SteelSeries Apex M500
Www.steelseries.com $90
The M500 is a relatively barebones mechanical keyboard, offering a standard 104-key layout, singlecolor backlighting, and no other extras to speak off. And yet, there’s still a lot to like here. For a start, this is an attractive keyboard. In particular, having the keys mounted on a white plastic base, with a raised surround, makes for much more even, tidy-looking backlighting. The matte black finish is also nice. It’s certainly not winning any design awards, but it’s smart and practical, plus build quality is excellent, too.
When I say the M500 is barebones, though, I really mean it. There’s no USB passthrough, no detachable cable, and nor is the cable braided. You can flip down the rear feet to raise up the back edge. Other than that, you can adjust the backlight, and there are secondary functions for media playback.
The keyboard uses Cherry MX switches, with Red and Blue variants available. As such, the typing experience is as excellent as you’d expect, and you can replace the keycaps.
It’s a shame this keyboard isn’t a little cheaper. It delivers, but there are equally capable keyboards for less.