neo lineup, just to name a few. The same can be said for keycaps, with vendors like Osume and Canonkeys releasing in-stock options.

And while it’s great to hear that there are IN-STOCK options for those entering the hobby, you also need to be wary of the price of these metal rectangles. Just because the group buy model is slowing down doesn’t mean we should forget the price of these machines.

Anything above $300 AUD is not budget, it’s mid-tier

In my very honest opinion, any new keyboard produced by QwertyKeys shouldn’t be considered as budget anymore. I think they’re entering the mid-tier market, especially due to its quality and features.

While it’s cool to see that there are many “affordable” keyboards in the market, I think the community needs to draw a line on what is considered to be “budget” and for me, that’s anything above $300 AUD.

As of writing $300 Australian dollars converts to $204 USD. And I think it’s fair to say that anything above $200 USD or $300 AUD is too much for the budget label.

But just because that marks out QK doesn’t mean there are no options left for very good budget keyboards. If you’re someone who wants a decent LED screen, get the Gamakay LK75. It’s super affordable and it’s only $99 USD. Another good alternative is literally anything from Keychron. I tried some of them when I went to PAX Aus this year and their boards cost between $100 to $270 AUD. I wish this was my board instead of the GMMK Pro that I bought overseas.

And speaking of the GMMK Pro, can we all agree that we were very delulu, thinking that this keyboard was “budget” when clearly, it wasn’t?

The budget keyboard market is changing. And as prices increase and features get added, we need to determine what counts as “budget.” And to me, the QK65 v2 and anything above $300 AUD no longer counts. But that’s okay because, with enough elbow grease, you can make a cheap acrylic/plastic keyboard to sound really good.