Mechanical keyboards are no solution to anything, and deep down we all know it

[dante]

Here is a link to the article:
https://www.pcgamesn.com/mechanical-keyboards-are-no-solution-to-anything

The interesting thing is the author points this out:

Here's what I started playing PC games on:

Show Image

It's the keyboard that came with my circa 1998 Packard Bell PC. It doesn't have a 50-key rollover, and it didn't come in a variety of Cherry MX varieties for me to choose from. And yet never once, during year after year of use, death after death in some of the best (and worst) first-person shooters the platform has ever seen, did I ever sit back in my chair watching a You're Dead screen and go, "that was my keyboard's fault."

Correct me if I'm wrong but that's an electro-capacitive (mechanical) keyboard yea?  [hence the irony]

[Skull_Angel]

Someone sounds salty, give 'em a margarita to go with it? 

[atarione]

hopefully it is a joke?

either way.. that keyboard is disgusting.. I don't trust anyone that would use a keyboard looking like that... blah


If it isn't a joke I don't get it.. this guy types for crap so mechanical keyboards are crap?

meh....

I mean if you like mechanical keyboards use them if you wanna type on a membrane keyboard fantastic... I don't care suite yourself, but don't claim your preferences are the objective truth.. meh..

also my Filco mx-red keyboard with dampers isn't any louder than a membrane keyboard...I don't think anyways..

[Targa-TV]

Wow. Someone sucked a lemon for breakfast.

[pr0ximity]

They don't need to solve anything.

[tp4tissue]

Hahahahaha..

I've been saying this for a long time..



While bottom-out membrane keyboards DO in fact train you to type with bad technique..   If you don't --computer-- all that much,  Repetitive stress injury may never manifest despite poor form, because usage is too little..


However if you computer all day, everyday, (not just WASD),   then bottom out style.  membrane boards are in fact detrimental.

[davkol]

Correct me if I'm wrong but that's an electro-capacitive (mechanical) keyboard yea?  [hence the irony]

The keyboard is probably BTC rubber dome, not sure if over PCB, or membrane. Definitely not bad. I don't think they still used cap-sense at that point (see Windows keys), though; and capsense definitely isn't a mechanical actuation technology.

The writer has a point in a way, but got there through some quite weird mental gymnastics.

[3K]

It's taken me that long, five years of daily use, to crystallise a few salient facts in my brain:

It's much harder to type accurately on mechanical keyboards.

They're incredibly, distractingly noisy.

They don't make me any better at games, nor the games any more enjoyable.

They're more expensive than membrane keyboards.

... and none of these facts are necessarily true. Except the last, for which one could find counter examples too.
I can't even tell if this guy is trolling, but the article surely is entertaining.

[Tactile]

What's this poor fella gonna do when he saves up to buy an Audi and finds out it doesn't make him a better driver?

[Polymer]

They're really not a solution to anything..

They're not going to make you a better typist although many can definitely help you in certain ergonomic ways if you make an effort..
They're not going to make you a better gamer...although they should be more reliable...

But what does any of that have to do with using a mechanical keyboard?  If you bought on to be a better typist or gamer, you wasted your time...

You may get more enjoyment out of them...I certainly enjoy using them more...Really that's all it is about..

Most of that article comes from a place of ignorance though...

[Merranza]

They're really not a solution to anything..

They're not going to make you a better typist although many can definitely help you in certain ergonomic ways if you make an effort..
They're not going to make you a better gamer...although they should be more reliable...

But what does any of that have to do with using a mechanical keyboard?  If you bought on to be a better typist or gamer, you wasted your time...

You may get more enjoyment out of them...I certainly enjoy using them more...Really that's all it is about..

Most of that article comes from a place of ignorance though...

You pretty much nailed exactly my thoughts...

I bought a mechanical keyboard mainly for comfort... not performance... comfort.

Rubber domes are so uncomfortable to me nowadays. The way your finger bottoms out without any kind of consistency sometimes with a slight weird angle when you hit the end of the travel and the problem is, you HAVE to hit that spot to register a key. Mechanical keyboards do not force you to bottom out or at least, let you bottom out with less force since you know the key already registered during the travel.

