What's so great about mechanical keyboards?

[Computernaut]

I feel like everyone wants a mechanical keyboard, why? What even are "Cherry MX" switches, and why do colors make a difference?

[Enderman]

 

[tylerjd]

Why? When your job has to do with typing things all day, it's better to have a keyboard that feels great to type on all day

 

Cherry MX is a brand of mechanical switches. The colors are different kinds of switch, the videos above will have more information about that. 

[r2724r16]

The typing/gaming experience on them.

[Ryujin2003]

I have a K70 mechanical, and it is amazing. The keys feel much more crisp and responsive than the membrane keyboards I have. I really prefer typing on it more than I do my laptop keyboard. I have upgraded, and will never go back to membrane keyboards. Yes, they can be a little loud, but the responsiveness in feel is definitely worth it.

 

I tested out some at a local Best Buy that were on display, and found I liked the Cherry MX Reds the best. If you want to try, go to a store that has display models.

[jiyeon]

The typing response from mechanicals vs membrane is otherworldly, it's clicky and responsive on mechanical so you know exactly when you've entered a key, membranes have this force about them where you can't tell it's registered, at least in my experience. It's also well regarded that mechanical keyboards have a longer lifespan than membranes due to the mechanical switch nature of the keyboards.

A bonus is the click when you press a key is really nice to hear.

[twistedapple89]

48 minutes ago, MiNy said:

The typing response from mechanicals vs membrane is otherworldly, it's clicky and responsive on mechanical so you know exactly when you've entered a key, membranes have this force about them where you can't tell it's registered, at least in my experience. It's also well regarded that mechanical keyboards have a longer lifespan than membranes due to the mechanical switch nature of the keyboards.

A bonus is the click when you press a key is really nice to hear.

a thousand times yes to this right here. I type on a Corsair K68 and I came from a Logitech keyboard that was just standard membrane keyboard. Holy the satisfying click noise I hear with every key press is amazing and honestly have noticed a speed boost in my typing. 

[SpaceGhostC2C]

I'd say nothing, except some mechanical keyboards can be as silent as membrane ones, depending on the type of switch.

The noisy ones are just a curse from hell.

It would seem that people prefer mechanical keyboards for gaming. I haven't played around (huhu) enough to tell. But for typing, especially long typing sessions, I wouldn't touch a mechanical keyboard with a ten-foot pole. They feel worse on the fingers, many are of the noisy type (see above), and they all slow me down (although I guess it would be possible to design different key caps to mitigate this. I haven't seen such thing yet, though).

[dizmo]

My piece of advice: try the switches before you buy. No amount of research will help you.

[aezakmi]

Das Keyboard 4 here --

I've always used cheap (cheapest) membrane keyboards and this year I finally bought a mechanical and it's a whole different thing, I can write faster, press multiple keys at the same time in DOTA or any game, even the response time feels faster, I mainly use it to write Word docs

 

Blue switches are a bit noisy but nothing a nice pair of earbuds and music can't handle.

also 10/10 because it doesn't has any LEDs and looks neat

had to import it so I ended up paying like 3x the regular price in the US but it was worth

[twistedapple89]

19 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

I'd say nothing, except some mechanical keyboards can be as silent as membrane ones, depending on the type of switch.

The noisy ones are just a curse from hell.

It would seem that people prefer mechanical keyboards for gaming. I haven't played around (huhu) enough to tell. But for typing, especially long typing sessions, I wouldn't touch a mechanical keyboard with a ten-foot pole. They feel worse on the fingers, many are of the noisy type (see above), and they all slow me down (although I guess it would be possible to design different key caps to mitigate this. I haven't seen such thing yet, though).

Okay, I'm sorry for coming off a little strange but have you actually typed on one that fits your style of typing and you do realize that any professional typist or even someone who types all day will always recommend a mechanical over a membrane. So at this point, I would recommend you actually go try some out or do more research honestly before you go and say that you wouldn't touch one with a ten-foot pole as you so lightly put it. They are a cut above any membrane keyboard and give you a boost in typing speed and accuracy after some time with it. Also, the switches not only serve a nose purpose but also an actuation point as per how hard or light you have to strike the key for it to travel to register as an input.  

[Ryujin2003]

On 6/28/2018 at 5:50 PM, SpaceGhostC2C said:

The noisy ones are just a curse from hell.

It would seem that people prefer mechanical keyboards for gaming. I haven't played around (huhu) enough to tell.

The Lord ones are hell to game with unless you have a super fancy and expensive mic setup, otherwise, everyone hears clickety click click the whole time. I'm forced to use PTT because it drives my brothers crazy.

[dcgreen2k]

I love my mechanical keyboard, it's a Redragon Kumara with Outemu Blue switches. I find that my typing is much more accurate with mechanical keyboard because you actually have to properly press down on a key before it clicks down. The clicky (Cherry MX Blue, Outemu Blue) keyswitches are amazing to type on but not very good if you're a night gamer. I think the linear and quiet (Cherry MX Red and Black) switches are horribly unpleasant to type with. They were probably just super run-down store keyboards, though...

[SpaceGhostC2C]

On 6/29/2018 at 6:56 PM, twistedapple89 said:

Okay, I'm sorry for coming off a little strange but have you actually typed on one that fits your style of typing

Yes. It wasn't mechanical.

 

Quote

and you do realize that any professional typist

I haven't met one. In fact, I thought they went extinct together with typewriters, but maybe there are still some out there.

 

Quote

or even someone who types all day will always recommend a mechanical over a membrane.

Not every of those: see for example the post by @SpaceGhostC2C.

