I don’t like recommending products that I haven’t used myself. This is inexpensive enough, though, and it sure looks like a good way to try out a mechanical keyboard without investing in an expensive piece of hardware.

I’ve been using mechanical keyboards since the nineties. For most of that time, I used the venerable IBM Model M keyboard. That is still my favorite keyboard. I haven’t found a modern switch that quite matches the feel and response of IBM’s buckling springs, but I’m trying!

A few years ago, a good friend of mine gifted me a 2016 edition Razor BlackWidow keyboard. It uses Cherry MX green switches. They’re the heavier, more hardcore version of the Cherry MX blue switch. They’re not quite as smooth as the buckling springs that I’ve always enjoyed, but I’ve gotten used to them, and I really do like this keyboard.

Today’s deal is definitely not of the same grade as my Razor BlackWidow, but it is also $100 cheaper. It looks like the 2019 edition of the Razor BlackWidow with real Cherry MX green switches is on sale for $79.99 right now. That’s about $50 off, so that is a good deal, too!

It is the DRECO Durendal 104-key programmable gaming keyboard. It is a USB keyboard with all sorts of lights.

It has N-Key rollover. That means you can hold as many keys down at the same time as you want, so you won’t have any trouble gaming with this keyboard.

The switches are not Cherry switches. They are some sort of clone. At $27.99, I wouldn’t let that bother me. If you’re looking to try a mechanical keyboard, this seems like an inexpensive way to get your feet wet!

The keyboard is available with blue, red, or brown switches. The keyboards with blue switches aren’t on sale. They’re still $39.99. The other two are on sale for $27.99, so they’re about 30% off.

Update: I noticed another keyboard!

There’s also a tenkeyless 87-key mechanical keyboard on sale for about $10 off at Amazon right now, too. This one uses the same brand of knock-off Cherry switch as the DRECO keyboard, but this keyboard is only available with the tactile blue switches.

If you’d prefer a smaller mechanical keyboard to save space, and you don’t have much use for a number pad, the Eagletec KG040 keyboard might be a good value for you at $25.19!

All these keyboards are available with Prime shipping.

UPDATE: These deals have all expired.