I first bought an MX red at home during Holidays two years ago. Once I got back to work on that cheap 10$ keyboard, I hated it so much and realized how uncomfortable it could be. I waited for a sale and got another MX red for work. (Big fan of linear )

In response to the article, for sure there is a lot of marketing BS regarding performance and such (prices are a bit high also I admit), but they do feel a lot different and much more enjoyable if you ask me.

[Findecanor]

Correct me if I'm wrong but that's an electro-capacitive (mechanical) keyboard yea?  [hence the irony]

The keyboard is probably BTC rubber dome, not sure if over PCB, or membrane.

Yep. https://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/cherry-keycaps-from-a-rubberdome-t6129.html

This similar keyboard is confirmed as having slider with conductive dome over PCB:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=85570.0

[dorkvader]

It's taken me that long, five years of daily use, to crystallise a few salient facts in my brain:

It's much harder to type accurately on mechanical keyboards.

They're incredibly, distractingly noisy.

They don't make me any better at games, nor the games any more enjoyable.

They're more expensive than membrane keyboards.

... and none of these facts are necessarily true. Except the last, for which one could find counter examples too.
I can't even tell if this guy is trolling, but the article surely is entertaining.

Yeah, it seems sort of poorly thought out to me. finding the actuation point and not pressing down past that is indeed harder than just bottoming out a RDOM, but you can just bottom out a mech, so the process is really the same. Likewise, a matias silent or topre 30g will be much quieter than that Packard Bell, and I had one in 1996 when I was a kid. As for expense, if you like a loud keyboard -and I do- you can pick up a model m for like $20. Cheap and relatively quiet TG3 for about the same (I got two for $20 shipped once) and large, but quiet enough and cheap cherry G80-8113 for under $30. Now these aren't as cheap as the $11 Logitech or $9 aliexpress keyboard, but I don't think anyone will call that expensive.

Still, keyboarding for me isn't about the keybord, although having a nice one is certainly a bonus. It's the same as for audiophile stuff (not about the sound). It's about learning how they work, understanding it and modifying it. I love to tinker and keyboards are relatively easy to understand, yet complex enough to be fun. it's a hobby! I think I've modified just about every KB I own, except my NIB model M and that's because I still haven't opened the box.

So while I don't disagree with his point, I do think his post is poorly researched and poorly thought out. You can arrive at the same conclusion with a much better chain of logic. I agree with davkol about the mental gymnastics.

[chyros]

Since when are mechanical keyboards supposed to be a solution, and since when was there a problem? xD

[zslane]

Since when are mechanical keyboards supposed to be a solution, and since when was there a problem? xD

Well, they did end up being a solution to a few problems that I was having with the keyboards I was using before I discovered mechanicals. Those problems were:

1. Switches that died after only a couple of years of use.
2. Keycaps with legends that wore off after a few years of use.
3. Dreadful (overall) aesthetics/ergonomics (ugly case designs, haphazard layouts, low-profile keycaps with non-standard sizes and shapes, etc.)
4. Zero customizabilty.

I learned about mechanical keyboards from a google search for "custom computer keyboards", which I did because I was having trouble finding conventional consumer keyboards with a standard layout, tolerable aesthetics, and long-term durability. And after visiting keypuller.com and reading DT's Cappening threads, I became hooked on spherical keycaps (which I thought had been lost to history). Upon seeing them I was finally able to pinpoint a major source of dissatisfaction I've been plagued with for decades (another kind of "problem" I guess you could say).

Just because mech boards are a frivolous hobby of little importance to some, doesn't mean that they aren't a very real solution to some nagging problems for others.

[Targa-TV]

I bought a mechanical keyboard mainly for comfort... not performance... comfort.

 I remember all too clearly pressing the corners of the rdom keys when I was in a hurry and the keys not being registered. Which. Yeah. How about no.
With the mechanical switches if I want to type as fast and as lightly as I want, I can. I don't have to worry about whether certain keys will be registered or not.
So yes I DID buy a mechanical for performance.

