Can you help me ask the right question, and recommend an answer? I want to buy 2 identical keyboards for my two work locations, to work with a Windows laptop in a docking station. My big deal is that I have a bit of disability in my hands due to nerve damage, so I have shakiness and somewhat poor control. It’s way easier for me if there is more key movement, with a bit of resistance, and a definite clicking action to the keys – otherwise I get a lot of inadvertent keystrokes and double keystrokes.
Last time I bought a Quick Fire Rapid by CM Storm, at a MicroCenter. This may have been 10 or 15 years ago. They told me it was a “gaming keyboard” made with Cherry brand switches. The other day one of the IT guys called it a “mechanical keyboard”, as in “Yeah, I heard somebody in this part of the building had a mechanical keyboard.” But it is getting old and the space bar doesn’t work after several days of inactivity, unless I drum on it a few dozen times. Besides, I’m expanding workspaces so I need two now.
I don’t play any games at all. Back then, people told me that gaming keyboards have the kind of strong key action that I would like, which seems to have worked. I type maybe 50 WPM and do a significant amount of writing. I also program which involves odd combinations of numbers and punctuation and rapid moving around like manipulating columns of symbols.
Can you help me out?
What kind of keyboard should I look for?
And, are there particular ones I should try?
I don’t know if I’m going to be able to go try keyboards like this someplace, or if I have to order them.
What you describe is called “Cherry MX Blue” switches. You can search that phrase on amazon and get a whole list of keyboards. There are other possibilities, but if you want one that takes a little more force and is clicky, that is the Blue.
Cherry is one manufacturer of switches in Germany. There are also many clones, which were probably less quality initially, but now make good products (e.g. Kailh, Gateron). There are other non-Cherry switches like ALPS which tend to be $$$.
r/mechanicalkeyboards at reddit is decent if you check the FAQ.
Based on your description, you don’t want the Red linear gaming switches. Blues are LOUD though, make sure you want that, you may just want the tactile non-click ones. I have Kailh Box Brown, seem good but I don’t have any others.
As a final note, you can also try before you buy too much. You can buy little kits for $15 or so that come with several switch types and you can compare the different types.
Excellent advice! Thank you all! Based on some of the reddit discussions the Cherry MX Brown and Blue are similar in feel but the Brown is quieter; they call it “tactile”. Since I’m not looking for the noise part, I went with that. 2 keyboards arrive Monday!