AJAZZ NK61 Review: A $22 Mechanical Keyboard That Actually Delivers

The problem with cheap mechanical keyboards

Most keyboards under $30 that call themselves "mechanical" are lying to you. They use membrane switches dressed up in mechanical-looking keycaps, or they use such generic actuation mechanisms that the typing feel is indistinguishable from a $10 office keyboard. I've been down that road more than once.

So when I came across the AJAZZ NK61 sitting at $21.85 after a 54% discount, my default reaction was skepticism. A 60% mechanical keyboard with hot-swap switches and RGB at that price? I decided to dig into what it actually is before writing it off.

Here's my honest take.

What you actually get

The NK61 is a 60% layout keyboard, which means it drops the numpad, the dedicated function row, and standalone arrow keys. Everything you lose is still accessible through Fn key combinations — just not at a single keypress. That's a real trade-off, and I'll come back to it.

What surprised me was the build quality relative to the price. The base feels solid. The keycaps have reasonable resistance and don't wobble in ways that make you feel like the keyboard is falling apart. The red linear switches are smooth and quiet — no audible click, which makes this usable in shared spaces or late-night sessions without creating noise complaints.

The RGB lighting is genuine. Reviewers consistently report 17 lighting modes with adjustable brightness and animation speed. At this price tier, that's not a given — plenty of keyboards at twice the price ship with two or three static color options and call it a day.

The standout feature is hot-swap. This means you can pull switches out and replace them without soldering. Want to try tactile switches after living with linears for a month? You can do that. This is a feature you normally find on keyboards starting at $50-$60, from brands like Keychron or Glorious. Having it here, at $22, is genuinely unusual.

What's the catch?

The 60% layout is the honest limitation, and it's worth stating plainly: if you work in spreadsheets, do video editing, or rely on F1-F12 shortcuts throughout your day, this format will frustrate you. Adapting to Fn-layer navigation takes time, and some people simply never get comfortable with it. That's not a failure of the keyboard — it's a format mismatch.

Beyond that, worth noting that the build quality is good for the price, not good in absolute terms. You're not getting the aluminum frame of a Keychron K6 or the premium PBT keycaps of a Leopold. The NK61 is solid for what it costs, but if you're used to high-end boards, you'll feel the difference.

What would you normally get for $22?

At this price point, the realistic alternatives are mostly membrane keyboards disguised as mechanical, or entry-level mechanicals with budget switches and no customization options whatsoever. Brands like Redragon and Royal Kludge play in this space. The NK61 competes directly with the RK61 and the Redragon K530 — both solid options, both similarly priced.

The differentiator is hot-swap. Neither the RK61 in its base version nor most Redragon boards at this price offer it. If switch customization matters to you at all, the NK61 has a real edge.

At $22 with a 54% discount applied, this is one of the few times I'd say the deal actually changes the calculus.

Buy it if / Skip it if

Buy it if:

• You want your first mechanical keyboard without a big upfront commitment
• You're interested in the 60% format and desk space matters to you
• You want to experiment with hot-swap without paying premium prices
• You use this primarily for gaming, where the missing keys matter less

Skip it if:

• You depend on F-keys, arrow keys, or a numpad in daily work
• You're coming from a high-end board and expect comparable build quality
• The 60% layout is new to you and you don't have patience for the adaptation period

Verdict: The NK61 is a legitimate entry point into the 60% mechanical keyboard world. It's not trying to compete with Keychron or Ducky — and at $22, it shouldn't have to. What it offers for the price, especially with hot-swap included, is hard to match. If you've been curious about mechanical keyboards but not ready to spend $60+, this is a reasonable place to start.

Check current price and buy here: Buy now on AliExpress