RANT:
Just reiterating that this article's tone sounds like a whiny baby. Your hardware helps but only so far.
I also "like" the fact that at some point he describes how gross a dirty keyboard looks, as if that only happens around mech boards.
And let's not talk about the fact that he complains about the noise. W.T.H. /it doesn't work like that meme/
IMO the picture of the MX Blues indicates that that's the only mech switch he has ever tried, the words "I have used mechanical keyboards" doesn't say s* of the mech switch experience he comes from.
You want to post a decent online article about the downsides of mech boards in pro gaming, you better come with tons of knowledge and experience to spare.
END OF RANT.

What's this poor fella gonna do when he saves up to buy an Audi and finds out it doesn't make him a better driver?

Preach.

[tp4tissue]

I can't believe you guys actually clicked the link and read the article..

hahahahaha

[Polymer]

I remember all too clearly pressing the corners of the rdom keys when I was in a hurry and the keys not being registered. Which. Yeah. How about no.
With the mechanical switches if I want to type as fast and as lightly as I want, I can. I don't have to worry about whether certain keys will be registered or not.
So yes I DID buy a mechanical for performance.

So you bought it because you felt it would increase your performance and it has?  You'd be one of the rare few.

Mech Keyboards aren't new..they're old..they're very old school.  When the industry was shifting towards "quiet" rubber dome keyboards, people weren't complaining about performance..not at all...because the reality is, it really doesn't make a difference. 

Now, you could learn to type lighter as a result and that may help in an ergonomic sense...but it isn't helping you in speed sense...Please don't say something like not bottoming out has helped you speed wise...

[Targa-TV]

Now, you could learn to type lighter as a result and that may help in an ergonomic sense...but it isn't helping you in speed sense...Please don't say something like not bottoming out has helped you speed wise...

Mh. It seems like I haven't explained myself well.
I touch type very lightly and fast-ish so I was having trouble with the rubber domes because I would often press the corner of the cap, or I would press too lightly and the key wouldn't be registered, and it bothered me.
I don't think I need to learn how to type lighter, and as for me saying that not bottoming out has helped me type faster.... That's not what I inteded to say, I must have used some weird phrasing.
I'm happy with my Reds specifically because they are a light, linear switch, so I can type at my usual light pressure and at my usual speed without worries.

[Polymer]

Mh. It seems like I haven't explained myself well.
I touch type very lightly and fast-ish so I was having trouble with the rubber domes because I would often press the corner of the cap, or I would press too lightly and the key wouldn't be registered, and it bothered me.
I don't think I need to learn how to type lighter, and as for me saying that not bottoming out has helped me type faster.... That's not what I inteded to say, I must have used some weird phrasing.
I'm happy with my Reds specifically because they are a light, linear switch, so I can type at my usual light pressure and at my usual speed without worries.

So if you've always typed light and fast how did you learn to type wouldn't you have had issues or did you use something else that would allow you to learn to type like that?  I'm asking because just by virtue of this not working out, you would adjust.
Or better quality rubber dome keyboards or scissor switch wouldn't have this issue...

[MperorM]

Even though the article definitely had its issues, I think it holds a lot of truth.

I find it really funny that so many people "hate" rubber domes, until they get to pay 10 x the price for it, in which case it now is the best switch in the world *cough* Topre *cough*
There definitely exists really shoddy keyboards, however there is a ton of good rubber dome boards that are just fine, but disregarded because they aren't overpriced and marketed towards enthusiasts.
As someone who uses topre as his daily driver, I'll gladly admit that it's not much different from a standard high quality rubber dome.

In FPS'es the optimal switch is pretty much a linear one, as you want to be able to make minuscule adjustments in your movement. Any heavy switch is not going to help you with this. In games like starcraft, that require hundreds of key presses every minute, light switches tend to rain supreme as they fatigue the fingers much less than heavier switches. Both of these examples are cases where a switch like MX blue would be detrimental to your skill compared to a rubber dome board.

I feel like people are overly quick to disregard cheap rubber domes, just to end up with $1000 less on their bank account, and a topre board that feels almost exactly alike.

[fohat.digs]

Name any consumer product: cars, shoes, whatever, and/or any collectible: art, LPs, coins, baseball cards, etc .....

