Scroll to the bottom of the page to get an idea of what the catgories mean and how I score every keyboard and switch. Totally not inspired by the DougScore.
Keyboard Scores
Every keyboard I've reviewed will have a score here. Unthoroughly tested keyboards are HIGHLIGHTED in ORANGE.| Keyboard | Switch | Build Quality | Features | Daily Performance | Reliability | Value | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteelSeries 7G | Cherry MX Black | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 38 | 76% |
| GK61 (Barebones) | N/A | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 68% |
| Razer BlackWidow 2014 | Razer Green | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 64% |
| Razer BlackWidow 2010 | Cherry MX Blue | 8 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 54% |
| Rapoo V500 | Kailh Yellow | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 50% |
| The G-Lab Keyz#Meca | Jixian Blue | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 48% |
| Corsair K70 RGB | Cherry MX Brown | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 46% |
ALL Switch Scores
Every switch I've tested will have a score here. Unthoroughly tested switches are HIGHLIGHTED in ORANGE.| Switch | Switch Type | Keyboard | Smoothness | Weighting | Sound | Typing Performance | Gaming Performance | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateron Silent Black Ink | Linear | GK61 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 37 | 74% |
| Gateron Black | Linear | GK61 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 33 | 66% |
| Momoka FROG Linear | Linear | GK61 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 33 | 66% |
| Outemu Red | Linear | GK61 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 60% |
| Greetech Red | Linear | GK61 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 30 | 60% |
| Kailh Black | Linear | GK61 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 60% |
| Cherry MX Silent Black | Linear | GK61 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 29 | 58% |
| Gateron Red | Linear | GK61 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 58% |
| Greetech Brown | Tactile | GK61 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 56% |
| Kailh Brown | Tactile | GK61 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 56% |
| TTC Gold V2 Brown | Tactile | GK61 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 54% |
| Cherry MX Silent Red (Cherry MX "Pink") | Linear | GK61 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 54% |
| Outemu Brown | Tactile | GK61 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 54% |
| Outemu Black | Linear | GK61 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 27 | 54% |
| Greetech Black | Linear | GK61 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 54% |
| TTC Gold V2 Red | Linear | GK61 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 52% |
| Gateron Brown | Tactile | GK61 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 26 | 52% |
| Razer Green | Clicky | Razer BlackWidow 2014 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 52% |
| Cherry MX Black | Linear | SteelSeries 7G | 3 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 52% |
| Cherry MX Blue | Clicky | Razer BlackWidow 2010 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 50% |
| Outemu Blue | Clicky | GK61 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 48% |
| Kailh Blue | Clicky | GK61 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 48% |
| Cherry MX Red | Linear | GK61 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 48% |
| Greetech Blue | Clicky | GK61 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 46% |
| Gateron Blue | Clicky | GK61 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 46% |
| TTC Silent Red | Linear | GK61 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 44% |
| Cherry MX Brown | Tactile | Corsair K70 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 42% |
| Kailh Red | Linear | GK61 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 42% |
| Jixian Blue | Clicky | The G-Lab Keyz#Meca | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 38% |
| TTC Silent Brown | Tactile | GK61 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 34% |
| Kailh Yellow | Linear | Rapoo V500 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 34% |
The KeebScore
How does it work?
There are 5 separate categories for both keyboards and switches. Each category is judged on a scale from 1 through 10 – with “1” being the worst, and “10” being the best, meaning the highest possible KeebScore is 50.
Each keyboard or switch is judged against all other keyboards or switches and not only its segment. That’s an important point because it means these categories aren’t relative, but rather absolute: the keyboard or switch with the very highest KeebScore is the best overall keyboard or switch I’ve ever tested, and the keyboard or switch with the lowest is the worst.
Another important note: The scores are subjective. A bit of an obvious one, but it needs to be mentioned just to make things a little more crystal clear. Preferences are what keeps this hobby exciting.
The categories:
Keyboard
There are 5 categories here. Build Quality, Features, Daily Performance, Reliability and Value.
Build Quality
For this, I’ll be taking into account the materials used for all the components, how they’ve held up over time and how they stack up against other keyboards. Examples of well-built keyboards include the IBM Model F, the SteelSeries 7G and the Apple Extended.
Features
Features will be based on a keyboards’ bells and whistles from the factory. Usually, the more features, the better, but if the intended feature is broken (like a keyboard calculator) or barely useful (like extra unprogrammable keys), it won’t count.
Daily Performance
A good daily performing keyboard needs to be able to handle most, if not, all computing tasks. A keyboard with useful features, great switches and a reasonable layout will do well, whilst the opposite won’t.
Reliability
Keyboards that stand the test of time will do well here. It’s sometimes hard to determine the reliability of a keyboard, especially when they’re brand new. In this case, my score will be weighted towards brand reputation and personal experience.
Value
In other words, Is it worth it? . This takes into account everything from the previous categories. A keyboard priced at £1000 isn’t necessarily a bad value if it excels at what it does. In the same fashion that a keyboard priced at £5 can be a poor value if it’s terrible to use, poorly built and inferior compared to rivals.
Switch
There are 5 categories here. Smoothness, Weighting, Sound, Typing Performance and Gaming Performance.
Smoothness
Smoothness is a category used to judge how buttery smooth the switch is. Modern hall-effect switches such as the SteelSeries OmniPoint are very smooth and deserve a “10”, whilst rough and scratchy switches like the Cherry MY doesn’t deserve a score above a “2”.
Weighting
Generally, switches that are extremely light (less than 40 grams) and switches that are extremely heavy (over 90 grams) don’t do well here. Everyone is sensitive to weighting, so this is a very subjective category.
Sound
Sound is, once again, very subjective. A great sounding switch to me isn’t going to be a great sounding switch to everyone. Additionally, this doesn’t account for any chassis difference between keyboards. If I happen to be reviewing a switch in a bad sounding chassis, the switch will simply get a low score here. There just isn’t any way to test every keyboard configuration out there.
Typing Performance
For this, I’m asking Is it pleasant to type on? This is all about the overall typing experience. Generally, very smooth, nicely weighted and great sounding switches do very well here.
Gaming Performance
This is a category designed to judge switches based on how well they perform for all types of games, though, more specifically, in fast paced games. There are now switches purely designed with gaming in mind. However, some vintage switches have proven to be great candidates too.