Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Membrane Switch Manufacturers — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:11:13 GMT

VERY GOOD! THANKS!

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Membrane Switch Manufacturers — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:10:06 GMT

I just bought the Cadillac of keyboards---you're definitely enjoy the Filco. I'm typing this on one right now .

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Jacob Alexander — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:34:03 GMT

I've been using a Unicomp Spacesaver 104 for over a year now. Its been awesome.

Unfortunately, I destroyed my first one with a beer.

So rather than wait 5 weeks to get another one (didn't have a credit card at the time). I decided to order a Cherry G81-1800 (MY Switches) from a local retailer in Ottawa.

Though a different typing experience, its also very nice (well suited for hard typing).

But I still missed the Spacesaver I destroyed (and needed another keyboard), so I ordered another one (had a credit card this time). This time, though, without any printed keys (you just need to request it via the comments).

Currently, I'm using the G81-1800 at work (since its not as loud), and the Spacesaver at home.

Since I'll be in Japan until May, I guess I should check out some of the FILCO keyboards.

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Marco C — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:46:14 GMT

Thanks László, I really appreciate that. I'll be following up soon with a piece featuring the Topre Realforce, HHKP, and a few others. Between this piece and the next one, we'll pretty much have all of the high-end mechanical boards and key switches covered.

When you finish your custom design, be sure to show it off in the forums! We'd love to see it.

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

László Monda — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:47:10 GMT

Congratulations Marco!

This is currently the best resource on the Internet on mechanical keyboards. My journey has been started with Das Keyboard but it will end with my own design. We're just building a pretty unique, fully programmable keyboard intended for hackers, utilizing quality microswitches.

It's nice to read this page because it reinforces my opinion that mechanical keyboards are absolutely superior to the rest.

Really nice article, keep it up!

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

avidracer — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:04:05 GMT

hi Marco,

great article, I ended up withthe filco 104M/EB model. wow, its amazing, gives a good feel when typing on it. Its now my daily work keyboard also.

could you also please cover the scissor switch models ? are they better than the rubber dome and quiet at the same time ?my wife will go mad if I make so much noise at home and I was looking from some quiet aletnatives.

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Nicomater — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:19:49 GMT

I gotta get one of thses, nice article.

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Marco C — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:25 GMT

Awesome! More converts. I'm glad this aritcle has pointed some of you in the right direction. Enjoy your new keyboards!

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Paula — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:12:11 GMT

Thank you for this excellent article. I learned the hard way that having a crappy keyboard will ruin your wrists. After several weeks of using a terrible $10.00 keyboard, I started to develop severe wrist pain. I switched to a wonderful keyboard with ALPS keys and it's like typing in mid air, as if I'm not even pressing any keys at all. Within a week my wrist pain totally disappeared. I'll never type on a cheap keyboard again.

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Lei — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:33:51 GMT

Great article Marco, turned me into a keyboard nerd.

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Dan — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:35:10 GMT

Hey thanks for the video, it took me a long while to decide on what I wanted but end the end i got a Majestouch Tactile Click, and boy is it worth it! I can defiantly see a difference in my typing speed after typing on it for just a couple minutes, not to mention that the sound of the keys is simply intoxicating! No comparison to those plastic dome ones at all, the price is more than worth it. Thanks again for the great write-up!

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Marco C — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:46:46 GMT

Hope you enjoy those Scorpius boards! The cherry blue switch was my favorite until I got used to the browns. Now I'm diggin' the silence...

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Granville — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:03:06 GMT

I believe I found this article a month or maybe 2 after it was first released. Oh a whim I was trying to find clicky or mechanical switch keyboards and came here. I do remember seeing the video the first time I landed here so it was after that.

One day my cat knocked over my glass of water and got my long standing favorite keyboard drenched. Unfortunately it ruined the contacts inside and wasn't working anymore. This is when I took it apart and realized that just because a keyboard clicks, doesn't mean that it is a mechanical switch keyboard. What I found was some layers where when the key was pressed it pressed a contact sheet down onto another sheet to make the keypress work. While the keys themselves were clicky and on real springs and felt great when typing on it, I don't beleive that this is how mechanical swtich keyboard are really made.

I had some older keyboards, one with an older style AT plug with an adapter to ps2, and 2 IBM models that seem to still have their lead weights in them that came iwth ps2 plugs. I just find it hard to have them on my desk since they are so large and bulky that I recently decided to get 2 Scorpius keyboards based solely on the video found here and the sound that they made; I find the lighter sound more to my liking.

I got them in today and while I've seen some reviews by people who said they opened up the keyboard that they just got and found disturbing things on the inside. I don't plan on doing that to mine since I just want it to work, but it's touch and feel is so much better then the rubber dome one, that it actually took me a minute to get a good feel for the new typing sensation.

Thanks for the article and the video.

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Marco C — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:25:57 GMT

Another convert! I'm glad you're liking your new keyboard so far--it really is a totally new experience, once you switch from a crappy rubber dome...

re: Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

insaneinthemembrane — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:14:22 GMT

Two days later and Brian from Elite Keyboards already got me my keyboard! Excellent customer service. I took a typing test and my speed went up already (within 10 minutes of use) by 7 words per minute to 71wpm! The feel is amazing, I wish I had changed a while back. Interestingly, the command and alt/opt are switched on this keyboard, but I just switched to what a mac user expects in OS X. I switch my caps-lock to control anyways (emacs/vim user here). So, basically I can report that I am very happy and that Elite rocks!