People who are into any particular thing in its own arena are going to want something that pleases and satisfies them on whatever level: aesthetic, functional, comfort, investment, and they will spend time and money to get "the best" (in their own personal opinion, of course).

To pick just one random example, what is the ratio of people here who are more discerning about their keyboards than they are about their shoes?

[zslane]

So basically this thread is just a troll trying to get everyone to admit that their preferences are subjective and without object merit.

Congratulations on the most pointless thread I've seen in quite a while around here. (slow clap)

[Data]

Nice clickbait article. When something gets popular the clickbait is sure to follow, so if anything this article is just a sign of the times and an unintentional confirmation that mechs are coming back not because of some technology fad, but because they're infinitely superior to rubber dome trash.

Thanks, PC Games, whoever the **** you are.

[Targa-TV]

So if you've always typed light and fast how did you learn to type wouldn't you have had issues or did you use something else that would allow you to learn to type like that?  I'm asking because just by virtue of this not working out, you would adjust.
Or better quality rubber dome keyboards or scissor switch wouldn't have this issue...

I had carpal tunnel syndrome at the end of high school because of how fast I tried to take notes because most of my professors didn't bother to wait for us to write logical sentences.
So I started to record my lessons and transcribe some parts later with Word.
I first had your everyday normal rubber dome (can't remember the brand) then I bought a laptop with extremely short keys. I don't know how they are called in English. They are like the Macbook's, very very short. So the keystroke was lower than I was used to and I started to type faster.
Then I switched to a desktop computer and had a normal-sized rubber dome again, then circumstances brought me a slim Lenovo keyboard, so again the very short keys.
Probably because of the difference in the length of the keystroke for higher and shorter rubber domes I picked up speed again but I couldn't type accurately for the reasons I already stated.

[Polymer]

Even though the article definitely had its issues, I think it holds a lot of truth.

I feel like people are overly quick to disregard cheap rubber domes, just to end up with $1000 less on their bank account, and a topre board that feels almost exactly alike.

Most rubber dome keyboards are not very good...there are plenty that are perfectly fine...but the good ones aren't that cheap either.  So while a Topre board is probably 5 times the price (of a good normal rubber dome keyboard), you do get:
More stability
It feels more solid
Smoother (because of the stability)
More responsive
Much more reliability
Better keycaps

But you're right, at the end of the day it is basically a rubber dome...but it is a damn good one and for people that enjoy it, worth the premium over even good normal rubber dome keyboards...

[MperorM]

The good ones certainly are cheap. You can find some top quality IBM rubber domes for basically free in any thrift shop.

[SBJ]

Nice clickbait article. When something gets popular the clickbait is sure to follow

This.

[SpAmRaY]

I thought mechanical keyboards where the solution to loneliness since we can all come here and chat about them.

#dreamsruined #allhopeisgone

[tp4tissue]

I thought mechanical keyboards where the solution to loneliness since we can all come here and chat about them.

#dreamsruined #allhopeisgone

[Jaymanlp]

The salt in this article is real. No one ever said a mech would make you better at games. Mechs just feel nice and last a long time.
"They're incredibly, distractingly noisy"
They are if you use loud switches. There's many switch types that are almost completely silent especially if they have o-rings preventing the caps from bottoming out.
This honestly sounds like someone who never used one other than for a little bit, only used browns and blues, and already had a bias going in before using them. The worst part is that he's making money off of this poorly written opinion piece and people who follow him and PCGamesN are going to listen to it and repeat it.

[davkol]

No one ever said a mech would make you better at games.

Razer's marketing did. ~_^

[merlin64]

Using a high end mechanical keyboard didn't make me a better typist or a gamer, but that's not what I bought it for to begin with.

It did however make me a better solderer, more knowledgeable about CAD files, PCB design and random knowledge about certain plastics.

[SpAmRaY]

Using a high end mechanical keyboard didn't make me a better typist or a gamer, but that's not what I bought it for to begin with.

It did however make me a better solderer, more knowledgeable about CAD files, PCB design and random knowledge about certain plastics.

