Please Advise on what Keyboard to get! (First One)

[LuckyPuppy]

Hey guys, I was looking into getting my first mechanical keyboard! But there are so many options. . . I know generally what a want, so here goes:
I would prefer a 75%, but a TKL would be fine, I would like Cherry MX Reds, and I prefer the more classy/lowkey keyboards, with nice colors such as whites, browns, golds, purples, blues, etc. and not shine through key caps. (Not the run of the mill black with RGB if you know what I mean). I have a pretty low budget, College Boiii! (That's why I can't build a fully custom one.)
Any and all tips and advice is welcome and appreciated,
Thanks!

[Leslieann]

What exactly is a low budget for you, for some low budget is pretty high while others is extremely low.

Generally though, at the lower end, truth be told, get lube and then figure out what you have left towards a hot swap board (needs to be hot swap). Lube is the great equalizer, a $60 board (with a bit of foam in the base) that has been lubed will kick the tail of a $200+ unlubed board. I've seen $60 barebones GMMK and lubed $40 soldered keyboards punch way, way above their price tag in terms of typing feel and sound. This is especially true if you have more time than money.

And...
You can always move those switches to something nicer later.

For cheap lube I've had good luck with ptfe based lubes from Finish line (for switches and plastic to plastic contact on stabs) and people have been using Super Lube Dielectric grease for stab wires for years (Don;t use this is your switches). These will cost you a fraction of what the trendy stuff costs and will lube TONS of boards instead of just a few.

[vice]

Firstly, welcome to the hobby!

Depending on your budget, you could always get a starter board from Drop or Monokei - my brother and I started like this and we eventually upgraded!

I would suggest you join some of the community Discord servers and have a chat with other keeb enthusiasts, maybe watch some YouTube videos to see what sort of board you want. Your taste will evolve over time so try not rush yourself!

Enjoy

[LuckyPuppy]

What exactly is a low budget for you, for some low budget is pretty high while others is extremely low.

Generally though, at the lower end, truth be told, get lube and then figure out what you have left towards a hot swap board (needs to be hot swap). Lube is the great equalizer, a $60 board (with a bit of foam in the base) that has been lubed will kick the tail of a $200+ unlubed board. I've seen $60 barebones GMMK and lubed $40 soldered keyboards punch way, way above their price tag in terms of typing feel and sound. This is especially true if you have more time than money.

And...
You can always move those switches to something nicer later.

For cheap lube I've had good luck with ptfe based lubes from Finish line (for switches and plastic to plastic contact on stabs) and people have been using Super Lube Dielectric grease for stab wires for years (Don;t use this is your switches). These will cost you a fraction of what the trendy stuff costs and will lube TONS of boards instead of just a few.