geekhack

geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Novus on Tue, 17 February 2015, 18:09:31

Title: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Novus on Tue, 17 February 2015, 18:09:31
No judgements here on wallet hack, but you actually type faster on your mechanical keyboards then you do on your plain rubber domes keyboards?
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Merranza on Tue, 17 February 2015, 18:17:00
Got a mech with mx reds... I actually type faster on it than I was on my mx brown. I have a very light touch when typing so anything in my way once I start pressing the key is making me type slower.

I really like my mx reds for typing but my fastest is my scissor switch (laptop). The fact keys are also not one next to the other (space between each of them) is also helping as I have no fear of typos while typing really fast.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Ludovician on Tue, 17 February 2015, 18:24:21
I made a lot more typos on my membrane keyboard than I do on my Model M, partially because the keys are stiffer and partially because of the tactile feedback. I was making abundant mistakes yesterday on my new HHKB, because I grew accustomed to the Model M.

The tactile feedback helps a bit with my typing, but mostly I find the weight of the keys makes more of a difference. Mechs just feel significantly better to type on. None of that cheap $5 rubbish that feels like it could break with minimal effort.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: pr0ximity on Tue, 17 February 2015, 18:56:00
100% sure I type faster on my Realforce than my other boards or Apple chiclets. Model M and MX Reds are probably close, maybe slightly faster with Reds (though more error-prone if I don't use them frequently). Model F is probably on par with the RF.

I think it has mostly to do with the profile of the keys on the RF board, they feel much more accurate than any rubber dome that I've used.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Tue, 17 February 2015, 19:02:16
isn't this already a thread?
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: ablooga on Tue, 17 February 2015, 19:04:00
i type the same speed on my microsoft membrane, topre 45g and cherry mx blues approx (100wpm). i type around 70-80 wpm on mx reds.
But typing on a membranes feels loose and undefined.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: chyros on Tue, 17 February 2015, 19:48:27
Just a little, not a lot. They let me make fewer mistakes though, and the sound and feeling is of course much better :) .
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Joey Quinn on Tue, 17 February 2015, 19:51:51
Nope, I think I'm actually faster on my laptop because the lack of profile means I don't need to lift my fingers at all.  ^-^
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: sidel on Tue, 17 February 2015, 19:57:48
Not even slightly, but you sure won't catch me going back to membrane boards because of it.   :p
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: snipars on Tue, 17 February 2015, 20:02:20
nope, but it's usually more enjoyable
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Oobly on Wed, 18 February 2015, 02:53:01
Yes, because I don't type on rubber dome boards.

But typing speed is a largely irrelevant metric anyway. There aren't many typing tasks besides pure data entry where typing speed is the bottleneck. Even with data entry it's still worth rather using a mechanical board to prevent injury long term.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Novus on Wed, 18 February 2015, 04:15:19
isn't this already a thread?

I don't think so
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: azhdar on Wed, 18 February 2015, 04:24:30
a month ago : https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=67647.0
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: mecano on Wed, 18 February 2015, 05:40:40
Oh let's fuse them, make a poll and a sticky then!
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Oobly on Wed, 18 February 2015, 07:06:19
Oh let's fuse them, make a poll and a sticky then!

Then lock the thread... :D
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Voixdelion on Wed, 18 February 2015, 07:12:48
Oh GODS yes - It's one of the reasons I sought out a mech board in the first place.  I used to remember clackity clacking away when I was in high school writing my essays the period before it was due in the computer lab, and couldn't figure out why my typing had suffered such a slowdown in the later years.  When I came across some article or other that reminded me about the clacking, I made the connection and went looking for a proper keyboard immediately.  Upon plugging in the first Model M I acquired, my typing speed immediately jumped from an average 45 wpm on the stupid rubber dome to 65wpm right out of the gate.  Not terribly impressive overall, but easily a 30% increase just from switching to a proper board again.  Totally worth it not to be backspacing all the time to fix errors, which was the primary slowdown for me, particularly with keys that didn't register properly.   
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: ideus on Wed, 18 February 2015, 07:56:06
Why do you imply that a mechanical keyboard is for typing faster? You get a mechanical keyboard to enjoy typing, or because you expend a good part of your life working at a computer, or because as a digital age warrior you want the best sword possible.


Typing faster, actually? Who cares?
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: cseng on Wed, 18 February 2015, 09:46:31
for me it's probably just placebo but yes i do type faster on my mech.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: aref on Wed, 18 February 2015, 12:46:54
I type about the same speed on my mechanical keyboards as I did on the many membrane keyboards I've owned/used; but I prefer the feel of mechanical keyboards.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: katushkin on Wed, 18 February 2015, 12:49:32
I like to think I do. But then I haven't typed on a rubber dome board in ages...

And I've never tested it as I don't believe those WPM things are a true representation of your typing speed. My typing is way quicker when I know what to type rather than reading it off a screen. But then maybe that is the point in them, idk.

Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Novus on Wed, 18 February 2015, 14:28:50
Why do you imply that a mechanical keyboard is for typing faster? You get a mechanical keyboard to enjoy typing, or because you expend a good part of your life working at a computer, or because as a digital age warrior you want the best sword possible.


Typing faster, actually? Who cares?

Please cry more.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: toshiba on Wed, 18 February 2015, 16:32:34
I type a fair bit faster on a membrane keyboard (10-15 WPM, ~10-15% faster). However, that's all I've ever really used. I'm sure if I gave a mechanical keyboard more time my speed would be comparable. I'm sure that's true for most everyone.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Ludovician on Wed, 18 February 2015, 16:48:59
Do you have a mech, toshiba? There's a short adjustment period and you may type slightly slower at first, but that's just a matter of getting used to what you're typing on.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: toshiba on Fri, 20 February 2015, 18:54:16
Do you have a mech, toshiba? There's a short adjustment period and you may type slightly slower at first, but that's just a matter of getting used to what you're typing on.
No, I don't have a mech. I've only sampled them for a few hours at a time (I've done this about 5-6 times though).