Don't forget youtuber!

[merlin64]

Ohh yes that too! LOL.

[zslane]

Using a mechanical keyboard may not make me a better typist or a better programmer, but it definitely makes me a happier person. I don't think keyboard (and keycap) manufacturers make that claim in their advertising, but they probably should!

[chyros]

No one ever said a mech would make you better at games.

Razer's marketing did. ~_^

Razer's marketing says a lot of things xD .

[dario]

I didn't bother to read the actual article, but just by seeing the caption, I think it's actually true. I've been thinking about that lately myself.

Here is the thing.

Life is like a drug.

At first, it tastes fantastic. Then as you take more of it, you became more and more numb. So you always try to reproduce something good you already felt, but you never actually succeed doing that, and then you try to compensate quality with quantity. But people still look for some kind of satisfaction, and this imperfect way seems to be the only one available.

Look at it this way. First love is usually the best one, no matter how it ends.

First car is the best one, no matter how rubbish it was.

First PC is always the best one, no matter how slow it actually was.

There is just no way I can ever in my life reproduce the feeling of playing Half Life or Monkey Island for the first time, no matter how fast my current PC is, and how visually rich todays games are.

I've seen people driving a cheap cabrio Mazda Miata for years, having enormous fun. Later on, as they get older, they become capable of buying a Porsche Boxter, which is actually "mechanical" Mazda, same thing but much more expensive, and somewhat better and faster. But it's never the same thing, you're unable to enjoy it the way you used to, money can't fix this.

Same is happening within IT community. We think we know better. Yeah, I'll feel better if buy Topre for $250 instead of Logitech for $20. I'll compensate my numbness just by throwing money at it. But those 15 year old kids playing some games on Logitech are still having much more fun than you will ever be able to. Braided cable, PBT keycaps and krytox lube certainly won't help at all, and deep down we all know it.

[MperorM]

No one ever said a mech would make you better at games.

Razer's marketing did. ~_^

Razer's marketing says a lot of things xD .

Are you telling me Razer's gear won't get me laid? Bastards lied to me!

[tp4tissue]

No one ever said a mech would make you better at games.

Razer's marketing did. ~_^

Razer's marketing says a lot of things xD .

Are you telling me Razer's gear won't get me laid? Bastards lied to me!

You know how there are Razer booth babes at the convention..   There for they must be implying that their product will get you babes.

But a few times, the razer booth babes were really ugly.. so.. idk.. maybe they also meant' ugly babes..  hahahahahahahhahaha

[Polymer]

The good ones certainly are cheap. You can find some top quality IBM rubber domes for basically free in any thrift shop.

You can buy a lot of quality stuff in a thrift shop..how much time did you spend looking and how much is your time worth?  How about cleaning it, etc?  Just a poor example...

I bought my HHKB for 100 but I'd never use that as my basis for how much it would cost...or use that as a number to give to someone as far as what they can buy one for...

[dante]

Correct me if I'm wrong but that's an electro-capacitive (mechanical) keyboard yea?  [hence the irony]

The keyboard is probably BTC rubber dome, not sure if over PCB, or membrane. Definitely not bad. I don't think they still used cap-sense at that point (see Windows keys), though; and capsense definitely isn't a mechanical actuation technology.

The writer has a point in a way, but got there through some quite weird mental gymnastics.

You are correct.  Though they must be pretty good because I've seen at least two knowledgeable people compare that Packard Bell to the Topre TypeHeaven.

[atarione]

The good ones certainly are cheap. You can find some top quality IBM rubber domes for basically free in any thrift shop.

You can buy a lot of quality stuff in a thrift shop..how much time did you spend looking and how much is your time worth?  How about cleaning it, etc?  Just a poor example...

I bought my HHKB for 100 but I'd never use that as my basis for how much it would cost...or use that as a number to give to someone as far as what they can buy one for...

I have bought a keyboard at a thrift store..but only because it looked for all the world to be NOS

a terrible (except for the keycaps) Cherry G81-1800... it was in a box with the cord still in the bag.

for the 99% of the rest of the time used keyboards sleeve me the heck out... I can't do vintage /used keyboards... have to be NOS or it is a deal breaker for me...

