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Know Your Type: Five Mechanical Keyboards Compared
MojoKid writes As a power user, you notice certain things that the average person might not. One of those is the difference between typing on a sweet mechanical keyboard with luxurious key action, versus pounding away on a run-of-the-mill squishy plank that relies on membrane switches to register your keystrokes. The difference may seem subtle to the uninitiated, though even casual typists can recognize that there's something inherently superior about a mechanical keyboard. Of course, it's the mechanical key switches that are responsible for elevating the typing experience. These are better than the rubber domes found in membrane keyboards in a number of ways, including feel, responsiveness, and durability. Mechanical keyboards are growing in popularity, as word is spreading about how good they are. In turn, keyboard manufacturers have responded by feeding more mechanical models into what was once a niche market. If you go out in search of a mechanical keyboard, you'll now find a mountain of options. This roundup further reinforced something we've known for a long time, which is that mechanical keyboards are the superior choice for both gaming and daily typing chores. That doesn't mean they're all created equal — there are different key switches to choose from, and features vary from one plank to the next. The choice of key switch type is highly subjective but we can say that Cherry MX key switches are indeed of higher quality than knock-offs like the Kailh switch. That's not to say Kailh switches are bad, just that you can discern a difference when going from one to the other.
The "feel" of the keys is precise, the noise is great in a .. distinct way - they feel professional for lack of a better word.
None the less, I can STILL wack out about 5 to 10% more WPM on a standard US layout HP or Dell 101 traditional rubber dome. There's something about the amount of springyness in the keys and my typing style which makes me make a tiny amount more mistakes on a mechanical and I just can't quite thrash the keyboard as well. I think the throw depth is different.
Only one I haven't tried is blue :/ can't be bothered.
Also! My particular type style and depth throw when I hit keys, I manage to cause the keys to go haywire within 6 to 12 months. The black I'm typing on right now will double press certain keys fairly regularly (at least 3 to 5 times a day, it will result in something looking liike thiis more often than n ot)
Honestly, I don't hate my mechanicals but I'm just not convinced 3 years on after owning 5 of the things, that they are for everyone.
I have a Das Keyboard that I'm very happy with. However, I let my ego get the better of me and went with the ultimate model that is entirely unmarked. My typing is good, but not good enough for this board. On top of that, something that I certainly didn't realise before, is that while keyboard markings are not required for touch typing, they are still very much essential for keyboard shortcuts. Seriously, I don't care how good your touch typing is, when you're "hands off" from the board you'll find it really hard to hit a two-hand keyboard shortcut without markings on the keys. It's even more of a problem when the application is shortcut-rich and hitting the wrong key does something strange...
Otherwise, I'm happy to recommend this Model S but with the key labels!
PS: This board is loud. Too loud for a shared office environment. Though it did intimidate the absolute hell out of my office mates for the short while I was allowed to use it there... :)
I briefly used what I realise (in retrospect) was a Model M keyboard at a job I had in the late-90s. At the time I found the fact the resistance was half way down and very obviously "click switchy" (i.e. requires relatively high amount of pressure to get through, then suddenly breaks) to be strange and unnatural. I'm no millennial membrane-weaned weenie; I'd been using computers since the 80s, most of which had mechanical keyboards back then, and while some had been mediocre, some I really liked. They all went "tap" at the bottom, unlike this weird and unsatisfactory action. I have to say that Model M did nothing for me, and I'd no desire to return to it.
When I bought a Cherry mechanical keyboard for myself, I intentionally avoided the ones with the Model M style force gradients in favour of the ones that go "tap" at the bottom.
I've said it before here, and I'll say it again- the people who like Model Ms seem to *really* like them, but I'm convinced that the majority of people who didn't grow up using that keyboard or anything like it would- at best- find it an acquired taste, and probably be happier with one of the better membrane jobs (sacrilege!) or a mechanical keyboard with a more regular action.
I also think that membrane keyboards nowadays aren't that bad. Maybe I'm just used to them, but while I've come across some truly horrible examples at the dirt-cheap end, I've also come across some that were quite pleasant to use (and oddly, were also dirt-cheap models). Still not quite as good as the best- in my judgement- mechanical keyboards, but much better than the mechanical keyboards on some 80s home computers.
Anyway, back to the Model M. Yes, it feels "expensive" and "well made" in that it's obviously mechanical, and heavy, but that doesn't make it that great to type on IMHO (any more than I'm going to deny that my membrane keyboard at work is okay, simply because it's cheap). Some people think they're really great, and that's fine, they're entitled to their opinion. However, given that the borderline fetishisation from a disproportionately vocal number of fanboys might give others the impression the Model M was the be all and end all, I'm quite happy in balancing things out by saying I don't think they were all that, to be honest.
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They also,somewhat paradoxically, result in usng less force to type. It generally requires more pressure to push a mechanical key but being able to feel that precise moment when the key is activated is an immediate signal to your fingers to relax the pressure. There's a noticable difference in how much my hands hurt from RSI using a mechanical versus using a membrane keyboard.