Mechanical Keyboard Guide

I have a rubber dome switch, which I always considered a step up from the membrame keyboards. I didn't realize it was considered one and the same; my Packard Bell keyboard feels almost as nice as some of the mechanical keyboards I've used.

I'd like to have a mechanical-switch keyboard someday; unfortunately most of the ones I've seen (including the ones in this article) tend to be full-size 104-key keyboards, while my tastes tend toward smaller keyboards like the Happy Hacker keyboard (which is excellent but uses rubber-dome switches).

Right at the moment I'm using a Lenovo Thinkpad USB keyboard because it's a smallish keyboard with a built-in trackpoint device (one less reason to ever leave the home row). If it wasn't for the trackpoint, however, I'd be back on the HHKB - I like the layout more and I seem to have less trouble finding the arrow keys by feel.

Since they don't make HHKB keyboards any more, I suspect my next keyboard might very well be an Apple USB mini-keyboard - it's got the layout I like, it's small and light, and I suspect I could get used to the key-switches soon enough...

If you are new to mechanical keyboards, I recommend a Cherry Brown-based keyboard. They have a great tactile feel that quickly trains you to recognize that a key is typed without having to bottom out.

I prefer the Topre switches, but the tactile bump is very subtle and if you do not consciously make the effort to not bottom out (initially), you will. And then it's just a very very expensive rubber-dome keyboard.

(The reason you use mechanical keyboards is so that you don't have to bottom out -- slam your fingers against an unyielding piece of plastic thousands of times a day. If you don't realize that and treat your mechanical keyboard like a $3 rubber-dome keyboard, then you are not going to get the comfort that they are supposed to provide. Rubber dome keyboards are bad because the keys only register when you bottom out, forcing you to hurt your hands in order to produce any text.)

Also, if you've used a Model M and hated it, it's because it's bad. You have to apply quite a bit of force to the keys (80g, compared to 35g on a Realforce), and that can be painful. Model Ms make a really fucking cool sound and are built like tanks, but they are otherwise not particularly special. I used to use one, but after switching to a HHKB, I could not go back.

Finally, clicky keyboards are really cool, but the Cherry Browns ("tactile") are a lot easier to type on than the Cherry Blues ("clicky"). I am not really sure why, but the Browns feel "sandpapery" (try it and see) when they register, but the Blues just make a loud noise. The rough feeling is much easier to recognize while typing than the sound, IMHO.

If you can, try each type before buying, but if you can't, forget about clicky and go for Brown. If you like the Cherry Brown-based keyboard but want something higher quality and slightly more ergonomic, then make the step up to the Realforce.

HHKB Professional keyboards are not rubber-dome keyboards. They do use rubber domes to provide tactile feedback, but the actual switch mechanism is capacitive.

The reason rubber-dome keyboards are bad is because you have to bottom-out to get the key to register. Topre switches (which is what the HHKB and Realforce keyboards use) do not have this problem.

Also, HHKBs are very much still in production.

Improper technique can make any mechanical keyboard feel like a rubber-dome keyboard.