I did however get this for $75 at a 2nd hand shop

[tp4tissue]

The good ones certainly are cheap. You can find some top quality IBM rubber domes for basically free in any thrift shop.

You can buy a lot of quality stuff in a thrift shop..how much time did you spend looking and how much is your time worth?  How about cleaning it, etc?  Just a poor example...

I bought my HHKB for 100 but I'd never use that as my basis for how much it would cost...or use that as a number to give to someone as far as what they can buy one for...

I have bought a keyboard at a thrift store..but only because it looked for all the world to be NOS

a terrible (except for the keycaps) Cherry G81-1800... it was in a box with the cord still in the bag.

for the 99% of the rest of the time used keyboards sleeve me the heck out... I can't do vintage /used keyboards... have to be NOS or it is a deal breaker for me...

I did however get this for $75 at a 2nd hand shop

u get all 5 --things --  for $75 ?

[atarione]

The good ones certainly are cheap. You can find some top quality IBM rubber domes for basically free in any thrift shop.

You can buy a lot of quality stuff in a thrift shop..how much time did you spend looking and how much is your time worth?  How about cleaning it, etc?  Just a poor example...

I bought my HHKB for 100 but I'd never use that as my basis for how much it would cost...or use that as a number to give to someone as far as what they can buy one for...

I have bought a keyboard at a thrift store..but only because it looked for all the world to be NOS

a terrible (except for the keycaps) Cherry G81-1800... it was in a box with the cord still in the bag.

for the 99% of the rest of the time used keyboards sleeve me the heck out... I can't do vintage /used keyboards... have to be NOS or it is a deal breaker for me...

I did however get this for $75 at a 2nd hand shop

u get all 5 --things --  for $75 ?

yup... it was a pretty nice day.. I did have to replace the meter lamps on the amp but otherwise all in really nice shape and working quite well.. amp weighs like 65lbs~ or so..

[PollandAkuma]

Honestly, I buy keyboards as an incentive to type stuff. However, I don't buy keyboards, so I don't type stuff.

[dario]

Honestly, I buy keyboards as an incentive to type stuff. However, I don't buy keyboards, so I don't type stuff.

[yomammary]

They don't need to solve anything.

Yup.

[Prince Valiant]

The good ones certainly are cheap. You can find some top quality IBM rubber domes for basically free in any thrift shop.

You can buy a lot of quality stuff in a thrift shop..how much time did you spend looking and how much is your time worth?  How about cleaning it, etc?  Just a poor example...

I bought my HHKB for 100 but I'd never use that as my basis for how much it would cost...or use that as a number to give to someone as far as what they can buy one for...

I have bought a keyboard at a thrift store..but only because it looked for all the world to be NOS

a terrible (except for the keycaps) Cherry G81-1800... it was in a box with the cord still in the bag.

for the 99% of the rest of the time used keyboards sleeve me the heck out... I can't do vintage /used keyboards... have to be NOS or it is a deal breaker for me...

I did however get this for $75 at a 2nd hand shop

Very nice . If I ever saw an amp like that at one of my local thrift stores I'd probably pass out. Let alone a stack of decent audio gear.

On the silly topic: I had fatigue before getting a mechanical board and now I don't, that's good enough for me .

[jcoffin1981]

The good ones certainly are cheap. You can find some top quality IBM rubber domes for basically free in any thrift shop.

You can buy a lot of quality stuff in a thrift shop..how much time did you spend looking and how much is your time worth?  How about cleaning it, etc?  Just a poor example...

I bought my HHKB for 100 but I'd never use that as my basis for how much it would cost...or use that as a number to give to someone as far as what they can buy one for...

I have bought a keyboard at a thrift store..but only because it looked for all the world to be NOS

a terrible (except for the keycaps) Cherry G81-1800... it was in a box with the cord still in the bag.

for the 99% of the rest of the time used keyboards sleeve me the heck out... I can't do vintage /used keyboards... have to be NOS or it is a deal breaker for me...

I did however get this for $75 at a 2nd hand shop

How many quads per channel?