You've probably heard it already, but mechanical keyboards have
Exploded in popularity over the past five years
But it's not as simple as just buying a mechanical keyboard there are tons and tons of different types
I'm John Porter from [tech] radar and here's everything you need to know if you're thinking about buying a mechanical keyboard
When it comes to keyboards there are two main [types] you have mechanical keyboards
And then you have the more standard
Rubber dome or Membrane
Keyboards now the way they differ is in how the switches actually work a rubber double Membrane keyboard has a kind of a rubber
Layer underneath each of the key switches and then pressing on the key and depresses this rubber and activates a switch
Meanwhile the mechanical keyboard has a physical plastic switch underneath each of the keys
Now in my opinion there are two main advantages to mechanical keyboards first is the fact that they last a lot longer than their competitors
so whilst you might have to replace another keyboard like once every couple of years or so you can use a
mechanical keyboard for years and years
Second though which is the one that I think is the most important is they're just a lot more
Enjoyable to type on if you're someone like me that types 2,000 words or so every single day and that really matters
But equally if you spend a lot of time gaming on a keyboard that could be an equally important consideration
Now when it comes to mechanical keyboards there are several different kinds
Now the most popular kind of keyboard that people talk about when they're talking about mechanical keyboards is ones that include
Switches manufactured by Cherry and these are called Cherry MX. Switches now the three main types Cherry MX
Switches are Cherry MX Blues Cherry MX Reds and Cherry MX Brown switches
Blues are commonly thought of as being the tightest switch
They're the loudest and they have the most audible and tactile feedback you can get which makes them really good for type
And you don't have to push the switch right down to the bottom you can kind of push it down halfway it clicks and you
Know that it's registered
Reds Meanwhile commonly thought of as being better gaming switches. There's less tactile feedback
It's a much smoother switch
So most the time you press the switch that goes way down
And that's really good if you're playing games
And that sort of stuff a brown is commonly thought of as a good half way switch, so it is
Smooth in the same way that a red is but there's a little bit of a tactile bump
It's not as big of a tactile bump as a blue, but it's there
Personally I prefer
Browns, I think they're a great kind of midpoint between typing and gaming but I think they work equally well for both of those uses
and
Then as for nice cherry switches you [have] [players] which [are] slightly stiffer brown switch you [have] greens which are a slightly stiffer blue
Switch, and you have blacks which are a slightly stiffer red switch
These are available in kind of more limited quantities for more specialist retailers
Personally I actually use cherry Mx players on a daily basis some people find em a little bit too stiff
But I really like that about them
So the company that manufactures these switches is called Cherry and until recently
They held a patent on the design of these switches that pattern recently expired
So now what we're seeing is imitation switches appearing on the market
You've got imitation switches from [razer] which they use in their [own] keyboards
[we've] also got imitation switches from Gator on and I think carl as well
Then there are the kind of weirdo manufacturers like z leo and that sort of thing
opinions on these switches are divided some people say that there are slightly lower quality than cherry switches whilst other people really like the
variation that they offer
So the other major kind of mechanical people's which are called top Pro
Switches now top prey only manufacturers one kind of switch, and it's something of a weird
Halfway
midpoint between mechanical Switches and rubber dome switches
They're quite nice
If you've kind of grown up using rubber dome key switches because it kind of has like a similar feel to those ones
But again people are divided on them
They're a little bit more expensive than cherry switches
Some people will see them as a kind of premium switch other people think that. It's just a rubber dome that lasts slightly longer
but of course it doesn't just stop at
Spending a horrific amount of money on a mechanical keyboard if you want to get really nerdy about it
You can [fine] [tune] your experience in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways people replace switches
people replace the Springs inside the switches for [the] most common modification people make is they
Replace the key caps which sit on top of the switches
[this] can be done for a number of reasons
Mostly, it's just because you can get kicad some different colors, and that's kind of cool
But also you can get key caps made out of more
Durable plastic and with more durable lettering on the top so the lettering is less likely to wear away with use
The main plastic types are [abs] and pbt
Abs is the standard plastic that's used on most boards and pbt of the more premium one feels slightly [grania]
But it's slightly more hard wearing and it's likely to last longer
So if you're interested these are my personal keyboards we have an iBm model M buckling spring keyboard, which is manufactured in
1985 and is still going strong today. We have a desk keyboard for which I've bought with Terry Mx brown switches
And I've then replaced the key caps with some new abs double [shell] key caps
We have a polka three which I bought with Cherry Mx blue switches
And I've replaced it with some pv t key gaps and finally we have my white box
which I bought as part of a group vibe from [Master] ofcom and
I bought that with Cherry Mx clear key caps
and that is currently [the] board that I'm using on a daily basis in the office and
The one here that is not owned by me personally is the Cooler Master
Nova touch which is a top row board that's [10] [keyless], and is currently rocking its stock caps
The interesting thing to note with the Nova touch is that whilst normally key caps made for cherry switches aren't compatible with top three switches
The Nova touch actually has a little adapter inside each switch which allows you to use cherry sculptures
So there we have a very short introduction to the world of mechanical keyboards, but if you're after a more, in-depth look
Then will shortly be making available a video on that very topic right here
[but] if you have any more questions [about] mechanical keyboards then please let us know in the comments below and don't forget to like and
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