Mechanical keyboards offer an excellent typing experience compared to the rubber dome type known as membrane keyboards that many people are used to. Mechanical models offer just the right level of feedback for accurate keying and a satisfying sound when you type. These features make mechanical keyboards the best choice for gamers and anyone who types a lot.
What are the advantages of mechanical keyboards?
Most computer keyboards are membrane style that come with rubber domes inside. When you tap the key, it hits the dome and causes a pressure. The rubber leads to a mushy feel. Laptop keyboards often use scissor switches that don’t offer much travel. On the other hand, a mechanical keyboard uses switches that actuate before the tip of the bottom tip.
A mechanical keyboard can make you a better typist thanks to the precise and consistent feel of the keys.
Game-oriented models have switches that are smoother and faster to actuate than the keys on membrane boards. But keep in mind that mechanical keyboards tend to be noisy. So, you might want to choose a membrane keyboard if you work in a public space or shared office.
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Keyboard size
Mechanical keyboards come in different forms. A full-sized board is best for most people, but it’s too big for some desks. There is also tenkeyless (TKL), sometimes known as an 80 percent keyboard, which does not have a number pad to free up desktop space. Even smaller is the 60 percent board keyboard that only has the alpha keys, a number row, and modifiers like the enter, shift, and caps lock keys.
How we evaluated
I’m a tech journalist and keyboard fanatic. I’ve spent far too much time fiddling with keyboards over the past two decades trying to find the perfect one. My work appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The guardian, Reuters, and many other publications. I also regularly review personal technology products.
For this review, I relied on my own experience as a long-time tester of keyboards. I also spent over a dozen hours researching reviews and product specs in an effort to find the best keyboards for the most users. I was looking for high quality keyboards that would work for both gaming and long periods of word processing as well as other computing tasks.
