Key Points
- Mechanical keyboards offer more consistency in typing, resulting in increased speed and accuracy.
- Mechanical keyboards have modularity, allowing users to customize switches, keycaps, and layouts to suit their needs.
- Mechanical keyboards are longer lasting compared to membrane keyboards, making them a more cost-effective investment.
- Mechanical keyboards reduce strain on wrists and fingers, potentially reducing the risk of repetitive stress injuries.
Are there good reasons to buy a mechanical keyboard? There are plenty of great and solid ones why you should make the switch to a mechanical keyboard. Now, you might be scared off by the higher initial cost of a mechanical, but it’s there for good reason.
While mechanical keyboards may be a more costly purchase overall, they are built for comfort and speed. These are valuable attributes if you do any sort of typing on a daily basis. Mechanical keyboards are a great choice for programmers, IT professionals, and writers.
They’re also just great for daily use, especially if you do a lot of gaming in your free time. You might have to spend a fair amount of your time at a computer for work. Why not spend that time in comfort with something built for daily use rather than the lowest possible cost?
6 Reasons to Buy a Mechanical Keyboard
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There are six valuable reasons why you might want to switch to a mechanical keyboard over sticking with a cheaper option. Typical low-cost keyboards use membranes, which keep costs down. However, they aren’t great for typing for any prolonged period of time.
When you consider the overall usage of a keyboard, it makes sense to get something that fits your hands better than something easier on the wallet.
There’s More Consistency
Mechanical keyboards use switches for each individual key. This is where it gets its name as each keypress actuates a mechanical switch. This results in more overall consistency with your typing. Each key requires the same amount of pressure to click down.
There isn’t really a learning curve, aside from growing used to the clicky noises you’ll be hammering out every second. That said, you’ll notice your speed and accuracy will skyrocket when you get accustomed to a mechanical keyboard.
This will in turn lead to more consistent results, especially if you’re typing on a regular basis.
They Have Modularity
Believe it or not, you can build the keyboard of your dreams provided your wallet runs deep enough. However, if that isn’t appealing you can certainly tailor a pre-built mechanical keyboard to suit you. Switches are readily replaced, and third-party support for mechanical keyboards is quite substantial.
Most mechanical keyboards will come with tools to pull out keycaps, the actual typing surface, and switches. Provided you can find compatible switches, you can switch them out to better fit your needs.
You might find brown switches more appealing than blues, as a simple example. Blues have a loud tactile click with each press, whereas browns are generally quieter.
Custom keycaps also exist for mechanicals, meaning you can go for visual aesthetics in addition to ergonomics. It really is a wide-open world of customization once you step into it. Of course, you can always keep everything bone stock, but where’s the fun in that?
There Are More Layouts
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Most typists are familiar with the standard QWERTY keyboard layout. If you’re using a full-sized membrane keyboard, you’re likely going to have a Numpad nearby to the right of the letters. You don’t have to use a numpad if you don’t want to, however.
Mechanical keyboards come in a variety of different layouts and size configurations. You can omit the numpad if you’d rather have a smaller footprint on your desk. Mechanical keyboards come available in smaller size formats than you’ll find typical membrane keyboards.
You can also get separate Numpad keyboards, which has been the norm for those in the accounting sector. Rather than being confined to the format and size of a host keyboard, you get something far more robust.
They Are Longer Lasting
There is certainly something to be said about the overall price of an entry-level mechanical keyboard. However, once you factor in the longevity of the device, it becomes a little easier to swallow. When properly cared for, these sorts of keyboards can last well over a decade.
Membrane keyboards aren’t built for longevity, they’re built to be cheap and functional. An $11 Amazon Basics membrane keyboard might need replacement next year. If you add it up over time, then $70 to $150 for a decent starter mechanical makes a lot more sense.
If you’re replacing the keyboard every decade as opposed to every other year, you’re saving money. $70 for a decade’s worth of use is roughly $7 a year as opposed to the $110 total you’ll have with a cheap membrane.
There Is No Rollover
Membrane keyboards aren’t built with multiple simultaneous keypresses in mind. As such, if you’re a fast typist you’ll notice sometimes characters simply don’t appear when typing. Mechanicals don’t have this issue.
Rollover is a very real issue you’ll find with most membrane and laptop keyboards but isn’t a consideration you’ll have with a mechanical. You can slam all ten fingers down on different keys with a mechanical and have all ten characters in your word processor of choice.
If you’re a professional who relies on typing to earn a living, then having consistency is key. Rollover will rob you of consistency, so you might as well make the investment and get something to make your daily work go on without a hitch.
Your Wrists Will Have Less Strain
This also goes back to consistency, but you’ll have less overall strain on your wrists and fingers when typing on a mechanical.
This is thanks, in part, to the constant pressure needed for actuating the switches of a keyboard. When coupled with a good wrist rest or ergonomic case, you can type for hours without pain.
That isn’t to say mechanical keyboards are going to cure your carpal tunnel syndrome, but with proper care, you can greatly reduce your chances of repetitive stress injuries.
The Best Mechanical Keyboards
So with a list of reasons in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the best mechanical keyboards for a trio of needs.
Best for Professionals
- Tenkeyless design
- Program macros and keymaps are fully adjustable by the user
- LED backlights for visibility in all conditions
The Code V3 was built with professionals in mind. This minimalist design was intended for designers, programmers, and everyone else who uses a keyboard for a living. It is tenkeyless, meaning you’ve got ample desk real estate for a cup of coffee or something.
The Code V3 uses Cherry MX Brown switches, which are quieter and require less pressure overall to actuate. This is a great choice if you work on a computer for a living.
Best Ergonomic Mechanical
- RGB lighting
- Split design for better ergonomics and less wrist strain
- Uses Cherry MX Red switches
The KINESIS Gaming Freestyle may look more at home with marathon sessions of Call of Duty than it does for a professional typist, but the split design does help to reduce wrist strain. It uses Cherry MX switches, so they are readily swapped with dozens of compatible types.
You won’t be experiencing ghosting or any issues when typing quickly, as the rollover is nonexistent on this keyboard. You can also program macros for daily tasks. It is usually meant for doing gaming-related shortcuts, but you could easily apply it to shortcuts for Excel, Word, and other business programs.
Best for Gamers
- Tenkeyless design
- Adjustable keystrokes
- High quality PBT keycaps
It certainly does feel like gamers get all the best toys sometimes. The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL is a high-speed design meant for gaming excellence. You can adjust the keypresses for the exact amount of pressure you want for each stroke.
Also present is an OLED screen, which is great for seeing relevant stats like your current framerate, GPU temperature, and other metrics. You can keep the screen clear for the action while viewing stats at a mere glance. It uses OmniPoint 2.0 switches, which are readily adjustable when compared to offerings from the likes of Cherry.
Closing Thoughts
It is high time you ditch your membrane keyboard and grab a mechanical one. If you type for a living, you owe it to yourself to get something that better fits your hands and wrists. Mechanical keyboards may be more expensive, but they’re built to last.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Hendrik Sejati/Shutterstock.com.
