Why Mechanical Keyboards?
Probably you have heard all the buzz about them, but you are not convinced to get one. This article is going to help you decide if a mechanical keyboard is for you.
Let’s begin with some explanation about the type of keyboards, then dive in into the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical keyboards so at the end, you can get to the conclusion if a mechanical keyboard is for you.
Type of Keyboards
Membrane Keyboards
Membrane keyboards have been around for a long time, they are the most common type of keyboard in the world. One of the main reasons is because they are cheaper to produce and get the job done.
Membrane keyboards principle is simple, there is a sandwich with 3 layers of a rubber membrane and a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) under that. Those layers are pressure sensitive, so if you apply pressure in a specific area of the membrane that is considered as a keystroke.
The majority of laptops uses them because they are slim, light weight and, with a good set of key caps, make the job that they are supposed to do.
Mechanical Keyboards
In mechanical keyboards each key is a mechanical switch, they give you some tactile feeling when you type on them.
The overall experience of a mechanical keyboard is given by the type of switches, the form factor, the material of the case and the key caps.
Advantages of Mechanical Keyboards
- They last forever, this depends on the materials but compared to membrane keyboards, they tend to be more comfortable to use along the years.
- You can personalize them with after market key caps, custom cables and add some personality to your desk.
- You can remove all the key caps and do an exhaustive cleaning on them, you can’t imagine how much dirt is under your keyboard.
- If you write a lot, they are going to be really fun to type on. This depends on the type of switch, but when you type on them, you can have some tactility and feedback in form of sound that makes the use of them more interesting.
- If you are a gamer probably you have heard of them, gaming on these keyboards is pleasing. You can put some rubber key caps on the WASD or arrow keys to reach them out more easily when you are not looking. The rapid actuation of some switches could give you an advantage (some people argue that).
- It’s a nice hobby, you could collect cables, key caps, switches. Even there are some artesian key caps that are awesome.
- Big variety in form, sizes and different sounds they make.
- You can decide the level of noise, tactility and actuation that you want in your keyboard.
- There is an awesome community of enthusiast. There are many keyboards that people have designed and opened the schematics so other people can build them.
Disadvantages of Mechanical Keyboards
- They could be expensive, nowadays there are many options, but in general they are more expensive that membrane keyboards.
- Could be noisy, this is going to depend on the specific keyboard.
- Might be heavier than membrane keyboards.
The Decision
Let me ask you something, how many hours do you spend in a day in front of a computer? If your answer is more than 4 hours a day, you are a heavy keyboard user.
So, the keyboard is a significant part of our days and sometimes we overlook how important it is. Yes, a membrane keyboard can get the job done and if you are occasional user of a computer, that's good.
But if you are working on a computer and mainly interact with it through the keyboard, I think it is a good idea to improve how you do it. Things like learn to type properly and acquire a mechanical keyboard will help you have a better experience.
In conclusion, if you are a writer, gamer, programmer or someone that most of the day interact with a keyboard, a mechanical keyboard is a good decision. Because at the end is going to help you improve your day to day experience working with your computer.
But if you are an occasional user of a computer, probably a good membrane keyboard is good for your needs.
