Cheaper alternative: Qisan Magicforce 40%Д¬oming in at $54 itвЂ™s hard to beat the price of this keyboard. This can be overlooked however when you consider the quality of the frame. 40% keyboards are used for their ease of portability and nobody wants to carry around a keyboard that feels like brick. The only downside to the aluminum frame is the weight, coming in at 2.2 pounds, this keyboard is a bit on the heavier side. With a nice aluminum frame this keyboard is built to last and will hold all the components without worry of breaking or flexing the frame. In order keep track of what layer youвЂ™re currently typing with the keyboard includes an LED that changes color to determine which layer your using. One of the upsides to a 40% keyboard is amount of key customization available and Vortexgear does not shy away from that, with 4 programmable layers and designing for each key to be individually programmed. Just be careful because depending on where you purchase the keyboard you may need to buy the cable separately. By designing for the usage of detachable cables, it is easier than ever to pack up your keyboard and take it with you. PBT plastic is the material that all keyboards should strive to use and Vortexgear choosing this plastic for their keyboards is a big plus.Дetachable micro-USB cables are all the rage these days and Vortexgear nailed this part of the design. A keyboard thatвЂ™s more on the upper-end in term of price, at $95.Д¬oming with PBT plastic keycaps, this kind of plastic has more of a textured feel to it and doesnвЂ™t get a greasy shiny look after heavy use like most keycaps do. Allowing you to pick which type of Cherry MX switches you need. The Vortexgear 40% keyboard is high-quality, compact aesthetic keyboard with a sturdy aluminum frame. LED that shows which layer is being used.4 switchable layers, 3 are programmable.Pre-built Keyboards: Our Pick Vortexgear 40% Keyboard Vortexgear 40% Keyboard Prebuilt keyboards that are already assembled and keyboard kits that come shipped together but are assembled after purchase.

WeвЂ™re going to divide this up into two different sections. Now that weвЂ™ve explained what exactly a 40% keyboard is, letвЂ™s dive into some of the best available products on the market. This feature is very useful for programmers and typists who like the customization of their keyset. For example, the top row is QWERY but you can swap that out with 12345 by using the programmable settings build into the keyboard.

What this means is itвЂ™s possible to switch between two sets of keys. However, they are not recommended if you need to a number pad for lot of data entry or if you enjoy using arrow keys as both features are not included with this style of keyboard.ДЇor 40% keyboards, its standard to have 3 of the rows of keys to be layers. Of all the different sizes and shapes of mechanical keyboards, 40% keyboards are one of the smallest and less common variations available. This makes the keyboard light and easier to take on the go. 40% keyboards are also cheaper too since less supplies are required to build and assemble them.ДЇor example, a standard keyboard layout that includes a number pad and arrow keys has a total key count of 104, while a 40% keyboard only has 47. The closer more compact keys can help lower the amount of distance your fingers need to travel and boost your typing speed. While this may sound strange, a lot of people enjoy using this keyboard layout. Photo from /u/Koobaczech You may be wondering, what the heck is a 40% keyboard?ДЄ 40% keyboard is a very small compact keyboard with no number pad, arrow keys, or the entire top row of keys where the numbers are usually located.

Keyboard layout editor