I’ve wanted a mechanical keyboard for a long time, but the choice in switches has left me stymied. I don’t have anywhere that I can go to try them out side-by-side to really grok the differences between them.
I was also worried about the clickity-clack impact on online gaming, but recent innovations in active background noise filtering seems to have addressed that issue.
So… anybody have and use one? What do you use it for and what kind of switches does it have? How do you rate it against a standard mid-range rubber-membrane keyboard? Give me your wisdom.
FWIW, I know that many of these keyboards make a big deal about customization in the form of macros and lighting, but I don’t care about any of that. I’m strictly interested in the tactile aspect of the keys.
My fingers right now rest on the keys of an Apple Extended Keyboard II, nicknamed “Saratoga” and perpetually vying against the IBM Model M for the consensus win for best keyboard of all time.
The Saratoga uses Alps switches.
The keyboard connects via the outmoded ADB (din-8) port and must be attached to a modern computer via ADB-to-USB converter of some sort. I use an iMate.
Yes, I got this one. I don’t have enough knowledge about the different flavors of mechanical switches to particularly recommend it, but the first time I used it was wonderful. It transported me back to the 90s when keyboards where fast and clicked back to place with great speed instead of feeling mushy and squishy.
It is loud though even though its advertised as a quieter option. I turned off all the colors.
I’ve got a Logitech K840 with “Romer-G” switches. It’s a keyboard, and it reminds me more than anything else of how keyboards were back about 20 years ago in terms of the sound and feel of the keys. It’s nice, but it’s not magical or anything.
I also have my work wireless keyboard (some other cheaper variety of Logitech membrane, I think) laying around and it’s also perfectly serviceable, but with a somewhat different feel.
I guess the best I can compare mechanical keyboards to is pens. To most people, they’re all more or less interchangeable, but there are a small number of people to whom the differences between pens matters. This keyboard seems to be much the same- there’s probably a set of people out there who really digs the feel of the mechanical ones, but for most people it’s not a big deal.
I have the Logitech G915. TBH, I forget exactly which keys I picked but I have to assume that they are likely the middle of the road “Tactile” set rather than the “Clicky” or “Linear” sets.
I love it. It has enough of the satisfying click with out being too loud. Plus there will never be the issue of a broken membrane.
I had a lot of mechanical keyboards. Some of them were pretty good, but a good quality membrane is just as good. The keyboard on my Dell laptop is just fine. I’ve come to prefer small keyboards over the years also.
Yep. I’m typing on a Keychron K4. I also have an Anne Pro 2 as well as a Keychron K1 (with low profile switches) for my iPad.
The K4 has Optical red switches. The Anne Pro 2 and K1 have Gateron Brown switches. Browns are more tactile feeling and reds are some of the quieter ones. Blues are the really loud clickety ones.
It’s much more fun to type on vs. a standard rubber membrane keyboard. It feels better to type on it.
This will probably not be helpful, but I’ve got a bunch of different wired and wireless mechanical keyboard. I bought them all off amazon for under $40 apiece. They’re budget “gaming” keyboards so they use cheap Outemu black and red switches and are designed to be smooth, silent, and twitchy.
I got this from son’s old parts stockpile when my old keyboard started to have issues. I like the lighted keys as I usually have the room lights dim when I am at the desk at night and the gray on black print is not visible then. I never got good at touch key typing.
I’m using an EVGA Z10 with brown Kailh switches which are the more quality Cherry alternatives. My old keyboard was a Logitech G15 which wasn’t mechanical so there was a definite change to the tactile experience but I like it. They’re satisfyingly clacky to type on but not to the point where my wife comes in and asks what the hell is going on (that’d be Blue switches if you want to annoy the neighbors). I play regularly with friends on Discord and no one has commented yet on my typing sounds so I assume that it’s quiet enough or sound canceling is good enough that it’s not an issue.
I tried several keyboards, but, ultimately, I found I don’t really care what I type on. I am almost as happy with a $10 Logitech one as a $200 one. I am even fine writing things on my phone, which I know a lot of people don’t like, so my opinion might be unusual.
I recommend buying a keyboard switch tester. They are things that have keys with several different types of switches so that you can see which type you like the best. I found that I would use something different for playing games than typing; Cherry brown switches for typing, and red or clear switches for games.
For what it’s worth, I found I liked Topre keyboards the most and I currently use their Realforce RGB.
I have a Durgod Taurus K320 and spent a while reading about the different color coded Cherry brand switches before making my choice, which I think was a little on the stiff and loud side of the middle of the spectrum. I really like it. I also have a standard issue Mac keyboard which is much less tactile, and I can certainly type better on the Durgod one. My issue is some hand disability, poor control, including the tendency to lightly press keys I’m not trying to press, and also shakiness that results in double presses on soft keyboards.
Never heard of a keyboard switch tester, but that sounds like the way to get the best possible choice!
One of the Dell techs I spoke with on the phone has a mechanical keyboard. He said he likes to be able to hear the keys over the phone conversation. It sounded like he was shaking a box of BBs.
My husband has Das Keyboard with Cherry MX, which he uses for his home computer, and has another one in the office for his work computer (not a Mac). He’s a programmer and really likes the response of the keys and the sound. A number of his coworkers have mechanical keyboards.
The top panel is made out of aluminum, so it really feels solid. The keys have a nice click that does encourage me to keep the door shut and my mic on mute.
I still have an older Das Keyboard with blank keys that I used for years, until I finally decided that the cool factor of the totally black keyboard wasn’t worth the annoyance of looking for the ampersand key.
I tried Cherry MX Red and they are great for gaming but require too much pressure to write for extended periods of time.
At one point I bought a Corsair keyboard with what they called speed switches, and I have to say that was the best balance between gaming and writing that I could find.
Eventually I switched it out with a Cherry MX Brown and brown is probably your best bet for writing. I haven’t tested it for gaming. I kinda miss the speed switches so I might go dig that out of my closet.
I never could get the hang of writing on PC. I use my MacBook air for the majority of my composition.
I write and my mechanical keyboard has Cherry MX Brown switches, chosen after a lot of research into the best mechanical keyboards for writing. I like it quite a lot compared to a membrane keyboard; I’m just an ok typist, and I like the feeling of surety that you’ve pressed the keys hard enough that mechanical keyboards give.
Note, these keys are not in any way silent, which is something I actually like personally, but others would not enjoy.
I have a Corsair Strafe with Cherry MX Browns.
It’s the red LED version and I am thinking that when have to go back to the office, this keyboard will go with me to replace the porridge based keyboard supplied by my employer and I will get the RGB Strafe so I can go full unicorn puke when gaming. /s
Seriously though, setting colour coded keys on a per game basis will be really helpful when trying to remember primary vs secondary functions in a new game.