But like I conceded in my first post, I think I type faster on my membrane keyboard simply because I'm accustomed to it. I think, with time, a good typist will become efficient and adapt to whatever keyboard they're using. That swings both ways, too. One may currently type faster on a mech, but I bet with time they'd match their efficiency on a membrane keyboard (and vice versa).
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: chicken on Fri, 20 February 2015, 20:24:01
I don't, but I make like 20 errors at 40 wpm so...............................
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: mr.squishy on Fri, 20 February 2015, 20:41:45
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Still no.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: quake4mhg on Fri, 20 February 2015, 21:14:30
I do type faster :)
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Puddsy on Fri, 20 February 2015, 21:15:23
i do in fact type faster
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: sethk_ on Fri, 20 February 2015, 21:16:57
i do in fact type faster
Same, I am up by about 10-20 WPM when typing on topre.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: dante on Fri, 20 February 2015, 21:26:00
I type the fastest on the switch I like the least: Cherry MX Browns.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: sethk_ on Fri, 20 February 2015, 22:22:12
I type the fastest on the switch I like the least: Cherry MX Browns.
I have only typed on them for about a minute on my dads k70, as I remember them, they felt linear with a piece of sandpaper whenever I hit the tactile bump.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: dante on Fri, 20 February 2015, 22:32:53
I type the fastest on the switch I like the least: Cherry MX Browns.
I have only typed on them for about a minute on my dads k70, as I remember them, they felt linear with a piece of sandpaper whenever I hit the tactile bump.

Some batches of Browns are better than others.  This is the switch I would use in a typing contest when money is on the line.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: uzoc on Fri, 20 February 2015, 22:48:27
Not something most (here) want to hear or admit...
Rubber dome all the way (fastest),
Next maybe scissor switch,
Next mechanical (blue, brown, etc),
Then even older mechanicals (and the like),
and last but not least, the good old Remington or Olivetti!
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: ADFX_Pixy on Sat, 21 February 2015, 01:08:31
I do type faster with my mech keyboard but I do make more mistakes with it for some reason compared to those generic Dell rubber domes that I use at school.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: keyhopper on Sat, 21 February 2015, 01:29:57
It Depends. I actually measured it a while ago. I type the fastest with Topre:

     Topre 55g  >=  Buckling Spring  >>  Kailh == Membrane

But the differences were surprisingly close. We are talking 10%. For instance, I could get 120wpm on some typeracer text with Topre and BS, but it took me a lot of retries to get the same with membrane and get past 110wpm for that same text.
Mechanical keyboards did improve my speed though, maybe because they made me rediscover and love typing again and enjoy wasting time on typeracer.com. Also, I've been using the Dvorak layout for more than a decade now.

Interesting note: with heavy switches I feel like I'm typing slow, but when measured it is actually fast. Don't ask me why.

Another Note: I read somewhere that the famous Sean Wrona achieves 200wpm speeds both with membrane and cherry (and he uses the normal Qwerty layout).

Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: davkol on Sat, 21 February 2015, 05:31:46
My top burst speed is on scissor switches, but I prefer linear or clear-like switches for longer typing sessions, because I don't have to bottom out and fingers never hurt just from typing consequently.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: flaming_june on Sat, 21 February 2015, 11:03:37
Considerably faster on my hhkb topre than anything else.  But if we're talking about whether mechanical statistically provide significantly faster typing speed, that's unknown. 
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: chyros on Sat, 21 February 2015, 12:13:59
Typing on my KB-5162 with SKCM Whites now and I am consciously making an effort to type slower just to savour the sound more ^^ .
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: gvfarns on Fri, 06 March 2015, 14:52:14
I type faster on my mechanical keyboard than on membrane keyboard.  I think it's because I no longer use as much force as I used to and have quicker recovery--in fact my hand position is quite different on my mechanicals.  The speed difference isn't huge, but it's also consistent and easy to measure.   By the way I use MX blues with O rings.

HOWEVER, I also make more typos with my mechanical keyboard.  The typos are always of the same type: I capitalize two letters at the beginning of a word instead of one.  The reason is that I can't get my pinky fingers off the shift keys fast enough.  Membrane keyboard shift keys are much better because they only register as depressed when they are fully depressed.

I really need to figure out a way to mod my keyboards so this isn't a problem.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: ander on Sat, 07 March 2015, 00:23:10
Heck yes!

If you don't, don't blame your MK. You're just not taking advantage of its capabilities. You need to learn to type without bottoming out all the time, by typing with your lower arms and hands as much as your fingers. You just need to develop a little technique, to learn to type more efficiently with less wasted movement and effort. Then you'll really zoom, and you'll get what the whole MK thing is about, IMHO.
Title: Re: Do you actually type faster on your mech KB?
Post by: Sencha on Sat, 07 March 2015, 04:54:19
I type the fastest on the switch I like the least: Cherry MX Browns.
I have only typed on them for about a minute on my dads k70, as I remember them, they felt linear with a piece of sandpaper whenever I hit the tactile bump.

I always find if you press browns slowly they feel like two marbles rubbing together.

Anyway I probably type about the same. Although I only recently gave up my old typing style and re-learnt proper touch typing. It was actually when I bought my first Topre board that I did this. Even if I was slower though I'd still be on Mech. Its all about enjoyment, if your not enjoying things whats the point.