As a keyboard nerd, I really couldn't be in a better job. See, I run the Tom's Guide in-house reviews team, which means that me and my team get to test a huge number of the best mechanical keyboards around.
From thocky productivity keyboards to elite, lightweight Hall Effect gaming decks; from budget boards to premium slabs of aluminum and wood, we get to test them all.
Full size: Keychron K4 HE
No self-respecting keyboard roundup would be complete without a Keychron board. Keychron has proved itself to be one of the foremost players in the keyboard industry, producing a huge variety of productivity-focused boards, as well as gaming keyboards under the Lemokey sub-brand.
In early 2025, we tested the K4 HE, which followed hot on the heels of the Keychron K2 HE that I reviewed in late 2024. The K4 HE is the 96% variant, but otherwise they're the same.
The K4 HE features magnetic switches which, in addition to being great for typing, are absolutely formidable for gaming. Magnetic switches allow customizable actuation, as well as elite-tier gaming features like rapid trigger and Last Key Prioritization SOCD (A.K.A. 'Snap Tap').
You can't really find better keyboards for hybrid gaming and productivity than the K2 HE and K4 HE, particularly the K4, as it has a num pad! It's also utterly beautiful, finished with Rosewood edges and those jet black keycaps. It earned a 4.5-star score in our Keychron K4 HE review, and is an easy recommendation from me.
80% TKL: MCHOSE GX87 Pro
This one surprised me. I took a press sample of the MCHOSE GX87 Pro in April 2025 as something of a wildcard. It's fairly boring to look at, with the same keycap design, case and internal features we see fairly frequently on other aluminum 80% TKL boards like my Chilkey ND TKL.
But oh boy, did the GX87 surprise me!
The GX87's chief virtue is its sound. This thing sounds utterly incredible out of the box, and far better than I was expecting given its relatively obscure manufacturer. With no modifications whatsoever, the GX87 delivers a thocky, creamy acoustic profile that's rather addictive.
It's also exceedingly comfortable to type on, built like a tank, and priced fairly sensibly given all the above. Read my MCHOSE GX87 review to find out more.
75%: Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro
As we're on the topic of great-sounding keyboards, it'd be remiss of me to leave out the Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro, which we tested back in July 2025. My colleague Nikita tested this one for our review, but I also own my own Rainy 75 Pro, so I'm very well acquainted with this deck.
Sound matters. Any keyboard enthusiast knows that. And keyboards don't get much better sounding than the Rainy 75 Pro. As its name suggests, this keyboard is designed to sound like falling rain, with an addictively poppy sound profile. It's fantastic.
It also types beautifully thanks to the sculpted Cherry-profile keycaps and smooth Kailh Cocoa switches. It won itself a 4.5-star score and Editor's Choice badge in our Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro review.
Low-profile: NuPhy Kick75
I test a lot of low-profile keyboards for Tom's Guide. In fact, I'm probably the person who tests the most of them. The NuPhy Kick75, which I tested back in March 2025, is by far my favorite LP board this year — and maybe even all time.
And it goes a little deeper than its performance, too. I also love this board for what it symbolizes about NuPhy's wider ambition for the keyboard market.
With the Kick75, NuPhy wanted to remove the separation between standard- and low-profile keyboards. As such, the Kick isn't just hot-swappable, it's profile-swappable, too. You can buy the board in either low- or standard-profile guise and swap between the two with a kit — no changing PCB required, as the switch sockets will fit both switch types.
The Kick also looks and sounds great, is joyous to type on and, best of all, is susprisingly affordable, starting at just $99. Find out more in my NuPhy Kick75 review.
Gaming: Wooting 80HE
Ah, I love this keyboard. I got my hands on the Wooting 80HE at the very start of 2025 and fell head over heels! If you're after an elite gaming keyboard with as many features as it's essentially possible to get, this is it.
The Wooting 80HE features, as the name suggests, Hall Effect switches, giving you access to cutting-edge gaming features such as adjustable actuation, rapid trigger and 'snap tap'. It's designed to give hardcore gamers and esports pros the performance and competitive edge they need.
The 80HE is also lovely to type on, with Wooting's magnetic switches as good for productivity as gaming. It's highly customizable thanks to excellent companion software, available as both a standalone and web app. And to round things off, it's built and styled beautifully, too! Check out my Wooting 80HE review for the full lowdown.
Honorable mention: Lemokey L5 HE
The gaming category was a real tussle, so this one is getting an honorable mention. It was so difficult choosing between the Wooting 80HE and this, the Lemokey L5 HE, that I decided to include both.
I tested the Lemokey L5 HE back in February 2025, and was extremely impressed. While Lemokey/Keychron has already dabbled in magnetic switch technology with the Keychron K2 HE, the L5 HE was the first proper attempt at a gaming-first elite magnetic board.
The L5 HE was a long overdue 8,000Hz board for Lemokey/Keychron. See, while the brands already had magnetic boards, they had nothing that polled at above 1,000Hz. For elite players, 8,000Hz boards can reduce the chances of missed inputs for a competitive edge. Therefore, without an 8K board, Lemokey was on the back foot versus other brands and boards.
Well, no longer! The L5 HE packs a huge array of gaming features to match the Wooting 80HE, as well as fantastic customzation software in the form of the Lemokey Launcher web app. It's built to withstand the apocalypse and is pretty nice to type on, too.
I actually score this board higher than the Wooting 80HE, but this is a personal list about my preferences, and in the end, the Wooting just tugs on my heart strings a little more — primarily due to styling. Find out more in my full Lemokey L5 HE review.
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