If you see a switch called a “red” or a “black,” it is almost certainly a linear switch. This is the vanilla of mechanical switches: it is very good and very enjoyable, but it is also very simple. When you press a linear switch, you’ll feel it depress smoothly until it’s all the way down. Linear switches are switches that simply go up and down with no gimmicks. There are hundreds of varieties, many of which are hard for even aficionados to tell apart, but for a newb there are three main flavors to consider: “linear,” “tactile,” and “clicky.” Each of these three flavors tends to come in two varieties of stiffness, where a stiffer switch requires more force to press down. What to Look for Which switches should you choose?

Even so, these keyboards are not better because they’re mechanical mechanical keyboards are much simpler to create in small production runs, making them ideal for niche products. Some unusual keyboards have layouts that can improve your typing technique or provide a more ergonomically comfortable typing experience. However, there are specialty mechanical keyboards that can make your life better in various ways. An expensive mechanical keyboard will not magically make you type faster mechanical keyboards will not suddenly make you better at video games. As a keyboard nerd myself, and owner of a dozen or so, I’ve found this to be dubious at best. Some people (and keyboard companies) will claim that mechanical keyboards are better for various types of typing. These tiny devices, the switches, are what give a mechanical keyboard its feel, which can vary wildly depending on what kind of switches you choose to use. Mechanical keyboards, by contrast, have a discrete plastic mechanism under each key. These domes are what give your keyboard that “snap” (at best) or “mush” (at worst), when you press the keys. These contain within them a layer of flexible rubber domes - almost like a layer of bubble wrap - between the keycaps you press with your fingers and the electronics underneath, which send an electric signal to your computer. If you don’t know much about the keyboard that’s currently on your desk, it’s almost certainly what’s known as a “membrane” keyboard. A mechanical keyboard is not a “membrane” or “rubber dome” keyboard. So what is a mechanical keyboard? Well, it’s easiest to define it by what it’s not.

Sure, there are ancillary “practical” reasons to buy an expensive mechanical keyboard, which you can use to justify the expense to yourself - longer lifespan, sturdier materials, options to customize keys to your liking - but the primary reason you, or anyone else, is buying a mechanical keyboard is because you like how they feel (and sound). It’s probably not shocking to hear that there are premium keyboards for people who are going to type a lot and would like to be able to enjoy it.

Non clicky gaming keyboard