2022-11-12: Mechanical keyboards

This is the first post I’ve made with the Keychron K8 Pro instead of the G.SKILL KM360, and it will likely be that way for a while. Here are my thoughts!

Mechanical keyboards in general are superior to membrane keyboards, anyone who’s used one recently can attest to this. However, I initially struggled to figure out why this was the case. I think it comes down to a few select, but very important factors.

Factor 1: Build quality.

Mechanical keyboards, by their very nature, are more expensive than membrane keyboards. While this may seem irrelevant to the typing experience, this allows for a better materials to be used, which increases the value that the end user perceives. Of course, there are plenty of amazing membrane keyboards, and plenty of horrible mechanical keyboards. However, this is the general trend. You’d be hard-pressed to find a membrane keyboard that contains aluminum at any point in its chassis beyond screws, or something. With mechs you don’t have to look very far at all to find keyboards with metal making up at least a significant portion of the chassis.

Factor 2: Tactility (or lack thereof)

I currently use a K8 Pro Aluminum RGB with Gateron Pro Brown switches. These switches allow for a certain level of tactile feedback when typing (that is to say, the actuation point of the key is clear and well-pronounced). Some prefer a linear switch, which are smoother and do not provide any tactile feedback beyond the bottom-out. Some others prefer clicky switches, which also provide tactile feedback but are usually firmer and a much louder sound signature. The main point I am making here is that there are many ways you can fine-tune the amount of tactility on your keyboard with a mechanical, while membrane keyboards are more or less the same in their tactile feedback across price ranges and brands.

Factor 3: Sound

A lot of the people who use mechanical keyboards like to announce to the world that they use mechanical keyboards, and tinker relentlessly to pursue the “endgame” keyboard, which they know deep down they will never achieve. While I can respect these enthusiasts the same as I respect anyone with a deep passion is something, I do find their massive focus on thock and the noise in general as a bit much. However I, along with many others, can appreciate the sound of a good board.

Factor 4: Propaganda

I feel that one of the largest factors contributing to the growth in the popularity of mechanical keyboards in fields outside of the typing industry is advertising on the part of keyboard manufacturers. As much as it pains me to say this, a lot of the initial benefits are nothing compared to how they are perceived. Granted, the mechanical does have many advantages over membrane keyboards, but a large portion of the public opinion is based off of advertising and predetermined notions from popular culture.

TL;DR: Mechanical keyboards have some big advantages but a lot of it is advertising.

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