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Comments on What is the benefit of mechanical keyboards?

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What is the benefit of mechanical keyboards? Question

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I've heard people talk about how mechanical keyboards are better. But they seem to be much more expensive than regular ones ($100+). What is the benefit of using them over regular ones?

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Power User (2 comments)
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One big disadvantage of mechanical keyboards is that they come with more friction and a longer distance for the key to travel. Which means slower typing.

This actually makes them less suitable for gaming! Which is ironic since a lot of these are marketed as gaming keyboards. Of course this mainly matters in games where quick reaction or quick typing are essential, typically the 1st person shooters or RTS variety. But also in MMOs and the like, where for some reason you aren't using your head seat and need to relay information fast by typing.

I recently bought a new keyboard, tried 20+ gaming keyboards, all which felt great to use but made me type slower. Then after trying all of them, I settled for a cheap standard Microsoft one with low buttons. Simply because I can notice a significant improvement in typing speed when using it. I type nearly twice as fast with it compared to mechanical ones.

Now of course these rubber dome standard ones won't last as long and are overall of lower mechanical quality. But after a couple of years, a keyboards does start to become messy and they aren't easy to clean. Or when you eventually manage the classic spill of coffee all over it. So you might want to replace them after a couple of years for the mess reason alone anyway.

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2 comment threads

Corsair K100 Air (3 comments)
Not necessarily slower. (3 comments)
Not necessarily slower.
Monica Cellio‭ wrote 5 months ago

Mechanical keyboards have a longer travel distance than shallow keyboards (like on laptops) and some membrane keyboards -- if you press the key all the way to the bottom. But the actuation point isn't all the way at the bottom, so if you have a lighter touch (or learn where that point is), you don't pay the extra travel cost. I can't speak to use in gaming, but my typing speed for text did not go down when I switched to a mechanical keyboard (after the initial getting-acquainted period).

matthewsnyder‭ wrote 5 months ago

In my exeprience, usually mechanical keys have more resistance. But there's a lot of different switches these days, and some are softer - there's probably some out there that are just as soft as a regular one.

Lundin‭ wrote 5 months ago

matthewsnyder‭ Having dabbled a bit with switch mechanics design, I doubt there's anything that can beat a collapsing dome. There are metal domes that give a much better distinctive feel and click sound, but these too require more force to get pressed. PCB mount tactile switches are close, but they don't add much in the way of quality either.