What makes mechanical keyboards good

Unlike the mechanical keyboard, the membrane keyboard relies on rubber domes to provide feedback. Dome switch keyboards are a mix of a flat-panel membrane and a mechanical-switch keyboard. Most lower quality keyboards use this technology. These keyboards use rubber domes and attach the keys to the keyboard using two plastic pieces that interlock kind of like scissors hence the name.

This technology allows for a shorter travel time and distance. This is referred to as the actuation distance. Actuation distance is the distance that the switch needs to depress for the input to register. These keyboard switches are made up of a keycap, the stem, and the housing. The keycap is the top cap of the letter or number. The channel has more than 80 members, Henderson said. There has even been discussion of people's matching keyboards and sneakers.

That level of coordination is not for me, but I appreciate the commitment. Scott told me that when he was a Ph. Comfort is the main reason you get a Kinesis, even if it looks peculiar and has a learning curve. It has two cereal bowl-like indentations, one for each hand to sit on top of. Scott has sworn by the Kinesis for more than two decades, and has multiple backups in case the company goes out of business.

Some Kinesis buyers have defected to the Model 01 from Keyboardio, a company run by former Microsoft program manager Jesse Vincent and his wife, Kaia Dekker. The Model 01 came about after Vincent, who had once bought Microsoft's ergonomic Natural Keyboard Elite in bulk packs, couldn't get used to the bowls on the Kinesis Advantage. In , he set out to make something more approachable that didn't just attract ergonomics wonks. He shared a blog post with photos of his prototypes on the message board Hacker News , which got people's attention.

Shipments began in It also looks less intimidating, with its two wood-clad symmetrical units that can be separated for more comfortable use. Vincent and Dekker now have more than 50 keyboards between them. He's not sure if they're for business use or for personal enjoyment. I asked Vincent why there seems to be a movement building around keyboards, and he talked about how the keyboard is the tool he uses to create things, and how he spends so much of his life with it.

He thinks the rise of PC gaming has helped the market expand, along with falling prices for low-volume manufacturing. Vincent was among the hundreds of people at a keyboard meetup in San Jose in November. He said it was small in comparison with events he'd attended in Japan and Taiwan. But to me it was almost sensory overload — booth after booth of magnificent keyboards. Wichary was there, too, and he shared facts about various models on display. There was, for instance, a Northgate OmniKey Ultra from the late s, and Wichary pointed out that it had a "comma period lock" key.

You simply connect them to your computer and they do the normal keyboard stuff. But a good chunk of mechanical keyboards can be customized. Other keyboards offer onboard programming, where you press certain keys to record macros and customize backlighting. Yet others come with software you can use to record macros, remap or customize certain keys, and futz with backlighting. Off the deep end involves entirely customizable layouts you have to build and flash to the keyboard.

If a keyboard does come with backlighting, we prefer it to be either a tasteful white or programmable—though customizable backlighting almost always costs more. Hot-swap switches: Swapping out switches on most mechanical keyboards requires the equipment, expertise, and time to desolder the existing switches and solder in new ones. On a hot-swappable board, you can simply pull the switches out and snap new ones into place.

This is a newer feature typically found only in expensive, high-end mechanical keyboards, but the ability to try out switches anytime without having to break out a soldering iron is a nice bonus. You can use any keyboard for playing games, but gaming-specific keyboards have a fun mix of lighting and software not often found on normal mechanical keyboards. Software: We prefer gaming keyboards with optional customization software, which can make certain features much easier to use. Macro recording: Macros are generally useful only for people who play MMOs and simulation games but are a nice feature that makes repetitive keystrokes easier.

Some keyboard features are still a pipe dream or come with serious drawbacks. Wireless: As of early , there are still few wireless mechanical keyboards, and vanishingly few good ones.

Most come with serious trade-offs like poor battery life and connection issues. USB and audio passthrough: Having USB ports and an audio jack built into your keyboard can be convenient if you frequently plug in and unplug devices, but plugging things into your keyboard adds more clutter in your immediate workspace, and routing audio devices through a keyboard can add extra interference.

Some people type better on a keyboard that is loud enough to keep the neighbors up at night while other like a keyboard that is super stealthy. The point is that you are able to pick out what type of feel and sound that makes you the most efficient typist you can be. The tactile or clicky feedback possible from a mechanical switch in unparalleled, so you can pick out a switch that makes a nice click or bump upon each keystroke to let you know it registered.

Not to mention how satisfying it feels. Another great benefit to mechanical keyboards is the diverse number of keyboard sizes available.

You can check out our mechanical keyboard size guide here. Whether you need a full-sized keyboard with a number pad for lots of data-entry or just a keyboard with the alphanumeric keys, there is an option out there. Finding the perfect balance of size and comfort can help with saving on precious desk space and make your workspace less cluttered and more efficient.

Picking out a smaller keyboard is also great for typists who need to take their keyboard on the go, whether that be from home to the office or to a coffee shop every now and then. Mechanical keyboards are your best bet for picking out the perfect size compact keyboard.

If only 1 or 2 keys register, that means you need a new keyboard. N-key rollover allows you to press multiple keys at the same time and have them all register in the order that they were pressed. N-key rollover is must-have feature for typists and gamers alike, for this reason alone you should purchase a mechanical keyboard.

Mechanical keyboards last a long time, like a really long time. The switches of a mechanical keyboard have a much higher lifespan than a membrane keyboard.