In recent years, mechanical keyboards are becoming less niche The hobby is thriving with a wide variety of options, including cases, PCBs, switches, and keycaps But what excites me most is the growing number of entry-level options: from Keychron to Glorious, there are plenty of promising mechanical keyboards you can buy to get your foot in the door

One such keyboard is the Vissles V84 (starting at $99), perhaps my new favorite keyboard for my MacBook Pro With RGB lighting, PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) keycap options, and the best I've tried recently The V84 is one of the best mechanical keyboards you can buy, especially for someone just starting out in this hobby

Read our review of the Vissles V84 to see why this is the recommended keyboard for keyboard newbies

The V84 can be purchased directly from Vissles; if you want PBT caps (and the best switches), you will need to purchase the more expensive V84 Pro model with Vissles VS II switches At the time of this writing, this keyboard sells for $109, compared to the regular retail price of $119

If you purchase the less expensive version, it comes preinstalled with black ABS caps and either red, brown, or blue switches At the time of writing this review, these three variants are selling for $99 instead of the regular price of $119

While cheaper entry-level mechanical keyboards exist, such as the Keychron K2, the V84 stands out as one of the better ones It has a plastic body, but thanks to a large 3,750mAh battery, the board has a reasonable weight to it Coupled with the optional magnetic feet, this keyboard has not moved at all since I started using it

At 124 inches wide and 5 inches long, the V84 takes up absolutely no room on my desk It has a 75% layout, with function rows, arrow keys, page up/down, home/end, delete, pause, and print screen The latter is ideal for MacBooks, since the function row works with the macOS media keys

The Vissles come with a removable magnetic bezel if you want a thicker look around the keys, but I opted for the slimmer look Otherwise, the keyboard's appearance is very minimalist, but the RGB lighting adds a nice touch to the keyboard when powered on

The V84 is not eye-catching, but it definitely gets the job done Squeaks, flexes, and pinging noises inside the case are not a concern The stabilizers seem fairly basic, but there is no discernible rattling and they sound decent enough

The V84 comes in two flavors The model I have is technically a V84 Pro, as it has white PBT keycaps and Vissles VS II linear switches The regular V84 has black ABS caps and a choice of Oetmu Brown, Red, or Blue switches These are alternatives to the Cherry and Gateron switches that are common on other keyboards I have not liked Oetmu switches in the past and found them to be of slightly lower quality than Gateron

The fact that you get PBT caps at this price is a nice, if rather modest, bonus It is not shine-through, so the backlight is diffused around the bottom of the cap

However, the legend is crisp and clear, and I like the slightly grippy texture on each cap In my experience, PBT caps tend to withstand fingerprint oil for longer periods of time than ABS caps, so I'm curious how the V84 will hold up against my 8 hours of typing

What I like most about the V84 is probably the VS II switches I tend to prefer linear switches for gaming This is because they bottom out without any hassle and make for faster responses in games For typing, I strongly prefer tactile switches like the Holy Panda, Halo True, and TTC Bluish White But the VS II is the first linear switch that I actually enjoy typing on

With 52g of actuation force and 4mm of travel, the VS II is right in the sweet spot for my typing switches It is light enough that (unlike the Kailh Box Blacks I use on my gaming keyboard) I don't feel like I'm moving my fingers through molasses But the switches are also heavy enough that you won't accidentally touch-type them Some switches seem to be activated by looking at the wrong one; the VS II is a great switch, especially at this price

The V84 does not claim to be a gaming keyboard, nor does it use generic firmware like QMK or VIA Instead, it is tied to Vissles proprietary software Unfortunately, this is currently Windows-only, which is incredibly odd since the V84 comes with a Mac layout out of the box Because it is locked out of the software, you cannot control the firmware if you are using macOS I think this is in poor taste However, you can control the RGB lighting pattern and brightness with hardware controls

This keyboard is also hot-swappable, allowing you to use any switch you like I chose not to mod the review unit because I wanted to evaluate the stock configuration, but it is nice to have the option; the PCB also supports 5-pin switches, so there is no need to cut out the switches you have to use on this keyboard

The V84 is wireless with Bluetooth 51 support, but can also be used wired with a USB-C cable Battery life is quite good, even on default settings right out of the box; I've been using the V84 full-time for over a week and it hasn't run out yet

When configured with PBT caps and VS II switches, the V84 sounds soft and dull The sock is a bit more on the muted side the VS II is a very quiet switch, and with switch lubrication and an o-ring damper (if you like the spongy feel when typing) it might be a good candidate for a quiet board according to Vissles, the VS II will be available soon Vissles says that the VS II will be available soon

All of the above puts the V84 at the top of my recommendation list as an entry-level mechanical keyboard While there are certainly cheaper alternatives, the V84 stands out for its solid construction and great battery life It's also nice to see PBT caps and surprisingly good switches at this price point, and a wireless keyboard that works with a MacBook without hassle is always on board

Hot-swappable keyboards are slowly becoming more popular, and I'm all for it This feature gives me the flexibility to experiment with whatever switches I like on the V84 The performance is excellent for the price It's a great entry point into the world of mechanical keyboards, and since it's Bluetooth, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for high-stakes competitive gaming, but you can always use it in wired mode if you prefer

Vissles is going after manufacturers like Keychron, which is very exciting Mechanical keyboards, as we all know in the hobby, can get very expensive, so it is exciting to see such a strong entry-level option