Four mechanical keyboards ~ MinShock!! Geek

Four mechanical keyboards

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Battle of the Mechs: Four Mechanical Keyboards Face Off These four top-notch keyboards cost a premium, but they make great gifts that will be appreciated for years. Thermaltake tT eSports Meka G1 Share This Story: Does anyone need a $100-plus computer keyboard? Probably not. When you come right down to it, anyone can get by with a $10 keyboard, or the humdrum, generic one that comes bundled with your average computer. (Most folks do, after all.) But there's a big world of keyboards out there beyond these utilitarian models, and once you've tried some of them, you may never look at your clunker of a daily typer the same way again. (Ask us how we know.) Das Keyboard Professional Model S Take, for instance, the mechanical keyboard. If you've never tried one, you might think all keyboards are "mechanical," and in a sense, they are. But the term has a specific meaning in the keyboard-marketing world. It means that the keyboard employs a discrete actuation and springback mechanism underneath each key. Inexpensive non-mechanical keyboards, on the other hand, tend to use what's known as "membrane" or "rubber dome" technology, with a sheet of rubber providing the springback force, which leads to a squishy, undifferentiated feel as you type. Rosewill RK-9000 Mechanical keyboard Mechanical models come in two broad types: the highly clicky kind that gives clear and satisfying feedback (and makes lots of noise), and "linear force" models that tend to have a softer, yet still solid, keypress feel. The type of switch that the keyboard manufacturer uses dictates how it feels. Most mechanical-keyboard converts prefer one or the other, often with near-religious fervor, but there is no "better" here. It's strictly up to your fingers and what pleases them. As you would expect, having 100-plus discrete switches in a keyboard means you'll have to pay a bit extra. Of late, we've seldom seen true mechanical keyboards for much under $60, and you can expect to pay closer to $100—or even more—for today's top models. The rock star among current mechs is the Das Keyboard line, which comprises both clicky and "silent" models. (Das also sells mechanical models with blank keys, meant to help you learn touch-typing by throwing you into the deep end of the keyboard pool.) The Das Keyboard models are among today's priciest mainstream-consumer boards, so we also looked at three mecha-alternatives below. We also took a look at a fifth mechanical keyboard not included in the list, the SteelSeries 6Gv2, a gamer-centric model that we did not look at long enough to give an Editors' Rating. But that review is worth checking out, too, at the link. A keyboard might seem like a dull, prosaic gift to give for the holidays, but ask around our offices, where mechanical keyboards clatter away all day long. Most of our team will tell you: They would be happy to get one of these premium keyboards for home use, too. Try one, and you'll be a convert as well. Once you set fingers on one of these highly rugged, satisfying-to-strike models, you'll understand the appeal—and your gift recipient will thank you every day he or she uses it.