Casio CT-S100 Review: The Cheapest Keyboard Worth Considering?

There's a temptation, when helping a child or a complete beginner who "wants to try keyboards," to buy the cheapest instrument available and see if the interest sticks. The Casio CT-S100 occupies exactly this market position - it's one of the most affordable proper keyboards from a reputable manufacturer, and it has 61 keys and 60 pre-loaded songs.

But is it actually worth buying? Or is it so compromised that you'd be better off spending a little more for something that doesn't immediately frustrate the person playing it?

What the CT-S100 is

The CT-S100 is a 61-key portable keyboard with unweighted, synth-action keys. It has 60 built-in tones (piano, strings, guitar sounds, etc.), 60 rhythm patterns, a built-in metronome, and 60 pre-loaded songs for play-along practice. The built-in speakers are small but functional for quiet home practice. It runs on batteries or via a mains adaptor (sold separately).

At B-stock pricing from Thomann, it's around £64 - which is genuinely competitive for what it is.

The keys: what "unweighted" means in practice

The most significant limitation of the CT-S100 is the unweighted keyboard action. The keys are light spring-loaded plastic - press them down and they snap back up immediately with no resistance. This is fundamentally different from how acoustic piano keys work, and the difference matters for technique development.

Playing piano requires developing specific hand and finger strength and muscle memory that's built around the resistance of weighted keys. Learning on unweighted keys builds different habits - you press lightly and release quickly, which is appropriate for synthesiser playing but actively wrong for acoustic piano technique. If the goal is to learn to play piano properly, this is a meaningful limitation.

Who it actually suits

Despite the above caveat, the CT-S100 is genuinely appropriate for:

• Very young children (under 7) - Whose hands aren't strong enough to comfortably press weighted keys for extended periods. At this age, engagement matters more than technique precision.
• Adults who want to play synthesiser-style music - Electronic music, pop production, or simple melody playing doesn't require the same technique development as classical piano.
• Someone who genuinely wants to "just try it" - If you're genuinely uncertain whether you'll enjoy playing keyboard at all, spending £64 to find out is sensible. Just be aware that if you decide to continue, you'll be buying a second instrument with weighted keys soon.
• Travel and portable applications - The CT-S100 is light, compact and battery-powered. For someone who wants to play in a caravan, a hotel room or at a relative's house, this portability matters more than key action quality.

The better alternatives for serious beginners

If you're planning to actually learn piano rather than just experiment, the additional investment in the Casio CDP-S110 is significant:

• 88 weighted keys (full piano range and proper technique development)
• Scaled key weight (heavier in bass, lighter in treble)
• Better sound quality
• More suitable for learning from tutorials and sheet music

The CDP-S110 costs roughly £255 - four times the price of the CT-S100. Whether that's worth it depends on how committed the learner is. For a motivated adult or older child, the CDP-S110 is the sensible choice. For a younger child or someone very uncertain about their interest, the CT-S100 is a reasonable way to find out.

Getting the most from a CT-S100

If you do buy the CT-S100:

• Use the built-in 60 songs - they're designed to be learnable and fun, and the play-along feature with the rhythm section makes practice more engaging
• Learn basic music theory alongside keyboard - understanding note names, scales and simple chord theory makes progress significantly faster
• Connect to a music learning app - Simply Piano, Flowkey and Yousician all work well with MIDI input from a basic keyboard (check whether your CT-S100 has MIDI out, as not all versions do)
• Set realistic expectations - you'll be able to play simple melodies and songs within a few weeks. Don't try to jump to complex material before the basics are comfortable.

The B-stock advantage

Thomann's B-stock instruments are inspected and graded. A CT-S100 B-stock typically has minor cosmetic marks - a scratch on the casing, a small mark on the back panel - that don't affect functionality. For an instrument being used for practice and learning, this is not a meaningful concern. The saving over new (typically 15-20%) is worth taking.