Is it just me or are mechanical keyboards worse for typing than low-profile


Recommended Posts

I used mechanical keyboards for years since I got my first computer in the late 80s (I still have a working IBM Model M keyboard!), then I switched to Microsoft membrane and low profile models and now switched back to a mechanical model again (Logitech G715 with CherryMX Brown switches) yet even after a month I keep having difficulties typing at my previous speed since the keyboard key travel is longer and the resistance is much higher than the previous non-mechanical keyboard I used. Is it just me or those kind of keyboards aren't actually made for fast typing at all? It doesn't seem to be physically possible to press the keys faster with such an higher resistance or longer key travel, on my laptop every key is always a sure hit and I can type effortlessly at insane speeds, on this new mechanical one I can't even type for a couple of hours or my fingers hurt, WTF?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like everything in life... YMMV.

For me the switch to mechanical more than doubled my typing speed and I wasn't slow to begin with.

mechanical isn't the Holy grail and is better for some and not for others.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And there ARE wired low-profile keyboards - Microsoft and Logitech, among others, have long made them.

Further, not all wireless keyboards are low-profile - my current keyboard (Microsoft Wireless 6000 V.3) is not low-profile, though it IS ergonomic and mechanical besides.

 

Do you mean low-profile, or low-profile and wireless?  While most wireless keyboards are non-mechanical, some are mechanical.  Some low-profile keyboards are, in fact wired (I know of at least two each from Microsoft and Logitech).

 

Razer, for example, is known for mechanical keyboards - however, not all of them are wired.

 

I chose my particular Microsoft keyboard because it was ergo, wireless AND mechanical - not to mention that it didn't cost a mint.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe its the type of switch used? Try keyboards with other CherryMX switches like black, blue, red, etc.

 

I don't have experience with switches however so I cannot give a specific recommendation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't tried it mech boards yet, but that's partly because mine doesn't need replacing yet

 

That being said it's a g19, so it's replacement in my eyes would have some large shoes to fill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may sound noobish but what exactly is a mechanical keyboard and its advantages? I just use those refurbished Dell keyboards you can get for as low as $2 here and they work fine. Better than my laptop in fact which has a chiclet keyboard. I also use it for gaming. They last a couple of years too. I don't know why anyone would spend more than that on a keyboard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may sound noobish but what exactly is a mechanical keyboard and its advantages? I just use those refurbished Dell keyboards you can get for as low as $2 here and they work fine. Better than my laptop in fact which has a chiclet keyboard. I also use it for gaming. They last a couple of years too. I don't know why anyone would spend more than that on a keyboard.

Though I couldn't find the article to support this, I remember reading that they are slower for typists because of the longer travel, on certain switches (I don't remember if they were red or blue, or indeed if it makes a difference)

Most of the models I've seen were gaming boards, and they weren't that much more customisable than mine, so I didn't bother pursuing it further, sorry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And there ARE wired low-profile keyboards - Microsoft and Logitech, among others, have long made them.

Further, not all wireless keyboards are low-profile - my current keyboard (Microsoft Wireless 6000 V.3) is not low-profile, though it IS ergonomic and mechanical besides.

 

Do you mean low-profile, or low-profile and wireless?  While most wireless keyboards are non-mechanical, some are mechanical.  Some low-profile keyboards are, in fact wired (I know of at least two each from Microsoft and Logitech).

 

Razer, for example, is known for mechanical keyboards - however, not all of them are wired.

 

I chose my particular Microsoft keyboard because it was ergo, wireless AND mechanical - not to mention that it didn't cost a mint.

 

I never had another mechanical keyboard after the Model M, the others were all membrane high or low-profile, wired or wireless. The keyboard I was using before this Logitech was indeed a Microsoft 6000 just like yours and I would have been happy with it for several more years if it wasn't for the keys not registering since the wireless receiver Microsoft uses is unbelievably bad, even when crammed under the keyboard it still would report low signal and miss keys. That keyboard had a standard key travel length but there was almost no resistance when pressing the keys so it was much more confortable to type with compared to this mechanical one I bought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Though I couldn't find the article to support this, I remember reading that they are slower for typists because of the longer travel, on certain switches (I don't remember if they were red or blue, or indeed if it makes a difference)

Most of the models I've seen were gaming boards, and they weren't that much more customisable than mine, so I didn't bother pursuing it further, sorry

Red and brown have the lowest resistance, brown switches also have a mid-key actuation point so you don't actually have to press them to the bottom (not that you could anyway, since Logitech put some rubber rings in the keys to reduce the noise by preventing the key from hitting the bottom).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like everything in life... YMMV.

For me the switch to mechanical more than doubled my typing speed and I wasn't slow to begin with.

mechanical isn't the Holy grail and is better for some and not for others.

Maybe it's the quality of the keyboard that matters, I've always had bad experience with Logitech models, I had to stop using the MK710 (the only desktop set they still sell) because with time it became impossible to hit the keys anywhere but in the center (the key would get stuck when pressed from the sides) and the keys became harder to press overall. Too bad it was out of warranty or I would have loved sending it back just to hear what lame explanations they'd come out with for designing and selling such an unbelievable piece of garbage (low-profile with full-profile springs, what the hell were they smoking?). When I switched from mechanical, where I had already maxed the speed, to low-profile, where almost no force is required and every keypress is instantaneous, I improved my typing speed a lot though it certainly took a lot of time to learn how to avoid accidental keypresses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've only typed on mechanical keyboards and so it's the other way around for me. I can't stand the low profile ones. You can type angrily though. It's a mechanical keyboard, it can take it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.