Keychron, Corsair, Razer — THOCK! soothing, satisfying, clickety-clack sounds, we are talking about Mechanical Keyboards. Mechanical Keyboards have become popular in the last decade. You might ask that the ₹500 one does the same thing. This is absolutely true; we can’t deny that the cheap one does the same as the mechanical keyboard. Then why should you invest your money to buy these expensive, custom mechanical keyboards? Because keyboards are essentials we use in everyday life, so like other day-to-day items, why not get something that may potentially better your experience? But what other options do we have?
Membrane keyboards, the cheaper keyboards have a layer of silicon rubber matrix between the keys and the PCB. Each key is held with a rubber dome and gets activated only when the key is pressed all the way down to PCB. It is more like hitting your fingers on a hard surface — in the long run, it’s bad for fingers until you want your hands to look like Dr. Strange. But, in mechanical keyboards keys get activated on reaching the actuation point which means you don’t have to push all the way down. The cool thing about mechanical keyboards is their variety and the ability to choose a keyboard which meets your requirements. Variety as in, how the keypress feels, layout, programmability, aesthetics, materials and so on which is very limited to membrane keyboards. Do not want a number pad? Get rid of it; Need dedicated macros? Create them; Want better ergonomics? Get a split or ergonomic keyboard; Do you like the retro look? Just find a retro-looking keyboard or keycaps. It’s all out there.
This is not just because of mechanical keyboards, instead because of the mechanical switches, which helps in modularity and customisation. This isn’t something you can control with membrane keyboards because they are just a sheet of collapsing domes. But with mechanical keyboards, you can get a range of switches — clicky, tactile, or smooth linear switches, loud, silent whatever you want. Getting something you use in daily life, that feels good, can improve your performance, efficiency and add enjoyment.
Then, there is the functional side. The durability of key switches is around 50 million keystrokes which mean mechanical keyboards go for ages. Adding to it, mechanical keyboards are sturdier, heavier and nicely built. The orchestra of CHOK CHOK and CLICK CLICK has added symphony to our gaming, typing and programming experience. Mechanical keyboards are true works of art.