What do you mean by "low-end" mechanical? Some "mechanical" keyboards use imitation Cherry MX switches which, although not necessarily a bad thing, may not have been validated for as many key presses as generally accepted. As such, you may be expecting a mechanical keyboard to last you X number of years when in reality is lasts a much shorter time simply because the quality is not there. In this case, buying a higher end membrane from a more reputable brand would be the better option. Of course, you also have cheaper Cherry switch mechanical boards such as CM Storm Quickfire which are more than adequate and would be better than membrane in terms of typing experience, but may lack some added features.