Mechanical keyboards: everything you need to know

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 subscribe

Channel: TechRadar

Views: 685,220

Rating: 4.8348851 out of 5

Keywords: mechanical keyboard, keyboard, switches, cherry, PBT, ABS, IBM, Das, Pok3r, Whitefox, Guide, review, topre, hands on, opinion, thoughts, test, sound, typing, membrane, 2016, mechanical, gaming, mech, desk, setup, guide, tech, pc, unbox, keycaps, computer, tutorial, how to build a mechanical keyboard, gaming keyboard, best keyboard, best keyboards 2019, best keyboard 2020, best gaming keyboard, why mechanical keyboard, best machanical, best mechanical keyboard

Id: B8jX2DpHA5E

Length: 6min 41sec (401 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 15 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/manofinterests]

I can do my own low production video :/ but so much of the information is better learned by reading

[u/dasUltimate89]

Videos like this annoy me to no end. They say things along the lines of "Blues are known as typing switches and reds are known as gaming switches." That's what got me triggered.

This one did better in talking about Topre, as well as caps, mods that can be done, and showed the more than the big 3 brands. So, good on them for that. But, they said the thing that got me triggered. That and, with how much the community is growing, I feel they could have talked more about Zealios (u/zealpc for the win) and touched more on custom keebs (such as the WhiteFox, and maybe mention a Clueboard or a Phantom or whatever).

[u/Danilo_dk]

Weirder manufacturers like Zealio, and that sort of thing.

Well, at least he knows about that one. Don't think he has a clue what Zealio switches actually are though.

[u/CheeseRat12]

How about these?

[u/OutragedPudding]

< comparing rubber domes and mechanical switches

< talks about rubber domes with a chiclet in the background

This entire video is a mess. I'm not sure if I can make it to the end haha

Did they steal video content from KeyboardCo? I swear that's the CEO pressing the MX Blue

< Talks about MX Blues being the typist switch...then says that he types a lot every day and that his preferred switch is MX Brown....can you just stop the whole "this switch=this use" argument altogether? It's getting old and the guy is contradicting himself in this video. And then he says he uses MX Clears on a regular basis