Hot-swappable keyboards
A hot-swappable keyboard has sockets on its circuit board instead of soldered joints, so you can pull a switch out with a small tool and push another in. No soldering iron, no desoldering pump, and the board keeps working while you do it.
It's the most useful feature to look for in a first mechanical keyboard. If the switches it ships with turn out too light, too loud or too scratchy, you can change them for a fraction of the cost of a new board, and one broken switch is a two-minute fix.
Check two things. First, whether the sockets take 3-pin or 5-pin switches: 5-pin sockets take both, 3-pin sockets need the two plastic legs clipped off 5-pin switches. Second, on magnetic and optical boards, hot-swap only works with switches of the same type, so ordinary mechanical switches won't fit. Our hot-swap guide covers both in more detail.
Prices include VAT. Sound tags are our summary of what owners and reviewers report, not measurements.
56 keyboards
Filter these by price, switch and more- 75%
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- Split
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- Alice
- 96%
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Guides
- Hot-swap keyboards under £120Hot-swappable mechanical keyboards under £120 in the UK, from £55 wired boards to wireless ones, and what to know before your first swap.
- Hot-swap or soldered PCBHow hot-swap sockets and soldered switches differ, when each is the better buy, and what to check before you commit.