Mechanical keyboards have been experiencing something of a Renaissance lately. With all things hipster and “vintage” making a comeback (overalls, anyone?) it was only a matter of time before the trend infiltrated the tech world. So, what’s all the noise (literally) being made about mechanical keyboards, and are they actually worth the premium cost? Well that depends…
- FEEL THE POWER: Ask anyone that currently uses a mechanical keyboard, or anyone old enough to remember when they were standard issue, and they will tell you how satisfying it is to work on one. There is an authoritative and satisfying click to every keystroke, something akin to Thor’s Hammer coming down. It’s a far cry from the squishy, quiet, and downright lazy tactile response you get from most keyboards that come with computers nowadays, and speaking of sound…
- They are LOUD. Sometimes prohibitively so. If you work in an open layout style office, your coworkers may need some soothing after listening to the staccato “CLUNK-CLUNK-CLUNK” sound of you typing all day. There are a couple of mechanical keyboards on the market that offer a quieter typing experience, but who wants that? That’s like buying an exotic German sports car and installing stock Honda exhaust on it. No. I want my spacebar to sound like loading a bolt action rifle every time I hit the spacebar.
- Durability: Speaking of BOLT ACTION RIFLES, some of the mechanical keyboards out there could probably take a hit from one and continue working. These things are heavy, durable, and built to last. Mechanical keyboards are rated to last longer than their rubber-dome (aka, “membrane”) counterparts. On average, mechanical keyboards are rated for 1-5 million more keystrokes than rubber-dome keyboards. That alone makes mechanical keyboards a pretty sound investment that will pay for itself by way of not having to replace it a year or two after you buy it, and also the reason most gamers prefer mechanical over rubber-dome.
- ACCURACY: Another point to be made about why so many gamers prefer mechanical keyboards is their accuracy. If you’re a fast typer, mechanical keyboards greatly reduce the chance of “understroke”; that is when you don’t depress a key far enough for the keyboard to actually tell the computer you pressed it. Another feature that adds to this is called “rollover”, whereas you hold or press multiple keys at once. Rubber-dome keyboards often fall short in this case, and end up either not mis-timing the keys being pressed, or flat out not registering them at all.
So, should you make the switch? Personally, this is one trend that I am happy to see return. When you work on computers for a living (and for fun) there are few things in life more satisfying than the distinctive “CLUNK” sound when typing. It brings a level of authority and gravity to an otherwise mundane device. Would I use a mechanical keyboard for a computer I don’t use often, or move around a lot? No. But for my home office? YES!