Dear Linus,
While stuck chin-deep in DC traffic yesterday evening, I found your video on the best keyboards under $75 (link), and I was rather excited to see that you had featured the relatively recent Razer Ornata keyboard, and at the top of the list, no less. I had purchased this keyboard (for full price, sadly) a few months ago as the first keyboard upgrade to my system since I built it over three years ago, and I've been singing it's praises to everyone who will listen ever since.
I was much less excited when you actually delivered your review, practically disqualifying it from any sort of recommendation with the note that the Ornata uses Razer's proprietary MechaMembrane keyswitches instead of mechanical ones. I found this to be rather unfair, and decided that I would respond to your review with a few personal anecdotes in a vain effort to try to convince you that a second look at this keyboard is in order.
Let me start by making something very clear: I don't like mechanical keyboards. I find them to be clumsy and uncomfortable, and I don't understand why so many people enjoy them. I say this not to trash mechanical keyboards, but so that you can understand where I'm coming from when I talk about the benefits of the MechaMembrane switch. I've had experience with a couple of different Cherry MX switches, mainly the Red, Blue, and Green switches, thanks to several friends of mine owning mechanical keyboards, and I just can't get behind them for the following reasons: 1. Slippy Fingers
I don't have the fortune of having skinny fingers like some other folks, nor am I the best when it comes to hand-eye coordination. When typing, my fingers tend to slide slightly over keys adjacent to the ones I mean to press, and when using mechanical keyboards, especially ones with Cherry MX Reds, the slight slip of my fingers will actuate a key I didn't mean to hit, causing frequent typos and slowing the pace of my work severely. The issue lies in the actuation force being far too light, a point Cherry MX and other mechanical switch manufacturers have made one of their top pieces of marketing for their products. Maybe I'm just not a good typist, or maybe I need to work on the accuracy of my typing, but this is incredibly annoying, and I usually cannot stand typing on a mechanical keyboard for very long because of this. Now, that being said, I also don't want a keyboard that forces me to use a hydraulic press to type my name, so I need a bit of both worlds. After a few months with my Ornata, I've found that the Razer MechaMembrane switch provides the best balance between light, fast typing, and solid actuation force. I can enjoy the faster and more accurate typing of a mechanical keyboard, but also have a good backstop for my fingers should one of them slide off-target while working. I think this is a fantastic feature of the switch for those of us who are not expert typists like Luke or yourself, and it deserves at least some praise for being a great middle-ground between traditional membrane keyboards and mechanical switches.
2. Clickity Clack
I have to be honest, I love the sound of a clicky keyboard. I can't quite explain it, but the satisfaction I get from the sound of a key bottoming out with that amazing click-clack is just sublime. I know I'm not in the minority when it comes to this feeling, as Cherry MX Blues are very strong sellers in the keyboard market, but what Cherry MX and other mechanical switch manufacturers have, in my opinion, failed to achieve is the tactile sensation of the click many of us love. Now, I'm not an engineer nor a keyboard expert, but it's strange to me that with all the advanced technology that mechanical keyboards use to achieve their performance, no manufacturer has been able to successfully capture and replicate the unique and oh-so-satisfying feeling of a membrane or even buckling-spring (if you're old enough to remember those) switch. From the experience I've had with the Cherry MX Blues, I find their facsimile to be lacking. They have a sound, sure, but they don't evoke the same sensation as the membrane switches they are trying to replace; they bottom out in the same slick manner as the other Cherry MX switches, in a straight line with no feeling of resistance. This is where I believe the Ornata truly shines. The MechaMembrane switch again meets you in a blissful middle, giving you the predictable and stable travel of a mechanical keyboard while simultaneously giving you that little bit of resistance and the wonderful and tinny click that membranes are known for. The sound is loud, unmistakable, and the feeling is firm and satisfying. Every time you bottom out a key, you feel a sense of intent and purpose that you don't really get from mechanical switches, who for the most part, feel like they're not really there. I feel this is a great introduction to the behavior of mechanical switches without the sacrifice of the tactile and auditory experience of a membrane switch. 3. Drinking the Cherry-Aid
I understand that some people, many people, enjoy the feel of mechanical keyboards, and that's fine by me. I have no place telling people what they can and can't type with. However, this meme about mechanical keyboards somehow being a standard for enthusiast-grade products is, in my eyes, contrived and arbitrary. Totally dismissing a keyboard simply because it doesn't use the switch you like is unfair, especially when it has so many other great features (cable management slots, sturdy build quality, fantastic RGB backlighting). And listen, Linus, I understand that it's a review; I expect to get your personal views on things, but it seemed to me that you didn't really care about the market this keyboard is aimed at, and focused on one point that, at the end of the day, wasn't even relevant to the product. Yes, the Ornata is not a mechanical keyboard, but then again, it's not supposed to be. Mechanical switches are great for those who enjoy them, but they are not the be-all end-all. They are just one of many types of switches available on the market, and narrowing the amount of people that would benefit from a video like the one you produced to only those who like mechanical keyboards for purely arbitrary reasons is, in my opinion, a bit arrogant. I'd love to see you review and talk about non-mechanical keyboards more often, because I think lots of people would benefit from hearing you talk about what options the market has for those who don't enjoy them.
Anyway, Linus, I hope I haven't made you upset, because I do look up to you. You're a force of nature in the tech community, and more importantly, the person who introduced me to the world of PC building and performance gaming. At the end of the day, tough, I'm just a fan of your content who wants you to continue succeeding and expanding your brand, so I hope this letter reaches you and maybe, just maybe, I've helped you see a different point of view.
Sincerely,
KemJackalope
