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I came across an article on keyboards on Wired.com. This warranted a slightly deeper dive into the tech dumpster to see what going on. All of my keyboards, including backlit gaming keyboards, are membrane keyboards which are cheap, quiet, can be cleaned. There is a good short utube video on mechanical keyboards by Matt.
Serious typists deserve a responsive keyboard. Here are three steps to tactile heaven.
1. GOOD: Aukey KM-G3 RGB Add some tappy feedback to your strokes and sharpen your email routine with Aukey’s nicely priced keyboard. Even with its garish, multicolored LED backlights and springy key switches that click loudly enough to be heard five cubicles away, it’s miles ahead of that freebie you’re typing on now. $86
2. GREAT: Logitech Orion G610 Brown Next to the soft white LEDs beneath the Orion’s keys you’ll find high-quality, German-designed Cherry MX Brown switches; a tactile bump mid-keystroke and a relatively quiet click make them the best choice for typists. Media controls—including a cool volume roller—sit conveniently above the number pad. $120
3. AMAZING: Das Keyboard Prime 13 The Prime is all about minimalist elegance and functionality. There are no frills, just 104 backlit keys set into an anodized aluminum top plate. The sturdy build means it’ll last at least until your 10th novel. With soft-clicking, finger-pleasing switches, the Das lets you command those Slack channels with comfort and authority. $129
and some more. Mechanical keyboard switches: A guide to the different switch options for mechanical keyboards and their uses businessinsider.com
Unlike the common laptop keyboard, mechanical keyboards contain switches underneath each key. agrobacter/Getty Images
Mechanical keyboard switches are the mechanisms under the keycaps on a mechanical keyboard that enable you to type faster and more precisely.There are three kinds of mechanical keyboard switches: linear, tactile, and clicky. Linear switches are the smoothest and fastest, and are generally preferred by gamers. Touch typists tend to prefer tactile switches because of the feedback. Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.While membrane keyboards are more common thanks to their low cost, touch typists and gamers will often opt to use a mechanical keyboard instead. Thanks to the mechanical switches hiding under the keycaps, these keyboards are more precise and allow you to type faster.
Mechanical keyboard switches are not all the same, though, and the kind of switch literally defines the style of keyboard and what it's best used for in the same way a car is defined by the kind of motor under the hood. Here is what you need to know about mechanical keyboard switches.
How a mechanical keyboard switch worksA mechanical keyboard gets its name from the fact that there is a mechanical switch under the keycap. Rather than a rubber membrane that provides mushy resistance to your keystroke, a mechanical key feels precise because your finger is forcing a low-friction mechanism to slide down a shaft that's actively resisted by a spring.
Every switch is composed of a few key components. The easily removable keycap snaps onto the stem, which, depending on its shape and height, determines the total distance it can travel and how far to its actuation distance — how far it must be pushed to register the keystroke. The stem is supported by a spring, which is contained within the housing.
Typical mechanical keyboard switches look like this, with the stem visibly protruding from the housing. poco_bw/Getty ImagesSome keys have an additional component — a "bump" or click midway through the key's travel, usually made possible by a springy metal clip that the stem needs to push past as it's depressed.
Finally, the switch needs to complete an electrical circuit when actuated with metal contacts.
Types of mechanical keyboard switchesThere are three types of mechanical switches, and these define the keyboard, as well as who will want to use it (and why).
Linear switchesA linear switch is the simplest mechanical switch because the stem travels up and down without being impeded in any way — hence the name. The key registers the stroke, or actuates, when it bottoms out at the end of its travel. Gamers tend to prefer this kind of switch because it allows for fast and unambiguous control within a game when fractions of a second count.
While there are a number of brands that sell mechanical keyboards, Cherry is the best known. The Cherry MX Red is a very common linear switch, so much so that gamers tend to refer to "red switches" as a shorthand for linear.
Tactile switches This is similar to a linear switch but there is a bump in the middle of its downward travel. This bump lines up with the actuation point, which happens before the key bottoms out. This does a few things. It enables faster typing because each key doesn't need to travel as far to actuate. At the same time, it's quieter than linear switches because touch typists don't need to bottom out the keys. And they have a feel that many typists prefer, thanks to the noticeable tactile bump.
For all those reasons, this is generally the switch of choice for typists who don't also play games. Cherry's Cherry MX Brown is a common tactile switch.
A detent on the side of the stem lets tactile switches like the Cherry MX Brown feel "bumpy" when pressed. CherryClicky switches A variation of the tactile switch, a clicky switch makes a noticeable click at the bump. As you can imagine, these are the loudest of the mechanical keyboards, because every stroke results in a clicking sound. They're reassuring for beginners who aren't yet comfortable behind a keyboard and need additional feedback while typing. Some typists simply prefer the sound of clicky keyboards as well.
Keep in mind, though, that these are loud keyboards and can be distracting if you're working around other people. The Cherry MX Blue is perhaps the best-known clicky switch.
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider. Read more
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