You can absolutely get non-RGB mechanical keyboards, but depending on if you mean completely non-backlit keyboards or single color backlit keyboards determines how hard it is to find. If you want non-backlit, its easy, you see them all over the place. If you want single color, your choice is highly limited. mechanicalkeyboards.com has some from Vortex, Varmilo, and KBParadise.
this post was submitted on 25 Dec 2024
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Even a RGB board should have controls for color, brightness, and pattern. Shouldn’t be too difficult to turn it off or adjust the color to something more natural.
That said, none of the keyboards I currently own and use have anything more than an indicator LED.
Unfortunately, RGB keyboards do not do well when trying to get some specific single colors, white being one they do quite poorly. I suspect that is what the OP may be looking for.
Then look for mechanical keyboards instead of gaming keyboards.
Go with the originals. Cherry, das keyboard, unicomp. Even Logitech has backlit but non-rgb lights.
Personally I'm using a Filco Majestouch.
Another vote here for Das Keyboard. I've had mine well over ten years and it's still fantastic. And no flashy lights.
Mine has served that long and is now a hand me down for my kid's first Linux box.
Yep, it's the RBG that makes a mechanical keyboard a gaming keyboard.
Gaming keyboards are also usually linear, but that's not a hard rule.
Almost all RGB keyboards have a switch to turn off the lighting since some people have their computers in their bedrooms.
TL;DR: Check out the KeyChron K3 V2 Non-Backlight edition. Decent quality, inexpensive, no lights, and no knowledge required.
ZSA make good stuff, sell it at reasonable prices, provide incredible support, and give a shit about artists/humans/the world. Any time mechanical keyboards are mentioned I feel compelled to inject their name into the conversation. I've owned a Moonlander for a while now and I have nothing but good things to say about it. I'd recommend the ZSA Voyager for someone checking out not shitty keyboards for the first time.
With that out of the way: it's tough to find a lightless mech keyboard these days because backlights make sense and, so long as you're putting lights behind keycaps, you might as well use full color range LEDs and let the user set a low brightness white color or turn them off if they don't care for it. Some companies make non-backlight versions (KeyChron's K series for instance) but they're a rarity. Why produce and stock inventory that's not moving?
I recommend doing some research on how mechanical keyboards are built (watch a 10 minute video on the internet) and then using RTINGS' keyboard table for some comparison shopping. You're looking for a well rated keyboard with hot swappable PCBs designed to accommodate south-facing LEDs (they point down - less bright). One of the advantages of going mechanical is customization. Don't want the LEDs at all? Remove them from your build. Even without PCB hot swapping: no one will stop you desoldering LEDs from your keyboard.
Building out something like a Gem80 from NuPhy or a 60HE from Wooting will net you a high quality mechanical keyboard that won't get in your way but is customizable enough for you to avoid RGB-induced eye sores.
One of the advantages of going mechanical is customization. Don't want the LEDs at all? Remove them from your build. Even without PCB hot swapping: no one will stop you desoldering LEDs from your keyboard.
Yeah OP if you want to live the ultra elite mech keyboard life you should be totally fine with just buying something and spending a ton of time desoldering a crap load of tiny components off of it. That's the best part about mechanical keyboards, is spending hundreds of dollars on them and then also needing to invest in a bunch of soldering gear and time to make sure you can skillfully enough disassemble electronics at the component level to not damage your newly purchased expensive device.
Build your own how you like it.
You can almost choose like Legos.
Did Das Keyboard go RGB? That’s a (pricey) but great keyboard.
E: just had a quick look. Still expensive, backlit but not RGB, full keyboard. We’ve had one for a decade.
I also recommend the Das Keyboard. Been using my Pro 4 for nearly a decade and it just keeps working, despite many spills. I type so hard and much that some of the keycaps crumbled earlier this year, so I got new keycaps for $10 and it just keeps chugging along.
The Logitech K845 only has a white backlight. It's a really clean, professional looking mechanical.
Akko has good ones. They are relatively cheap, but expect to spend ~90 euros on a full sized 110 key keyboard. I like akko cos they genuinely look good, no need for RGB.
I'd be happy with a keyboard deeper than the apparent 1mm the junk is going with.
As a bonus, one that's easier to vacuum for cat hair and similar detritus.
As a second bonus, one I can frustratingly pound when fingers/coding are betraying me. I will never manage that anger.
WASD Keyboards
I love my WASD. I think you pay a bit more for the customization, but I love that aspect. I made mine in orange and blue with the McLaren logo for the meta keys, and the Formula 1 logo for the F1 key. It makes me smile.
You can usually shut off the rgb lighting all together.
Just turn it off? Or keep it as a backlight, set it to one solid color you like with brightness turned down to be subtle but useful.
You don't need to keep it on rgb puke.
Snark aside, pick a keyboard you like for the size/feel/features and find out if its a software nightmare (razer) or not before worrying about rgb (just make sure rgb can be configured).
I don't want my keyboard to have software configuration on my PC. It's a fucking keyboard. It doesn't need and shouldn't have an app.
My Corsair keyboards do not require an app to be installed forever.
If I want to customize colors and whatnot I need the app, otherwise there are some presets on the keyboard itself.
If I customize the colors, I use the app and do it and then uninstall the app and move on. This is presumably MUCH easier than trying to do this without an interface directly on the keyboard which I suppose would be the alternative.
It WOULD be nice to just be able to edit a text file and copy it over.
My cheap Amazon RGB mech keyboards don’t need software to turn off/on/customize RGB or change colors or anything.
If you get one with QMK and Via you just set everything with a web app and everything is stored on the keyboard. Software is entirely necessary if you're not using a QWERTY layout.
Look up the Redragon VATA K580 if you are looking for modular with on-board keyboard LED controls via key combos (no software or system level lighting functionality.) I've been using that for a while with AKKO silent penguins, and I really like the thing.
Only downside I can think of is how narrow the sides of the included switches are, and how I accidentally damaged two of them while pulling the switches out. Might just be skill issue on my part, but it did come with a few spare switches anyways.
There are reasons you may want an app besides rbg: like if your keyboard supports macros, or if you have a hall sensor keyboard and you want to configure the activation and deactivation heights of your key presses.
But yeah, I kinda think rbg keyboards are lame
Ducky keyboards and most rgb mechs let you define the keyboard just with fn combinations. The software is for convenience
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There are many, many non-RGB and even non-backlit keyboards. Where are you looking?
Try mechanicalkeyboards.com
Here is a basic mech kb with no added frills.
https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/products/ducky-origin-black
Both of my own keyboards have the ability to disable the backlights—which is ideal, imo, so I can change my mind later.
Damn that Ducky Origin looks good! Wish there was an 80% option.
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Simple solution: turn off rgb. Usually can be done throigh software or theres a dedictaed fn key combination for it
Or you can go down the mech keeb rabbithole and start collecting nice boards
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