Beginner’s guide to mechanical keyboards

Re:Beginner’s guide to mechanical keyboards by ziml77 on Friday April 30, 2021 @10:39AM (#26994041)

The mechanical keyboard community has a fetish for switches that have an absurdly strong bump. I don't understand it. I've tried a couple different ones that are supposed to be amazing feeling and both times it felt like way more effort than I should have to put in to pressing a key. And then once you've passed that point you smash into the bottom.

Personally I keep going back to MX browns because the slight tactile bump is easy to press past and gives enough feedback for me to be satisfied. I still bottom out but it isn't a sudden shock as I pass the bump. Though I actually have been thinking of switching to silent MX reds since they bottom out more softly. Or maybe I'll try O-rings again so I can get the softened landing and still keep the tactile bump.

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Re:Beginner’s guide to mechanical keyboards by function_seven on Friday April 30, 2021 @02:03PM (#26997034)

When I built my first keyboard, I used MX Browns because I didn't know any better.

Then I read all the /r/MK threads and other forum posts where Browns are (almost) universally shit on. The conventional wisdom was that they were the worst switches out there.

So my next keyboard was some clicky green thing. Can't remember the brand.

They were very tactile and clicky, but I didn't like them. One problem was that the click was fake! It's a separate bar that snaps as the key travels down, but it's not associated with the electrical contacts at all. So depending on the key, it's possible to generate a keypress without hearing a click or (worse) get a click without closing the switch.

I'm back on Browns now. I think you're right about the fetish. The clicks sound really cool, but they're not as useful as people claim.

Or maybe I just have a "thunk" fetish, I don't know.

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Re:Beginner’s guide to mechanical keyboards by michael1999 on Friday April 30, 2021 @04:58PM (#26999222)

I was super bummed when I realized the blues I bought were similarly fake. I loved the old buckling springs, and wanted that certainty. But the click lies! If I trust the click a speed, I get mis-types.

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Re:Beginner’s guide to mechanical keyboards by ben7799 on Friday April 30, 2021 @10:44AM (#26994090)

For me the issue is typing is automatic.

If I am a "conscientious typist" and I am actively/awarely concentrating on my fingers with MX browns I move my fingers with smaller travel and just go a little past the tactile bump and I'm fine.

But as soon as I'm concentrating more on code, or trying to type fast, or under stress I start hitting the keys more quitckly and forcefully and I hit the bottom stop and that's when the keys start causing RSI type forces to build up.

I don't have to be conscientious with most other types of switches. Theres something different about the feedback cycle and for me almost anything provides better feedback than the mechanical switches.

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Re:Beginner’s guide to mechanical keyboards by vladvasiliu on Friday April 30, 2021 @11:44AM (#26994943)

I think it's a question of habit. I use both membrane and Gateron brown switches, one or the other for longer periods of time, and I find that I tend to get used to the lighter force needed for the mechanical, to the point that for a while, when getting back to membrane, I miss keys.

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Re:Beginner’s guide to mechanical keyboards by ziml77 on Friday April 30, 2021 @10:59AM (#26994297)

I think that's most of us. People who can stop after the bump certainly have trained in that way of typing, possibly even learned it that way from the start.

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Re:Beginner’s guide to mechanical keyboards by ben7799 on Friday April 30, 2021 @11:03AM (#26994359)

Interestingly I'm old enough that I learned to type on buckling spring type keyboards.

But back when I was learning no one ever even discussed any of this stuff. I didn't meet the first person I knew with RSI till I got out of college. My first manager out of college had a bad case of it and she had all kinds of keyboards she was always trying to alleviate pain.

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