 

Quote

So at this point, I would recommend you actually go try some out or do more research honestly before you go and say that you wouldn't touch one with a ten-foot pole as you so lightly put it. 

I don't consider "wouldn't touch one with a ten-foot pole" to be "light". In fact, I'd say I put it very strongly. 

 

You've been generous enough to kindly offer free advice, so I'll reciprocate and give you a suggestion myself: if you prefer to avoid coming off as a condescending, pedantic snob, try considering your opinions and tastes as such and equivalent to other people's opinions and tastes, rather than instantly assuming some form of superior knowledge or experience that somehow turns your subjective opinion into an objectively more accurate fact, endorsed by unnamed, un-cited "experts" (that are supposed to be experts on what my typing experience on different keyboards is as well). 

[twistedapple89]

19 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Yes. It wasn't mechanical.

 

I haven't met one. In fact, I thought they went extinct together with typewriters, but maybe there are still some out there.

 

Not every of those: see for example the post by @SpaceGhostC2C.

 

I don't consider "wouldn't touch one with a ten-foot pole" to be "light". In fact, I'd say I put it very strongly. 

 

You've been generous enough to kindly offer free advice, so I'll reciprocate and give you a suggestion myself: if you prefer to avoid coming off as a condescending, pedantic snob, try considering your opinions and tastes as such and equivalent to other people's opinions and tastes, rather than instantly assuming some form of superior knowledge or experience that somehow turns your subjective opinion into an objectively more accurate fact, endorsed by unnamed, un-cited "experts" (that are supposed to be experts on what my typing experience on different keyboards is as well). 

1

Snob I am not, I only make suggestings that only helps improve the lives of others. if you chose to type on a far less superior keyboard then you do you, however, when you're replacing your keyboard almost every year or so then you'll think twice about mechanical. 

[Zodiark1593]

15 hours ago, twistedapple89 said:

Snob I am not, I only make suggestings that only helps improve the lives of others. if you chose to type on a far less superior keyboard then you do you, however, when you're replacing your keyboard almost every year or so then you'll think twice about mechanical. 

Uhmm, I've some cheap (under $10 cheap, very used keyboards on hand here that have been around for quite a few years. I've never had a problem with them, longevity-wise, nor with the heavily used HP and Dell membrane keyboards at work.

 

I use a mechanical keyboard at home because I like it. It's perfectly valid for people not to share the same opinion. This is subjective. Your jab about the lifespan of rubber-dome keyboards, however, is quite debatable.

[twistedapple89]

2 minutes ago, Zodiark1593 said:

Uhmm, I've some cheap (under $10 cheap, very used keyboards on hand here that have been around for quite a few years. I've never had a problem with them, longevity-wise, nor with the heavily used HP and Dell membrane keyboards at work.

 

I use a mechanical keyboard at home because I like it. It's perfectly valid for people not to share the same opinion. This is subjective. Your jab about the lifespan of rubber-dome keyboards, however, is quite debatable.

Debatable I agree, from the use of both I have not had good experiences from the membrane keyboards and have had to replace often. The keyboards that I was purchasing might have been bad batches but that's highly unlikely. I was purchasing baseline Logitech and some Dell keyboards. Never had good use out of them, the membrane started to ware very quickly and it had a spongy feel that just made it awkward to type on. So I would like to hear your thought on membrane please, maybe you've had better luck than I, please share though. 

[Zodiark1593]

6 minutes ago, twistedapple89 said:

Debatable I agree, from the use of both I have not had good experiences from the membrane keyboards and have had to replace often. The keyboards that I was purchasing might have been bad batches but that's highly unlikely. I was purchasing baseline Logitech and some Dell keyboards. Never had good use out of them, the membrane started to ware very quickly and it had a spongy feel that just made it awkward to type on. So I would like to hear your thought on membrane please, maybe you've had better luck than I, please share though. 

One particular keyboard I bought from Wal-Mart for $10-ish some 8 years ago has seen pretty heavy gaming usage. I still have it stored away, though I happened across a Logitech G710+ for $40 at Wal-Mart last year, so I snapped that up as it was a good price.

 

Some of the keyboards here at work are over the 10 year mark as well, as they came with some old Core 2 Duo machines we had, and were not changed out when the PCs were replaced a few years later. Some other keyboards are still attached to their original PCs using Sandy Bridge chips, and are still functioning perfectly.

 

Of all the keyboards I've used, laptop scizzor keys tend to give me the most trouble.

[twistedapple89]

Fair point, do you know some of the brands that came with the work computers or were they generic OEM keyboards. Also, the laptop scissor keys can be most annoying at times, their travel seems odd to me. Like it's not really a linear travel or even a full travel, their lack of membrane or even proper springs can throw me off my game very quickly and I look like a dork trying to type on one. 

[Computernaut]

16 hours ago, Zodiark1593 said:

Of all the keyboards I've used, laptop scizzor keys tend to give me the most trouble.

I actually like the feel of them for typing but the durability is horrendous.

[GDRRiley]

there is nothing close to a cherry mx black, both inters of non cherry equivalent and any sort of membrane.

blacks are harder to press reds.

 

If you switch do realize everything other than the best membrane keys will feel like mush and you will hate every second of it. 

[KingCobra484]

Going from any old rubber dome I could find to MX brown clones wasn't too impressive, the noise was there but they keys still felt a bit mushy. I even went back to domes for RGB lighting (I know). But going from rubber to MX reds on a quality keyboard with minimal flex, I can't imagine going back. The actuation of each key is so smooth compared to anything else. Even the best membrane boards can't match a decent mechanical board for the way it feels under your fingers IMO.